Woes to the Pharisees and Lawyers

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Luke 11:29) And when the people were gathered thick together, He began to say, "This is an evil generation; they seek a sign, and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet."

At the end of the last post, Jesus had been speaking to a group of people, and it seems the crowd became larger.  Jesus may have been referring to those who had sought a sign from heaven in verse 16.  He called them an evil generation for wanting yet another sign.  They came for the thrill of seeing Jesus do another miracle when He had already done so much to awaken their consciences to His truth.  He said there would be no other sign given them except for the sign of Jonah the prophet.  It's not that Jesus would do no more miracles, but He certainly wouldn't be performing them just to give people a sign that He was who He said He was.  That generation could expect nothing more of Him until His resurrection, typified by Jonah's three days in the belly of a whale.

(30) "For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation."

Jesus said as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites in that he was three days and nights in the whale's belly and then cast out alive, a miracle confirming his mission and message to the Ninevites, likewise He would be a sign to that present generation when He was three days in the tomb and then rising from death on the third day to confirm His mission and message to them.

(31) "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, a greater than Solomon is here."

Jesus spoke of the queen of Sheba, a country of Arabia, who came from her faraway country to hear the wisdom of Solomon.  In the judgment day, she would be considered greater than that present generation and would by her actions condemn them, because she, as a Gentile, sought the wisdom of Solomon, and that generation of Jews who had Jesus, far greater than Solomon, rejected Him, and sought more and more signs from Him.

(32) "The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, a greater than Jonah is here."

Likewise, Jesus said, the men of Nineveh would also rise up in the judgment day and would condemn that present generation because they had repented when Jonah preached to them, and that generation had the Messiah Himself, much greater than Jonah, and they did not repent.

(33) "No man, when he has lit a candle, puts it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they who come may see the light."

Still in answer to those who sought another sign, Jesus was the light of the world, and He shone His light in public where all could see.  He had not hidden His light from them, so that generation was inexcusable.  Another way to look at this was that Jesus would not hide His light in a secret place or under a bushel basket like He would be doing if He continued to show signs to a stubborn people who disbelieved every evidence of His Messiahship.  

(34) "The light of the body is the eye; therefore, when your eye is single, your whole body is also full of light, but when evil, your body also is full of darkness."

Jesus said the light of the body was the eye, not in the sense that that is where the light originates, but that is where it is received.  If it had a single clear vision of The Light that is Christ, then the whole body would be filled with light.  However, if the eye was evil, not clear, but clouded by stubbornness and prejudices, then the body would remain in darkness.

(35) "Take heed, therefore, that the light which is in you is not darkness."

Jesus gave a warning that they be careful about their eyes, that they readily receive the light of truth, and not be as that generation had been, never really desiring to know the light of Christ, but in obstinance and prejudice, could not see it, and therefore, were in darkness.  Note that Jesus said there would be some sort of light or lack thereof in each of us.  There would be either light or darkness, and they should take care that theirs be light and not darkness.

(36) "If your whole body, therefore, is full of light, having no dark part, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle gives you light."

Jesus said that if your whole body then be full of light, having no dark places of secret sin, then you would be as a bright shining light that gives forth its light to others in the room.  It was another way of saying, "Let your light so shine before men..." (Matthew 5:16)

(37) And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee sought Him to dine with him, and He went in and sat down to eat.

As Jesus was still speaking, a certain man, a Pharisee, asked Jesus if He would dine with him.  Jesus accepted and went into the house and sat down at the table to eat.  This was another occasion when Jesus accepted the invitation of a Pharisee to dine with him; the previous time was recorded in Luke 7:36.  

(38) And when the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.

The Pharisee noticed that Jesus did not wash before He sat down to eat.  He was amazed that so great a prophet showed no regard for such a common custom.  I couldn't help but think about the first time Jesus sat down with a Pharisee.  In Luke 7:44, Jesus told that Pharisee that he had not offered Him any water to wash.  I imagine it was the same way in this case.  However, Jesus used it for a lesson:

(39) And the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness."

Jesus knew the Pharisee's thoughts and pointed out to him that Pharisees like him were fastidious with the cleanliness of the outside of their dishes, but the inside was filled with what had been unjustly taken from others through their dishonesty, greed, and extortion.  In the account in Matthew 23, Jesus used the words "extortion and excess" to describe what filled the inside of their dishes.

(40) "Fools, did not He who made that which is outside make that which is inside also?"

Jesus called them foolish for not realizing that God made the outside and the inside of people.  They did things in view of the public to show how clean and fastidious they were about the visible things of God, while inside they were filthy.  How could God be pleased with their outward demonstrations of purity when inside they were impure and wicked?

(41) "But rather give alms of such things as you have, and behold, all things are clean to you."

Jesus told them they should be inwardly clean as well, giving of their possessions to people in need.  They would be clean in all ways then, and when their inside hearts were clean, they would find that all the outside cleansing would become unnecessary.  The outside things could not make dirty the inside hearts of men.

(42) "But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God; these you ought to have done and not leave the other undone."

Jesus proclaimed woe to the Pharisees who were so careful to tithe every single little herb, but neglected justice and demonstrating God's love to the poor and needy.  He told them they should be doing both things.

(43) "Woe to you, Pharisees! For you love the uppermost seats in the synagogues and greetings in the markets."

Again Jesus pronounced woe to the Pharisees who loved the best seats in the synagogues and to be seen and greeted in the marketplaces, both resulting from their pride and vanity.

(44) "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are as graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."

Jesus then addressed both Pharisees and scribes and called them hypocrites.  He said they were like unmarked graves that men walked upon and came in contact with unaware.  Coming in contact with the dead made one unclean.  Jesus was suggesting that they were secretly unclean to those they came in contact with.  They appeared pure and clean on the outside, but were unclean and wicked on the inside, defiling those who came in contact with them.

(45) Then answered one of the lawyers, and said to Him, "Master, thus saying You reproach us also."

One of the lawyers who must have been dining with them spoke to Jesus, and said that in what He was saying, He condemned lawyers as well, apparently because they, too, liked the uppermost rooms in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplaces.

(46) And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens oppressive to be borne, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers."

Jesus admitted that yes, He was indeed pronouncing woe on lawyers, too, because they made the laws so oppressive and burdensome on the people that they could not bear it, while they themselves did not adhere to the same oppressive laws.

(47) "Woe to you! For you build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them."

Jesus called them all out because they were hypocritical in that they built fine tombs for the prophets when their fathers, and very likely they would have also if they had been there, killed the prophets.

(48) "Truly you bear witness that you allow the deeds of your fathers, for they indeed killed them, and you build their sepulchres."

Jesus told them that their deeds truly bore witness to the deeds of their fathers.  They showed approval of their fathers' deeds by building those fine sepulchres; they tried to cover up what their fathers had done with a pretense of godliness by building beautiful tombs for the prophets their fathers killed.  Additionally, by building those beautiful tombs, it was as if they were glorifying what their fathers had done, setting up monuments in honor of it.  

(49) "Therefore also said the wisdom of God, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute.'"

However, the wisdom of God would reveal their true colors when He sent them more prophets and apostles, and they themselves would persecute and kill some of them.

(50) "That the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, (51) From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple; verily I say to you, it shall be required of this generation."

Jesus here foretells the coming destruction by the Romans and calls it vindication for the blood of the innocent since the beginning.  They were just as guilty as their forefathers who had murdered the innocent, and even more so, because they knew the history and kept up the trade of persecution and murder, and even tried to cover it up.  God would tolerate it no more, especially after the persecution and crucifixion of Jesus, and the persecution of His apostles after Him.

(52) "Woe to you, lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

Again Jesus declared woe to the lawyers because they had taken the key to knowledge away from the people to whom they were entrusted to teach.  They so corrupted the scriptures that the people did not learn the truth about the coming Messiah and the gospel message.  They themselves did not enter into that knowledge that led to eternal life in the kingdom of heaven, and by their corrupt teaching, they hindered those who may have otherwise accepted and clung to the truth.

(53) And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to press Him vehemently and to provoke Him to speak of many things, (54) Lying in wait for Him and seeking to catch something out of His mouth that they might accuse Him.

As Jesus spoke these things, the scribes and Pharisees were enraged and violently pressed Him for answers, asking Him about many things, hoping to trap Him into saying something they could use against Him.  The prophet Isaiah spoke about those who watched for iniquity and made a man an offender for a word (Isaiah 29:20-21).  The scribes and Pharisees were not at all sincere in any of their questions, nor did they sincerely listen to Jesus's answers; they only asked to keep Him talking and only listened to catch something they could use against Him.  Boy, does that sound like our present time!  People don't discuss and sincerely debate issues anymore; they only seek sound bites they can use against the other side.  And just as this led up to the destruction of Jerusalem, we seem to be heading for the destruction of the world in this and many other ways.

Jesus Teaches About Earnest Prayer and Demon Spirits

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Luke 11:1) And it came to pass that as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had been in the home of Martha and Mary, but apparently had left there, and was later in a different place, praying.  When He had finished praying, one of His disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, as he said John the Baptist had taught his disciples.

(2) And He said to them, "When you pray, say, 'Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.'"

Jesus then began instructing them on how to pray.  Biblical scholars say that this was at a different time than in Matthew 6:9-13.  I don't know why that has to be.  Luke says only that Jesus was praying in a certain place at some non-specific time, but there are subtle differences in the way Matthew and Luke described Jesus's instruction and prayer.  In Matthew, Jesus had instructed that they pray "after this manner," and proceeded to give them an example of prayer.  If, indeed, this disciple was asking again to be taught how to pray, and adding as John had taught his disciples, perhaps he was asking for a more specific prayer.  Jesus had taught them the manner in which they were to pray, but perhaps they still struggled with the words.  Here in Luke, Jesus says, "Say this...."  This may indicate to us that this is one prayer that we may recite as Jesus did.  In Matthew 6:7, Jesus said they were not to use vain repetitions as the heathens did.  I always took this to mean that we should speak from our hearts and not recite the same prayers all the time, as they did in the Catholic church I attended as a teenager.  However, the rest of Matthew 6:7 states that those heathen think they will be heard because of their many words.  That says to me that they used vain repetitions within one prayer.  They kept repeating themselves so as to give longer wordy prayers.  I now understand Jesus to mean it's always okay to recite His Word, and to also use it as a model of how we should otherwise pray.

First, Jesus said we were to address and acknowledge our Father in heaven.  We recognize and declare that His name is holy and to be given great reverence.  We recognize and declare that God's kingdom has come to earth, and we desire that it be successful, as our prayers should always align with that goal in mind.  We ask that God's will be done here on earth as it is in heaven.  Not our wills, but His will, as He always knows best.  We see short-term, but God sees the future and the big picture, and we should always desire that our prayers align with His perfect will.  Romans 8:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit within us helps us with groanings which are not uttered to make intercession for us according to the will of God, because we don't know how to pray as we should.  James 4:3 tells us that we don't receive what we pray for because we "ask amiss" for our own selfish desires.  We can be thankful that Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to pray for the best outcome according to God's will.  And we can rest assured that God's will is always better than our short-sighted wills.

(3) "Give us day by day our daily bread."

Jesus continued with His model prayer.  He indicated that it was okay to voice an honest desire for care and maintenance for the day.  However, we should not be anxious about more than that.  In Matthew 6:34, Jesus said not to be anxious about tomorrow, that sufficient for the day is its own troubles.  In Matthew 6:32, He also said that our heavenly Father knew our needs.  We are to seek Him first and all our needs will be given to us.  "Our needs," not necessarily our wants.  It is okay to ask for our needs, but we should trust the Holy Spirit of Father God in heaven to take care of the true desires of our hearts that we may not even recognize, but in the end, we will look back and realize that His will was better than what we could have ever asked for.

(4) "And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

Jesus taught that we should ask for forgiveness for our sins, not just once, but continually in our prayers.  We can ask this because we have also forgiven those who have wronged us.  In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus went on to add that if we indeed forgave others, our heavenly Father would forgive us.  However, if we did not forgive, neither would God forgive us.  Finally, we ask that God not lead us into temptation.  It's not that God would otherwise lead us there; the sense is that we ask God to lead us away from temptation, and to deliver us from evil.

(5) And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend and shall go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, (6) For a friend of mine in his journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'"

Jesus began a parable by first asking his disciples a question.  Which of them could relate to the man in his parable?  That man had a friend to whom he went at midnight, a most inconvenient time, to ask for three loaves of bread, because another friend of his had shown up at his door and he had nothing to feed him.

(7) "And he from inside shall answer and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you.'"

Jesus continued with his example which concluded his question about which of them had such a friend who would then reject him and tell him it was too late, he was in bed, and he couldn't get up and help him.

(8) "I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity, he will rise and give him as many as he needs."

Jesus said that mere friendship might not make the man willing to get up at midnight to give food to his friend, but because he persisted in asking, he would get up and give him as much as he needed.  Jesus's point was that we can go boldly to the throne of God and be persistent in asking for something in prayer.  Jesus said in Luke 18:1, "Men ought always to pray and not to faint."  This parable served as an example of prayer.  We may approach God at any time with the same confidence we would have when approaching a friend.  We come in prayer for needful things, as bread is needful, as we know that God gives us our needs, but not necessarily our wants.  We come in prayer for others, not for our own selfish desires, but that we may accomplish our Godly purpose in helping others.  Finally, if God doesn't seem to answer right away, it's okay to be persistent.  More than okay, it's pleasing to God; "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Jesus implied that God would answer such a prayer.

(9) "And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you."

Indeed, Jesus told them that if they asked as modeled in His parable, it would be given to them.  If they sought something in prayer, like mercy, knowledge, or wisdom, they would find it.  And doors would be opened.

(10) "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened."

Jesus confirmed that everyone who asked for something would receive it, and those who sought something would find it, and those who knocked would have the door opened.  It's important to remember that we should pray for things within God's will and according to Jesus's model.  Remember James 4:3, "You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss, that you may consume it on your lusts."

(11) "If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?"

As an illustration, Jesus asked if a son asked for bread from a father, and here Jesus personalized it by asking any of them who were fathers to especially consider what He was saying, would they give a stone to their son who asked them for bread?  Would they give something that in no way solved their son's problem?  If their son asked for a fish, would they give him a serpent instead?  Would they give him rather something that would endanger him?

(12) "Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  

Likewise, if a son asked for an egg, would the father give him a scorpion, something that would not help him but would hurt him?

(13) "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them who ask him?"

Therefore, Jesus concluded, since they as flawed sinful fathers knew how to give appropriate gifts to their children, how much more they could expect from the perfect just heavenly Father.  Jesus said their heavenly Father would give the Holy Spirit, the very best gift, from Whom all good gifts would come.  Our heavenly Father gives more than we could ask for, "for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:26-27)  We don't always know what is best in a situation, but the Holy Spirit does know because His mind is aligned with the will of God, and as Romans 8:28 continues, "...all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."  But once again, our Father will not give us our lustful desires that He knows will hurt us; He gives us our needs for a greater end than we can imagine.  Would a father give his son a deadly scorpion just because he asked for it?

(14) And He was casting out a devil and it was mute. And it came to pass when the devil was gone out, the mute spoke, and the people wondered.

At what appears to be another time, Jesus cast a demon out of a mute man.  When the demon had been cast out, the formerly possessed man spoke, and the people who witnessed this miracle marveled.

(15) But some of them said, "He casts out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils."

Some of the people who witnessed this said that Jesus cast out devils by the spirit of Beelzebub, Satan himself.  The account in Matthew said that these were Pharisees who suggested that.  The account in Mark said it was the scribes.  That is, if this is the same account.  I suppose it is possible this happened more than once, and Jesus would have the same answer.

(16) And others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven.

Others in the crowd tested Jesus to see in what spirit He operated and wanted to see a sign from heaven.  This was not included in the accounts in Matthew and Mark, so this possibly is another instance where people claimed Jesus must be working through Satan to be able to do such miracles.

(17) But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house against a house falls. (18) If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Because you say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub."

Although they had not spoken what they thought to Him, Jesus knew what they thought and told them He knew what they thought, and demonstrated to them what an absurd idea it was that He would be doing good through Satan.  Satan's evil kingdom, if working against itself doing good, would fail.  

(19) "And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges."

Additionally, if it was only through the power of Satan that Jesus was able to cast out demons, then He asked them how it was that their own followers cast out demons, as some of the Jews had been able to do.  The actions of these "sons" would stand as judgment against what these people were suggesting.  They certainly weren't professing to cast out demons through Satan, so how could such an absurd accusation be made of Jesus?

(20) "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God has come upon you."

By saying "the finger of God" Jesus may have been referring to Exodus 8:19, when Pharoah's magicians admitted that their tricks did not nearly measure up with the miracles wrought by Moses "with the finger of God."  Jesus's ease and His immediate perfect result in casting out the demon was likely very superior to any casting out of demons they had ever witnessed and should be considered as it was with Moses against Pharaoh's magicians, only by "the finger of God."  Thus there could be no doubt that the kingdom of God had come to them and they were rejecting it.

(21) "When a strong man armed keeps his palace, his goods are in peace."

Still referring to Satan, Jesus compared him to a strong and armed man who kept his palace and goods safe.

(22) "But when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoils."

When one stronger than the strong man, that is Jesus Christ in this example, comes upon him and overcomes him, as when Jesus cast the demon out of the man, the stronger Jesus also takes from Satan all his power he had over the one he possessed, and He divides his spoils, taking possession of the formerly possessed man's mind and body, and makes him whole again.

(23) "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."

At first glance, "He who is not with Me is against Me" seems at odds with what Jesus said in Mark 9:40, "he who is not against us is on our side."  In Mark 9, the man who was casting out devils in Jesus's name could not be said to be against Jesus and His disciples.  He was doing what he was doing for Jesus and His purpose of bringing souls to salvation.  In this case, those who asserted that Jesus performed miracles through Beelzebub were certainly against Him.  If the man in Mark 9 had been casting out demons in Satan's name, then He would have definitely been against Jesus.  However, he was working in Jesus's name trying to gather souls for salvation.  These people who called Him of the devil were not only not gathering souls, but were scattering souls with their blasphemy against Jesus.

(24) "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'"

Jesus then said that when a demon spirit had gone out of a man, it sought another soul to possess.  Dry desert places to a demon spirit would be places where the Gospel of Christ was preached and accepted; it could certainly find no peace there.  Therefore, it would decide to return to the vessel from which it had left.  

(25) "And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order."

When that demon spirit in Jesus's example came back to its previous home, it found that body empty, as is meant by "swept and in order."  There was nothing else in there, just the empty body, as the account in Matthew 12:44 also added "empty."  In this example of Jesus, the person who had been possessed by a demon, but then cleansed of it, did not seek to fill himself with the spirit of Christ.  A person will be filled with one thing or another; he does not remain an empty vessel.  He who did not accept Jesus and His gospel was against Him, and empty, but not for long.

(26) "Then he goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last of that man is worse than the first."

If that demon found the man not filled with Jesus, then it would come back with seven other demons even more wicked than it was, and they would all inhabit the man.  There have been instances of multiple demons possessing one body in scripture; there was the man possessed by "Legion," so called because there were many demons, and there was Mary Magdalene who had been possessed by seven demons.  The last condition of the man who had been possessed by one demon, but did not seek to fill himself with Jesus, would be much worse when possessed by multiple demons than he was with the one.

(27) And it came to pass, as He spoke these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts which You have nursed."

After Jesus had spoken these things, a woman in the crowd of people listening, raised her voice and declared to Jesus that His mother was blessed to have given birth to and nurtured Him.  She surely meant it as a compliment to Jesus that He did and spoke such great things, that His mother was blessed to have been chosen as His mother.

(28) But He said, "Yea, rather, blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it."

Jesus answered and said to the woman, that yes, His mother was indeed blessed, but much more blessed were those who heard His word and accepted it and kept it.  That was the most important thing, not to be merely associated with Christ, even as His mother, but to fully accept Him and His Gospel, and be counted among the saints in heaven.  Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus's closest associates, but he rejected Jesus.

As this is a rather long chapter, and has had much commentary up to this point, I will end this post for now, and finish chapter 11 in the next post.

Jesus Sends Seventy Out and Tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Luke 10:1) After these things the Lord appointed another seventy also and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself would come.

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had been discussing the cost of following Him.  Some people said they wanted to follow Him, but seemed to have excuses why they couldn't do it immediately.  It seems Jesus may have been winnowing the fair-weather followers away in order to appoint seventy faithful disciples, and He sent those seventy out in pairs into every city and place that He Himself would visit, to prepare the people to receive Him.

(2) Therefore, He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers few; pray therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into this harvest."

Jesus said to the seventy disciples upon sending them forth, that the harvest of souls was very great, but those willing to do the work of gathering souls to Christ were very few in comparison.  He told them to pray to God, the Lord of the great harvest of souls, that He would raise up and send forth more laborers into that harvest.  They should pray that the Lord send them to the people most likely to become those laborers who would rise up once they knew their mission.

(3) "Go your way; behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves."

Jesus told the seventy to go on their way, realizing there may be danger.  He was sending them forth as harmless, innocent, defenseless creatures, into a spiteful, malicious, and cruel world.

(4) "Carry neither purse nor bag nor shoes, and salute no one on the way."

Jesus told them not to carry any provisions, money, or extra shoes, and told them they should not salute anyone on the way.  Jewish salutations were more than just a wave or head nod, but would have entailed embracing, kissing, and much speech, so they were told not to engage in that, but to be about their business.

(5) "And into whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace to this house."

However, when they came into a city and into a private house, they then were to offer salutation and the blessing of peace to the house and its inhabitants.

(6) "And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon it; if not, it shall return to you again."

If a peaceable person, receptive to their message, was there in that house, then the blessing of peace would rest upon that house and those in it.  However, if there was no son of peace receiving them, then there would be no blessing of peace on that household.

(7) "And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house."

As Jesus had told the twelve when He sent them out, He told these seventy they were to remain in one house, the first house that received them, for the entirety of their visit in that city or place.  They were encouraged to eat and drink what was offered and not to think of it as charity, as they were deserving of it as payment for their labor in the salvation of souls.  They were not to move from house to house.

(8) "And into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you."

Wherever they went, if they were kindly received, they were to graciously eat whatever was set before them.  They were not to consider whether it was clean or unclean, or to their liking or not, but to graciously accept what was offered.  No man's law should come before politeness.  Christ taught that the laws were made for man, not man made for laws.  Although there was good and health in God's dietary laws, for a small amount of time it was more important to regard the feelings of their hosts.  When those hosts came to accept Jesus, they would likely change and their desire to follow Him and His commands might cause them to make better dietary choices, but for the time being, that was not important.  They also shouldn't feel anything was too good for them, but again, graciously accept what was offered.

(9) "And heal the sick who are there, and say to them, "The kingdom of God is near to you."

Jesus instructed them to heal the sick there and tell all the inhabitants that the kingdom of God was near to them, as they prepared the way for Christ to come to them.

(10) "But into whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go your way out into the streets of that city and say, (11) 'Even the very dust of your city which clings to us, we wipe off against you; nevertheless, be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near to you.'"

Jesus told them that if they entered a city that would not receive them, they were to go their way on their streets while telling the inhabitants of that city that they were wiping the very dust of that city off their feet as a testimony against them, for the kingdom of God had come near to them and they had rejected it.

(12) "But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city."

Jesus went on to tell the seventy that it would be much worse for that city in the day of judgment than it would be for even Sodom.  Sodom had rejected Lot's warning, but rejecting the gospel and Christ Himself was a much more heinous crime.

(13) "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they would have a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes."

Jesus then pronounced woe to two cities that had already rejected Him, Chorazin and Bethsaida, cities in Galilee.  He declared that if the same message and miracles had been done in Tyre and Sidon, Gentile cities, as they had heard and seen done, Tyre and Sidon would have repented long ago, and displayed their repentance sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

(14) "But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you."

Just as He had declared for Sodom, Jesus said that it would be easier on Tyre and Sidon in the judgment day than it would be for Chorazin and Bethsaida, because they had had the benefit of Christ and His message and had rejected Him; Tyre and Sidon had not been given that benefit.  I believe this goes to show that God will have mercy on those who may not have had a chance to accept Jesus for their salvation.  I've often heard that argument against salvation in Jesus only.  What about those in third world or dictatorial countries who have not had the benefit of knowing Christ?  Luke 12:48 states that the one who unknowingly did things worthy of punishment would be given very little punishment, but the one given much more understanding would have much more required of him.  Also when you consider that God is always righteous and just, and that He knows what would have been, you can rest assured He will have mercy on such people who have not heard His word, or else He will put someone in their paths to give them His word.  

(15) "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, shall be thrust down to hell."

Jesus then called out Capernaum, calling it exalted to heaven, probably because it was situated on a high hill and enjoyed good weather and good water and was a famous port.  Its inhabitants were probably prideful and high and mighty in their opinions of themselves, but Jesus said they would be cast down into hell for rejecting His message of salvation.

(16) "He who hears you hears Me, and he who despises you despises Me, and he who despises Me despises Him who sent Me."

Jesus told the seventy, that as they were His ambassadors, people who received them and their message, received Him.  On the other hand, those who despised His ambassadors, despised Him, as well.  Furthermore, those who despised Jesus despised Father God in heaven who had sent Jesus.

(17) And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, "Lord, even the devils are subject to us through Your name."

The seventy disciples went forth and then later returned very joyous as they had witnessed the fruits of their labors.  They discovered that not only could they heal the sick as Jesus had instructed them to do, but they were also able to cast out demons in Jesus's name, something they probably did not expect, but were joyful to discover.

(18) And He said to them, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."

Jesus told the seventy that He had seen Satan fall as quickly as lightning falling from heaven, meaning He had seen Satan's demons falling quickly at their commands, as He had sent them forth to do.

(19) "Behold, I give to you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

Jesus told them that He had given them that power that would even allow them to tread on serpents and scorpions and any other powerful instrument the enemy might use, and nothing would be able to hurt them.

(20) "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

Jesus told them not to rejoice in the fact that demon spirits were subject to them.  Although it was an honor to be given talents and influence and the ability to work miracles, that was only because they were first believers and followers of Jesus, and they should instead rejoice in the fact that their names were written in the book of life in heaven.

(21) In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, "I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them to babes; even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight."

Jesus rejoiced in His soul at the success of His disciples in bringing His word and miracles, and He thanked Father God in heaven for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom of God to these lowly people, thus giving them eternal life.  It's not that He was rejoicing that those mysteries were hidden from the wise and prudent, but that even though God had not yet revealed those mysteries to the wise and prudent, He saw fit to reveal them to the simplest humble people, and in that, He rejoiced.

(22) "All things are delivered to Me by My Father, and no man knows who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son and anyone to whom the Son will reveal."

Jesus went on to say that all things had been given to Him by His Father, meaning all power in God the Father in heaven had been given to Jesus on earth.  Matthew 11:27 stated much the same thing, "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father; neither does any man know the Father except the Son and to whomever the Son will reveal Him."  However, I couldn't help but notice Luke stated something slightly differently, "...no man knows who the Son is..."  Who exactly is the Son?  He's more than what we would call the "Son" of God.  He was God on earth.  He is literally almighty God in heaven who came down to the earth to save His children.  He is the Word of God who has been a part of God from the beginning of time.  Our puny human minds can't understand the complexity of God, so I believe God came to earth through the womb of an earthly woman and called Him the Son of God so that we could comprehend.  God can be in all places at all times, and will be, unless He has turned His back on us because we have rejected Him.  Yes, in a way, it appears Jesus prayed to Himself in heaven.  As a man, He was subject to human temptations and worldly distractions, and He desired that heavenly power to strengthen His human soul.  Additionally, I believe His actions were to teach us how we ought to pray in difficult situations.  The Father in heaven was the only One who knew who the Son truly was, and Jesus the Son was the only one who knew who the Father was, except for anyone to whom He chose to reveal Him.

(23) And He turned to His disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see."

It was if Jesus was saying that His disciples were those which He the Son had chosen to reveal His Father and the mysteries of heaven to, and they were very blessed to have been given that gift of being able to see the things that they saw.

(24) "For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which you see and have not seen them; and to hear those things which you hear and have not heard them."

In detailing how blessed they were, He told them that there had been many prophets and kings before them who had desired to see what they saw.  People including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon, and many other prophets and kings looked forward to the day when the Messiah would come, and would have loved to see all that they looked and worked toward come to fruition; they would have loved to hear the teachings of the Messiah firsthand.  Jesus's twelve disciples were blessed among all men to be able to be in their place and time as the chosen apostles of Jesus.

(25) And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"

It is not told to us at what point people other than His seventy disciples joined with Jesus, but at some point, a lawyer among other people stood up and asked Jesus a question.  It is said he "tested" Jesus.  I suppose that the fact that He was a lawyer and knew the law very well, he was testing what sort of answer Jesus would give to his question about what he should do to inherit eternal life.

(26) He said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"

Jesus, knowing that the lawyer was testing Him against the law, asked him what was written in the law and how he interpreted it.

(27) And he answering, said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

The lawyer answered with what he had learned from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, that he was to love His Lord God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, and that he was to love his neighbor as himself.

(28) And He said to him, "You have answered right; do this and you shall live."

Jesus told the lawyer that he had answered correctly; those were the very things he needed to do to have eternal life.

(29) But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

The lawyer, seeking to justify why he had asked a question he already knew the answer to, asked Jesus who it was that was considered his neighbor whom he should love as himself.

(30) And Jesus answering, said, "A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves who stripped him of his clothing and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead."

Jesus answered the lawyer's question by telling him a parable.  He told of a man who journeyed from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves who stole his clothing, beat him, and left him on the road half dead.

(31) "And by chance there came down that way a certain priest, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side."

It just so happened that a priest was going the same way from Jerusalem to Jericho and saw the half dead man, but instead of helping him, passed by on the other side of the road to avoid him.

(32) "And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked and passed by on the other side."

Then a Levite, another supposedly pious person, of the tribe of those who served and assisted the priests, came to that same place, took the time to approach and see the condition of the man, yet also passed on the other side of the road.

(33) "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion."

Then a Samaritan, of a group that the Jews most detested and with whom they would have no dealings, journeyed by the same place.  When he saw the man half dead on the road, he had compassion for him.  He had compassion for him as a human being, a child of God, and didn't see him as an enemy.

(34) "And went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him."

The Samaritan went to the injured man and doctored his wounds with a balm of oil and wine.  He set him up on his own animal and led him to an inn, where he took care of him.

(35) "And on the next day when he departed, he took out two pence and gave them to the host, and said to him, 'Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.'"

The next day, when the Samaritan left the wounded man, he gave the innkeeper two pence to pay the expenses of the man, and asked him to take care of him, and if he had to spend any more money than that to help him, the Samaritan would repay him when he passed by that way again.

(36) "Now which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?"

Having finished His parable, Jesus asked the lawyer who among the three men Jesus had described was a neighbor to the man who had fallen among the thieves.

(37) And he said, "He who showed mercy on him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

The lawyer admitted that it was the Samaritan who had shown mercy to the man who would be considered neighbor to him.  Jesus told him that he should go and do the same sort of thing, meaning he should also regard every man as his neighbor, renouncing any bigotry he might have for a certain type of person.  We all have something within us that could be rejected by someone else, and if we could all see each other as human beings like ourselves and treat each one as we would like to be treated in such an instance, we would have peace in this world!

(38) Now it came to pass, as they went, that He entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house.

According to other passages in the Bible, this certain village Jesus came to was Bethany.  A woman named Martha received Him into her house.  It is deduced by Biblical scholars that Martha was a widow and her brother Lazarus and her sister Mary lived with her.

(39) And she had a sister called Mary who also sat at Jesus's feet and heard His word.

Martha's sister Mary was also in the house, and she sat at Jesus's feet listening to His word.

(40) But Martha was incumbered with much serving, and came to Him, and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her therefore to help me."

Martha was busy preparing food, possibly a feast, for her guest and very likely others who accompanied Him into her home.  It is plausible that Martha had urged Mary to help her, and when she wouldn't leave Jesus's feet, then she asked Jesus to tell her to help her.  I can relate to Martha.  I can hear myself asking Mary to come help me so we can hurry up and get this done so that I might be able to hear Jesus, too.

(41) And Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. (42) But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her."

However, Jesus answered her by saying that she worried too much about little things that didn't really matter in the scheme of things.  Jesus didn't require as much preparation as she was making.  However, what was actually needed in that scheme of things was Jesus's word of life, and Mary had chosen that as the most important thing, and Jesus commended her for that and declared He would not pull her away from that to help Martha.  I can actually relate to that, as well.  I have often said, "Let's just grab a sandwich, so we'll have more time for visiting."  I believe Jesus would have felt that was enough in order that all could participate in listening to His word.  More than that, He was teaching us a lesson about what really matters in life, and how we should devote more time to that, and not worry so much about the little things that don't really matter in the big picture.

It occurs to me that this was the same type of message that Jesus gave the seventy when they were received into a city or house.  He told them to graciously accept anything that was set before them.  In that too, Jesus was telling us not to fret over the little things.  Whether or not the food we are served is within our dietary rules is certainly not the most important thing in the big picture.  In this case, it was the bringing of the Word and the saving of souls.

The Least Shall Be Greatest, Giving All for Christ

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Luke 9:37) And it came to pass that on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, many people met Him.

At the end of the last post, in the first part of chapter 9, Jesus had taken Peter, James, and John, with Him up into a mountain to pray, and there was transfigured before them.  The next day they came down from the mountain and many people were there to meet Jesus.

(38) And behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, "Master, I beseech You, look upon my son, for he is my only child."

A man among the crowd of people called out to Jesus, asking Him to look at his son, his only child.

(39) "And lo, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; and it convulses him that he foams at the mouth, and bruising him, hardly departing from him."

The man went on telling Jesus about his son.  A spirit would often seize him, making him cry out suddenly, convulsing him and causing him to foam at the mouth, and bruising him, hardly ever leaving him, or perhaps hardly ever leaving him alone, rarely allowing him peace, might be the better sense, as I don't believe the spirit left him until Jesus commanded it to leave.

(40) "And I besought Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not."

The man told Jesus he had asked the disciples to cast the demon spirit out of his son, but they were unable to do so.

(41) And Jesus answering, said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here."

In answering him, Jesus first lamented the fact that He was dealing with a faithless and perverse generation.  He had, after all, given His disciples power to cast out demons, but they had been unable to do so in this case, because they did not have faith enough in their ability to do so, even though Jesus had told them He had given it to them.  He then told the man to bring his son to Him.

(42) And as he was coming, the devil threw him down and convulsed him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him back to his father.

As the boy was coming to Jesus, the demon spirit threw him down and convulsed him.  Regarding Jesus's action against the demon spirit, the original word "epitimao" that was translated as "rebuked" here can have a stronger meaning, "forbade" which I believe is the better sense here, as we know that Jesus healed the child, so He didn't just rebuke the spirit, but cast it out and forbade it from ever coming back.  The child was surely healed of any wounds the demon had caused in bruising him.

The accounts in Matthew and Mark said that the disciples asked Jesus why it was that they could not cast the demon out themselves.  He said it was because of their unbelief and added that that kind of spirit was only cast out with prayer and fasting.  I don't believe that He was giving them an exact formula for how to cast out such spirits, but that the point was that they needed to be strengthened by prayer and their constant communion with God with no distractions in order to have power over such powerful spirits as that one.

(43) And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, (44) "Let these sayings sink down into your ears, for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men."

Everyone who witnessed the healing was amazed at the mighty power of God demonstrated in Jesus.  Although they were all marveling over Him now, Jesus privately told His disciples that He would eventually be delivered into the hands of some of those same people.  He urged them to let what He was telling them really sink in.

(45) But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden that they did not perceive it, and they feared to ask Him about that saying.

However, the disciples did not understand what Jesus had said; the true meaning of what Jesus had said was hidden from them because of their perception of Jesus as a worldly king; it seemed a paradox.  They were afraid to ask Jesus what He had meant, perhaps fearing another rebuke from Jesus.  However, Jesus had planted a seed, telling them to let it sink in, and they would begin to understand His purpose as time went on.

(46) Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them would be greatest.

I find it a bit ironic that although the disciples had so recently not understood Jesus and were even afraid to ask Him, that they should think that they should each be the greatest in the kingdom of God, but that is what they were deliberating.

(47) And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child and set him by Him.

Not only did Jesus hear or know what they were discussing, but He knew the thoughts of their hearts.  He took aside a child from among the people who had gathered to meet Him.

(48) And said to them, "Whoever shall receive this child in My name receives Me, and whoever shall receive Me receives Him who sent Me; for he who is least among you all shall be great."

Jesus then spoke to the disciples, using the child as an example of lowliness and humility, one who was not seeking high honor and praise.  Whoever received such a one in Christ's name actually received Christ Himself, as He said in Matthew 25:40, "Inasmuch as you have done to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done to Me."  Furthermore, those who received Christ received Father God in heaven who had sent Christ.  Those who were least among them according to worldly standards, not seeking high praise and honor, would be the greatest among them because they served Christ and not worldly ambitions.

(49) And John answered and said, "Master, we saw one casting out devils in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us."

John then told Jesus that they had seen someone casting out devils in Jesus's name, and they had forbidden him to do so because he was not one of Jesus's followers with them.

(50) And Jesus said to him, "Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is for us."

Jesus, however, told John not to forbid such a one, because if he wasn't specifically working against Christ, then he was for Him, meaning that he, too, was desiring to promote the kingdom of God on earth, and should be encouraged, not discouraged.  That answers for me the question about how we should treat denominations other than our own, even if we perceive their church doctrines to be inaccurate; if they are doing the work of Christ, they are not against us, but for us, and we can rest assured the Holy Spirit will direct either or both of us in the truth of what matters most.

(51) And it came to pass when the time had come that He should be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.

When the time was nearing that Jesus should be lifted up on a cross and crucified, He set His face steadfastly toward Jerusalem, going toward His death without fear or shame and not shirking from it.

(52) And sent messengers before His face; and they went and entered into a village of the Samaritans to prepare for Him.

Jesus sent messengers ahead of Him, and they went into a village of the Samaritans to prepare for Him.

(53) And they did not receive Him because His face was set to go to Jerusalem.

Apparently, the messengers told the people in the Samaritan village that they were requesting lodging on their way to Jerusalem.  There had long been a dispute between the Jews and the Samaritans about which was the right place of worship, the temple in Jerusalem or the Samaritans' temple on Mount Gerizzim.  Because Jesus seemed to them to prefer the temple at Jerusalem, they refused Him to temporarily lodge in their village, considering it an insult to them.

(54) And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"

James and John may have been the messengers, and when they witnessed the refusal of the Samaritan village to let them lodge there, they asked Jesus if He wanted them to command fire to come down from heaven and consume the village as Elijah had done in 2 Kings 1:10-12.

(55) But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of."

However, Jesus rebuked them and told them they did not realize what manner of spirit they were acting out of.  They may have thought they were acting out of love for their Lord and wished to defend His honor, but it was more likely desiring to exact revenge on the Samaritans.  Jesus had taught to love your enemies, so they were acting out with the wrong spirit.  Jesus had nicknamed James and John "Sons of Thunder," perhaps because of rash outbursts like this.

(56) "For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save." And they went to another village.

Jesus continued speaking to James and John and told them that He had not come into the world to destroy men, but to save them.  So they just went to another village.

(57) And it came to pass that as they went on the way, a certain man said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go."

As they were walking on the way to another village, a man came up to Jesus and told Him he would follow Him wherever He went.

(58) And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head."

Jesus was saying to the man in effect that he should first understand under what conditions he must follow Jesus before making such a huge promise.  He told him that he had no home, and it would not be easy following Him.

(59) And He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."

Apparently, another man had asked to follow Him, and Jesus told him to come and follow Him, but he said he wanted to first go and bury his father.

(60) Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."

However, Jesus told the man to let the dead bury the dead, but he should go and preach the kingdom of God, which was life for all men who accepted it.  It's not as though Jesus would have His followers deny all familial kindness and duty, but when Jesus calls one to a mission, he should not make excuses as to why he can't do it.  Jesus knows the heart.  Consider the reasons why this man may not have been ready to immediately follow Christ and why many people are not ready to immediately follow Him; he may have wished to "follow" Him at a safe distance, not having to give up familiar comforts for the unknown; he may have been delaying, wishing to put it off to another time; he may have honestly thought that his familial responsibilities should come first and then he would serve Christ, but we must realize that Christ comes first, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

(61) And another also said, "Lord, I will follow you, but let me first go bid them farewell who are at home at my house."

Another person told Jesus he would follow Him, but he first wanted time to tell everyone at his home good-bye.  It seems a reasonable request to let them know where he had gone.

(62) And Jesus said to him, "No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

However, Jesus knew his heart and knew what would have happened if this man went back.  He told him that no man, once he had taken on a mission and then looked backward, was fit to serve the kingdom of God.  I believe Jesus was teaching us how we must approach Him:

1) The first man vowed he would follow Jesus anywhere; however, when he learned there would be difficulties, he found he was not ready.  When we fully accept Jesus and His gift of salvation, we wholeheartedly should be willing to live for Him wherever that may take us.

2) The second man wanted to first go home and bury his father.  It was probably not the case that his father was already dead and he just needed to bury him, but rather that his father was old and he wanted to wait until he had died and was buried before he followed Jesus.  He was delaying for a considerable bit of time.  I believe the lesson here is that we should not wait for another time to come to Jesus.  We may wait too late.  Additionally, we must not let family stand in the way of our coming to Christ.

3) The third man wanted to go back and talk to his family first before he followed Christ.  I believe the lesson here is that we should not look back to family and friends to discuss our decision to follow Christ.  Once we have submitted to Christ, we should not look back to the world; once we have begun the work of God, we must resolve to go on with it.

"Seek first the kingdom of God..."  Seeking God first and not worldly honor or desiring to be the greatest, and denying all worldly desires and concerns to follow Christ, are very much one and the same thing.  Seek God first, trust Him with all your heart, acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).  You will find that it really is much easier to cast your concerns on Him and just follow Him.  "Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you..." (Psalm 55:22)  "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)

Feeding of the 5000 and Jesus's Transfiguration

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Luke 9:1) Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases.

Up to this point, Jesus's disciples had accompanied Him while He taught and healed people.  He now called them together to send them out on their own.  He gave them the power and the authority over all demons and to cure people of diseases.  Jesus gave them the power; they didn't have it on their own.  I believe there are still miraculous healings today, but it is only when the Holy Spirit gives the power to heal.  I don't believe in faith healers who can go around "healing" whomever and whenever they wish, but when the Holy Spirit calls one to heal, then he is given the power to do so.

(2) And He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Armed with His power and authority, the disciples were sent out by Jesus to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

(3) And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs, nor bag, nor bread, nor money, nor have two coats apiece."

Jesus told the disciples not to take anything with them, no staffs, no provisions, and no extra clothing.

(4) "And whatever house you enter into, there abide, and from there depart."

When the disciples came into a town or city, whatever house they entered for the sake of lodging there, they were to stay at that same house and not switch lodging quarters until they departed the town or city.

(5) "And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them."

If any town or city would not receive them as guests and give them lodging, Jesus told them to shake the dust of that city off their feet as they left, as a testimony against them.  This was to signify they had been there and tried to offer them the good news and healing, but the inhabitants rejected; therefore, the disciples were abandoning the city, leaving the very dust on their feet behind, and would have nothing more to do with them.

(6) And they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.

The disciples indeed went forth throughout all the towns and cities, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere they went.

(7) Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him, and he was perplexed because it was said of some that John was risen from the dead, (8) And of some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.

"Tetrarch" is made of two words meaning "four" and "reign"; Herod was ruler over one fourth of the region.  When Herod heard of Jesus and all that was done by Him, he was greatly perplexed because some people said that John the Baptist was risen from the dead.  Herod himself had had John beheaded.  Some said He was Elijah, and some said He was one of the old prophets risen from the dead.  The account in Mark told us that Herod believed He was John risen from the dead as his guilty conscience was troubling him.  He had known John was a righteous man but had had him beheaded for the desires of a dancing girl.

(9) And Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?" And he desired to see Him.

Herod admitted that he had had John beheaded, so he questioned who Jesus could possibly be.  He wanted to see for himself who Jesus was, but scripture does not tell us if he ever saw Jesus until He was sent by Pilate to Herod right before His crucifixion.

(10) And the apostles, when they returned, told Him all that they had done. And He took them and went aside privately to a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

The twelve apostles returned from their mission and told Jesus what all they had done.  He then took them separately aside from the other disciples and people desiring to follow Him, to a deserted place in the city of Bethsaida.

(11) And the people, when they knew it, followed Him and He received them, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed them who had need of healing.

However, as soon as people knew where Jesus had gone, they followed Him to the deserted place.  Jesus received them, and taught them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

(12) And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve and said to Him, "Send the multitude away that they may go into the towns and country around, and lodge and get provisions, for we are here in a desert place."

When it was late in the day, the twelve apostles went to Jesus to suggest that He send the multitude of people away so that they could go into the surrounding towns or country where they might find lodging and provisions, for they were in a deserted place where they could find neither.

(13) But He said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."

However, Jesus told the disciples that they should feed the people themselves.  But they answered that they only had two fish and five loaves of bread, unless they went to buy food for all the people.  The other Gospel accounts added that they said it would cost a great deal of money and still would give the people only a little.

(14) For there were about five thousand men. And He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down by fifties in a group."

The multitude consisted of five thousand men, and that did not count women and children, according to the account in Matthew.  He told His disciples to have the people sit down in groups of fifty for the convenience of distributing food to them.

(15) And they did so and made them all sit down.

The disciples did as Jesus directed and had all the people sit down in groups of fifty.

(16) Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them and broke them, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.

Jesus then took the five loaves of bread and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, blessed the food.  Here Jesus gave us an example of how we should pray before our food, recognizing that it all comes from God.  He broke apart the bread and fish and gave them to His disciples to distribute to the people.

(17) And they did eat and were all filled; and there was taken up of the fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.

The people ate until they were filled.  It's as if the food they distributed was never ending as far as they needed it to be, as with the widow's flour and oil in 1 Kings 17.  After everyone had eaten their fill, the disciples picked up the leftover bits and that filled twelve baskets, much more than when they began.  I find it interesting that there were twelve, that number that represents perfection and completeness in the Bible.

(18) And it came to pass, as He was alone praying, His disciples were with Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the people say that I am?"

Afterward, when Jesus was alone praying, apart from the people, but apparently with the disciples, He asked His disciples who the people said that He was.

(19) They answering, said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah, and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."

They told Jesus, just as had been told to Herod, that many people said He was John the Baptist, but some said He was Elijah, and still others, that He was one of the old prophets risen again.  The people knew and believed that Elijah would come before their anticipated Messiah, but since they were expecting an earthly king, they did not recognize Jesus as the One.

(20) He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answering, said, "The Christ of God."

Jesus asked who they thought He was, and Peter answered for them, saying that He was the Christ of God.  The account in Matthew 16 added that Jesus told him he could only have known that because it had been revealed to him by Father God in heaven.

(21) And He strictly charged them and commanded them to tell no man that thing, (22) Saying, "The Son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day."

Jesus warned His disciples that they should not tell anyone yet for it was not the time.  Jesus had many things to go through first, suffering and being rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, then to be killed, and then rising the third day after.  His resurrection would be the completed proof that He was indeed the Messiah.

(23) And He said to all, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny Himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

Jesus now spoke to not only His disciples, but to all the people, as Mark 8:34 told us it was at this point that He called the people back to Him and His disciples.  If a man wanted to follow Jesus, he had to deny himself his own sinful pleasures and also the idea that he could do anything of himself.  He had to take up his cross, meaning to endure hardships, submitting to them and bearing them with joy, as Jesus had said in the Beatitudes, count it as joy when you are persecuted.  Luke added a word in his account of this that the other Gospels did not:  daily.  We must be prepared to carry our crosses daily.  John Wesley, in his Notes on the Bible, added something that I must admit caused a sting of guilt, "Therefore that day is lost wherein no cross is taken up."  There is purpose in every day.  Even if it doesn't feel like we are doing something specifically for the kingdom of God, as we are interacting with others and they are watching how we handle all the adversities of life, we are giving testimony to them that there is peace, joy, and patience, when we turn it all over to Christ.  They will want to know how it is that we can take afflictions so well.  Therefore, it is good to remember that everything we do, we can do for the glory of God.

(24) "For whoever will save his life shall lose it, but whoever will lose his life for My sake, he shall save it."

We must prefer salvation and the peace and joy of our souls over any worldly concern.  Whoever puts everything into saving himself or his possessions denies Christ, having no faith in His truths.  In the end he will lose his eternal life.  However, the one who gives his life and everything in it over to Christ will save his soul and have everlasting life.

(25) "For what is a man advantaged if he gains the whole world and loses himself or is cast away?"

What will all the riches and power on earth profit a man if he loses his soul and eternal life in the process?  This life on earth is a mere blip in eternity and matters little in the scheme of things.  Besides, if only such people realized there was so much greater joy in living for Jesus than anything the temporal world could give.

(26) "For whoever will be ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of man will be ashamed when He shall come in His glory and His Father's and of the holy angels."

Jesus went on to say that whoever was ashamed of Him and His words, thereby rejecting Him, would be rejected by Christ when He returned in all His glory and in the glory of His Father, with the holy angels attending Him.  What a dreadful day that will be when one who had rejected Christ comes to the realization that He is, with His Father, the God of all the universe.  Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11) when they see Him return, but then it will be too late.

(27) "But I tell you a truth, there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

Jesus encouraged His listeners that although they would suffer afflictions because of Him, the kingdom of God would be soon set up on earth, and some people standing with Him at that moment would be alive to witness it, when the Holy Spirit of God would be poured out and triumphant in all the world in the people's conversion.

(28) And it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James, and went up in a mountain to pray.

About eight days later, Jesus took aside Peter, James, and John, and they went with Him up on a mountain to pray.

(29) And as He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His clothing was white and glistening.

As Jesus prayed, His face became exceedingly bright and shone like the sun, said Matthew in his account.  His clothing was white and glistening and bright as the light, said Matthew.

(30) And behold, there talked with Him two men who were Moses and Elijah, (31) Who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He would accomplish at Jerusalem.

As Jesus was transfigured as He prayed, there appeared gloriously Moses and Elijah who talked with Him about His coming death that HE would accomplish.  Isn't that interesting the way Luke wrote that by inspiration of God?  Jesus would accomplish His death to save us all.  No one could have killed Jesus if He did not permit it.  He was in control the whole time; He gave His life that we might live.  Moses and Elijah talked with Jesus about His coming death.  Moses, representing the law, and Elijah, representing the prophecies of the Messiah, talked with Jesus about all they had taught being fulfilled in the death of Jesus, and of course, His resurrection.

(32) But Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they were awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him.

Peter, James, and John had been sleeping when Jesus transfigured, but when they awoke, they saw Jesus in His glorious state talking with the two men.

(33) And it came to pass, as they departed from Him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah," not knowing what he said.

As the two men were departing, Peter, in his usual rash zeal, told Jesus that it was good for them to be there.  I read something this time that I did not see when I studied this account in Matthew and Mark.  Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote that some manuscripts added παντοτε, which I cannot decipher, but he said it meant "always."  Peter was suggesting they should build three tabernacles and stay there.  Peter did not realize what he was saying; he missed the symbolism of their being there.  He wanted to keep glorified saints in heaven on earth in tabernacles rather than realizing they had greater mansions in heaven and they longed to go back to them.  The account in Mark said that Peter really didn't know what to say for the disciples were afraid.

(34) While he spoke, there came a cloud and overshadowed them, and they feared as they entered into the cloud.

While Peter was speaking, a cloud appeared and overshadowed them.  The accounts in Matthew and Mark say only that the cloud overshadowed them.  Luke added "as they entered into the cloud."  The meaning could be that the cloud enveloped them and they were afraid, but many Bible commentators suggest that the disciples feared as they watched Moses and Elijah enter into the cloud by which they were taken away.

(35) And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son; hear Him!"

The voice of God came out of the cloud declaring Jesus to be His beloved Son and commanded that they listen to Him.  The account in Matthew added that God said He was well pleased with Him.

(36) And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept close and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.

When the voice and the cloud passed, Jesus was there alone.  The disciples kept the matter close, in secret, and told no one what they had seen, as Jesus had charged them, according to the account in Matthew.  They were to tell no one until after Jesus had risen from the dead.

Luke's chapters keep getting longer and longer, so I believe I will divide this chapter into two posts, continuing in the next post.

Jesus's Power Over Storms, Demons, and Death

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(Luke 8:1) And it came to pass afterward, that He went throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, and the twelve were with Him,

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had been eating a meal with a Pharisee who had invited Him to his house after He had been teaching and curing many people of various sorts of afflictions.  After that episode, He continued teaching throughout every city and village, bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  His twelve apostles were with Him.

(2) And certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, (3) And Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered to Him from their substance.

Along with the twelve apostles, there also went with Jesus many women, including Mary Magdalene, out of whom Jesus had cast out seven demon spirits.  There went also Joanna who was the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, which meant he was the manager of the property of Herod Antipas.  Joanna had also been healed by Jesus, but we aren't told if it was from evil spirits or some other infirmity; and it is likely she was now a widow who followed Jesus and ministered to Him out of her substance.  A woman named Susanna was also one who had been healed by Jesus and followed Him, and even though not much is written about her, we might assume she was a woman of means who could afford to minister to Jesus from her substance.

(4) And when many people were gathered together, and had come to Him out of every city, He spoke by a parable.

When many people had gathered together around Jesus from the surrounding cities and villages, He began to teach them with the following parable.

(5) "A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden down and the fowls of the air devoured it."

Jesus began telling the parable of the sower, which was described in the gospels of both Matthew and Mark.  A sower went out to sow his seed and some of it fell by the wayside, the edges of the field, where it was trodden down by people who walked along those edges of the field, and some was devoured by birds.

(6) "And some fell upon a rock, and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away because it lacked moisture."

Some of the seed fell upon rocks and therefore had no roots in the soil, as the other gospel writers told it.  As soon as it had sprung up, it withered away.

(7) "And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it."

Some of the sower's seed fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with the seed and choked it.

(8) "And other fell on good ground, and sprang up and bore fruit a hundredfold." And when He had said these things, He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

The rest of the seeds fell on good ground, rooted in good soil, and it came up and produced fruit a hundredfold.  Jesus then exhorted His listeners to really hear and understand His parable.

(9) And His disciples asked Him, saying, "What might this parable be?"

Jesus's followers asked Him what His parable meant.

(10) And He said, "To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand."

Jesus told His disciples that they were privileged to be able to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God.  It was given to them to understand spiritual things, but to others the parables would not be understood in a spiritual sense.  He referenced Old Testament scripture that spoke of people seeing and hearing, but not understanding (Isaiah 6:9, Jeremiah 5:21).  To those who were being led by the Holy Spirit, they might have the ears to understand.  However, those with no regard for spiritual things would not be able to understand the parables Jesus told.  In that way, the beautiful mysteries of the kingdom of God were hidden from people who had no real desire to understand, and Jesus did not cast His pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6).

(11) "Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God."

Jesus began explaining the parable to His disciples.  The seed represented the word of God.

(12) "Those by the wayside are they who hear; then comes the devil and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved."

The seed that fell by the wayside that was trampled and devoured by birds represented those who heard the word of God, but before they could truly understand and come to salvation, that word was trampled by the world and snatched away by Satan, represented by the birds.  Satan's purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), so he must divert the attention of one who has heard the word in any way he can in order to destroy and kill the one who might be otherwise saved if he retained God's word.

(13) "They on the rock, which when they hear, receive the word with joy, but these have no root, who for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away."

The seed that fell on the rocks represented those who heard the word of God and received it with genuine joy, but it was more of a head knowledge and joy, and never became rooted in their hearts.  They believed for awhile, but that belief quickly withered away when temptation came.

(14) "And that which fell among thorns are they who when they have heard, go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to perfection."

The seed that fell among thorns represents probably a huge number of Christians today.  They hear the word and believe it, but it is choked by the busyness of this life, and they bring forth no real fruit of their faith.

(15) "But that on the good ground are those which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."

The seed that fell on good ground represented the word that was planted in a good and honest heart where it took root and brought forth fruit with endurance and perseverance, which is the more complete definition of the original word "hupomone" that was translated as "patience."  Patience in the Bible is sometimes called longsuffering.  When you think of patience that way, it fits here perfectly.  Bringing forth fruit with patience is bringing it forth even through long suffering with endurance and perseverance.

(16) "No man when he has lit a candle, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a candlestand that those who enter in may see the light."

It's as if Jesus was saying, "Let your fruit appear openly."  When that light is lit in our hearts, it should not be hidden there, but should be revealed that those who come in contact with us will see it.

(17) "For nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest, neither hidden that shall not be known and come abroad."

There are no secrets in this world.  God sees all.  There is nothing hidden in the hearts that will not be known and come to light.  Regarding the secret mysteries of the kingdom of God (v. 10), that which was hidden in parables, would come to light abroad in the entire world.  What might seem hidden to the disciples at that time would not remain hidden as nothing remains hidden.

(18) "Take heed therefore how you hear; for whoever has, to him shall be given, and whoever has not, from him shall be taken even that which he seems to have."

Jesus cautioned His disciples to be careful about how they heard the truths and doctrines He would teach, that it not be with a careless ear, for whoever had knowledge of the doctrines of Christ and had spiritual gifts and abilities to spread that knowledge, would be given more knowledge and spiritual gifts.  However, those who did not have true spiritual knowledge would lose even what they thought they had.  That way they could not pass on false spiritual knowledge to others, endangering their souls.

(19) Then came to Him His mother and His brothers and could not come at Him for the press.

Jesus's mother and brothers came seeking Him but could not approach Him because the crowd of people pressed in on Him so.

(20) And it was told Him, saying, "Your mother and your brothers stand outside desiring to see You."

The account in Matthew stated that Jesus had ceased talking to the multitude that had gathered from every city (v. 4) and He had gone into a house where the disciples had then asked Him about the parable of the sower.  Apparently, a crowd had gathered at the house and that is where Mary and Jesus's brothers had come to see Him.  Someone told Jesus that His mother and brothers were outside wishing to see Him.

(21) And He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Jesus took that opportunity to demonstrate that there was no closer bond among men than the one between man and his Lord, when that man embraced Him with true faith and adherence to God's word.  "There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24).

(22) Now it came to pass on a certain day that He went into a ship with His disciples, and He said to them, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." And they launched forth.

On another day Jesus and His disciples boarded a ship where He told them to go over to the other side of the lake, which was Lake Gennesaret or the Sea of Galilee.  They set sail.

(23) But as they sailed, He fell asleep, and there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and they were filled with water and were in jeopardy.

As they sailed to the other side of the lake, Jesus slept.  A windstorm came upon them, and their boat was filling up with water and they were in danger, at least seemingly so.

(24) And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we perish!" Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased and there was a calm.

The disciples came to Jesus and woke Him up, declaring they were about to perish.  Jesus rose up, rebuked the wind and the raging sea, and they ceased, and all was calm.

(25) And He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they being afraid, wondered, saying to one another, "What manner of man is this! For He commands even the wind and water, and they obey Him."

Jesus rebuked His disciples, asking where their faith was.  After all, He had said, "Let us go to the other side."  He didn't say there would be no dangers along the way, but they were going to the other side; Jesus said so.  I love this!  I recently heard a teaching on this that pointed that out.  Jesus said, and there was no need to fear any danger.  "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me..." (Psalm 23:4).  The disciples marveled at Jesus's action in calming the sea for even the winds and the water obeyed Him.

(26) And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.

Their ship arrived at the country of the Gadarenes which was across the sea from Galilee.

(27) And when He went forth to land, there met Him out of the city a certain man who had devils a long time, and he wore no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.

When Jesus stepped on the land from the boat, a man came out of the city to meet Him.  He was a man who had had demons for a long time, and he wore no clothes and didn't live in a house, but among the tombs.

(28) When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, and with a loud voice, said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of God most high? I beseech You, do not torment me!"

When the man saw it was Jesus, possessed by the demon inside of him, he cried out in a loud voice and fell down before Jesus.  The demon recognized Jesus and asked what it had to do with Jesus, admitting He was the Son of the most high God.  Then it begged Jesus not to torment it.

(29) (For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him, and he was kept bound with chains and in shackles, and he broke the bonds, and was driven by the devil into the wilderness.)

It seems the demon begged Jesus not to torment it when Jesus had commanded it to come out of the man.  The parenthetical statement goes on to tell how powerful it had been against the man it possessed, breaking the chains and shackles that had been used to bind him, and driving him into the wilderness.

(30) And Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion," because many devils had entered into him.

Jesus would have certainly already known the name of the demon that possessed the man, but for the sake of the observers, to understand the miserable state of this poor man possessed by such a demon, He asked it its name.  The demon answered "Legion" because there were many demons that had possessed the man.

(31) And they beseeched Him that He would not command them to go out into the deep.

The demons begged Jesus not to send them into the abyss or hell.  They understood that they must obey Him; they had no power against Him, so they begged Him not to send them to hell.

(32) And there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain, and they besought Him that He would allow them to enter into them. And He permitted them.

There was a huge herd of swine there feeding on the mountain, and the demons begged Jesus to allow them to enter into the swine.  Jesus allowed them.  Why would Jesus allow the demons to bargain with Him?  Again, it was for the benefit of the witnesses to see exactly what end there was for those possessed by demons.

(33) Then the devils went out of the man and entered into the swine, and the herd ran violently down a steep place into a lake and were drowned.

Apparently, this bargaining of the demons took place while they were still within the man, beginning when Jesus had commanded them to come out of him.  That shows that it was Jesus Himself who allowed them to bargain and plead, as they would have immediately gone out of the man against their will when Jesus commanded, but He permitted them this for the benefit of the witnesses.  The demons then went out of the man and into the herd of swine, and the herd ran violently over a cliff, into the lake, and were drowned.

(34) When they who fed them saw what was done, they fled and went and told it in the city and in the country.

When those who fed the swine, which totaled about 2000 head, according to the account in Mark, saw what happened to the herd, they ran away and told what had happened far and wide, in the city and in the country.

(35) Then they went out to see what was done and came to Jesus and found the man out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

When people heard the story of what had happened, they went out to see for themselves and went to Jesus where they found the man who had been possessed by the demons sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  This made them afraid.

(36) They also who saw it told them by what means he who was possessed of the devils was healed.

The eyewitnesses to what had happened told the people who came out to see for themselves, the details of how it was that the man who had been possessed came to be healed.

(37) Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes all around besought Him to depart from them, for they were taken with great fear; and He went into the ship and returned.

The entire country of the Gadarenes begged Jesus to leave them because they were so afraid.  One can only assume that they feared some great loss as had happened to the herd of swine, for if their fear was a reverential one for this prophet or God, they would have wanted to learn more and see others healed by Him.  They seemed to have more selfish concern for their possessions than they did for the miraculous healing of one of their own.  That may have been another reason why Jesus allowed the demons to have what they wished.  What a vivid example of unrepentant sinners it was that the Gadarenes, when they witnessed an awesome miracle in that Jesus could command devils, and what those devils were able to do to destroy their hosts, and what peace and right-mindedness Jesus gave, they yet chose to drive Him out of their country.  They chose their possessions over the gift of Jesus, and Jesus obliged and returned from whence He came.

(38) Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought Him that he might be with Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, (39) "Return to your own house and show what great things God has done to you." And he went his way and published throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done to him.

It seems there was one man in the whole country of the Gadarenes who chose to follow Jesus, the man who had been healed of the demons.  He asked Jesus to allow him to follow Him, but Jesus sent him back to his home to be a witness for Him.  At this time, that was where he could better serve, to give his testimony to all he could reach, for they had rejected Jesus and sent Him away.  The man did just that, reporting all the things Jesus had done for him throughout the city.

(40) And it came to pass that, when Jesus returned, the people welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.

In striking contrast to the Gadarenes, when Jesus returned, those people had been waiting for Him and welcomed Him gladly.

(41) And behold, there came a man named Jairus and he was a ruler of the synagogue; and he fell down at Jesus's feet and besought Him that He would come into his house.

A man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came up to Jesus and fell down at His feet and begged Him to come to his house.

(42) For he had one only daughter about twelve years of age, and she lay dying. But as He went, the people thronged Him.

Jairus asked Jesus to go to his house because there his only daughter, only twelve years old, was dying.  As Jesus went with him toward his house, the multitude of people crowded Him.

(43) And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians but could not be healed by any, (44) Came behind and touched the border of His garment, and immediately her issue of blood stopped.

Among the crowd was a woman who had had an issue of blood for twelve years.  She had spent her whole livelihood on doctors, but none had ever healed her.  She came up behind Jesus and touched the border of His garment and immediately her issue of blood stopped.  The account in Mark told us she had purposed to touch Jesus's garment to be healed, and indeed, she was.

(45) And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied, Peter and those who were with Him said, "Master, the multitude throngs You and presses You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"

Jesus immediately asked who had touched Him.  Everyone denied touching Him, but Peter and those with Him asked how He could ask such a question when it was obvious a crowd of many people pressed in on and touched Him.  Of course, we know that Jesus already knew who had touched Him, but for the benefit of the woman and the witnesses, including Peter and the disciples, He asked the question.

(46) And Jesus said, "Somebody has touched Me, for I perceive that power has gone out of Me."

Jesus said, in an answer to Peter, that He knew someone had touched Him for He felt power going out of Him.  It's not as if Jesus had not willed the power to go forth from Him and heal the woman.  It was not as if His healing power went out from Him just because people touched Him, or else the people who crowded Him would have also been healed.  Jesus said this to make a point and bring everyone's attention to just what had happened.  It was one of those teaching moments of Jesus.

(47) And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before Him, she declared to Him before all the people for what reason she had touched Him, and how she was healed immediately.

When the woman saw that what she had done in secret was not a secret to Jesus, she came to Him, trembling, and fell down before Him.  She confessed the reason she had sought to touch Him and told how she had been healed immediately.

(48) And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good comfort; your faith has made you whole; go in peace."

Jesus told the woman to be at peace; He was not angry with her.  On the contrary, He recognized her faith and told her that is why she had been healed, and she could go in peace.

(49) While He was still speaking, there came one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Master."

While Jesus was still speaking to the woman, someone came from Jairus's house and told him that his daughter had died, so he should not trouble Jesus.

(50) But when Jesus heard, He answered him, saying, "Fear not; believe only, and she shall be made whole."

I believe it was by design that Jesus tarried with the woman who had the issue of blood.  Not only had valuable lessons been taught with the woman, but now Jesus could show that there was no need to fear even in the most hopeless situation when one had faith in Jesus.  And of course, He would demonstrate His power over death.

(51) And when He came into the house, He permitted no man to go in except Peter, James, John, and the father and the mother of the girl.

When Jesus came to Jairus's house, He only allowed Peter, James, and John, and of course, the parents of the girl, to go into the house.  There was no reason to allow a crowd of people to trample all over Jairus's house, but as was Jesus's usual custom, there would be two or three witnesses to establish a thing as truth (Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 18:16).

(52) And all wept and bewailed her, but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping."

All the people who were already in the house wept and mourned over the girl.  However, Jesus told them not to weep because she was not dead, only sleeping.

(53) And they laughed Him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.

The people in the house only laughed and ridiculed Jesus because they knew the girl was dead.

(54) And He put them all out, and took her by the hand and called, saying, "Maid, arise."

Jesus put all those people out.  It is not helpful to have a bunch of non-believers and naysayers when one is holding onto faith in the seemingly impossible.  Besides, what kind of people were they, who were supposedly mournful over the girl, but then could turn so quickly to laughter and ridicule at so solemn a moment?  They were unworthy to be witnesses of this great miracle.  Jesus did not cast His pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6).  He then took the girl by the hand and called out to her to arise.

(55) And her spirit came again and she arose immediately, and He commanded to give her food.

The girl's soul and life returned to her, and she rose up from her bed immediately.  Jesus commanded her parents to give her some nourishment.

(56) And her parents were astonished, but He charged them that they should tell no one what was done.

The girl's parents were obviously amazed, but Jesus told them not to publish far and wide what was done there in private.  Of course, everyone could see that the girl was now alive, but after all, Jesus had said she was only sleeping.  There was no need to publish the details of this miracle and bring about the wrath of the Pharisees before the proper time.

This chapter began with Jesus preaching and teaching, and culminated with his restoring life to a dead girl.  That is, of course, the reason He came, to give us life, and life more abundantly (John 10:10).