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Luke Chapter
Eight
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Believers of the Savior the Son of Man
I. The fellow-working of the twelve disciples and
the provision of substance from the women (v.1-3).
II. The parable of the sower------the relation
between the word and men’s hearts (v.4-15).
III. The parable of lighting a lamp------the
relation between witness and recipience (v.16-18).
IV. Those who hear the word of the Lord and do it
are the Lord’s real relatives (v.19-21).
The Authority of the Savior the Son of Man
II. He cast the demons into the herd of swine
(v.26-39).
III. He rose the daughter of Jairus (v.40-42,
49-56).
IV. He healed the woman who had the flow of blood
(v.43-48).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Luke. 8:1 “Now it came to pass,
afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing
the glad tidings of the
YLT: “And it came to pass
thereafter, that he was going through every city and village, preaching and
proclaiming good news of the reign of God, and the twelve [are] with him,”
Literal Meaning: “He went through
every city and village” Jesus had preached for a period of time in the
Luke. 8:2 “and certain women who had
been healed of evil spirits and infirmities--Mary called Magdalene, out of whom
had come seven demons,”
YLT: “and certain women,
who were healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary who is called Magdalene,
from whom seven demons had gone forth,”
Literal Meaning: “Mary called Magdalene” This appellation was used to separate her
from Mary of Bethany and other “Mary”s because Mary was a common name. After
the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, He first appeared to Mary called Magdalene
(Mark. 16:9).
Luke. 8:3 “and Joanna the wife of
Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from
their substance.”
YLT: “and Joanna wife of
Chuza, steward of Herod, and Susanna, and many others, who were ministering to
him from their substance.”
Literal Meaning: “Chuza, Herod's steward” Herod’s steward was the one who managed
the wealth of the royal family of Herod and he had the high social position.
“Who provided for Him from their
substance” It shows that when
Jesus and His disciples went out to preach, they did not provide for themselves
by wonders but by the substance of these women who served them silently.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) In the ministry of the Lord, the cooperation of
the twelve disciples with the Lord (See v.1) and the service and substance of the
women (See v.2-3) are both needed.
2) Believers should also learn the good example of
these women and devote our service and substance to the Lord and His work for
the sake of loving the Lord.
Luke. 8:4 “And when a great
multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a
parable:”
YLT: “And a great
multitude having gathered, and those who from city and city were coming unto
him, he spake by a simile:”
Meaning
of Words: “parable”: illustration, example.
Literal
Meaning: “He spoke by a
parable” “parable”
is a way to express profound truth with things everyone is familiar with. If
the parables are not opened, men will still linger in their vague ideas. And men’s understanding of the parable is
determined by whether the listeners truly seek the Lord. The parable is of no
help to those
who do not truly seek the Lord and they do not quiet understand the
parable.
Luke. 8:5 “‘A
sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and
it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.”
YLT: “`The sower went
forth to sow his seed, and in his sowing some indeed fell beside the way, and
it was trodden down, and the fowls of the heaven did devour it.”
The
Background: according to the
custom in the
Spiritual
Meaning: “a
sower went out to sow his seed”, “a sower” referred to
the Lord Himself. “Seed” was the word of God (See v.11). Seed has life and the life grows, showing that there is life in the word of God (See John.
6:63). Seed
grows in the field and the field is men’s heart (See v.12-15).
“Some fell by the wayside” “way” is the place where men
communicate with each other. “Wayside” symbolizes the heart that communicates
with and receives worldly things randomly.
“And the birds of the air devoured it.” “The birds” symbolize the devil (See v.12).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) We have been born again, not of corruptible seed
but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever
(1Pet. 1:23).
2) There is life in the Lord’s
word and the life grows. We should mix the word of the
Lord that we have heard with faith and then the word of the Lord would profit us (See Heb. 4:2).
3) Men’s “hearts” are the battlefield of God and
Satan. The reason why men reject the Lord and do not receive the word of the
Lord is that the devil has blinded the thoughts of men (2Cor. 4:4).
4) The hearts of “wayside” have received various
kinds of conceptions. Those preconceived ideas weaken the effect of God’s word
in their hearts.
5) If our hearts are busy communicating with
thousands of persons and things all the day, there will be no room for the word
of God in our hearts. Even if we hear the word of God, it is still in vain.
6) The hearts of “wayside” also indicate the
hardened hearts. There is no stamping ground for the “word” and therefore the
word will be devoured.
Luke. 8:6 “Some fell on rock; and as
soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.”
YLT: “`And other fell
upon the rock, and having sprung up, it did wither, through not having
moisture.”
Meaning of Words: “withered”: dry up,
be ripe.
Literal
Meaning: “Some fell on rock”
“rock” indicates big and rocky stones and on which there is a thin layer of
soil.
“As soon as it sprang up, it withered
away because it lacked moisture” “Sprang up” indicates that the sprout grows.
Because the layer of soil is very thin and the moisture of the soil evaporates
very quickly, the young sprout withers easily.
Spiritual
Meaning: “Some fell on rock”
“Rock” indicates
the land that has not been ploughed,
symbolizing the heart of men who live by natural love and whose depth of heart
has not been dealt with. Therefore their hearts are still as hard as rock (See Ezek. 37:26).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) We should take root downward and bear fruit
upward (Is. 37:31). If we want the word of God to take effect in us, we have to
let the word of the Lord be rooted and founded in our hearts.
2) We must let the Lord remove the hardness of our
hearts (“rock”) and then the word of the Lord will be rooted and developed in
our hearts.
3) If one does not deal with any hidden sin or lust
of the flesh, it will make his heart hardened as “rock” so that there will be
no room for the word of God to grow in his heart.
4) If Satan could not take away the word of life
out of men’s hearts (See v.12) and make them have no impression of the word, it
would make men stay in “the surface layer” and not pursue deeply though they
have received the word.
5) The
cross does not only separate sinners------whoever
is saved, or whoever will perish. Besides, it also separates believers------whoever is the
overcomer, or
whoever is the loser.
Luke. 8:7 “And some fell among
thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.”
YLT: “`And other fell
amidst the thorns, and the thorns having sprung up with it, did choke it.”
Meaning of Words: “choked”: crowd, drown, throng.
Literal
Meaning: “and the thorns
sprang up with it and choked it.” It means that the necessary space for plants to grow is
deprived by the thrones so that the plants cannot receive their necessary
sunlight and nutriment.
Spiritual
Meaning: “thorns”,
they were yielded after God cursed the earth because of man’s falling (Gen.
3:17-18). Thorns symbolized things out of
natural life, including the cares,
riches and pleasures of life (See v.14).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If the devil can not tumble a believer with
persecution, it will choke him by deceitfulness and delusions, making him only
maintain his life and bear no fruit.
2) We can not love the world and God’s word
together in our heart. The double-minded believers are unable to be perfected
unto maturity.
3) The heart of “thorns” has never been dealt with.
On one hand it is not favorable for the growth of God’s word. On the other, it
may easily hurt others.
4) Thorns are able to grow without men’s sowing.
Men do not need to be taught to covet, be anxious, or commit sins------all
these are inborn.
5) What really matters is whether men have enough
room for the working of God’s word in their hearts. Some are free outwardly but
are choked in their hearts. Some are restrained outwardly but are broad
inwardly.
6) Satan often mixes something that is neither life
nor of Christ into the life of Christ in order to prevent Christ’s life in us
from growing freely or from gaining necessary standing.
Luke. 8:8 “But others fell on good
ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.’
When He had said these things He cried, ‘He
who has ears to hear, let him hear!’”
YLT: “`And other fell
upon the good ground, and having sprung up, it made fruit an hundred fold.’
These things saying, he was calling, ‘He having ears to hear let him hear.’”
Spiritual
Meaning: “others fell on good
ground” “good
ground”, it means that such ground has few (or even not) the previous three
states in v.5-7. Good ground enables God’s
word to root deeply in men’s hearts and there is enough room for the life of God’s word to bear fruit upward.
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
“Hears” are the most important organs for men to receive the word of the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Three kinds of ground among the previous four
ones are not good and only the last one is the good ground that is able to bear
full fruit by the Lord. The way to attain fullness is straitened and the gate
is always narrow and they are few who find it (Matt. 7:13-14).
2) What is primary in the
3) One’s heart belongs to the man himself. To be
what kind of man is totally depended on what kind of man he desires to be, even
God cannot force him.
4) The Lord values not only whether we have life
but also the condition that we bear fruit.
5) God “purges and deals with” us through the
cross------this is the condition for us to bring forth more fruit (John. 15:2).
6) The Lord’s word is open to all, however the
carnal Christians can not understand the Lord’s word and only the spiritual
Christians can hear (See 1Cor. 2:13-14).
7) The
Luke. 8:9 “Then His disciples asked
Him, saying, ‘What does this parable
mean?’”
YLT: “And his disciples
were questioning him, saying, ‘What may this simile be?’”
Literal Meaning: “disciples” refer to
the group of men who are trained by the Lord to enter into the
“What does this parable mean?” there are
two functions of “the parable”:
A. To those who do not seek the Lord with their
hearts, it is a punishment for them------seeing they may see and not perceive,
and hearing they may hear and not understand (See v.10).
B. To those who seek the Lord with their hearts, it
is the encouragement for them to remember easily, listen carefully and ask at
any time.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) There are many hearers of the word (See v.4),
but few ones really understand the word. It is vain for the hearer of the word
who do not perceive.
2) If one desires to understand the word, he has to
come to the Lord privately and have intimate fellowship with the Lord and then
he will have the explanations from the Lord.
3) In order to enjoy the
Lord’s word, believers shall not only “hear” the Lord’s word, but also “ask”
the Lord about His word------seek and learn the word.
Luke. 8:10 “And He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the
YLT: “And he said, `To
you it hath been given to know the secrets of the reign of God, and to the rest
in similes; that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.”
Meaning of Words: “mystery”: secret, hidden thing.
Literal
Meaning: “the mysteries of
the
“Mysteries” indicate the truth that cannot
be known by men’s knowledge but can only be understood through God’s
revelation. The mysteries of the
“That ‘Seeing they may not see,
And hearing they may not understand.'”
This word does not show that God does not want men to understand the mysteries
of the kingdom of God, however, it shows a sorrowful fact------since men do not
desire to seek the kingdom of God, there is no need for them to understand the
mysteries of the kingdom of God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) All spiritual and heavenly things are mysteries,
e.g. the Lord’s presence, guidance, and words. Only believers know them, and
all the unbelievers do not know them.
2) Only those who really desire to live in the
3) Only those who have the experience of life in
the Lord are able to understand the Lord’s word, for the Lord’s word is about
the things of “the
4) The natural man does not receive the things of
the Spirit of God, nor can he know them (1Cor. 2:14). One can neither know the
spiritual things nor hear the voice of the Lord if he relies on his natural
comprehension and does not have the revelation.
5) To those who do not desire the Lord with their
hearts, the spiritual truth seems to be nothing. Even if they have heard, it is
of no effect. Those who reject God are also rejected by God.
Luke. 8:11 “‘Now
the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.”
YLT: “`And this is the
simile: The seed is the word of God,”
Meaning of Words: “word”: utterance, speech.
Literal Meaning: “the word of God” is
the message from God.
Luke. 8:12 “Those by the wayside are
the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their
hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”
YLT: “and those beside
the way are those hearing, then cometh the Devil, and taketh up the word from
their heart, lest having believed, they may be saved.”
Meaning
of Words:
“take away”: remove, carry;
Literal
Meaning:
if our hearts are willing to receive too many worldly persons and things (See the notes in v.5),
we cannot keep God’s word in our hearts to ponder (See 2:19) so that we can not understand the word. And then it
is easy for the devil to take away the word that we have
heard.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “The heart of the wayside” is the heart of evil
communications (1Cor. 15:33). It desires everything and loves everything. Such
heart is so mixed and disordered that God’s word is unable to be kept in them.
2) “The heart of the wayside” does not desire to
receive God’s word at all. Though such man has heard, he has not regarded it as
precious. Once the wicked one slightly provokes, he will disregard the Lord’s
word.
3) If we lack the spiritual capacity, we will not
receive the word of life of Christ.
Luke. 8:13 “But the ones on the rock
are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no
root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.”
YLT: “`And those upon the
rock: They who, when they may hear, with joy do receive the word, and these
have no root, who for a time believe, and in time of temptation fall away.”
Meaning of Words: “receive”: attain the word; “for a while”: a period of time; “temptation”: try, test.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The natural man is rather superficial and is
thrall to passions. As long as something takes his fancy, he will immediately
“receive it with joy”. His reaction towards the Lord’s word is quick but it
cannot endure long.
2) Those who act impetuously only love to hear good
word but do not like to pay any price for the word. They are hearers of the
word, but not doers.
3) Many people receive the word of the Lord with
their emotions. The moment they hear the word of the Lord, they “receive it
with joy”. However, they have not thought the word cautiously and those men are
unreliable.
4) The hearts of “the rock” may easily be touched
by the word of the Lord in Spiritual
Revival Gatherings, however, they are both easily to be fervent and to be apathetic.
5) The Christians who act impetuously are easy to
be satisfied, however, they also feel hungry easily. They easily become happy
and sad. They become fervent and apathetic easily.
6) “Root” is the unseen part and “have no root”
shows that one lacks the unseen part. The difficulty of many believers is that:
though they have the visible activity, they do not have the unseen life.
7) To the one who has the root, the temptation
(tough circumstances) will help him to grow; to the one who has no root, he
falls away in the time of temptation.
8) The life of Christians should not be
“superficial”. We should not only have the life before men but lack the hidden
spiritual life before God.
9) To those who root deeply in
the Lord, tribulations and sufferings will help them to grow up
and become spiritually mature. However those who are superficial and have no root will collapse at the first
blow.
10) The hearts of
“the rock”
want to gain heavenly blessings but fear worldly
hardships. Even though they want to gain heavenly things, they are afraid to lose earthly things and consequently
they hang in the air like Judah (Matt. 27:5).
11) The heart of
“the rock” is the “half
heart”------on one hand, such men
receive with gladness and on the other, they are unwilling to pay any price for
tribulations------they only want to “gain” and do not want to “give”.
That’s why they must have neither part nor lot in the
12) Through many tribulations,
we must enter into the
Luke. 8:14 “Now the ones that fell
among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with
cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.”
YLT: “`And that which
fell to the thorns: These are they who have heard, and going forth, through
anxieties, and riches, and pleasures of life, are choked, and bear not to
completion.”
Meaning of Words: “cares”: concern,
heed.
Literal
Meaning: Concerning those
whose hearts are full of various kinds of cares and deceitfulness, though God’s
words will grow in their hearts, their flesh lusts are always against the
Spirit (Gal. 5:17, 1Pet. 2:11) and there isn’t enough room and position
(“choke”) for the word and they “bring no fruit to maturity”. “Bringing no
fruit to maturity” means that the effect of God’s words is unable to be
manifested (See Heb. 4:12), i.e. it is unable to bear the fruit of life (See
Matt. 7:16-20).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The moment the lust comes, the consequences as
follows will be brought in: (a) the lust produces various cares and
deceitfulness; (b) the lust obstructs the word of God from yielding effects in
men (choke); (c) the lust makes life be unable to be mature (bring no fruit to
maturity).
2) What the Lord cares is not whether you have
received the life of God, but whether the life you have received from God has
borne fruit. Though there are blades in the cornfield, if it does not bear
fruit, the owner of the cornfield will gain nothing.
3) Cares, riches and
pleasures in men’s hearts are what greatly hinder the God’s life from bearing
fruit because they make us not abide in the Lord and be out of line with the
Lord’s word. Consequently, we will be unable to bear fruit (See John. 15:4-8).
4) The Lord does not say committing sins makes us
bear no fruit, but cares make us bear no fruit. Though money is not sin, it can
encumber Christians and make us not grow well.
5) A man cannot spin and reel at the same time. If
a man wants the Lord’s word bear fruit, he shall take his full heart towards
the word------believers should love God and God’s word with all our heart, and
with “all our soul, and with all our understanding” (Matt.22:37).
6) The main factors that hinder men from receiving
the glad tidings are the devil, cares of life, tests and money. The parable of
the sower explains the reason why there are few people that receive the glad
tidings.
7) “Life” in the original means the life of soul;
if men live by the life of soul, it is no wonder that “the life of spirit”
can’t be rich.
Luke. 8:15 “But the ones that fell on
the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good
heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”
YLT: “`And that in the
good ground: These are they, who in an upright and good heart, having heard the
word, do retain [it], and bear fruit in continuance.”
Meaning of Words: “keep”: hold fast,
persist to the end; “noble”: fair, ideal; “good”: well; “patience”: endurance,
constancy.
Literal Meaning: “bear fruit” means
that we do according to the words that we have heard and understood (Matt.
7:24; James. 1:22-25), i.e. letting the word of God be manifested through our
life.
This verse shows us the reason for “yielding a crop a hundredfold” (See v.8):
A. Keep the word: one not only receives the word in
his heart but also holds the word fast.
B. Keep the word with a noble heart: one treats the
word with truth, without hypocrisy and without insincerity.
C. Keep the word with a good heart: one treats the
word with humbleness, without stones and without thorns.
D. Bear fruit with patience: one endures various
trials.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The word of the
word is the same and only the one with good heart could bear fruit. The more one’s heart is
open to God, the more easily the Lord’s word will take effect.
2) A man can completely decide
what kind of land he will be and nobody can force him. Whether one bears fruit
and how much one bears fruit totally depend on him. One has only himself to
blame, and can never blame that God has not shown His grace.
3) “Bear fruit with patience” shows that it takes a
period of time of working instead of one step for the word of the Lord to take
effect in us.
4) Those who do not have patience could not bear
fruit. Impatience, shortsightedness and eagerness for quick success and instant
benefit are not the way to work.
5) After we have received the word of the Lord, we
still have to absolutely submit to the appointed time of God and trust that
time is the best servant of God.
Luke. 8:16 “‘No
one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed,
but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.”
YLT: “`And no one having
lighted a lamp doth cover it with a vessel, or under a couch doth put [it]; but
upon a lamp-stand he doth put [it], that those coming in may see the light,”
Literal Meaning: “No one, whether he
has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed” Here it means
that the light should not be hidden.
“Sets it on a lampstand” it indicates that the lamp
should be set on a clear position to illuminate the surrounding places.
Spiritual Meaning: “No one, whether he
has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel” “vessel” is the tool for daily life
and therefore it symbolizes the cares of life. That the lamp is put under a
basket shows that believers are obsessed by the cares of life (being busy
making a living).
“Under a bed” “Bed” symbolizes the coziness of
life. That the lamp is set under a bed means that one is occupied by the
enjoyment of life (seek the coziness of life) and consequently the light is
overshadowed.
“Set on a lampstand”, “lampstand”, the proper
utensil to put lamp, symbolizes the life of bearing witness of the Lord.
In this Book the paragraph from verse 16 to verse
17 is recorded after the parable of the sower, indicating that the Lord’s word
is light------once we have received the light, we shall not hide it.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The spiritual light in us may often be eclipsed
by both cares and pleasures of life------“vessel” and “bed”. Therefore, we
shall usually live in the church------“on a lampstand” and we will have light.
2) The enlightenment that we have received from the
Lord’s word may be covered under the basket or bed so that we can not shine
because of our life cares and enjoyment.
3) Our attitude of life------whether we live for
the Lord or ourselves (See Rom.14:7-8) ------has decisive influence on whether
the light will be manifested or hidden.
4) If we want to shine for the Lord so as to
lighten men around us, we have to overcome the cares of life (Matt. 6:24-34).
5) The lamp shines only when the oil is lighted up.
“Oil” refers to the indwelling Holy Spirit. If we want to shine for the Lord,
we have to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).
6) Everything that can prevent the Lord from
shining through us is the “basket and bed”. Everything besides the Lord, even
the best thing, may turn to be the “vessel and bed” that cover the light.
7) The light of Christians not only changes the
outside way of men, but also affects their inward intentions.
8) If we want to see whether a man is spiritual or
not, we have not to see how he acts in the gathering, but see how he acts in
his family life.
Luke. 8:17 “For nothing is secret
that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come
to light.”
YLT: “for nothing is
secret, that shall not become manifest, nor hid, that shall not be known, and
become manifest.”
Meaning of Words: “secret”: hide, cover; “revealed”:
appear, manifest; “come to light”: appear, bring to light (which enjoys the
same etymon with the word “reveal”);
Literal
Meaning: there
are several kinds of explanations for this verse:
(1) The mystery of the
(2) The word that we have
received from the Lord is the light of life (See v.16; John 6:63; 8:12) that can neither be “hidden
nor “covered”.
(3) If Christians are
unwilling to preach the word of the
(4) The sin that Christians
hide the true light cannot be covered before God in the
future.
Luke. 8:18 “Therefore take heed how
you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not
have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.’”
YLT: “`See, therefore,
how ye hear, for whoever may have, there shall be given to him, and whoever may
not have, also what he seemeth to have, shall be taken from him.’”
Literal Meaning: “Therefore take heed
how you hear.” Because they not only hear for themselves but also hear for the
audience to which they will preach. This instruction should also be applied in
us.
Spiritual Meaning: “For whoever has, to
him more will be given.” All
those who have a right heart and have an understanding of the truth will
receive more continually.
“And whoever does not have, even what he
seems to have will be taken from him.” All those whose mind has not opened
only have a vague idea of the truth, so that even what they think they have
understood will also vanish.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) This verse shows the principle of the pursuit of
spiritual things. The more you truly desire, the more you will be given.
Otherwise, even what you have before shall be taken from you (See Matt. 25:29).
2) The more understanding of truth one has, the
more will he seek. And the more one seeks the truth, the more will he
understand and receive the truth. In addition, if one has no reaction to the
truth he has received and does not cherish it, he will receive nothing from the
truth he has received.
3) The more one uses his spiritual gifts, the more
gifts he will be given. However, if he is slothful and seldom uses the gifts,
what he has before will also be taken.
4) If the truth cannot be understood or applied by
men, it will vanish (See Matt. 19:26). If the
truth is applied, it will bear countless fruit.
5) God’s word is like seeding. If the seed does not
bear fruit, it will no longer exist and everything is lost. However, if the
seed bears fruit, the result will be double and manifold.
6) If “the one does not have” think that he does
not have, he would still be saved because the Lord said that “blessed are you
poor” (See 6:20). However, if he thinks that he has already had, he is in
darkness and in the end he will be poorer------what he has will be “taken” away
from him. Therefore we should really “take heed how you hear”.
Luke. 8:19 “Then His mother and
brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.”
YLT: “And there came unto
him his mother and brethren, and they were not able to get to him because of
the multitude,”
The
Background: according to the
records in the Gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus could not so much as eat bread in
order to keep the will of God the Father and His relatives said that He was out
of His mind. Therefore they might have invited His mother and brothers to urge
Him (See Mark. 3:20-21, 31).
Luke. 8:20 “And it was told Him by
some, who said, ‘Your mother and Your
brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.’”
YLT: “and it was told
him, saying, ‘Thy mother and thy brethren do stand without, wishing to see
thee;’”
Spiritual
Meaning: “outside” of the
house, this symbolizes in the outside of the house of God (the assembly).
Enlightenment
in the Word: men
can neither draw near to the Lord nor have fellowship with the Lord outside of
the house of God.
Luke. 8:21 “But He answered and said
to them, ‘My mother and My brothers
are these who hear the word of God and do it.’”
YLT: “and he answering
said unto them, ‘My mother and my brethren! they are those who the word of God
are hearing, and doing.’”
Literal Meaning: the Lord did not
reject His family members in the flesh (See John. 19:26-27). He said so in
order to reveal one point that: men can have the eternal life relationship with
the Lord by keeping the word of God instead of the blood relationship.
Spiritual Meaning: the Lord Jesus is
the center of the revelation of God’s word. Those who keep the word of God are
“His mother” who love Him and “His brothers” who help Him.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God’s word reveals the will of God to men. And
the will of God is to bring us to enter into the eternal rest (Heb. 4:1-11).
Therefore those who do the will of God will enjoy the rest in the house of God.
2) Those that do the will of the Father live in the
reality of the
3) The spiritual relationship between the Lord and
believers exceeds the corporeal relationship. Though we believers have
responsibilities and obligations that we should take and fulfill, we should
still put doing the will of God first.
4) All those who regard their spiritual brothers
more important than their physical brothers will gain further spiritual growth
and suffer less involvement in the worldly matters or pains caused by the
physical relationship.
5) Since the Lord exalts the spiritual relationship
more than the corporeal relationship, those who worship Mary have obviously
made a serious mistake.
Luke. 8:22 “Now it happened, on a
certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."
And they launched out.”
YLT: “And it came to
pass, on one of the days, that he himself went into a boat with his disciples,
and he said unto them, ‘We may go over to the other side of the lake;’ and they
set forth,”
Spiritual
Meaning: “boat”
in the Bible symbolizes the assembly; “sea” symbolizes the world. Though the
boat is in sea, it is separated from the sea. Though the assembly sojourns in
the world, it is separated from the world. There was only the Lord and His
disciples on the boat. That is to say, the Lord and those who are of Him make
up the assembly.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord and disciples are the key elements of
making up the assembly and both of them are indispensable. If there is the Lord
without the disciples, the assembly will not exist on earth. If there are only
disciples without the Lord, the assembly will have neither content nor reality.
2) When we follow the Lord, the most important
thing is whether the Lord is on the boat. It will be a big problem if the Lord
is not on our boat.
3) We believers today are also sojourners in the
world and are crossing over to the other side------the better and heavenly
country (Heb. 11:13, 16).
4) That we follow the Lord is not though our own
strength to “swim over to the other side”, but through the status of being in
the “boat” of grace to “cross over to the other side”.
5) Since the Lord has said that “let us cross over
to the other side”, He will surely take the responsibility of His own words.
The faith of Christians is catching the Lord’s words. Once the Lord “has said”
that let us cross over to the other side, we should “believe” that we will surely
cross over to the other side.
6) The Lord said that “let us cross over to the
other side”, not “drive down to the bottom of the sea”. Since we have the sure
words of the Lord, we will never sink in the bottom of the sea even though the
wind is strong and the wave is fierce.
Luke. 8:23 “But as they sailed He
fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with
water, and were in jeopardy.”
YLT: “and as they are
sailing he fell deeply asleep, and there came down a storm of wind to the lake,
and they were filling, and were in peril.”
Meaning of Words: “storm”: upheaval,
shake, waver.
The Background: the
Spiritual Meaning: “He fell asleep”
symbolizes His hidden presence.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The assembly, in the world, is always attacked
by the outside circumstances. Sometimes, the circumstance is so terrible that
even the Lord’s presence seems to be lost (“He fell asleep”).
2) As long as we have the presence of the Lord, no
matter He is with us obviously (He is awake) or secretly (“He falls asleep”),
we will not be shaken even though the enemy stirs up troubles.
Luke. 8:24 “And they came to Him and
awoke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we are
perishing!’ Then He arose and rebuked
the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm.”
YLT: “And having come
near, they awoke him, saying, ‘Master, master, we perish;’ and he, having
arisen, rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and
there came a calm,”
Meaning of Words: “rebuke”: reprove, blame; “cease”: stop, refrain; “calm”: tranquility,
without any wind or wave.
Literal
Meaning: “rebuked the wind
and the raging of the water” the
wind and sea had neither person nor consciousness. The Lord was rebuking the
ruler of the authority of the air behind the wind and the sea (Eph.2:2) as well
as the dirty spirit in the sea (See v.33).
Spiritual Meaning: “they came to Him
and awoke Him” “Awoke Him” symbolizes the prayer of believers.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Terrible circumstances always force us to come
to the Lord and call upon Him.
2) If men see the fierce winds and surges, they
will feel that all hope of being saved is taken away. However, if we hold fast
the Lord’s words, it is convinced that we will not be killed (See Acts. 27:20,
22-25).
3) Many times, we may doubt because of the terrible
circumstances, however, those who have the true faith should learn to believe
in the words of the Lord absolutely------“Let us cross over to the other side of
the lake” (See v.22).
4) So shall the word of the Lord that goes forth
out of His mouth: it shall not return unto Him void, but it shall accomplish
that which He pleases (Is. 55:11).
5) All the disorder and writhe are caused by “the
authority of the air”------the devil’s teasing. However, the Son of God was
manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil first and then He
would bring men the true peace.
6) All
the trouble that the assembly is confronted with is stirred up by Satan and its
ministers.
Luke. 8:25 “But He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’
And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, ‘Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and
water, and they obey Him!’”
YLT: “and he said to
them, `Where is your faith?’ and they being afraid did wonder, saying unto one
another, `Who, then, is this, that even the winds he doth command, and the
water, and they obey him?’”
Literal
Meaning: “Where is your
faith?” The
Lord reproached the disciples because they had lost faith in the power of His
words and became fearful. They only cared for the winds and the sea before
their eyes and forgot the words that the Lord had earlier commanded them-----“cross over to the other side” (See v.22).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) What
the Lord reproached was not their awaking Him (v.24) ------prayer but their
lacking “faith”. The Lord likes us to trouble Him with prayers but does not
like our prayers that lack the faith.
2) Those who lack the faith do not know the Lord
and forget the Lord’s words. Such men only see other men as well as the
circumstances, so they fear both men and circumstances.
3) We should let the words of the Lord change the
circumstances, not let the circumstances change the words of the Lord.
4) Our prayers are supposed to be the manifestation
of faith. However many times our prayers show our little faith. The Lord does
not like our prayers that are made by little faith.
5) To those who really know the Lord and know to
hold fast the words of the Lord, the greater the outside wind is, the more his
inside faith will be. The outside wind can not blow away their faith and on the
contrary the outside wind is calmed by their faith finally.
6) The Lord not only rebuked the wind and the sea (See
v.24), but also rebuked the wicked heart of unbelief. He is not only the Master
of the natural world and the Master of men’s heart as well.
7) The wind outside is not terrible. What is really
terrible is the inside wind. No matter how terrible the outside wind is, as
long as we do not let them blow into our heart, there will be of nothing to
fear.
8) Tribulations make us know Him more
deeply------“who can this be?” just like Job heard of God by the hearing of the
ear, but after tribulations his eyes saw God (Job. 42:5).
9) The Lord is the king. The nature and all things
shall obey Him. The demons hidden behind circumstances shall obey Him also. We
who are of Him shall more obey Him.
Luke. 8:26 “Then they sailed to the
country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite
YLT: “And they sailed
down to the region of the Gadarenes, that is over-against
Meaning of Words: “Gadarenes”: the
reward in the end.
Literal
Meaning: “Gadarenes” it was not far from the east coast of the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The disciples had finally “came to the other
side of the sea” after strong wind and heavy swell. Though we believers have
tribulations in the world, we will surely arrive at our destination as long as
we have the presence of the Lord.
2) If we believers can keep the words of the Lord
in the world, we will definitely receive “the reward in the end (the meaning of
the word ‘Gadarenes’ in the original)” in the future.
Luke. 8:27 “And when He stepped out
on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a
long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.”
YLT: “and he having gone
forth upon the land, there met him a certain man, out of the city, who had
demons for a long time, and with a garment was not clothed, and in a house was
not abiding, but in the tombs,”
Meaning of Words: “live”: dwell.
The
Background: “but in the tombs” Most of the tombs in the
Spiritual
Meaning: “a certain man who
had demons” that
a man is possessed by demons symbolizes that men in the
world are ruled by the devil.
“But in the tombs” The “tomb” connects both the dead and
the hell (See Ps.88:3, 5).
This verse shows the conditions of those who
have demons:
1) “He wore no clothes.” He did not have the sense of shame.
2) “Nor did he live in a house.” He did not have rest.
3) “But in the tombs.” He lived a dark, unclean and dead life.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) In this society there are demon-possessed men
everywhere such as heavy smokers, drunkards, the confirmed gamblers, novels
addicts, movie addicts and sport addicts.
2) The demon-possessed men live a life as dark and
dirty as that in the tombs. It is not only others cannot control such men, even
they themselves have no command over themselves.
3) Believers should never give room to the devil
lest we should be ruled by it.
Luke. 8:28 “When he saw Jesus, he
cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High
God? I beg You, do not torment me!’”
YLT: “and having seen
Jesus, and having cried out, he fell before him, and with a loud voice, said,
‘What to me and to thee, Jesus, Son of God Most High? I beseech thee, mayest
thou not afflict me!’”
Literal
Meaning: “fell down before
Him” it was not the true “worship” in spirit, but only an act of “kneeling
down” or “falling”.
“Jesus, Son of the Most High God” “the Most
High God” is the appellation with which the Gentiles call Jehovah the Lord (See
Gen. 14:18; Num. 24:16; Is. 14:14; Dan. 3:26; 4:2; Acts. 16:17). The unclean
spirit knew the identity of Jesus.
“What have I to do with You?” The attitude
of the demons is like that of those who admit the existence of God in the world
but are unwilling to let God control their lives.
“I beg You, do not torment me!” the devil
knew that its end in the future was the eternal fire (See Matt.25:41), but it
did not fear and only besought the Lord that he would not command them to go
away into the bottomless pit at present (See v.31).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Once Christ came, the devil automatically surrendered to
the Lord, indicating that casting the devil did not depend on the outward fleshly crying, but the real
stature of Christ.
2) “What have I to do with You,
Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” The devil knew that the
Lord Jesus is the Son of God and they had
nothing to do with Him. It shows that the intellectual knowledge does not profit us if it is not mixed with a
heart of faith and obedience.
3) There is neither part for Christ along with the
devil, nor consent of that of God with that of the devil (See 2Cor.6:14-16).
Therefore, we believers shall not take part in the matters of heresies.
4) Many nominal Christians also worship the Lord
Jesus and call Him “the Son of God”, but their deeds and words have nothing to
do with the Lord. Their ends are obvious.
5) The devil fears to “be tormented”, but it
specially makes others “be tormented”. Moreover, the devil makes men suffer
more tribulations in order to avoid its own torments.
6) Every time we preach the glad tidings to the
world, the general reaction of men is that believing the Lord right now is a
kind of “torment”. They expect to enjoy their life when they are young, and
will come to believe the Lord when they are old.
Luke. 8:29 “For He had commanded the
unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was
kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and
was driven by the demon into the wilderness.”
YLT: “For he commanded
the unclean spirit to come forth from the man, for many times it had caught
him, and he was being bound with chains and fetters guarded, and breaking
asunder the bonds he was driven by the demons to the deserts.”
Meaning of Words: “broke”: tear
asunder, rend.
Spiritual
Meaning: this verse shows the
conditions of those who had demons as an additional remark:
1) “It had often seized him.” He cannot be delivered from the control of
the devil.
2) “He was kept under guard…was driven by the demon into the
wilderness.” He cannot be restrained by any man.
3) “Bound with chains and shackles, and he broke the bonds” It means
that the best way that men could think of was helpless to him.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The whole world lies in the wicked (1John 5:19).
No one can overcome it through men’s power.
2) The sin that dwells in men can not be controlled
by men’s will of desiring to do good------for to will is there with me, but to
do right not (See Rom. 7:17-18).
3) In order to deal with those who are
possessed and controlled by the demon, the best way that the world can find out
is merely “to bind them with chains
and shackles”,
namely, to forbid with laws and political regulations, to suppress by force, to
restrict by public opinion, to rule by ceremonies and social customs and to
govern by the conscience and etc. However, all of these means are turned out to
be a failure, for the corruption of men’s hearts
cannot be subdued by these.
4) The devil may possess men, but men
cannot subdue it.
Luke. 8:30 “Jesus asked him, saying, ‘What is your name?’
And he said, ‘Legion,’ because many demons had entered him.”
YLT: “And Jesus
questioned him, saying, `What is thy name?’ and he said, ‘Legion,’ (because
many demons were entered into him,)”
Literal
Meaning: “legion” in the original
refers to the army group or regiment. According to the establishment of the
Roman army, there are about three thousand to six thousand soldiers in a
regiment.
The Lord Jesus asked the man about his name,
however, the unclean spirit answered the question, showing that that man was firmly
controlled by many demons.
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) No matter how great the number of the unclean
spirits was, they had to obey the word of the Lord Jesus. In the spiritual war,
we should not see the outward conditions and we should trust the word of God.
2) There are usually many demons in sinners, e.g.
the smokers, the drunkards, the confirmed gamblers and etc.
Luke. 8:31 “And they begged Him that
He would not command them to go out into the abyss.”
YLT: “and he was calling
on him, that he may not command them to go away to the abyss,”
Literal
Meaning: “they begged Him” the unclean spirit is a
kind of evil spirit that is separated from the physical bodies. It usually
rests itself in certain bodies, so it usually possesses the body of men.
“That He would not command them to go out
into the abyss” The “abyss” is the place to coop the evil spirits and Satan
temporarily (See Rev. 9:1, 20:1, 3). Their end is “the lake of the eternal
fire” (See Matt. 25:41, Rev. 20:10).
Enlightenment
in the Word:
1) The devil is deceitful and is usually capricious
by nature. It oppresses that it can oppress. However, when it is powerless, it
would “beg”.
2) All the deeds of the devil are for the sake of
itself. It does not have mercy, but begs others to show mercy to it.
3) When the Lord walked on earth as the Son of Man,
He already had the authority to cast the devil into the “abyss”. God had
entrusted men the mission to subdue the devil (See Gen. 1:26). “The first Adam”
had already lost the mission and “the last Adam” had accomplished this mission
(See 1Cor. 15:26, 45).
Luke. 8:32 “Now a herd of many swine
was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them
to enter them. And He permitted them.”
YLT: “and there was there
a herd of many swine feeding in the mountain, and they were calling on him,
that he might suffer them to enter into these, and he suffered them,”
The
Background: “swine”
is unclean in God’s eyes (Lev. 11:7, 2Pet. 2:22). Generally, the Jews did not
raise swine at that time because the swine could neither be sacrificed to God
nor used as food (the Jews do not eat pork). Therefore the swine might be kept
by the gentiles.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The feature of swine is
that it keeps feeding but in the end it becomes men’s food. The feature of the
world is that men in the world keep seeking earthly enjoyment but they turn out
to be the devil’s enjoyment.
2) Though the swine is a good way off from them
(See Matt. 8:31), the swine is under the eyes of the demons. The devil is
seeking whom he may devour everywhere (1Pet. 5:8). The safest way for us is to
abide in Christ.
Luke. 8:33 “Then the demons went out
of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep
place into the lake and drowned.”
YLT: “and the demons
having gone forth from the man, did enter into the swine, and the herd rushed
down the steep to the lake, and were choked.”
Spiritual
Meaning: “Then the demons
went out of the man and entered the swine” the Lord permitted the demons to go into
the herd of swine, indicating that the unclean career of making money is the
area where the demons are permitted to act.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If the demons cannot play
with men in them directly, they will play with men by outside things (entering
the swine) indirectly.
2) The
demons can not act until the Lord permit them. It unveils the power of the
Lord, and even the demons are under His control.
3) The
work of demons is to make men abandon themselves (“ran violently down the steep
place”) and go into the sinful world (“into the lake”) and lose all reputation and ruin the whole life of men
(“drowned”).
Luke. 8:34 “When those who fed them
saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.”
YLT: “And those feeding
[them], having seen what was come to pass, fled, and having gone, told [it] to
the city, and to the fields;”
Spiritual
Meaning: “those who fed them”
typify a group
of people in the society. They seem to be normal from their appearance,
handling all kinds of professions diligently day and night, but they neither
work for God nor for the assembly.
In addition, the nature of their works is unclean and therefore they are
unacceptable to God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) No matter how noble is our job, if we do not
work for the Lord and the assembly, we are unacceptable to God just like those
who fed the swine.
2) “Those who fed them” lost the herd of many swine
and properties. If they obtained the Lord by this, they would receive the best
blessing. However they even rejected the Lord.
3) Many people suffer losses in career and do not
thus wake up. On the contrary, they rely on the social organization more deeply
(“in the city and in the country”).
Luke. 8:35 “Then they went out to see
what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons
had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And
they were afraid.”
YLT: “and they came forth
to see what was come to pass, and they came unto Jesus, and found the man sitting,
out of whom the demons had gone forth, clothed, and right-minded, at the feet
of Jesus, and they were afraid;”
Literal Meaning: this verse showed the
thorough change after the demons were cast out:
1) “Sitting at the feet of Jesus”: he was quiet and no longer ran about.
2) “Clothed”: he behaved
well and was no longer shameless.
3) “In his right mind”:
he was sober and no longer silly or mad.
Enlightenment in the Word: those who have
received the salvation of Christ must: (1) have rest----“sit at the feet of
Jesus”; (2) have the covering of Christ and not be shameless any
more------“clothed”; (3) have a right mind to know God and spiritual
things------“in his right mind”.
Luke. 8:36 “They also who had seen it
told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.”
YLT: “and those also
having seen [it], told them how the demoniac was saved.”
Luke. 8:37 “Then the whole multitude
of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for
they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.”
YLT: “And the whole
multitude of the region of the Gadarenes round about asked him to go away from
them, because with great fear they were pressed, and he having entered into the
boat, did turn back.”
Literal Meaning: “they were seized
with great fear” There were two reasons that they were seized with fear: 1)
they feared that the spirits may return to revenge them because they did not
know that the Lord Jesus is the Son of God; 2) they feared for the greater loss
of money because of the Lord Jesus. They lost the chance to receive the
spiritual blessing because of fear.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The country of the Gadarenes did not welcome the
Lord, for they only emphasized the earthly possessions more than the soul of
men. However, the Lord preferred to sacrifice two thousand swine (See Mark.
5:13) in order to save the soul of a man. How precious the soul of man is in
the sight of the Lord!
2) The earthly world and the heavenly king cannot
coexist in one’s heart. If any one loves the world, the love of the Father is
not in him (1John. 2:15).
3) Satan uses money to control men’s
heart------both gain and loss can make us reject the Lord.
4) “The whole multitude of the
surrounding region of the Gadarenes”
actually rejected the Lord. It shows that those who do not know the Lord are
rather blind when they reject the Lord together.
Luke. 8:38 “Now the man from whom the
demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him
away, saying,”
YLT: “And the man from
whom the demons had gone forth was beseeching of him to be with him, and Jesus
sent him away, saying,”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The multitude asked the Lord to depart from them
(See v.37), however, the one out of whom the demons were cast begged to be with
Jesus. Those who were deceived by the demon do not desire the Lord and those
with the right mind would desire the Lord.
2) That man sought the Lord to be with him,
however, the Lord sent him away. Though it is well that we always have
communion with the Lord, however, it is indispensable to return to bear witness
of the Lord.
Luke. 8:39 “‘Return
to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.’ And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole
city what great things Jesus had done for him.”
YLT: “`Turn back to thy
house, and tell how great things God did to thee;’ and he went away through all
the city proclaiming how great things Jesus did to him.”
Literal Meaning: “tell what great
things God has done for you” This is the witness that every one who has been
saved should bear.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The first step for a Christian is to bear
witness towards his families and friends.
2) To bear witness of the Lord is one thing, and to
show off oneself is another thing. Many believers seem to bear witness of the
Lord, but actually they just make themselves known openly.
3) To bear witness is to tell others “what great
things God has done for you”. It is to make others know the Lord’s work, but
not to let others notice that we are extraordinary.
Luke. 8:40 “So it was, when Jesus
returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.”
YLT: “And it came to
pass, in the turning back of Jesus, the multitude received him, for they were
all looking for him,”
Luke. 8:41 “And behold, there came a
man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at
Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house,”
YLT: “and lo, there came
a man, whose name [is] Jairus, and he was a chief of the synagogue, and having
fallen at the feet of Jesus, was calling on him to come to his house;”
Meaning of Words: “Jairus”:
enlightenment.
Literal Meaning: “a ruler
of the synagogue”
referred to the one who managed the order of worship in the Jewish synagogue, who enjoyed high
social status among the Jews.
Spiritual Meaning: “synagogue” was a place for the Jews to gather
together, so the ruler symbolized the whole Judaism and its leaders.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Only those who have obtained the revelation and
“enlightenment” of God (the meaning of ‘Jairus’ in the original) can know the
Lord and come to fall down at His feet to seek Him.
2) Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, even fell down
at the Lord’s feet to worship Him in spite of his status and position,
indicating his humbleness and modesty. The one who is willing to be humble can
receive blessings (See Matt.5:3; James 4:6).
Luke. 8:42 “for he had an only
daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the
multitudes thronged Him.”
YLT: “because he had an
only daughter about twelve years [old], and she was dying. And in his going
away, the multitudes were thronging him,”
Meaning of Words: “thronged”: press
upon.
Literal Meaning: “the multitudes thronged
Him” It means that the multitudes thronged Him so that He even could not
breathe freely.
Spiritual Meaning: “he had an only
daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying.” “Daughter” is the
offspring of the father, and therefore the condition that “the daughter of the
ruler of the synagogue was dying” symbolizes the condition of those who were
led by the stiff Judaism and its leaders------they lacked life and were dying.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The daughter of the ruler was dying------if the
leading brother in the assembly lacks life, those who are led by him will lack
life too. The state of the common believers’ life shows the state of the
minister’s life.
2) If we only stress on the reasons, doctrines and
ceremonies in the assembly, probably those who are edified by us have a name
that they live, and are dead (Rev. 3:1).
3) The Lord came to specially solve the
difficulties of men. As long as we are willing to tell Him our troubles through
prayers, He will be surely pleased to help us.
Luke. 8:43 “Now a woman, having a
flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians
and could not be healed by any,”
YLT: “and a woman, having
an issue of blood for twelve years, who, having spent on physicians all her living,
was not able to be healed by any,”
Meaning of Words: “a flow of blood”:
the irregular shedding of blood.
Literal Meaning: “a flow of blood”, it might be an unusual symptom
of menses (See Lev. 15:25).
Spiritual Meaning: according to the research of the Bible scholars,
that “woman” was a Gentile woman and therefore she symbolized the Gentile
religion.
“A flow of blood” symbolizes the flow of
life because the soul of the flesh is in the blood (Lev. 17:11). This gentile
woman had a flow of blood for twelve years and the former dying Jewish girl was
exactly twelve years old (See v.42). Therefore they both referred to the same
thing that all the religions in the world are leaking life and were dead
religions in the sight of God. They had a name that they lived and were dead
(Rev. 3:1).
“Twelve years” symbolized that they had
been dealt with and instructed by God enough.
“Who had spent all her livelihood on
physicians and could not be healed by any” “Physicians” symbolized philosophers and religionists.
The ordinary men know that there are problems in their life and therefore they
seek help from the philosophy and religious men. What they should know is that
they have spent their money and even all their livelihoods on these and it is
of no help.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Anyone who does not live for God or for the aim
to be gained by God has a flow of blood------to consume his life.
2) The woman with the flow of blood sought help
from “physicians” of men. She had not been healed and she had even spent “all
her livelihood”. In like manner, if we rely on the help outside of Christ, our
problems cannot be solved at all and the original spiritual life will even be
consumed completely.
Luke. 8:44 “came from behind and
touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.”
YLT: “having come near
behind, touched the fringe of his garment, and presently the issue of her blood
stood.”
Meaning of Words: “touch”: contact.
The
Background: the Jews regard “the flow of blood” as unclean, and
whoever touches them shall be unclean (Lev. 15:25-30). That was why the woman
did not want to let others know her condition and came from behind and touched the border of Jesus’ garment secretly.
“The border of garment” “The border” was
the slender belt wore by the Jews on the edge of garments. It is used is to
remind the wearer to keep the will of God (Num. 15:37-39).
Spiritual Meaning: “touched the border
of His garment” The Lord’s “garment” symbolizes His righteousness. “Touching
the border of His garment” means that one touches the Lord through faith,
unites to the Lord and takes the Lord’s accomplished righteousness as his own
righteousness.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “She came from behind.” It means that she was
with the spirit of humbleness and felt that she was unworthy. God resists the
proud, But gives grace to the humble (James. 4:6).
2) Jehovah is clothed with strength. He has girded
himself therewith (Ps. 93:1). Once we have touched Him, we will receive power.
3) The power of the Lord is perfected in weakness
(2Cor. 12:9). Whenever we find ourselves weak, we should come to the Lord and
ask for His power.
4) When we Christians are confronted with
difficulties, we should not touch the troubles------try to solve them by ourselves,
but touch the Lord through faith in prayers------ask the Lord to deal with the
problems.
5) Faith is entrusting ourselves totally to the
Lord and asking Him to do and save us.
6) Faith without
works is dead (James 2:20). Faith should be acted out.
7) The prayer of faith has much power (See James
5:15-16). The prayer of faith will be answered “immediately”.
8) If we want to solve any trouble that we are
encountered with through asking for men’s help------“physicians”, it is in vain
and we even would “have spent all our livelihoods” (See v.43). Only when one
has “touched” the Only Lord Jesus, will he be healed immediately------“immediately her flow of
blood stopped”.
9) Those who really have intimate fellowship with
the Lord will surely feel that they are strengthened by the power of the Lord.
All those who keep the same feeling before and after prayers may have not
really touched the Lord.
Luke. 8:45 “And Jesus said, ‘Who touched Me?’ When all denied it, Peter
and those with him said, ‘Master, the multitudes
throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”
YLT: “And Jesus said,
`Who [is] it that touched me?’ and all denying, Peter and those with him said,
`Master, the multitudes press thee, and throng [thee], and thou dost say, Who
[is] it that touched me!`”
Literal Meaning: the Lord Jesus actually knew who had touched His
garment, for He knows everything. He asked this question because He wanted to make the woman bear
witness of the Lord’s grace publicly------she had to boldly
testify her miserable condition in the past and how she was healed because of
the act of touching (the contact of faith).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Who touched Me?” The Lord neither wants men to
believe Him secretly nor receive His grace privately. Today, the Lord is
looking around to see those who have real faith in Him.
2) The disciples thought that “thronging” the Lord
was “touching” the Lord, for it was hard to distinguish the differences between
them from the appearance. However, the Lord knew that “touching” Him was
totally different from “thronging” Him.
3) The Lord actually does not care for those who
“throng” Him. However, the Lord knows them who truly desire Him and really
“touch” Him.
4) There are many people “thronging” the Lord, but
there is only one who “touches” Him. “Thronging” may be of the passionate zeal,
but “touching” must be done through the hand of faith. Believers, do we
“throng” the Lord or “touch” the Lord?
Luke. 8:46 “But Jesus said, ‘Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from
Me.’”
YLT: “And Jesus said,
‘Some one did touch me, for I knew power having gone forth from me.’”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord who is full of power is waiting for us
to stretch out our hands to appropriate power from Him.
2) We may be very close to the Lord and even
“throng” Him, however, we have not “touched” Him truly. “Thronging” does not
make the power go out from the Lord and “touching” makes His power be released.
One may receive nothing after “thronging”, but the disease of twelve years has
once been healed after “touching”. Have you tried to pray and touch with faith?
Luke. 8:47 “Now when the woman saw
that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she
declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched
Him and how she was healed immediately.”
YLT: “And the woman,
having seen that she was not hid, trembling, came, and having fallen before
him, for what cause she touched him declared to him before all the people, and
how she was healed presently;”
Meaning of Words: “saw”: be aware;
“hidden”: cover up, neglect; “trembling”: quaver.
Enlightenment in the Word:
though some Christians have enjoyed the Lord’s abundant grace and have been
inspired and pressed by the Lord for many times, they still dare not confess
that they believe the Lord Jesus before men and are shameful of bearing witness
of the Lord!
Luke. 8:48 “And He said to her, ‘Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well.
Go in peace.’”
YLT: “and he said to her,
‘Take courage, daughter, thy faith hath saved thee, be going on to peace.’”
Literal Meaning: “your faith has made
you well.” it showed that her act of touching the Lord’s garment with hand was
due to her inner faith. Men can receive the healing of the Lord through
touching Him in faith only.
“Go in peace.” Before one has been save,
he has not known the way of peace (Rom. 3:17). The salvation of the Lord guides
our feet into the way of peace (See 1:79).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Without faith, it is impossible to please God
(Heb. 11:6).
2) Religionists want to please God by good works
and yet consequently they fall into the poor state of death. The only way to be
saved and healed is to receive the salvation of the Lord Jesus through faith.
3) If we outstretch our hand of faith to touch the
Lord, His power will enable us to overcome difficulties.
4) All those who have met Christ must “go in
peace”.
Luke. 8:49 “While He was still
speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, ‘Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.’”
YLT: “While he is yet
speaking, there doth come a certain one from the chief of the synagogue’s
[house], saying to him `Thy daughter hath died, harass not the Teacher;’”
Meaning of Words: “trouble”: bother.
Literal Meaning: “do not trouble the
Teacher!” It obviously indicated that this family hoped that the daughter could
be healed before death------since she was dead, they gave up their hope.
What the ruler of the synagogue feared
is “death” and it was different from “the devil” of which the men in Gadarenes
were feared. However, before Jesus both of them were under His authority.
Luke. 8:50 “But when Jesus heard it,
He answered him, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; only
believe, and she will be made well.’”
YLT: “and Jesus having
heard, answered him, saying, `Be not afraid, only believe, and she shall be
saved.’”
Meaning of Words: the words “be
afraid” and “believe” are both in a commanding tone.
Literal Meaning: “do not be afraid,
only believe.” From the tense and voice in the original we can see that the
Lord asked him to stop the endless fear, and encouraged him to believe as
usual.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men’s words make us be discouraged and afraid
and even lose faith. However, the Lord’s words will grant us comfort and
encouragement and increase our faith.
2) Fear may make one lose faith, and strong faith
will prevent one from being afraid.
Luke. 8:51 “When He came into the
house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the
father and mother of the girl.”
YLT: “And having come to
the house, he suffered no one to go in, except Peter, and James, and John, and
the father of the child, and the mother;”
Luke. 8:52 “Now all wept and mourned
for her; but He said, ‘Do not weep; she is not
dead, but sleeping.’”
YLT: “and they were all
weeping, and beating themselves for her, and he said, `Weep not, she did not
die, but doth sleep;”
Literal Meaning: “now all wept and
mourned for hem” “All” might be the women who were hired to mourn and cry for
the dead.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If a man is still alive, others may show
indifference to him. However, when the man has been dead, men will come to show
compassion to him. It is usually unnecessary to help others after the event.
2) All those who are elected and preordained by God
will not be completed like those who have no hope after death. They have fallen
asleep (1Thess. 4: 13-14).
Luke. 8:53 “And they ridiculed Him,
knowing that she was dead.”
YLT: “and they were
deriding him, knowing that she did die;”
Meaning of Words: “ridiculed”: sneer
at, deride.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who “ridicule” the Lord only see the fact.
Those who believe the Lord see Jesus only over the fact (See Matt. 17:8).
2) They “knew” the fact well and therefore they
“ridiculed Jesus”. Men’s original knowledge, natural conceptions and old
experiences would always make men despise and reject Christ.
3) The purpose of all the Lord’s works is not for
our “praise” but to quicken us, and is not to distribute “knowledge” but to
“distribute life”.
Luke. 8:54 “But He put them all
outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, ‘Little
girl, arise.’”
YLT: “and he having put
all forth without, and having taken hold of her hand, called, saying, `Child,
arise;’”
Enlightenment in the Word: it is already time that we should be aroused out of
sleep (Rom. 13:11), for the Lord is saying to us: “arise”.
Luke. 8:55 “Then her spirit returned,
and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat.”
YLT: “and her spirit came
back, and she arose presently, and he directed that there be given to her to
eat;”
Spiritual Meaning: the former
Gentile woman
had a flow of blood for “twelve years” (See v.43). This girl who was raised from the dead by the Lord was
“twelve years old” (See v.42).
It can be clearly seen that this girl might
be born when that woman began to have the flow of blood. Therefore we can take both of them as a whole thing, which
typifies that men’s life in the world is consumed because of sins. Men are alive, however, in God’s sight they are actually dead in
offenses and sins (Eph. 2:1). Only through believing the Lord Jesus can men be united to “His mighty hand” and be quickened with Him together
(Eph. 2:5), namely, having been passed out of death into life (John 5:24-25).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord asked the little girl to arise (See
v.54) and she rose immediately. When the dead shall hear the voice of the Son
of God, and they that have heard shall live (John 5:25).
2) “He took her by the hand” (See v.54)------when the Lord takes our hands of
serving and working, our service and works will have a turning point------“she
arose immediately”.
3) “He commanded that she be given something to eat.” The need of life is “eating”, and
“eating” is the manifestation of life.
4) Many people in the church only focus on
preaching the gospels, but neglect to feed believers who have just believed.
However, the Lord here asks us to care for their need.
Luke. 8:56 “And her parents were
astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.”
YLT: “and her parents
were amazed, but he charged them to say to no one what was come to pass.”
Literal Meaning: “to tell no one what
had happened” The Lord did not want others to follow Him because of curiosity.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
Four Kinds of Hearts
II. The heart of the rock------they receive
the word of God with gladness, but have no root in themselves (v.6, 13).
III. The heart of the ground of
thorns------the word of God is choked by the cares, riches and desires of life
(v.7, 14).
IV. The heart of the good ground------the
word of God is able to increase and bear fruit in such ground a hundredfold
(v.8, 15).
The Word and Men’s
Hearts
I. The wayside where
the word is sown (v.5, 12)------the word has not entered into man’s heart (man
whose faith is not stable).
II. The rock where the word is sown (v.6,
13)------only a part of the word has entered into man’s heart (man whose faith
is not sufficient).
III. The thorns where the word is sown (v.7,
14)------a half of the word has entered into man’s heart (man whose faith is
not firm).
IV. The good ground where the word is sown
(v.8, 15)------the word has deeply entered into man’s heart (man whose faith is
great).
Four Kinds of Men
Who Hear the Word
II. Those who have life and do not have the
process of life (v.6, 13).
III. Those who have life and the process of
life and do not have the fruit of life (v.7, 14).
IV. Those who the life that bears the fruit
a hundredfold (v.8, 15).
Who Can This Be
(v.25)?
I. He is the Lord who is with us------Jesus
got into a boat with His disciples (v.22a).
II. He is the Lord who guides us------Jesus
said to the disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side" (v.22b).
III. He is the Lord who tries the
disciples------as they sailed Jesus fell asleep (v.23).
IV. He is the Lord who grants those who ask
Him------they awoke Him…the wind and the raging of the water ceased and there
was a calm (v.24).
V. He is the Lord who teaches the
disciples------Jesus said to them, "Where is your faith?" (v.25a)
VI. He is the Lord of all things------that
even the wind and the sea obey Him (v.25b)!
The Conditions of
the Man Who Had Demons
I. He wore no clothes (v.27)-------he had no
sense of shame.
II. He did not live in a house
(v.27)------he did not have rest.
III. He lived in the tombs (v.27)------he
associated with death, darkness and dirtiness all day, namely he lived in the
sphere and principle of death.
IV. He thought that he has nothing to do
with the Lord (v.28a)------he did not repent to believe the Lord.
V. He feared to be tormented at that time
(v.28b)------he was only concerned about the present enjoyment and did not care
about the punishment in the future.
VI. The demon had often seized him
(v.29a)------he cannot be divorced from the control of the demons.
VII. Nobody could keep him under guard
(v.29b)------he fulfilled the lust of the flesh and cannot be controlled.
VIII. Chains and shackles could not bind him
(v.29c)------the best way of men could not bind him.
IX. The demons conspired as a “legion”
(v.30)------they liked to associate with evil persons.
X. They entered a herd of many swine
(v.32)------he did the unclean work.
XI. The demons made the herd run violent
down the steep place (v.33a)------he abandoned himself.
XII. The herd ran down into the lake and
drowned (v.33b)------he lost all his reputation and his whole life.
The
Woman Who Had a Flow of
Blood for Twelve Years Was Healed by the Lord
II. She asked the help from physicians and
it was useless (v.43b)------she sought help from all the methods in the world
and all of them were ineffective.
III. She came and touched the border of
Jesus’ garment (v.44a)------she touched the Lord with faith
IV. She experienced the power of the Lord
Jesus (v.44b-46)------she obtained the life of God.
V. Her heart was moved by the Lord
(v.47a)------she knew that she could not be a hidden believer.
VI. She bore witness to the grace that she
had received (v.47b)------she declared the works of the Lord in her.
VII. She received the verification of the
words of the Lord (v.48a)------your faith has made you well.
VIII. She got the true peace
(v.48b)------she enjoyed the gracious word of the Lord.
The
Little Daughter of the Ruler of the Synagogue Was Healed
I. He came to see the Lord Jesus
humbly------he fell down at Jesus’ feet (v.41b).
II. He came to beg the Lord Jesus
truly------he begged Jesus to come to his house (v.41c).
III. He followed the Lord with
perseverance------though he heard the bad news, he still followed the Lord
(v.49-51).
IV. He trusted the Lord Jesus at
rest------he did not follow the tumult but heard the command of the Lord
quietly (v.52).
V. He believed the Lord Jesus wholly------he
witnessed the resurrection of the child (v.54-55a).
VI. He obeyed the Lord Jesus
joyfully------he fed the child according to the Lord’s commandment (v.55b).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren