Lord, use the Holy Spirits
infinitely bright light to show us the infinite Hiddenness, in our lives, as
perfect blessings.
Luke
8 New International Version
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, and
also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called
Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 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.
The
Parable of the Sower
While a
large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town,
he told this parable: “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. Some fell on rocky ground, and when
it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the
plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up
and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
The Purpose of
Parables
When he
said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
His
disciples asked him what this parable meant. 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.’
The Parable of the Sower Explained
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed
is the word of God. 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. 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. 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. 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.
The
parable of the Revealed Light
“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. For there is nothing hidden that will
not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out
into the open. 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.”
Jesus’
Mother and Brothers Come To Him
Now
Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near
him because of the crowd. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing
outside, wanting to see you.”
He
replied, “My mother
and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”
Jesus
Calms the Storm
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. 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.
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. “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.”
Jesus
Restores a Demon-Possessed Man
They
sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 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. 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!” 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.
Jesus
asked him, “What is
your name?”
“Legion,”
he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly
not to order them to go into the Abyss.
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. 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.
When
those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in
the town and countryside, 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. Those who had seen it told the people how the
demon-possessed man had been cured. 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.
The
man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him
away, saying, “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.
Jesus Restores
a Girl and Heals a Woman
Now
when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 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.
As
Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had
been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak,
and immediately her bleeding stopped.
“Who touched
me?” Jesus
asked.
When
they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing
against you.”
But
Jesus said, “Someone
touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
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. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
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.”
Hearing
this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
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. Meanwhile, all the people were
wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”
They
laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, “My
child, get up!” Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to
give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to
tell anyone what had happened.
We Claim these
things with the Power in the Name of Jesus; Christ the Messiah. Amen.
Footnotes:
- All contents of the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries Web Site are: © 2011 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and/or its suppliers. All rights reserved.
- Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Purchased Product License 01/09/2015
Notes:
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