2BeLikeChrist Bible Commentary - Luke Chapter 8
Commentary - Luke Chapter 8
Luke 8:1-3
Luk 8:1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,
Luk 8:2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, a
Luk 8:3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.
Following the dinner at Simon the Pharisees’ house, Jesus continued His work travelling through various cities and preaching about the Kingdom of God.
What is the Kingdom of God/Heaven?
The easiest way to understand it is as the “reign of God.”
God always has and always will rule over the entire universe.
Kingdoms of men have risen and fallen throughout the history of the world, but God’s reign has outlasted them all.
Jesus came into the world to fix the broken relationship between God and man.
This allowed people to unite with God and be apart of His kingdom.
God’s kingdom is going to outlast all present and future earthly kingdoms.
There are so many corrupt rulers, politicians, military leaders, and nations, but God’s kingdom will outlast them all and will never be destroyed.
If we are part of God’s kingdom, we will be able to live and reign with Him in His kingdom forever.
Jesus invited people to join God’s kingdom instead of putting their trust in earthly institutions.
God’s kingdom was prophesied in the Old Testament.
Daniel 6 makes mention of God’s kingdom and how it would never be destroyed.
A lot of the Jews thought this was going to be some kind of physical, earthly kingdom.
They thought Jesus was going to come down to earth and build an empire, but they were mistaken.
God had a greater plan in mind.
Making a great kingdom and establishing a great throne on earth may sound like a pretty good idea.
But God’s throne was established in heaven, a place where the sin that corrupts the earth can’t touch.
While Jesus was preaching this message, He was accompanied by the 12 Apostles and a number of women who Jesus had healed of sicknesses and evil spirits.
Mary Magdalene:
Mary Magdala was one of Jesus’ most devoted followers.
We know this from texts like this one and the accounts of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection.
She was the first person Jesus appeared to on the resurrection morning.
Luke tells us Jesus had freed her from the possession of “seven demons.”
There is a long-standing belief she was a prostitute before becoming a follower of Jesus, but this has no biblical foundation.
This belief seems to have gained popularity when it was suggested by Pope Gregory in the late 500s A.D.
APPLICATION:
Before studying for this chapter, I assumed there was some kind of biblical proof Mary was a former prostitute.
It goes to show, just because you hear something repeated over-and-over again in a church setting doesn’t mean it has any Biblical backing.
Joanna:
Wife of Chuza.
She was present at Jesus’ resurrection (Luke 24:10).
Her profession is curious, she was Herod’s household manager (probably Herod Antipas who ruled in Galilee).
She may have heard about Jesus from John the Baptist’s preaching or his time in Herod’s prison.
Susanna:
This is the only reference to her in the Bible.
Her name is the only detail given.
Mark 15:40-41 also confirms the presence of these women who ministered to Jesus in Galilee.
The women are said to have provided for Jesus and the Apostles while they went about preaching.
It is a mark of Jesus’ humility that He accepted the generosity of these women.
Certainly, He did not have to rely on such provision.
It was only by choice He had any need at all.
2Co 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
Luke 8:4-8
Luk 8:4 And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable,
Luk 8:5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.
Luk 8:6 And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.
Luk 8:7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.
Luk 8:8 And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
A parable is an illustration/story that teaches a spiritual truth.
When people from various towns had gathered, Jesus told them a parable about a sower.
Sow: “plant (seed) by scattering it on or in the earth.”
Modern American farmers don’t “sow” their fields the same way farmers in the 1st Century did.
Modern farmers use tractors and planters.
Ancient farmers would prepare their field and then scatter seed by hand.
They would take a bag full of seeds, walk through the field, and toss the seeds out until they had covered the entire plot.
As you may imagine, throwing seed with your hand isn’t the most precise practice, especially when you are working on the edge or corner of your property.
It is that lack of precision that Jesus used to teach a spiritual lesson.
Some of the seeds fell on a path on the edge of the plowed field, they got trampled by passersby, then they were gobbled up by the birds.
Some of the seed fell on rocky ground and crops don’t grow well in rocks. The plants didn’t have enough moisture in their soil and the sun scorched them until they withered.
Some of the seed fell on thorny ground. The plants started growing but the seedlings were choked out by the thorns growing up next to them.
Some of the seed fell on good ground and produced a harvest for the farmer.
Jesus concluded the parable by encouraging His listeners to consider His words, saying, “He who has ears, let Him hear.”
This was a favorite phrase of Jesus’.
We see this several times in the opening chapters of the book of Revelation.
Jesus may have taken it from Ezekiel 12:2.
Eze 12:2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house.
Jesus wanted His listeners to ponder what they had just heard.
Unfortunately, many people didn’t take the time to consider the deeper spiritual meaning of Jesus’ farming analogy.
Jesus will explain the meaning of the parable as we progress through the chapter.
APPLICATION:
This statement from Jesus ought to make us consider how often we take time to think deeply about anything?
When was the last time you sat down and pondered some of life’s big questions?
Unfortunately, a lot of people are content to live their lives on the surface and never ask the questions that can lead them to God.
Luke 8:9-10
Luk 8:9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,
Luk 8:10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’
After Jesus talked about the sower, some of His disciples approached Him and asked Him why He spoke to the people in parables.
Jesus told the Apostles His parables were designed to teach willing listeners the secrets of the Kingdom of God while concealing those same secrets from those on the outside (those who would not become Jesus’ disciples).
He quoted a passage from Isaiah 6:9.
“Seeing they may not see and hearing they may not understand.”
In Isaiah’s day, the people were so rebellious that God told Isaiah to preach to them, but he told him ahead of time they wouldn’t listen.
They audibly heard Isaiah’s words, but failed to take them into their hearts and allow them to change their lives.
Many would respond in a similar way to Jesus’ preaching.
They would hear the parable, but they wouldn’t take it into their heart, consider its meaning, and understand the truth it communicated.
They weren’t that interested in the truths of the Kingdom of God.
But others (the disciples) would be able to take these parables and better understand the nature of the Kingdom.
Luke 8:11-15
Luk 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Luk 8:12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
Luk 8:13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.
Luk 8:14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.
Luk 8:15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Jesus then moved to explain the parable of the sower.
The parable was about how the word of God grows in a person’s heart after hearing it.
The seed that the farmer sowed was the word of God.
The disciples were going to be like farmers in a field sowing grain in hopes of a harvest.
Four types of ground were mentioned and each represented a type of gospel hearer.
(1) The seed on the path.
This symbolized those who heard the word of God, but who soon after had its impact removed from their heart by the devil.
Jesus’ words had a very short stay in their hearts.
It didn’t have time to take root.
Can the devil take God’s word out of the heart of the hearer against their will?
No, the text seems to suggest otherwise.
Notice verse 15.
The seed in the good soil was held fast in the heart of the hearer.
It seems the devil can only take the seed away from the hearer when the hearer is not resolved to hold it fast in their heart.
Otherwise he would take it away from everyone.
An example of a person who fits this category may be someone who hears God’s word, is convicted, knows they need to make a change, but instead of making that change they allow themselves to get caught up with the everyday affairs of life and they forget about their conviction.
Satan would love to take the word of God out of your head and heart and replace it with something that will distract you.
This is why it is so important to keep the words of Jesus in front of our eyes and in our heads every day.
APPLICATION:
Satan wants you to waste your life on all of the distractions of this world.
If he can keep you out of God’s word and keep you from applying it for the 80 or so years you are alive, he will have succeeded.
(2) The seed in the rocky ground.
The seed that fell on the rocky ground sprouted quickly and began to grow.
However, it quickly died because it’s roots couldn’t grow past the rocks to reach nutrients, moisture, and stability.
This illustrates those who heard Jesus’ message and gladly accept it, but at the first sign of persecution, abandoned it because they had no foundation and stability.
This type of person has a conviction, but their conviction doesn’t have a strong foundation.
(3) The seed in the thorny ground.
The seed that fell on the thorny ground sprouted quickly and began to grow.
However, the new growth was quickly chocked out by thorns.
This illustrates those who gladly accept the gospel but are quickly distracted by the entangling temptations of the world.
In the end, they cannot escape the thorns of temptation and they never bear fruit (produce harvest).
Many new believers start off with tremendous potential but find the allurements of the world more enticing than the genuine soul satisfaction of Christ.
(4) The seed in the good ground
The seed in good ground sank down into the soil and produced an abundant harvest.
This soil represents a heart that is ready and willing to accept the gospel message.
But not only are they ready and willing, they also have the endurance to overcome persecution and the lies of the devil.
The end result of the word of God in an honest heart is a harvest of righteousness.
Why did Jesus teach this parable to His disciples?
Because they needed to know how people would receive the message of the Kingdom of God.
The disciples were going to be responsible for teaching others about the Kingdom and they needed to know the kinds of reactions they would encounter.
This parable was as much a lesson for Jesus’ immediate audience as it is for us.
We are all commanded to tell people about the Kingdom of God, and we will meet all 4 of these hearts in our attempt to make disciples.
Some people won’t be that interested.
Some people will be unable to withstand the challenges of being a Christian.
Some people will be too in love with the offerings of the world to ever mature in Christ.
Some people will accept the Kingdom message, will hold the good news firmly in their hearts, let it transform their lives, and bear fruit for God.
Luke 8:16-18
Luk 8:16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Luk 8:17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.
Luk 8:18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”
A person lights a lamp to fill a dark space with light.
They don’t light a lamp to hide its light.
You wouldn’t light a lamp and then cover the flame to prevent it from lighting the room.
If you wanted it to be dark you wouldn’t have lit the lamp in the first place.
Why did Jesus bring up this point?
Jesus was shedding light on the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven.
He was doing it with the intention of sending light out into the world.
The disciples were not going to be told to hide the light from others, instead they were going to be told to take it and share it with the world.
I believe this helps us understand verse 17.
“For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.”
The things Jesus taught the disciples in private would eventually be taught publicly.
The disciples would be responsible for sharing what they had learned from Jesus with those who never spoke to Jesus.
How then do we interpret verse 18?
“Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”
Jesus wanted the disciples to be mindful of the way they heard His teachings.
Who is the “one who has?”
I understand this to be a person who “has” an open heart and properly considers the words of Christ (a faithful disciple).
A person who hungers and thirsts for righteousness (Mat 5:6).
God will use a person like this and continue feeding and refining them.
They will receive an “abundance” and they “shall be satisfied.” (Mat 5:6).
Who is the “one who has not?”
In contrast, this would be a person whose mind and heart are closed off to truth.
Those who make no application of Jesus’ words.
Or those who start well but can’t finish (the seed in stony or thorny soil).
They hear Jesus’ words, but any semblance of growth is “taken away” by Satan.
It may also be God who does the “taking away.”
Like the man who did not properly steward his master’s talent in Matthew 25.
If we are given opportunity and teaching and knowledge from God and we do not steward it properly, what we have will be taken away.
Mat 25:28-29 - So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
The disciples needed to “take care” how they heard and what they did with Jesus’ words.
They needed to hold them fast “in an honest and good heart” (Luk 8:15).
If they did, God would entrust them with greater responsibility in His Kingdom.
Luke 8:19-21
Luk 8:19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd.
Luk 8:20 And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.”
Luk 8:21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
Someone notified Jesus that His mother and brothers were wanting to see Him. This would have been Mary and her other children with Joseph (Jesus’ half-brothers).
Luke hasn’t introduced us to Jesus’ brothers, but we have their names recorded in other gospels (see Matthew 13:55).
James
Joseph
Simon
Judas
As He did so often, Jesus used this everyday experience to teach a spiritual lesson.
Jesus told the people, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
The text does not suggest He was in any way disrespecting His family.
He was driving home the importance of the word of God in its hearer’s hearts.
The seed in good soil held fast to the word of God.
The faithful disciple took care how they heard the word and what they did with it after they had heard it.
Here Jesus told the people those who heard and did the will of God were part of the family of God.
The true family of God are those who identify with Jesus and accept His heaven-given message.
The blood of Christ is a stronger bond than familial blood
Our family relationships dissolve when those we love pass-away.
Don’t you want a relationship that can’t dissolve in death?
The bond of Christ’s blood is only reaffirmed in death!
Luke 8:22-25
Luk 8:22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out,
Luk 8:23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger.
Luk 8:24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm.
Luk 8:25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”
Here’s a good example to show the gospel writers did not always record all of the events they wrote about in chronological order.
In Matthew:
Jesus teaches in parables in chapter 13.
Jesus calms the storm in chapter 8.
In Mark:
Jesus teaches in parables at the beginning of chapter 4.
Jesus calms the storm at the end of chapter 4.
In Luke:
Jesus teaches in parables at the beginning of chapter 8.
Jesus calms the storm in the middle of chapter 8.
There is no problem with the events being in a different order.
There was no rule that a person could only record the life of Jesus in the order of events as they happened.
The gospel writers never claimed to be writing chronological accounts.But it is something worth noting.
Jesus wanted to go across the sea of Galilee “to the other side.”
He and His disciples got into a boat and left the crowds, venturing out on the water.
Jesus’ vehicle
In 1986 a 1st Century Galilee fishing vessel was discovered during a drought.
The boat is 27 ft long and 7.5 ft wide.
It is now housed in the Yigal Allon Museum in Kibbutz Ginosar.
The vessel Jesus rode in was probably very similar.
During the Apostle’s trip to the other side, a windstorm came up.
Windstorms kick-up very quickly in the sea of Galilee. The wind comes off the east side of the Sea from an area known as the Golan Heights (Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels).
It must have been a pretty nasty storm if experienced fishermen couldn’t handle the waves.
Curiously, Jesus was sleeping onboard, apparently not concerned with the waves that must have been hitting him.
The Apostles were afraid they were going to go down with the ship and were shocked that Jesus was sleeping through it all.
They woke Him up and said, “Master, Master, we are perishing.”
Jesus woke up, rebuked the wind, and everything went still.
He then turned to His Apostles and rebuked them for their lack of faith.
APPLICATION:
I think the story of the storm and the sea are beautiful parallels of a trial all faithful Christians face at some point in their lives, the temptation to believe that Jesus has forgotten about them.
Have you ever heard someone ask, “Where is God?”
“Where is God in my suffering?”
“Where is God in my financial struggle?”
“Where is God in this natural disaster?”
Like the Apostles, they can’t understand why Jesus is sleeping on them. It’s like He doesn’t care about their suffering and the “storms” of their lives.
But the conclusion of this story lays down a principle that is also confirmed in verses like Romans 8:28.
Jesus is never unaware of our suffering.
He will deliver the faithful from their storms.
And as with the Apostles, God’s deliverance will help our weak faith by giving us a chance to marvel at Him.
APPLICATION:
Did you notice how the Apostles cried out to Jesus to save them (“Master, Master, we are perishing”) but were then shocked when He did?
How often do we pray and ask God for something but are then shocked when He comes through and helps us?
It would be better to pray with confidence and then be shocked if God didn’t come through (by the way, we would never be shocked again).
APPLICATION:
The Apostles were in this situation because they were being obedient to Christ.
It is not the case that fearful/hard situations are always the consequence of some sin of ours.
Sometimes, as illustrated here, God leads us into storms to refine our faith.
APPLICATION:
I thought the Shepherd was going to lead me beside still waters and make my life easier?
Psalm 23:1-2 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
Wasn’t God promising to make my path smooth and comfortable if I follow Him?
Psalm 23 is not about where we are led and where we lay our heads, it is about the Shepherd who accompanies us!
Isn’t it interesting, Jesus, the Shepherd, acted like He was lying down in the green pasture by the still waters in this story?
But His disciples were having a meltdown.
He was almost certainly getting hit with water.
The wind noise must have been significant.
But the Shepherd slept while the sheep perceive danger.
Was Jesus a bad shepherd?
No, His sheep didn’t trust Him.
Their perception was incorrect.
They should have known, if the shepherd was sleeping, they weren’t in danger.
Does that have any application for us? Yes, I think so!
APPLICATION:
I find it interesting that Jesus calmed the storm.
Why? Because the storm wasn’t a threat.
The storm wasn’t going to destroy the boat.
Jesus knew it.
The danger existed only in the imagination of the Apostles.
They believed in a danger that wasn’t real.
The devil was threatening to take what God held in His hand.
But He couldn’t do it.
It was an empty threat.
So, why did Jesus calm the storm?
Why did He pull them out of the situation?
Has God ever done that for you?
You were trying to live for God…
But some circumstance in your life started making you anxious…
Your mind perceived some danger…
Was that danger going to overcome you?
Not if God’s promises are true!
But rather than allow the imaginary danger to continue to plague you until you learned to overcome it, God took it away!
Why might God do that?
Perhaps, so that like the Apostles, we can look back at the situation and realize God had everything under control.
That all of our anxiety was pointless.
That the shepherd wasn’t off guard.
So next time we encounter some threat of Satan, it will be easier for us to suppress the anxiety, knowing the precedent of God’s care for us.
No doubt the Apostles looked back at this event and drew strength from it when they encountered other anxiety inducing circumstances in their future.
I have found this true in my life.
The older I get, the longer my list gets of times God has brought me through some perceived danger.
The longer the list grows, the less I find myself buying into Satan’s empty threats.
We need to remind ourselves of all the times God has calmed storms in our past.
We need to preach God’s past faithfulness to ourselves to starve the validity of our anxieties.
How many times has God calmed storms in your past? Let that statistic be what fills your mind the next time the wind and waves try to fill it with fear!
Luke 8:26-27
Luk 8:26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.
Luk 8:27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs.
Where were the Gerasenes?
If you look in Matthew’s record of this story, he used the name “the Gadarenes.”
Most people believe this area was located on the east side of the Sea of Galilee around the city of Gergesa (see the square on the map below). This makes sense for several reasons:
(1) The area can be considered on the “other side” or “opposite side” of Galilee from Capernaum (Mark 1:1; Luke 8:26). Capernaum is on the Northwest side while Gergesa is on the East side of the lake.
(2) It is in the region of the Golan Heights which explains the presence of the windstorm.
(3) There are several steep banks in the area that lead down into the sea (Mark 5:13; Luke 8:33) (Check out Google Earth).
The Gerasenes may have been inhabited by many Gentiles.
We learn from the text that there were large herds of swine in the area.
Jewish people were prohibited from eating pigs.
Upon reaching land, Jesus got out of the boat and was immediately met by a man with an unclean spirit.
The man wasn’t wearing anything.
He had been possessed by the unclean spirit for a long time and he lived in the tombs where people buried their dead.
Mark’s account tells us the demon gave the man unnatural strength.
Many had tried to bind him with ropes and chains but “he wrenched the chains apart and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him” (Mark 5:4).
Mar 5:5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
Luke 8:28-31
Luk 8:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”
Luk 8:29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)
Luk 8:30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him.
Luk 8:31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.
Upon seeing Jesus, the possessed man fell down and cried out “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”
The one addressing Jesus was not the man who was possessed but the demon doing the possessing.
This is made clear in a couple of ways:
The demon knew exactly who Jesus was.
Jesus hadn’t spent a lot of time in this area.
Jesus hadn’t spoken plainly to many people about His identity as the Messiah and the Son of God.
Yet this man knew exactly who He was.
How?
It was the demon’s knowledge, not the man’s.
When responding, Jesus addressed the demon, not the man.
In verse 30, Jesus asked the demon his/their name.
The demon responded “Legion.”
Mark records the haunting response this way, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
It seems there were many demons who were all speaking through this representative voice.
The demons then begged Jesus not to send “them” into the abyss.
So, this man was possessed by a sentient demon who could communicate through his body.
Demon Possession in the Bible:
I think this is an appropriate time to take a look at demon possession in the Bible, as this text probably leaves you with a lot of questions.
We don’t know all the details our minds are curious about when it comes to the demons, evidently God didn’t think we needed to know, but the New Testament does provide us a bit of information:
The demons were agents of Satan (Mark 3:23).
These demons appeared to have minds of their own. They spoke to Jesus and had knowledge of Jesus their hosts did not have (Mark 5:29).
Demon’s knew Jesus and do not dispute His position as the Son of God.
James 2:19 tells us the demons believe in God and tremble at the fact of His existence (as we see in this text).
Mark’s account mentions this particular demon giving super-human strength to its host (Mark 5:4).
The demons could inhabit animals (Luke 8:33).
The demon knew Jesus was superior to them and could pass judgement on them (Mark 5:7; Mat 8:29; Luke 8:31).
The Jews in the Bible appear somewhat familiar with demon possession by the time of the 1st Century.
Outside of the early years of the Church, I am not aware of any biblical references to casting out demons.
It is possible that Zechariah 13:2 refers to the disappearance of evil spirits at the time of the Messiah and the establishing of the Church.
Some people equate evil spirits with mental illness. Personally, I do not equate the two based on the facts above.
We know demons and spiritual enemies of God exist even today (Eph 6:12), but I do not see evidence that demon possession is still occurring.
Twice in Luke’s account the demon begged Jesus not to pass judgement on him.
1. “I beg you, do not torment me” (8:28).
2. “they begged Him not to command them to depart into the abyss” (8:31).
The Greek word translated “abyss” is an interesting word found 9 times in the New Testament.
7 of the 9 are in Revelation where the word is translated “bottomless pit.”
The other is in a challenging text in Romans 10:7 where it is translated with the definite article as “the deep.”
What was the demon talking about?
Matthew records a similar statement made by the demon. \
Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
Evidently, the demons are aware of their future fate.
Many have the idea that Satan and the demons are going to be the overlords of hell, but this is not correct.
Hell is going to be a place where the demons are punished.
Mat 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
The demon in Luke 8 appears to have been concerned that Jesus had come to judge him early.
It was worried it was going to receive its punishment before the final judgement day.
SIDE NOTE:
I find it interesting that the demons knew they couldn’t win.
Why resist God if you know you can’t succeed?
Was it just to do as much damage to His cause as possible?
Maybe it was just because the demon wanted to do its own thing. Wanted to live its own way instead of God’s.
It believed in God.
It knew it wasn’t a match for God.
But it also knew it wasn’t judgement day yet.
It didn’t know Jesus was going to show up that day.
Is that so far from the attitude of a lot of people today?
Many people believe in God.
They know they are no match for Him.
But they also know it isn’t judgement day yet.
So they live the way they want to live.
Some will end up surprised when they meet Jesus sooner than they expected.
Luke 8:32-33
Luk 8:32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission.
Luk 8:33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
The demons knew Jesus would not allow them to continue oppressing the man.
Curiously, they requested to be sent into a herd of pigs nearby and even more curiously, Jesus obliged.
When Jesus had banished the demons, they entered into the pigs and they all ran down a steep cliff and drowned in the Sea of Galilee.
Mark tells us the total number of pigs was about 2,000.
What an odd conclusion to the story!
APPLICATION:
God doesn’t always satisfy our curiosities.
In this case, God didn’t fill in all the details as to why Jesus interacted with this demon the way He did.
Why did Jesus allow the demon to enter the pigs knowing it would destroy them?
Why didn’t Jesus condemn the unclean spirit and direct it to the abyss?
I find it tempting to try to fill in those gaps with speculations.
But that may not always be helpful.
There are times when it is ok to say, “we don’t know.”
If God wanted us to know the details of His relationship with the demons, He would have told us.
Luke 8:34-37
Luk 8:34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.
Luk 8:35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
Luk 8:36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed.
Luk 8:37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.
The pig herdsmen went into the city and surrounding country and told everyone what had happened.
Upon hearing the news, the people came to see Jesus.
But when they saw the man healed and in his demon-less state, they were afraid and asked Jesus to leave.
Why were they afraid?
It is hard to say for sure.
I can think of a few possibilities.
(1) They were afraid Jesus would cause more damage to their livelihood if He stayed.
Two thousand pigs were enough loss for one day.
(2) They were overwhelmed by the miracle.
Maybe they were afraid because they didn’t know what/who they were dealing with.
Rather than take the time to get to know Jesus, they asked Him to leave so their lives could return to normal as soon as possible. \
“We don’t know what went on here, but we don’t want to be involved!”
(3) This may describe a proper “fear of God.”
They may have asked Jesus to leave because they didn’t feel worthy of His presence.
Similar to Peter’s words in Luke 5:8 after Jesus filled his net with fish.
Luk 5:8 “…Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
According to Strong’s Concordance, the word can be understood as “to be in awe of, that is, revere”
In all three accounts (Luk 8; Mar 5; Mat 8) there is no mention of Jesus condemning them for their “fear.”
Luke 8:38-39
Luk 8:38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,
Luk 8:39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
As Jesus was departing, the previously demon-possessed man begged Him to accompany Him.
Jesus didn’t permit it.
Jesus told the man to go into the city, to his home, and to his friends and tell them about the mercy of the Lord.
That is exactly what he did.
Mark says he proclaimed the message in Decapolis.
Decapolis (Greek: Δεκάπολις, Dekápolis, 'Ten Cities') was a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in the southeastern Levant in the first centuries BC and AD. They formed a group because of their language, culture, location, and political status, with each functioning as an autonomous city-state dependent on Rome (Wikipedia).
APPLICATION:
The man probably thought following Jesus was the best route he could possibly take.
But Jesus redirects Him for a greater purpose.
You may attempt to set your life on a God honoring trajectory with full confidence your direction is the best way for you to accomplish the work of God.
God may change your plans to accomplish more through you than you ever thought possible.
