Luke
Chapter 8
1 After that, he traveled to every city and village, teaching and sharing the good news of God’s kingdom, and the twelve were with him.
2 Some women who were healed from evil spirits and sicknesses, including Mary called Magdalene who had seven demons come out of her,
3 Joanna, Chuza the manager of Herod’s house, and Susanna, along with many others, used their own resources to help him.
4 When many people came together from different cities to be with him, he told them a story with a lesson.
5 A farmer went out to plant his seeds: as he scattered them, some dropped along the path; they were stepped on, and the birds ate them.
6 Some seeds fell on rocky ground, and when they grew, they dried up because they had no water.
7 Some seeds fell among thorns; the thorns grew with them and choked the seeds.
8 Some seeds fell on good soil, grew, and produced fruit a hundred times more. After saying this, he shouted, “If you have ears to listen, then listen.”
9 His followers asked him, “What does this story mean?”
10 He said, “You are allowed to know God’s kingdom secrets. But others get stories, so they look but don’t see, and they listen but don’t understand.”
11 The story means this: The seed stands for God’s message.
12 The ones along the path are those who hear the message, but then the devil comes and takes the message from their hearts so they won’t believe and be saved.
13 Those on the rock are the ones who hear the word and accept it with joy, but they have no strong foundation. They believe for a while, but when they face hard times, they give up.
14 The seeds that fell among thorns represent those who hear the message, but then life’s worries, wealth, and pleasures stop them from growing, and they don’t produce any good results.
15 The seeds that fell on good soil represent those who, with a true and good heart, listen to God’s message, hold onto it, and steadily produce good results.
16 When someone lights a candle, they don’t hide it under a bowl or put it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand so that people coming in can see the light.
17 Nothing that is secret will stay hidden; everything that is hidden will be brought to light and made known.
18 Be careful how you listen: for whoever has, will receive more; and whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken away.
19 Then his mother and brothers came to him, but they couldn’t get close because of the crowd.
20 Some people told him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, wanting to see you.”
21 He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who listen to God’s word and follow it.”
22 One day, he got into a boat with his followers and said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out.
23 While they were sailing, he fell asleep. A windstorm came on the lake, the boat filled with water, and they were in danger.
24 They came to him, woke him up, and said, “Teacher, teacher, we’re going to die!” So he got up, told the wind and the wild water to stop, and they stopped, and everything was calm.
25 He asked them, “Where is your faith?” Filled with fear and amazement, they said to each other, “Who is this man? Even the winds and water obey him!”
26 They reached the area of the Gadarenes, across from Galilee.
27 When he went onto land, a man from the city who had been troubled by evil spirits for a long time, who wore no clothes and did not live in a house but in the tombs, met him.
28 When he saw Jesus, he shouted and fell down in front of him, and said loudly, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the most high God? Please don’t torture me.”
29 He had told the evil spirit to leave the man. The spirit often took control of him, and though he was tied up with chains and leg irons, he would break free, and the devil drove him into lonely places.
30 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion,” because many demons had gone into him.
31 They begged him not to order them to go into the abyss.
32 There was a large group of pigs eating on the hill, and they asked him to let them go into the pigs. And he let them.
33 The demons left the man and went into the pigs. The pigs then ran down the hill into the lake and drowned.
34 When the people taking care of them saw what had happened, they ran away, and went to tell about it in the city and the countryside.
35 Then they went to see what had happened; they came to Jesus, and saw the man who had been freed from demons sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind, and they were scared.
36 People who saw it explained how the man with demons was healed.
37 The whole crowd from the area of the Gadarenes asked him to leave because they were very afraid. So he got into the boat and went back.
38 The man who was freed from the demons asked to go with Jesus, but Jesus sent him away, saying.
39 Go back to your home, and tell how much God has done for you. So he left and told everyone in the city how much Jesus had done for him.
40 When Jesus came back, the people happily welcomed him because they were all waiting for him.
41 Look, a man named Jairus came, who was a leader in the synagogue. He knelt down before Jesus and begged him to come to his house.
42 He had just one daughter, who was about twelve, and she was very sick. As he went, the crowds pressed around him.
43 A woman who had been bleeding for twelve years and had spent all her money on doctors could not be healed by anyone.
44 She came up behind him, touched the edge of his clothes, and right away her bleeding stopped.
45 Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” When everyone said they hadn’t, Peter and his friends told him, “Master, there are so many people crowding and pushing against you, and you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
46 Jesus said, “Someone touched me, because I felt power go out from me.”
47 When the woman realized she could not hide, she came shaking with fear. She knelt before Him and told everyone why she had touched Him, and how she was healed at once.
48 He said to her, “Daughter, relax, your faith has healed you; go peacefully.”
49 While he was still talking, someone from the synagogue leader’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; don’t bother the Teacher anymore.”
50 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
51 When he entered the house, he did not allow anyone to come in except Peter, James, John, and the girl’s father and mother.
52 Everyone cried and mourned for her, but he said, “Don’t cry; she isn’t dead, she’s just sleeping.”
53 They laughed at him, knowing she was dead.
54 He sent everyone out, took her hand, and said, “Girl, get up.”
55 Her spirit returned, and she got up right away; and he told them to give her something to eat.
56 Her parents were amazed, but he told them not to tell anyone what had happened.