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Report a TypoLuke ◦ Chapter 8
1After this, Jesus traveled from town to town, proclaiming the good news of God's Remedy and the kingdom of love. The Twelve went with him,2along with some of the women whose minds had been cleansed of evil and bodies healed of diseases: Mary Magdalene, whom he had freed from demonic harassment seven times;3Joanna the wife of Chuza who was the chief of staff to Herod; Susanna; and many others. These women used their own resources to support Jesus and his interns.4A large crowd had gathered, as people from many towns were coming to Jesus. He told them this parable:5"A farmer went to plant seed in his field. As he spread the seed, some fell on the path where it was either trampled or the birds came and ate it.6Some fell on the rocks and sprouted, but quickly withered and died because it had no water.7Other seed fell among the thorns which grew and choked out the good plants.8Still other seed fell on good soil. This seed sprouted and brought forth an abundant crop — a hundred times that which was planted." Then he said, "Those whose minds are open to truth, let them understand."9When his interns asked him what this parable meant,10he explained: "The understanding of the secrets of God's kingdom of love is taught to you because your hearts are open to receive it, but their minds are not ready to accept the truth, so parables must be used because 'though they see with their eyes, their minds do not comprehend; and though they hear with their ears, they do not understand the meaning.'11"This is what the parable means: The seed represents the truth about God's kingdom of love.12The seeds on the path are the ones who hear the truth about God's kingdom of love but don't embrace it, so Satan infects their hearts with a lie, and thus they do not trust and are not healed.13The seeds on the rocks are people who hear the truth and immediately accept it with joy, but the truth is only accepted as an idea — it does not take root in the heart, get applied to life, or get incorporated into the character, so when trials or persecution come, they quickly abandon it.14The seeds that fell amongst the thorns are those who hear the truth but allow worries, pleasure and wealth to strangle it; they remain selfish and fail to bear the fruit of a loving character.15But the seeds that fell on good soil represent those who hear, comprehend and embrace the truth of God's kingdom, and by applying it to their lives, experience the fruit of a transformed character.16"No one lights a lantern and puts it under a bucket, or covers it with blankets. No! A person puts it on a stand, so everyone sees its light.17Reality will one day be revealed for what it is; there is no secret that will not one day be exposed.18Therefore be thoughtful and deliberate in how you deal with what you hear. Those who develop their talents will expand their abilities; those who don't use and develop their abilities will lose what they have."19Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but the crowd was so large that they couldn't get to him.20Someone told Jesus, "Your mother and brothers are waiting for you outside."21He told them, "Anyone who lives in harmony with my Father in heaven, practicing his methods and following his will, is united with me like my mother and brothers."22Once, Jesus told his interns, "Let's cross the lake to the other shore," so they got in a boat and set sail.23As they sailed, Jesus fell asleep. A vicious storm came up and the waves washed over the boat, threatening to capsize it. The danger was very great.24The interns woke Jesus, crying, "Master, the boat is swamped, we're going to drown!" Jesus stood up and told the wind to slow and the waves to calm, and the storm immediately dissipated, and everything was still.25Then he looked at his interns and asked, "Don't you have any confidence in me?" In awe and uncertainty, they asked each other, "Who is he? He has power to control the wind and waves."26They sailed on to the region of Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee.27When Jesus went ashore, a man from the town, whose mind was controlled by evil angels, confronted him. The man had not worn clothes or lived in a house for a long time; he lived in the graveyard.28When he saw Jesus, he fell down at his feet and began shouting as loud as he could, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please don't torture me!"29Jesus commanded the evil intelligence to leave the man's mind. Many times through the years it had taken control of his mind, and though he was chained hand and foot and guarded, it had broken the chains and driven the man into desolate places.30Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many evil intelligences had taken control of his mind.31They begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them into isolation from living beings.32There was a large herd of pigs feeding on the hill nearby. The evil angels begged Jesus for permission to take control of the pigs, and he granted it.33The fallen angels left the mind of the man and went into the minds of the pigs: the herd went berserk and stampeded down a steep bank into the lake and drowned.34When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran into town and told everyone,35and the people came out to see it for themselves. When they came to Jesus they found the man, whose mind had been freed from demons, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed, calm and coherent; and this frightened them.36Those who had seen all that transpired told the new arrivals how the man had been freed from the evil agencies.37Then all the people from the region of Gerasenes were so terrified that they asked Jesus to leave, so he got in the boat and left.38The man whose mind had been freed from demons begged to go with Jesus, but Jesus had another mission for him. He told him,39"Go home and tell everyone how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told everyone he encountered how much Jesus had done for him.40When Jesus returned from the region of Gerasenes, a large crowd welcomed him back, for they had been watching for him.41A man named Jairus, a church official, came and fell down at Jesus' feet, begging him to come to his house42because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus made his way, the crowds were so large that they almost crushed him.43There was a woman in the crowd who had suffered with bleeding for twelve years, and no doctor had been able to heal her.44She snuck up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his robe, and instantly her bleeding ceased.45Jesus stopped and asked, "Who touched me?" When no one came forward, Peter said, "Master, the crowd is immense; everyone is pushing against you."46But Jesus clarified, "Someone touched me: I felt power go out from me."47Then the woman, realizing she could not escape unnoticed, came forward trembling and fell down at his feet. In front of the crowd, she explained why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.48He smiled and said, "Daughter, your trust in me has healed you. Live in peace."49While Jesus was speaking to the woman, a messenger came from the home of Jairus, the church leader. "Your daughter is dead," he told him. "It's too late, don't bother the Doctor any more."50Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't let fear control you. Trust in me and she will be healed."51When he arrived at Jairus' home, Jesus didn't let anyone go in with him except Peter, James and John, along with the child's father and mother.52All the people were crying, wailing, and mourning for her. Jesus said to them, "Stop crying. The child is not dead but asleep."53They all laughed at him because from a human perspective she was dead.54But Jesus took her hand and said, "My child, wake up!"55Her life returned to her and she stood up at once. Then Jesus instructed them to give her something to eat.56Her parents were stunned with joy, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.