Luke 8:49-56

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49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” 51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” 53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. ~ Luke 8:49-56

Today, we come to the fourth of four stories that Luke uses to put on display the power of the Lord Jesus over nature, demons, sickness and death.

Of all the fears in the human existence, the ultimate fear is the fear of death. Death is the most certain fact of life. People naturally have an intense dread of death and do everything they can to push it as far away as possible. The ultimate distinguishing mark of Jesus Christ, the ultimate proof that He is God, is His power over death.

Life will always present something before us that leaves us vulnerable, that which throws us off. No matter what our advantages are, we will always be tested in an area that we cannot fix by ourselves. This is good, because it is in this context that we are desperate enough to cry out to the only one who can do something about it. 

We see this again right here in Luke 8:49-56. Here's the story of the raising of a twelve-year-old girl who was the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue official in Capernaum. After being implored by Jairus to come to his daughter's side, the Lord Jesus was interrupted by the woman with the twelve year issue of blood. Meanwhile, the daughter died. And Jairus' anxiety, no doubt, was being elevated at every moment. As is always the case, interruptions have purpose, they are not random. 

Satan is the one who introduced mankind to death, making us  all subject to the bondage of all kinds of entropy. But, going all the way back to Luke 7 with the raising of the man in Nain from the dead, Luke is chronicling the power of the Lord Jesus over death.  

The town of Capernaum, the town at the very northern tip of the Sea of Galilee, was the center of operations for the Lord Jesus' ministry. The town of Capernaum saw many miracles, perhaps in the hundreds. And here Luke provides for us another one of those miracles, the miracle of raising a dead girl.

In v.49 we read, "While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore." The worst had happened, the delay had proven deadly. While the Lord Jesus was giving Himself to an outcast, the lowliest person in the crowd who shouldn't have even been in the crowd because she was an untouchable, the twelve year old child of the most important person in town had died. In caring for the most rejected, the Lord Jesus had ignored the most respected.  

"Don't bother the teacher anymore," were the words of the messenger. The Lord Jesus is identified as the teacher, that's the best way to identify Him.  Even though we're going through miracle after miracle after miracle in Luke, He was teaching all the time. 

At this point, Jairus spoke to the Lord Jesus. Luke doesn't record it but Matthew does. In Matthew 9:18, we read, "My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live." What faith! The messenger didn't believe.  He said don't bother Him anymore, it's too late. Jairus had been there, no doubt, in the Luke 4 when the Lord Jesus had cast the demon out of the man after having an amazing conversation with him right in the middle of the synagogue service. Jairus had faith that the Lord Jesus had the power of God. His faith was unwavering and her death did not diminish his faith.

When the Lord Jesus heard Jairus, He said to him, "Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed." The Lord Jesus healed many people who didn't believe. He healed many without faith. He never saved any without faith, never will. But He healed many without faith. And, sometimes He used faith as a channel through which He could operate. In this case it isn't necessarily cause and effect, He doesn't say, "If you believe she'll be made well." He simply says believe, she'll be made well, she'll be restored.

This story is a microcosm of what the Lord Jesus promises to all of us. He promises us life even though we face death. The Lord Jesus finally makes it to Jairus' house. A significant time had passed, maybe an hour, maybe two hours. I don't know however long it would taken.

When the LordJesus arrives, Mark paints the scene of chaotic disorder. In v.51, "When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother."  When the Lord Jesus left the crowd, He allowed only Peter, John and to go, not the crowd.  He stopped the crowd from following Him.  He did this because He knew the chaos would be there, He didn't want to add more chaos. 

In v.52, we read,"Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep."

According to v.53, the people there began laughing at the Lord Jesus. In doing so, it is made clear that she was dead. In v.54, we learn that He went into the room and took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!" According to Matthew's account, Jairus had said, "if You would just put Your hand on her, she will live."  

This little girl and the woman with the issue of blood were both untouchables. You see, the law said the Lord Jesus couldn't touch a bleeding woman or a dead body. It would make him unclean. The woman herself was declared unclean. She was untouchable. Nobody touched her. He couldn't touch the dead girl, either.

And so He did as Jairus had asked, though He could have spoken to her, He didn't have to touch her. His touch is a demonstration of His willingness to do what people asked Him to do in the way they asked Him to do it. He commanded her to live, the same way He had spoken life into existence on the sixth days of creation with the same power, the same way He commands life into every living thing. With that command the Lord Jesus shattered death, broke its hold and severed its chains.  

According to v.55, "Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat." Her life came back into her body. And, when she comes back to life, she gets immediately out of bed and eats.  There's no recovery period from being dead. And that's the way it is with every miracle Jesus did. It is total and complete and full.  

In v.56, we read, "Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened." Her parents were astonished. Luke uses the Greek verb existēmi which means “to stand outside yourself.” They were out of their minds. We've seen this same reaction all the way along.  In v.25, the disciples when the Lord Jesus stopped the storm were fearful and amazed. In v.37, The people of the Gerasenes were gripped with great fear when they saw the power of Jesus. The woman with the issue of blood in v.47 came trembling and fell down before Him. And here the parents literally are out of their minds. And He says to them, "Tell no one what happened." The same reaction is found in all of these situations in Luke 8.

Then the Lord Jesus closes out this story by saying to the parents,  "tell no one what had happened." But, in Matthew 9:26 we learn the news went out into all the land.   Everybody knew there was a resurrection. 

We are worshipers before we are witnesses. Before we rush to give a testimony, we must have a story with Him to tell first. And, of course, this requires worship. I'm not talking about singing songs in the meeting place of the church. I'm talking about having your world ordered and defined by Him. This only happens in response to seeing Him for who He is. Perhaps, this is why we neglect being the witness.

Luke 8:40-48

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40 Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. 45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” ~ Luke 8:40-48

As mentioned in the last few blogs, in the second half of Luke 8, there are recorded four miracles which demonstrate the power of the Lord Jesus over nature, demons, sickness and death. Today, we continue with the third of these four, the power of the Lord Jesus over sickness in Luke 8:40-48.

The rebellion of man against God has woven into the fabric of our universe the deadly force of death, introducing sickness, sorrow, suffering and death. And, since God made us for relationships and has given us the capacity to love, our potential is greatly marred until we come back into a personal relationship with Him. We lack peace with ourselves, others and, most importantly, with God.

When the Lord Jesus returned to Capernaum, according to v.40, there was a large crowd waiting for Him. They had been waiting for a while. In the crowd were people who hurt, who suffered, who were in pain and who had sorrow. Some of them were quite anxious, such as Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, who had a twelve-year-old daughter who was dying. 

In v.41-42 we read, "Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying." Jairus was one of the most respected men in the area. He was a  leader in the community and in the synagogue. But, his twelve year old daughter was sick, so sick she could die.

Reminiscent of the demon-possessed man, Jairus "came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house." It was pretty startling for an official of the synagogue to beg at the feet of the Lord Jesus. He was a man of great respect. He was tantamount to an elder in the church in the community, spiritual, devoted to the Lord, at least to the religion of Judaism, devoted to the people, a leader of the people, trusted in terms of wisdom, knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures.  

The leaders of the local synagogues were connected to the Scribes and Pharisees, those who were doing everything they could to destroy the Lord Jesus and His ministry. This is why it is so surprising that Jairus bowed at the feet of the Lord Jesus. But, this was Jairus' beloved daughter, and he would do anything to help her, anything.

Desperate people do desperate things. This is the very same synagogue that the Lord Jesus had an encounter with a demon-possessed man. The Lord Jesus was sitting in the synagogue and all of a sudden the demon-possessed man screams, the demon takes over his voice and the man screams, "What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have You come to destroy Us?" And then the demon says, "You holy One of God." The demon gave an accurate testimony. Jairus had witnessed the power of the Lord Jesus over demons that day.

At the end of v.42 we read, "As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.” He was trying to get to Jairus' house and the crushing crowd with all the needy, desperate people pushed in on Him. Jairus was hoping the Lord Jesus was going to get there before his daughter died. His panic was elevated because they couldn't get through the crowd.

Then to make matters worse, according to v.43, "a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her."  

According to v.44, this woman reached out, grabbed His cloak and "immediately her bleeding stopped." This woman had lived through twelve years of suffering.  We don't know what caused her issue but it made her ceremonially unclean. She couldn't go to the temple or to the synagogue. She couldn't be with her husband. She couldn't touch her family, she couldn't touch her children. She was shunned because she could transmit her ritual uncleanness to others. So, this was a huge gamble on her part to go out into this crowd. But, she was desperate.

She knew what the required boundaries were for her, but she ran the risk and she reached out to touch the edge of the garment of the Lord Jesus. At that moment the Lord Jesus stopped, seeking who had touched Him. He healed people without faith all the time. But, to this point, He never saved anybody without faith. And this woman is on her way to salvation. 

Her physical problem was solved. But, she needed to be restored socially and spiritually. This called for a public restoration and the testimony that she had been healed. And, when healed spiritually, she would be able to go to the synagogue and the Temple. Only the Lord Jesus could grant such a need and only He could affirm that she had come into a personal relationship with Him. 

According to v.45, the disciples were critical about the Lord Jesus' question of "who touched me?" They thought, "How could anyone be singled out in such a big crowd?"

In v.46 we read, "Somebody did touch Me for I was aware that power had gone out of Me." The Lord Jesus called this lady to reveal herself. It isn't that He needed the information. He just wasn't done with her yet. He knew her and He knew her life story and He knew her need.

The power of God is not impersonal. It is personal and when His power flows to us, He feels it. When His life pours into us, we feel that power, that infusion of spiritual power into our lives as we see it evidenced in our lives. The Lord Jesus, actually, personally felt the outflow of His power, His re-creative power to change the woman. God is not detached from this world and our lives. When He touches our lives and His power flows, He feels the flow. No one receives the power of God into His or her life without personal involvement from God. 

In v.47 we read, "Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed." 

This needy woman came trembling under the weight of realizing she was in the presence of God. She falls down before Him. She declares in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, in order to be healed. And how He had responded, she had been immediately healed. 

Now that the social part had been taken care of, the Lord Jesus says to her, in v.48, "Daughter." This is the only time in the whole New Testament He ever addressed anyone with that endearing word. 

The Lord Jesus continued, "your faith has healed you. Go in peace." She was not only healed in her body, she was not only healed socially, now she was healed  also in her spirit. She was at peace with God. And, the Lord Jesus says, "Go live your life, being defined by the God of peace."

Luke 8:34-39

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34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. ~ Luke 8:34-39

Deliverance was now the new theme of the once demon-possessed man. I can only imagine what it was like to be able to think again, to be able to behave as the man he was before these propagators of darkness came into his life. This once isolated man is now sitting at the feet of the Lord Jesus. As a result, according to v.34, those tending the pigs, those who had seen the miracle of deliverance happen, ran into town to tell everyone the things they had witnessed.

In v.35 after hearing the testimony of those tending the pigs, the towns people went out to see what had happened. And, the people were afraid at what they saw. They saw the once uncontrollable man in his right mind sitting at the feet of the one who had delivered him from the demons who had controlled him for so long. 

The demons exerted their power, yet, the Lord Jesus brought a greater power. We live in a world where some exercise their power, yet God is more powerful. And, knowing this, we bow before no one but the one with the greatest power.  

In Isaiah 43:18 we read, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old." Despite the fact that the demons were gone, this man had to work at being defined by the Lord Jesus henceforth. There would always be the possibility that this man would be defined by wickedness, again. We do not have to be in jail to be imprisoned. 

The townsfolk contradicted the experience of the freed man. It is the nature of sin to blind. But they didn't see sin as sin. For them sin was normal, it was comfortable. It is the nature of sin to hate the uncomfortable truth. It is the nature of sin to reject blatant proof. It is the nature of sin to resist unfamiliar righteousness. It is the nature of sin to cling tightly to numbing comfort. Here we have irrefutable evidence that Jesus is God. Here we have a miracle that is so massive that demonstrates His power over the supernatural world.

Again, we see the same thing that we have seen with the previous story. The people realized they were in the presence of God are were frightened, and terrified. When the Lord Jesus stopped the waves, the disciples rightfully were frightened in His presence. Whether He is healing or raising the dead, the Lord Jesus creates a certain amount of terror in those who were witnessing His power. 

A fearful awe is good, but fear that drives us away from Him isn't. "The tragedy of modern faith is that we no longer are capable of being terrified. We aren't afraid of God, we aren't afraid of Jesus, we aren't afraid of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we have ended up with a need-centered gospel that attracts thousands...but transforms no one." Mike Yaconelli

Instead of being naked, the man was clothed. Instead of wandering aimlessly, the man was sitting at the feet of Jesus. Instead of being in the tombs, the realm of the dead, he was sitting among the living, Jesus and His disciples. Instead of shrinking and screaming, the man was quiet. Instead of deadly and threatening, he was peaceful. Instead of tormented, he was comforted. Instead of insanity, there was sanity. Instead of chaos, there was tranquility. This is a incredible picture of the salvation the Lord Jesus came to deliver. 

Notice v.36 which reads, "Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured." We would think these folks would have been convinced of the Lord Jesus identity, because this was a tremendous miracle, but they were not. The idea that we are convinced by the most powerful of miracles just isn't true. Only the word of God creates faith in the willing. The word of God is representative of the truth for His word describes things as they should be, in keeping with His reality.

In v.37 we read, "Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left." These people saw miracle after miracle after miracle for three years. And at the end of that time they wanted the Lord Jesus dead. I can't imagine a more dramatic event than sending thousands of demons out of a man with a word. And the proof of it in the drowning of this herd of pigs. But the truth of the matter is, this is hard soil back from Jesus' story in John 8:5-12. The seed of the truth fell on hard hearts and it didn't penetrate.

They saw the Lord Jesus as a greater danger than that formerly demon-possessed man. They would rather have a maniac than the Son of God. They would rather be terrified by Satan than terrified by God. They would rather endure the presence of demonic danger than the presence of divine deliverance. They preferred the unholy to the holy. They preferred a tomb dweller over the Lord of life. Just like Israel. They were not asking Jesus to go away because He messed with their economy, killing their pigs. 

The whole town and the whole region wanted Him to go away because they were terrified of His holiness. You know, the world is really comfortable with pigs and maniacs, but it's not comfortable with Jesus Christ. This is the blindness and the damning darkness and ignorance of sin.

By the way, the Lord Jesus never came back to that city. They begged Him to leave and He got into the boat and went back to Capernaum. This was a damning rejection and Jesus never ever came back. 

In v.38 we read, "The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying." The demons begged the Lord Jesus to not send them to the abyss, the townspeople begged Him to leave, and the man who had been delivered begged the Lord Jesus, "Let me go with you." 

In response to the once possessed man the Lord Jesus said in v.39, "Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him."  Legion became the first missionary to proclaim what Jesus can do for the willing heart. 

"The man," according to v.39, "went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him." The demoniac was the first Gentile missionary. The Lord Jesus sent him back to his own people to tell them what great things God had done for him. He told them what the Lord Jesus had done because He experienced a connection with the Lord Jesus for Himself.

You see, this is Christianity, a personal relationship with God. It is not about our behavior or our performance, it is about getting to know God personally. I trust this has happened to you.

Luke 8:30-33

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30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. ~ Luke 8:30-33

As we mentioned in the last two days blogs, in the second half of Luke 8, Luke records four miracles. Through these four miracles the power of the Lord Jesus is seen over nature, demons, sickness and death. Today, we continue with the second of these four, the power of the Lord Jesus over demons in Luke 8:26-33.

When the Lord Jesus asked the man his name in v.30, he said, 'Legion,' because many demons had gone into him." Legion is not a name, it describes a group of six thousand Roman soldiers. This poor and frightened man literally was the home of thousands of demons. In fact, in Mark 5:13 we discover the herd of pigs into which the demons went numbered two thousand. And these demons had held this one man in bondage for so long. 

In v.31 we read, "And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss." These fallen angels ask the Lord Jesus to not send them into the bottomless pit. They didn't have a choice in the matter. On the other hand, they are not like human beings, they're not confined to the limitations of the human brain. They have far superior intelligence. They have superior might. In 2 Kings 19, we learn one angel killed 185 thousand Assyrians. And, yet, they didn't have a choice. Their will was subservient to the Lord Jesus.

Once created, demons never die, and they never grow old. They are not confined by space and time. They are not omnipresent but they're fast and they move the way spirit beings move. They make up a large and powerful group. 

The Lord Jesus demonstrates clearly that He is God as He demonstrates His power over these demons. These demons were tormenting this guy and they don't want to be tormented. Oh, the irony. Those who torment do so because they have been tormented and they arrived not upon God's purpose of the said torment. The purpose, of course, is that we are led to faith in the God of the Bible. We pity those who are treated badly and we should. But, they are in a blessed position because when we are most down trodden, we tend to look up to Him when we have bottomed out.

The alternative is a victim's mentality which I find most pathetic. Power, real power is accessed through weakness. This is the way of God. All other power leads us to bondage of some kind, most often the bondage of pride and arrogance.

According to v.32, "A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission." This is the first mention of deviled ham in the Bible. Remember, this is Gentile area. And, these Gentiles raised pigs which have cloven feet and were therefore unclean animals and not to be eaten. And so, in this is Gentile area, they were raising pigs. And the demons entreated Him to permit them to enter them. 

I wonder how this man became demon-possessed. Since he lived among the Gentiles, did he open himself up to the habitation of demons through totally ignoring God's definition of all things? Was he practicing black magic or was it an experiment with a ouija board or a pendulum board? For one to be possessed, there has to be a conscious way that one opens oneself up to the possibility. We are not told how it happened to this man in our text.

In v.33 we read, "When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned." So they didn't go into the abyss, that incarcerated place, but they ran into the abyss of the Sea of Galilee. The pigs drowned but the demons didn't. No created being ever really dies, including evil spirits. 

These demons recognized something that many people do not. They recognized and believed in the existence of God. They also recognized the authority of the Lord Jesus. In the end, two thousand pigs went careening down a hill, drowning. All of these events happened to show that the demon-possessed man had been delivered, and the Lord Jesus is sovereign over all.

Luke 8:26-29

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26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. ~ Luke 8:26-29

As we mentioned in yesterday's blog, in the second half of Luke 8, Luke records four miracles. Through these four miracles the power of the Lord Jesus is seen over nature, demons, and death. Today, we consider the second of these, the power of the Lord Jesus over demons in Luke 8:26-29.

We begin in v.26-27 which reads, "26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs." This is one of several situations in the gospels where the Lord Jesus dealt with the demonic world. Throughout the scriptures, demons which are fallen angels, have had the ability to inhabit humans, but not against the will of the human. Humans have to open themselves up to demonic activity through means that are known to be demonic.

Now, the Lord Jesus is on the boat with the disciples on the Sea of Galilee. And, at daybreak, they are met by a demon possessed man from a town called Gerasa, or Gergesa, as some call it. In Matthew 8:28 we are told there were two men. This man had a companion, but this man becomes the focus, so we really don't know what happened to the second man. 

Luke tells us this man hadn't put on any clothing for a long time. This is about shamelessness. Nakedness is always a sign of shamelessness in the Bible. Furthermore, he was a danger to himself. Mark 5:5 reads, "Night and day he was gashing and hacking at his naked body with sharp stones." He mutilated himself because those who possessed him were of Satan who is a destroyer. And his demons are the same. 

Mark goes on to point out in Mark 5:3-4, "nobody could control him." He lived up in the tombs, and when people came on the road, he would come out screaming in his nakedness. He would run down the hill with the intent to attack, and to kill. He was scary, and he had no contact with civil people. Isolation was common for him.

According Mark 5:4-5, "No one was able to bind him even with a chain because he had often been bound with shackles and chains and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Constantly night and day among the tombs and in the mountains crying out and gashing himself with stones." This explains why this demon possessed man lived in the cemetery. No one wanted to be around him, he was unpredictable and frightening.

In v.28-29 we read, "28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places." 

When this man saw the Lord Jesus and His disciples come ashore, he came running down the hill screaming. "When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet." This unnamed man didn't know the Lord Jesus, but the demons did. And, out of this man, spoke one of the demons. Then, not only does this voice scream out but the man under the influence of these demons falls before the Lord Jesus.

The demon is panicked because he's in the presence of his enemy and he's in panic.  "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!" Here, in an amazing way, is testimony to the identity of the Lord Jesus, the Son of the Most High God is given, through a demon.

Demons are timeless and ageless. They were created at one time and they are as old as creation. They were originally holy angels. They have vast knowledge of the personality of God and the Godhead, and they know the identity of the Lord Jesus.

This demon refers to the Lord Jesus as the "Son of the Most High God."  When the angel came to announce the birth of the Messiah, he said He would be the Son of the Most High God and God would give to Him His kingdom. The Most High God is El Elyon. It means "God, the sovereign one, God the sovereign Lord." And so, they are identifying the Lord Jesus as the, "Son of the sovereign Lord."  

At the end of v.28, the demon says, "I beg you, don’t torture me!" Here's a tormented man. He's in shackles. He breaks the shackles. He's in isolation. He's in this filthy kind of living like an animal. He retreats back to the cemetery, and when he sees the Lord Jesus, he cries out and says, "Don't torture me." This man has been living in torture for many years. That's torture! But here the demon is speaking of something very particular. In v.31, "they begged him that he would not command them to go out into the abyss." The word "abyss" appears seven times in the book of Revelation. It's rendered "the bottomless pit." 

In 2 Peter 2:4 we read, "If God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world and the ungodly." 

In Daniel 10 we see angels who are fighting in heavenly places. There are other demons, who it seems are confined to the earthly realm, the realm of humanity, and they're in the spiritual battle in the earthly realm. And then there are other demons that are incarcerated in this special place. 

In Jude 6 we read, "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of this great day." These are demons that are involved in what Genesis 6 speaks about, "When the sons of God  (this term sons of God is always used of angels in the Bible) saw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took wives unto themselves," and they produced a race, that was part human and part demonic. And God's judgment was to confine those demons from that point on into the abyss. The demons who are questioning the Lord Jesus, know about that confinement, they know that God has incarcerated some demons.

In the end, God is in total control. It does not matter what happens to us on this earth, we should fear no one but the Lord Jesus Himself. Given that God is sovereign, we must be about His business in this world. We must be active at pulling as many as possible out of the fire of hell.

Luke 8:22-25

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22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” ~ Luke 8:22-25

In v.22-56, Luke records four miracles. Through these four miracles Luke says: the Lord Jesus has power over the wind and the waves in v.22-25. The Lord Jesus has power over demons in v.26-39. The Lord Jesus has power over sickness in v.47. The Lord Jesus has power over death in v.56 where the Lord Jesus raises the twelve year old daughter of Jairus from the dead.

The people who saw Him stop the storm were fearful. Those who saw Him heal the demon-possessed man were gripped with great fear. The woman who had been healed of a disease in the midst of a big crowd was literally shaking with fear and terror. And the parents of the twelve year old girl that was raised from the dead, it says in v.56, were driven out of their minds. The Greek word used for "amazed' is  a contraction of two Greek words. The first means to be in place, or to stand. The second Greek word means out of place. "Amazed" literally means to be driven out of their mind.

In Luke 8:22, we read, "One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out."  Mark tells us it was the very same day that Jesus was teaching down at the Sea of Galilee. He got into a boat, pushed off from the shore because the massive crowd had pushed Him down to the water and the only way He could get away from them was to get in a boat and get out in the water. He had taught them all day, and He was exhausted. 

In v.23 we read, "As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger." This is the only place in Scripture where it ever tells us the Lord Jesus slept. And, He knew a storm was coming. His was a sleep of fearlessness, a sleep of trust.

According to v.25, after the Lord Jesus had stopped the wind and the waves, the disciples were fearful. They were terrified because they knew the Lord Jesus was God. He stopped wind and the waves. They knew no one but God could stop the waves, and they were frightened. 

The Lake Gennesaret is one of the most fascinating and most studied bodies of water on the Earth. It is the lowest freshwater lake in the world, 682 feet below sea level. It is only 30 miles east of the Mediterranean Sea, situated in a bowl-shaped valley. To the west are the hills of Galilee, which rise to a height of about 1,500 feet. 

To the east of the Sea of Galilee is a plateau that runs 42 miles down that part of Israel. It is 16 miles wide, known today as the Golan Heights. The Golan Heights rise to an elevation of 3,000 feet, high above the surface of the lake.

The lake itself is supplied by the snow melt that comes from the Lebanese mountains, Mount Hermon being the most familiar at 9,200 feet above sea level. The snow melts and sends the clean water down the Jordan River, and it fills up the lake. That whole area is geothermal, and at the north and west part of the lake, there are hot springs bubbling up out of the ground that also supplies the lake.

From the west come ocean winds over the hills of Galilee, speeding up as they come down, hitting the surface of the water. From the north come the cold winds off the Lebanese mountains. And as those winds come plummeting down the hills, they gain speed. And as they get closer to the lake of Gennesaret, these winds are forced into ravines. And as the wind is compressed into the ravines, it's speed accelerates rapidly.

In v.24 we read, "The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm." The Lord of all creation chose the ideal place on the planet for this display of astonishing power. He chose the little lake of Gennesaret, 13 miles at its longest length and 8 miles at its widest point.

That night the storm was so severe, the disciples who grew up on that lake as fishermen saw that it was life threatening. They said, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” They understood that they were in danger. The Lord allowed the storm and the Lord was in the storm. The Lord creates the storm in order to demonstrate that He can be trusted in the storm to increase the faith of His disciples.

Hopelessness always aids hope, if we let it. Terror always aids faith, if we let it. In fact, hopelessness and terror are necessary ingredients to the development of our hope and faith. We come to the Lord Jesus when we are desperate in the storm. The Lord Himself created the storm. It is He who creates the desperation so that we will cry out to Him.

In Mark's gospel, the Lord Jesus said, “Peace. Be still.” And the wind and the sea recognized the voice of their Creator and were still. The same way disease responded when He rebuked it was the same way demons responded when He rebuked them. The same way death responded when it yielded up its victim was the same way fish responded when He commanded them to go to a certain place. 

The Lord Jesus calmed the winds and the waves. Normally the waves went on splashing for hours. In this case, the wind stopped immediately, and the water didn’t finish its course to the shore. It just flattened out. 

Furthermore, in v.25 we read, "In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." Immediately the disciples conclude, “This is God.” 

And, before they arrived upon this conclusion, the Lord Jesus asked them, "Where is your faith?" Mark puts it this way: "Jesus said, “How is that you have no faith?” This is the first time that a miracle involved the disciples so personally. That day the disciples were moved to trust the Lord more than they had to that point. Yet, they ran away on the day He was crucified.

Here then is another presentation of the Lord Jesus Christ in all His glory as the Controller of all the natural forces of the universe. Here then is not only that picture of Him and His power, but His compassion and care over those who are His as He delivers them and rescues them from a storm, a storm which allow Him to put His power on display so their faith in Him would even be greater. We have God in our boat; that’s all we need. What’s to fear? And if He brings the storm, the intention of the storm may be to lead us to ask, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."

Luke 8:19-21

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19 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” 21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” ~ Luke 8:19-21

According to Mark 3:20-21 the Lord Jesus went home to Nazareth after the events recorded in Luke 8:16-18. The crowd following Him had gathered around Him in such a way His family could not even get to Him. Mary, and her sons were there to see Him but to no avail.

In v.20 we read, "Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." Luke makes it clear that the Lord Jesus had brothers. Matthew lists their names as “James and Joseph and Simon and Judas” (Matthew 13:55). Matthew also says the Lord Jesus had “sisters” (Matthew 13:56). So, Jesus had at least 4 half-brothers and 2 half-sisters.

The word for brothers (adelphos) that Luke uses is always used in the New Testament to refer to “brothers.” Some try to say the Lord Jesus had no brothers and sisters, that these were His cousins. If this were the case, the word for cousin (anepsios) would have been used. But they were not His cousins; they were His brothers. 

Some wrongly say that James, Joseph, Simon and Judas were Joseph’s children from a prior marriage, and hence they were his stepbrothers. There is no evidence, however, that Joseph was married before he married Mary. 

In v.21 we read, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice." It appears this response from the Lord Jesus was indifferent to the request of His family. His response rather gave a definition of the make up of His family. The Lord Jesus defines family as those who hear the Word of God and are obedient to its teaching. From the age of twelve He said He had to be about His Father's business. Spiritual relationships supersede family relationships. Long before we are Americans, we are believers and followers of the Lord Jesus.

The Lord Jesus used the opportunity to teach a deeper spiritual truth. His kinfolk are not only those who have placed their faith in Him as Messiah, but also who are responding positively to His word. Having heard the Word of God, we allow the seed to take firm root, and then, He produces His fruit in, to and through our lives.

In Luke 11:27 a woman among other women said, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed." She said this trying to compliment the Lord Jesus. He responded, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and do it." The picture is clear, the Lord says the people who have a relationship with Me hear the Word of God and obey it.

The flow of thought in today's text takes us back to Luke 8:10 where the Lord Jesus explained that the purpose of His parables was both to reveal truth to the spiritually responsive and to conceal truth from the spiritually superficial. The Lord Jesus does not want His disciples to think that His main purpose is to conceal truth. Thus He gives the illustration of the lamp being set on the lampstand, not hidden under a container or bed, to show them that the main purpose of His teaching is to illumine the truth, not to hide it. But, at the same time, light serves two functions: it illumines, but it also exposes. Jesus’ teaching not only illumines the truth, it also exposes the evil that lurks in the dark corners of the human heart. Therefore, we must take care how we listen, so that we respond correctly to biblical teaching. If we respond correctly, we will receive more light. If we turn back, what light we think we have will be taken from us.

Luke then inserts the story about Jesus’ mother and brothers (Luke 8:19-21) to underscore the importance of the primary importance of the teaching of God in our lives. The word of God is the truth. The ultimate message of the Bible is that we must listen carefully to His Word with the goal of being governed in our thinking by His word. As in the parable of the sower, our heart response is of most importance. When God has authority over our hearts, what burdens Him burdens us, what brings delight to Him brings delight to us.  

In v.16-17 we learn God’s truth is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life. In v.18 we learn we must listen carefully to His word for His truth defines us best. If His truth doesn't define us, it will be as if we are His enemies. For this reason, in v.19-21, He teaches us that obedience to His Word is more important than being with family.

James was one of the half-brothers of the Lord Jesus. James died a horrible, painful death. At the age of 94 James was stoned by the Jews and had his head bashed in with a club. James, as well as almost all of the apostles, went to his grave claiming one specific truth, that the Lord Jesus rose from the dead. They were given chance after chance to change their story.  Rather than change their story, they all chose rather to die and be defined by the truth.

Luke 8:16-18

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16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.” ~ Luke 8:16-18

The disciples were confused because the Lord Jesus taught in parables, so they asked Him for an explanation. His reply was He used parables in order to reveal the truth to those wanting to believe. He also used parables to hide the truth from those who didn't want to believe.

The main idea in today's text is in v.18 which reads, "Therefore consider carefully how you listen." This is a constant theme in Scripture. The command, "Hear the Word of the Lord," appears thirty-five times in the Old Testament. The command, "Hear, O Israel," appears many times in the Old Testament. Numerous times God says, "Listen to Me." Several times in the Scripture the phrase, "Today, hear His voice." 

The Lord Jesus made a statement in v.8, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." It is a serious thing to hear and understand the Word of God, because this puts on us the obligation to share that Word with others. Everyone who receives the seed then becomes a sower, a light-bearer, a transmitter of God’s truth. 

In v.16, we read, "No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light." The "fruit" of v.15 is the "light" of v.16. It is the disciples to whom He is speaking now. Fruitful soil bears God's fruitfulness when properly plowed by the conviction that we are dependent upon the Lord Jesus for all things.

The Lord Jesus here is giving a story that anybody could understand. It is an analogy the Lord Jesus used in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:15. He also uses it later in Luke 11:33: "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light."  It is self-evident truth. It's what we call an axiom because it's self-evident.  Nobody lights a lamp to put it out. We light a lamp to give light. Being careful to not hide the light of God, the gospel, from those around us is His point.  We light a lamp in order for others to see. Having experienced God for ourselves, we desire to let His shine that others might see His work in our lives.

The Lord Jesus had just told them, "I'm speaking in parables so you will understand, but I'm also speaking in parables so they won't." He had rendered a verdict on those who are in unbelief. They are that way because the do not listen. And, He knows the disciples are thinking that they were to do the same thing. The Lord Jesus, wanting to make sure that misunderstanding doesn't exist in their minds, says, "No, the light was lit in you to be kept burning."It is not for the disciple to do only as the Lord Jesus can do. So He is saying to the disciples, "It's not for you to put the light out. Only I can make that determination, it's for you to let it shine, to proclaim it to everybody."

As followers of the Lord Jesus, we are to take the gospel everywhere. We are to let His light shine in, to, and through us as we come into contact with people. In Matthew 5:14, the Lord Jesus said, "You are the light of the world.  You are like a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden.  So let your light shine that men may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." True believers hear and proclaim. Now that we have the light, the Good News, the free gift of the forgiveness of sins, we do not conceal it.  

In v.17 we read, "For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." The Lord is addressing what is on the inside. He's talking about our authenticity. When He says, "For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed," the assumption is we are hiding something. But it's not going to work because it's going to be made evident. 

In the second part of v.17 He says, "and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." The light of the word of God not only reveals to others their need for the Savior, it also shines on our hearts revealing its true condition. We must be careful to not be hypocrites because this will hinder the effectiveness of the Gospel in the lives of our hearers.

In v.18 we read, "Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them." This is another statement the Lord Jesus used on a number of occasions. Whoever has eternal life, whoever genuinely has salvation, will be given more life. And whoever does not have God's life in them, whoever doesn't hear with a believing heart, loses absolutely everything. The unbeliever loses and will spend eternity in a place of judgment where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Our wills are governed by our hearts and what our hearts love. The Bible teaches that our new hearts are a work of God. In Ezekiel 36:26 He told us, "I will give you a new heart." In Jeremiah 24:7 He said, "I will give them a heart to know Me." So we should be in the habit of asking God to give us a passionate heart for Him and that it translates into a compassionate heart for the lost.

Luke 8:4-15

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4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand."

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. ~ Luke 8:4-15

In today's text, the Lord Jesus begins teaching in parables. The word "parable" appears forty-eight times in the New Testament. This is the Parable of the Soils, also recorded by Matthew and Mark. It's a simple story that teaches a profound spiritual truth about the condition of the human heart. In this story the Lord Jesus uses an analogy that helps us to understand that the condition of the sinful human heart is the issue in all of mankind ills. 

According to v.4, "While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable." A parable is a comparison of two things, putting one beside the other in order to better understand it. The Lord Jesus put a story alongside a spiritual truth to make the truth better understood. The Lord Jesus spoke in parables that demanded an explanation.

With the teaching of this parable, a major turning point happens in the ministry of the Lord Jesus. According to Matthew 13:34, from this time onward, He did not speak to the crowds except in parables. His purpose for speaking in parables was to provide deeper understanding to those who were seeking the truth and to conceal the truth from those who were playing games. He taught in parables for two reasons: to reveal the truth, and to conceal the truth: to reveal the truth to those whose hearts were soft enough to received it, and to conceal the truth from those whose hearts were hardened. 

In v. 5 we read, "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up."

The hearers of the Lord Jesus understood the analogy clearly. They were all in some way involved in an agricultural life. The sower used what was called a broadcasting method, which is to throw seeds in a broad swath. The field was then plowed with deep furrows and up and down the rows the farmer would go and he would have a bag over his shoulder full of seed and he would broadcast the seed, throwing it everywhere. And as the seed was being thrown, very typically, it would fall to the ground and find different soils. There are four different soils mentioned by the Lord Jesus here.  

The first soil is pathway soil: "As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path." At that time in Israel the fields basically were divided into long, narrow strips for cultivation. And between those long, narrow strips of field there were beaten paths about three feet wide, so that people could move around the countryside and go between the fields, going from place to place. The only thing that separated the fields were these beaten paths. When the sower threw the seed on the path, it had no hope of getting into the soil. It would just lie there. And the Lord Jesus said when that happens it's trampled underfoot because that's a thoroughfare, that's where people walk and they would just crush it under their feet and what wasn't crushed the birds of the air ate it up.

In v.6, the second soil that which fell on "the rocky ground." This was not soil full of rocks. Israel is a tremendously rocky area, and not just with pebbles and stones, but under the soil, down under the soil is rock bed. There were limestone rock beds that was below the surface just far enough below to have escaped the plow. And so, in those situations the seed goes in. As soon as it grew up it withered away because it had no moisture, the roots can't get down into the water that's down in the soil and so immediately they draw whatever nutrients, whatever warmth, whatever water is out of the surface soil and the plant goes up because it can't go down, and it looks like it's really going to bloom and it's really going to flourish but as soon as the sun comes out and warms it even more and the water is gone, the roots can't go any deeper and it withers and dies. 

The third kind of soil is discovered in v.7: "Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants." The word "thorns" is a general word for weeds, thorns, thistles, that category of useless harmful plants, particularly harmful in cultivated crop land. This same word, by the way, was used for the crown of thorns that was placed upon Jesus' head. He was crowned with thorns.

Thorns can look good on the surface, but they suck out the water, drain out the nutrients, and they block the sunlight, and kill the good plant.  And so it choked out the vital nutrition in the soil. Weeds win in that environment, squeezing out the good plant.

And then finally in v.8 we read, "Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When the seed hits the good soil, it produces an amazing crop. 

Then the Lord Jesus ends v.8 with these words, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." Note that the effectiveness of the seed is found in the soil or in the heart of the one receiving the seed.

In response to the disciples question about what the parable meant in v.9, the Lord Jesus begins to explain the parable in v.10. "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand." 

The "secrets" are the spiritual truth hidden in the Old Testament revealed in the New. It refers to those things that the Old Testament people didn't know that the New Testament reveals: the secret of the incarnation, the secret of Christ in you the hope of glory. Truths hidden in the Old revealed in the New and He says it is granted to you by God to know these things. But to the rest, the Lord Jesus spoke in parables, unexplained ones, so that seeing they may not see and hearing they may not understand.

Those who are willing to see, see. We are privileged. Those who have a growing knowledge of the truth are those who believe in the Lord Jesus. Those who don't believe in Him don't know the truth.  I'm going to start explaining parables only to those who believe so that they are parables of revelation to them. And, for those who don't believe, I will not explain the meaning of the parables, said the Lord Jesus. 

In v.11, the Lord Jesus provides for the disciples His explanation. There is no definition of the sower because the sower is anybody who sows. The seed, He says, is the Word of God, His definition of all things.It is His word, His rhema, His spoken word which creates faith in the heart of the believer.

According to v.12, "Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved."  Now the word "hearts" is the key to interpreting the parable. According to v.15, "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop."  So, you see the parable is about heart condition. It's not about the skill of the sower, it's not about the seed. The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. 

Luke 8:1-3

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1 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. ~ Luke 8:1-3

It is our understanding of God's definition of all things as found in the Scriptures and the confidence that it renders that enables us to live the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. And, once we realize the truth of God applied to our thinking and choosing, we discover that we want others to experience the same kind of life. In John 5:30 the Lord Jesus said, "I do not seek My own will but the will of Him who sent Me."  The Scriptures define our lives and life from God's standpoint, His teachings work in our lives as we choose to be defined by Him. 

In v.1 of our text, we read, "After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him." The Lord Jesus came to teach us "the good news of the kingdom of God." He began in Galilee which was not the intellectual center of the world. It wasn't the place you would think He would want to go and carry on this several-year ministry. But that's exactly what He did. He went to the least first with His teachings on His kingdom. This is the way He always works, from the inside out, from the least toward the greatest.

The Lord Jesus primary message was the "kingdom of God." The Lord Jesus came "proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God." Proclaiming means to publicly herald something, like a town crier. Before we had the various forms of media, the king would send his representative into the city square and he would declare, "Hear ye, hear ye," then he would give the message from the king. 

The heart of the Lord Jesus' message was "the Kingdom of God." Thirty-two times in his gospel, Matthew calls it the kingdom of heaven, in order to help his Jewish readers to understand. 

In Matthew 19:23, the Lord Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, it's hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." Then He said in v.24, "it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The Lord Jesus used the two, the kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God, interchangeably. The Lord Jesus demonstrated that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are the same subject.

Then, in Matthew 19:25, "the disciples who heard it were very astonished and said, 'Then who can be saved?'" The kingdom of God is the sphere in which God defines all things and we come to Him for those definitions. In His definitions, we discover our salvation, which is more than forgiveness of sin. Salvation includes being defined by God in all ways. This is not a political message, it is a salvation message. Those who cry out to God to be their God, those who enter into a personal relationship with God through His Son, they are the qualified.

The whole Bible is the story of salvation. All the way through human history from Adam to the very end and all the way through redemptive history from election to glorification, the whole Bible is the saga, the story of salvation. Preaching the kingdom is preaching the good news then, that sinners can be brought into a personal relationship with God. We can be delivered out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God's dear Son. Delivered out of the domain of Satan into the domain of Christ. This is the message of the kingdom.

The Lord Jesus not only had twelve men with Him, but, according to v.2-3, "also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means."  This flew in the face of the conventional thinking. The Lord Jesus went against the grain of normal rabbinical behavior. But traveling along with the Lord Jesus were some women, not necessarily all the time, or all together, but during His travels. They were women who had been delivered spiritually and physically by His power over illness and over demons. They had become believers.

Mary Magdalene, once possessed by seven demons, became the first witness of Christ’s resurrection from the dead, and the first person in history to tell others the full and complete message of Christ’s power over sin and death. Her darkest moment in life, shedding tears at the tomb of Jesus Christ, became her greatest moment when the Lord Jesus appeared to her and commissioned her to be His first witness. These followed the Lord Jesus because they loved Him. 

The Bible is God's written witness of Himself to us. What we make of the Bible will never be as great as what the Bible will, if we let it, make of us. We must live in and out of this truth, and go forth with great faith in His ability to direct us into His continued ministry in this sin-filled world.