Luke 8

Luke 8 belongs to the section of the Gospel that covers Jesus' ministry in Galilee. Following Luke 7, it opens with Jesus going through the cities and villages proclaiming the kingdom of God.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 Jesus proclaims the kingdom of God together with the Twelve. Several women, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna, minister to the group out of their own means.
• Verses 4–8 The parable of the sower. Seed falls by the wayside, on rock, among thorns, and on good ground, and the seed on good ground bears fruit a hundredfold.
• Verses 9–15 The reason for speaking in parables and the explanation of the parable. The seed is the word of God.
• Verses 16–18 The parable of the lamp and the saying "Take heed therefore how ye hear."
• Verses 19–21 When his mother and brothers come to see him, Jesus says that those who hear the word of God and do it are his family.
• Verses 22–25 Jesus calms a windstorm on the lake.
• Verses 26–39 In the country of the Gerasenes, Jesus heals a demon-possessed man whose name is "Legion." The herd of swine into which the demons enter rushes into the lake and drowns. The healed man returns home and proclaims what has happened.
• Verses 40–48 Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, pleads with Jesus, and a woman who had suffered from an issue of blood for twelve years is healed by touching the border of his garment.
• Verses 49–56 Jesus raises Jairus's only daughter, about twelve years old, and charges the parents to tell no one what has happened.

Key Verses

• Luke 8:15 "which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience" — the conclusion of the explanation of the parable of the sower.
• Luke 8:21 "My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it" — the theme of hearing the word carries over into the account of Jesus' family.
• Luke 8:50 "Fear not: believe only" — spoken to Jairus after he hears the news that his daughter has died.

People and Places

• Mary Magdalene A woman out of whom seven demons had gone; she is the first named among the women who ministered to Jesus and his companions.
• Joanna The wife of Chuza, steward of Herod.
• Susanna One of the women who ministered to Jesus and his companions.
• Mary The mother of Jesus, who comes with his brothers to see him.
• Jairus A ruler of the synagogue.
• The woman with an issue of blood She had suffered from the condition for twelve years.
• Peter, John, and James (son of Zebedee) The disciples who went with Jesus into Jairus's house.
• The Sea of Galilee and the country of the Gerasenes A region across the lake from Galilee. The place name is spelled differently in different manuscripts.

Points for Reflection

• The parable, the saying about the lamp, and the account of Jesus' true family are bound together by the theme of how one hears the word.
• The phrase in verse 10, "that seeing they might not see," echoes Isaiah 6:9–10. The Reformed tradition reads it in connection with God's sovereign judgment, while other interpreters read it as emphasizing the response of the hearers.
• In later Western church tradition, Mary Magdalene was sometimes identified with the sinful woman of chapter 7, but the text itself makes no such connection.
• Protestants generally understand Jesus' "brethren" as children born to Mary, whereas Roman Catholics and the Orthodox understand them as relatives or as children of Joseph.
• The same events also appear in Mark 4, Mark 5, Matthew 13, and elsewhere (see Synoptic problem). They are treated in detail in the articles Calming the storm, Healing of the Gerasene demoniac, and Raising of Jairus's daughter.

In the Korean Church

The parable of the sower is frequently taken up in sermons and Sunday school lessons on the attitude with which one should hear the word. The verse "Fear not: believe only" is also widely quoted in preaching and prayer.