Luke Chapter 8.

Luke Chapter 8.

           

The Ministering women.  8:1-3.   Jesus is now busily in an itinerant ministry, preaching and teaching.

           

The Parable of the Sower.  8:4-15.   Note the interpretation of the parable.  The older way of interpreting the parables was to allegorize them.  This method was that used by Trench in his classical book on the parables.  It was Julicher who first showed that the parables of Jesus are similtudes and not allegories.

           

In an allegory (as the vine in John 15) each separate feature bears some meaning, but in a parable, the story and meaning meet, not at every point, but at one central point.  Julicher supported his view from Greek and from Rabbinic parables.  Julicher rightly emphasized this distinction, but he went too far in excluding every element of allegory from the New Testament parables.  Some New Testament parables certainly have an element of allegory.  The wider meaning of the word parable is probably because `parabole' is used to translate the Hebrew 'mashal', a word wide enough in meaning to include not only proper parables, but also proverb, allegory and prediction.  Therefore the word parable came to borrow something of the wider meaning belonging to 'mashal'.  In the New Testament the distinction between parable and allegory remains, but due to the influence of 'mashal', the distinction is not rigidly maintained.

           

The parables of the New Testament are life-like similtudes which confront us with the same central lessons, and so are distinct from allegories.  But New Testament parables do not consistently exclude all allegory.  The parable of the sower is a case of a parable which has allegorical features.

             

*   The parable of the sower.                    8:4-8;

             

*   The interpretation of the parable.         8:9-15.

           

The seed is the Word of God.  It is the same in every case; it is the soil that differs.  The soil illustrates the different types of hearers:

  *   The careless and contemptuous hearer.   Hears but gives no response to the message.  The word is heard only to be despised and carried away by the Devil.  It is heard to be forgotten.

  *   The superficially enthusiastic hearer.   Such hear the Word of God and respond with enthusiasm, but their faith is shallow and superficial.  Though their emotions are stirred there remains hard rock beneath which has not been penetrated.  The novelty of the Gospel makes a great appeal to them, but there has been no repentance.  Such hearers quickly respond, but quickly wither under trial or testing.  They could be good Christians if the Christian life was all novelty and charm, and had no cross.  They want roses without thorns, and approval without trial.  Their enthusiasm and joy quickly vanish under testing.

  *   The half-hearted and worldly minded hearer.   Such hear the Word of God, but are not fully committed to Christ.  There is division of interests.  They would be loyal to Christ, but the things of this life have a strong hold upon them, so that their minds are divided.  Worldliness is described under three heads:

Cares (the anxieties of life) ;        Riches ;            Pleasures.

  *   The fruitful hearer.   Such genuinely receive the Word of God with an honest and good heart.  They alone give proof of the reality of their faith.  This they do by holding fast the Word of God and with patient endurance, bring forth fruit.  None but the constant, persevering believer brings forth fruit to perfection.  Endurance is necessary for producing fruit.  The harvest does not come overnight like a crop of mushrooms, but is the product of labour and steady toil in adversity.  To receive the Word is not enough, it must be received and held fast and become the power of fruit for God in our lives. (Jn.15:5).

           

Light.  8:16-18.   The listener who hears rightly will manifest fruits of light.  Shall radiate warmth and inspiration, and shall advance to greater things.

           

Christ's family.   8:19-21.   This incident further illustrates the topic of hearing the Word.  Those who hear the Word of God and do it are His Brethren.  It is a brotherhood formed by doing the will of God.

           

Stilling the storm.  8:22-25.   It illustrates the authority of Jesus over the sea, and the power of His word.  This miracle is to be understood against the background of the Old Testament, where Jehovah is supreme over the sea, which is full of mystery and terror.  Jehovah is the ruler of the sea, He rules its pride. (Psa.89:9. R.V.).  Several other Old Testament Scriptures declare God's power as manifested in His authority over the waters.  None but God can rule the sea, and there His works are seen, and His wonders in the deep. (Isa.107:23-28).

           

This miracle of Jesus' authority over the tempest confronts His disciples with the uniqueness of His Person and Power.  The power that the Old Testament ascribes to God is here manifested by Jesus commanding the wind and the sea to be calm.  He controls the blind and fearsome forces of Nature.  At His word they are rebuked, for His word is supreme over all things.  The authority of His word is manifest in that the wind and the waves becoming immediately still.  Normally, the waves would have remain turbulent for some time after the wind had ceased.  They are astonished as to whom Jesus really is.

           

The sea is a symbol of the nations, especially the world as sinful, restless, troubled and terrified. (Isa.57:20; see also Rev.17:15).  Man's care and sorrow in calamity is like the sea, (Jer.49:23), and unbelief is like the wave tossed by the wind, (James 1:6), and his wickedness as raging waves. (Jude v.13).  Jesus brings deliverance, peace and cheer.

           

At that time the disciples were crossing the lake from the Jewish to the distinctly Gentile region of Palestine.  The miracle anticipates the evangelization of the Gentiles and is a symbol of Jesus' authority over the nations. (Matt.28:18; Jn.17:2).

           

Jesus rebukes His disciples for lack of faith in God.  They were not wrong in approaching the Lord, but their lack of faith consisted in their ignorance of the power of God in Jesus to meet every situation.  Jesus was equal to such a situation as this.  The Lord invites them to a new venture of faith in God's love and power as revealed in Himself.  Henceforth, to believe in God is to believe in Him as manifested in Jesus.  They must learn always to have confidence in God. 

           

The demoniac and the swine.  8:26-39. The pigs refused to live with demons.  The owners were Gentiles and they did not want their smugness to be upset by the disturbing ministry of Jesus.

           

Jairus' request.  8:40-42.

           

The woman with the issue of blood.  8:43-48. The healing of the woman with the haemorrhage, emphasizes the importance of faith.

           

Her disease:

  *   Was cronic and incurable.  She had tried many physicians.

  *   It had made her religiously unclean. (see Levi.15:19,25).

  *  It was characterised by wretchedness and misery, and for its healing, she had willingly parted with all her living.  But she had spent her money in vain.

           

Her faith:

  *  She was aware of her uncleanness, and timidly approaches Jesus from behind to touch the tassel that hung down his back from the shoulder.  She did not want Jesus to see her, for she dreaded lest her uncleanness become publicly known.  Though wretchedly aware of her uncleanness she felt that the power that came from Jesus would be strong enough to overcome her defiling influence and to fully cleanse her.  The 'kraspedon' meant the edge, border, hem of a garment.  It also was used for the tassel ('tsiysith') worn by the male Jew on the four corners of his outer garment, as a symbol of his consecration to God. (Num.15:38-41).

*   Her faith was touched with magic and superstition, for she believed that in Christ's garments there was power to heal, independently of His will.  Her faith was purified from this, and she must learn that this was not so, and that nothing can be hid from Him.  She could not be healed without Jesus knowing it.

*   Her open confession was necessary if she was to come to the full blessing that faith brings.  Why was it necessary that she have this painful experience?  Why must the nature of her disease become known?  If she was to have something better than a stolen healing, then her faith must be freed from magic, and she must come to know it is God's will that she be healed.  In this way alone, by coming to know it was the will of God, could she come into spiritual blessing. If her open confession was painfully humiliating, it issued in far greater blessing.  She got a blessing for her soul as well as her body.

           

There was no happening she could have dreaded more but, confronted by the Lord, the full confession and declaration brings complete relief and healing.  The faith that was timid, fearful and superstitious comes into full freedom by her open confession.  Confession is necessary for faith.  It makes its true arrival in confession.

Jesus' benediction.  

  *   He recognizes her faith.  The faith of which Jesus speaks, is one which must become fully persuaded that it is the will of God to grant the blessing it seeks.  We cannot secretly seize the blessing without God knowing it, but faith discovers that it is God's gracious will to save.

  *   She got more than she came to get.  She was 'saved' (R.V.m) by her faith.  But she could not have been saved by magic.  It was not the touching of the tassel that saved her, though it brought healing of her disease.

  *   Peace.  The word of Jesus could still the storm, heal the demoniac and dispose the demons; and now the same authoritative word speaks peace to this woman.  The benediction of peace, suggests that 'saved' is a better translation than 'made whole' or 'cured', N.E.B. 

           

Jairus' daughter.  8:49-56.   The daughter of Jairus is raised from the dead.  Note the importance of having faith in Jesus as having authority over death.  At His word of command, the tyranny becomes a temporary slumber.  This story anticipates the Christian teaching regarding death, and the hope of the resurrection of the body.

  *   Death is sleep.  Jesus by His resurrection makes death to be no longer death, but slumber.

  *   Sleep has an awakening.  The Christian dead shall live through Jesus. (1.Thess.4:13-15).

  *   We do not sorrow as those who have no hope.  The weeping and the wailing are for such as are without hope.  We may sorrow on account of our loss of a loved one, but we do not sorrow on account of their loss, for to them, it is gain and not loss.

  *   Jesus' word in the presence of death is "fear not; only believe." 

  *   The mockers.   There are those who are ready to mock the Christian hope, but their scorn cannot frustrate His word which bids the dead to arise.  Note Jesus' calm dignity and authority in the realm of death.