Luke 8

Chapter 8.

8 ¹Soon after, he traveled through towns and villages, preaching and announcing the good news of our Father's kingdom. The twelve were with him, ²and some women healed of evil spirits and illnesses: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had left, ³and Joanna, wife of Chuza, manager for Herod, and Susanna, and many others, who supported them from their own resources.

⁴As a large crowd gathered, with people from every town coming to him, he spoke in a parable:

⁵"A sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some seed fell on the path, got trampled, and birds of the sky ate it. ⁶Other seed fell on rock; sprouting, it withered from lack of moisture. ⁷Some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. ⁸Other seed fell on good soil, grew, and yielded a hundredfold." Saying this, he called out, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."

⁹His disciples asked him what this parable meant.

¹⁰He said, "You've been given to know the secrets of our Father's kingdom; the rest get parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'"

¹¹"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of our Father. ¹²Those along the path are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes the word from their hearts, so they won't believe and be saved. ¹³Those on the rock hear the word and receive it with joy, but have no root; they believe for a while, then fall away in time of testing. ¹⁴What fell among thorns: these are those who hear, but as they go, life's worries, wealth, and pleasures choke them, and their fruit never matures. ¹⁵But the one in good soil: these hear the word with an honest, good heart, hold it firmly, and bear fruit through perseverance."

Light That Cannot Be Hidden

¹⁶"No one lights a lamp, covers it with a jar, or puts it under a bed; instead, he sets it on a stand, so those entering can see the light. ¹⁷For nothing is hidden that won't be revealed, nothing secret that won't be known and brought to light. ¹⁸So watch how you listen, for whoever has, more will be given to him; whoever has not, even what he thinks he has will be taken away."

The Family of Our Father

¹⁹His mother and brothers came to him but couldn't reach him because of the crowd. ²⁰And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you."

²¹But he answered them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of our Father and do it."

Jesus Commands the Storm

²²One day he and his disciples got into a boat. He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake." So they set out.

²³As they sailed, he fell asleep. A windstorm swept down on the lake; the boat filled with water, and they were endangered. ²⁴They woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we're dying!" He got up, rebuked the wind and the raging water; they stopped, and it grew calm. ²⁵He asked them, "Where is your faith?" Afraid and amazed, they said to each other, "Who then is this? He commands even the winds and water, and they obey him."

A Man Freed From Legion

²⁶Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷As Jesus stepped onto land, a demon-possessed man from the city met him. For a long time he'd worn no clothes and stayed not in a house but among the tombs. ²⁸Seeing Jesus, he cried out, fell before him, and said loudly, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torment me!" ²⁹Jesus had ordered the unclean spirit out of the man, for it had often seized him; though guarded and bound with chains and shackles, he would break them and be driven by the demon into the wilderness.

³⁰Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion," for many demons had entered him.

³¹And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.

³²A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside there. The demons begged him to let them enter the pigs, and he allowed it. ³³So the demons left the man and entered the pigs; the herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned.

³⁴Herdsmen saw it, fled, and reported it in the city and in the countryside. ³⁵The crowd came out to see what had happened. Reaching Jesus, they found the man freed of demons sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and clear-minded—and fear seized them. ³⁶And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. ³⁷All the people of the Gerasene region asked him to leave them, because great fear gripped them. So he boarded the boat and went back. ³⁸The man the demons had left begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,

³⁹"Return home; tell how much our Father has done for you." He went, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Healed and Raised by Faith

⁴⁰Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. ⁴¹A man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus' feet, begging him to come to his house, ⁴²for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, dying. As Jesus went, crowds pressed around him. ⁴³A woman had bled for twelve years; she had spent her whole livelihood on doctors, but none could heal her. ⁴⁴Coming up behind him, she touched the tassel of his cloak, and her bleeding stopped instantly.

⁴⁵Jesus said, "Who touched me?" When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds crowd and press against you."

⁴⁶But Jesus said, "Someone touched me, for I felt that power had gone out from me."

⁴⁷Seeing she couldn't stay hidden, the woman came trembling, fell before him, and declared in front of everyone why she'd touched him and how she was instantly healed.

⁴⁸And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you; go in peace."

⁴⁹While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue leader's house said, "Your daughter has died; don't bother the Teacher anymore."

⁵⁰But Jesus heard and answered him, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she'll be saved."

⁵¹Arriving at the house, he let no one enter with him except Peter, John, James, and the child's father and mother.

⁵²All were weeping and mourning her, but he said, "Don't weep, for she's not dead, only asleep."

⁵³And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.

⁵⁴But he took her by the hand and called out, "Child, get up."

⁵⁵Her spirit returned, and she got up instantly. He told them to give her something to eat. ⁵⁶Her parents were amazed, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.