Luke 8 chapter. Bible online - all about the bible

1–3. Women serving Christ. - 4–8. The Parable of the Sower. - 9-18. Parable interpretation. - 19-21. True relatives of Christ. - 22-39. Removal of Christ with the disciples to the eastern shore of the Sea of ​​Gennesaret. - 40-56. Healing of the bleeding woman and resurrection of the daughter of Jairus.

Luke 8:1. After this, He went through the cities and villages, preaching and proclaiming the Kingdom of God, and with Him the twelve,

Luke 8:2. and some of the women whom He healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons came out,

Luke 8:3. and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the steward of Herod, and Susanna, and many others who served him with their possessions.

One evangelist Luke makes a remark about the women who, during the preaching journeys of Christ with 12 apostles, served Him with their property.

"Mary Magdalene" (see Matt. 27:56).

"From which came seven demons." This expression refers to the extreme power of demon possession: "seven" in the language Holy Scripture is a symbol of fullness (cf. Matt. 12:45). According to I. Weiss, it is indicated here that Mary was subjected to the return of possession seven times during her life. As for the fairly widespread rationalistic view that Mary was just a woman who was extremely licentious in moral terms, which the evangelist supposedly indicated with his remark, the term “healed” (τεθεραπευμέναι) used also about Mary, which means miraculous healing from the real, and not the imaginary disease of demon possession.

"Housekeeper of Herod", i.e. in our opinion, the chamberlain at the court of Herod (probably Antipas). This position was prominent (cf. Matt. 20:8).

These women served Christ until His death on the cross (see Luke 24:10).

"Susanna" is an unknown person.

Luke 8:4. When a multitude of people had gathered, and from all the cities the inhabitants gathered to Him, He began to speak in a parable:

Luke 8:5. a sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside and was trampled on, and the birds of the air pecked at him;

Luke 8:6. and another fell on a stone, and ascending, withered, because it had no moisture;

Luke 8:7. and another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked him;

Luke 8:8. and another fell on good ground and, rising up, brought forth fruit a hundredfold. Having said this, he proclaimed: He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Evangelist Luke sets out the parable of the sower in a similar way to Matthew (Matt. 13:3-9) and Mark (Mark 4:1-9), but with some abbreviations.

Luke 8:9. And His disciples asked Him: What would this parable mean?

Luke 8:10. He said: It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, so that seeing they do not see and hearing they do not understand.

Luke 8:11. This is what this parable means: the seed is the word of God;

Luke 8:12. but what fell along the way is the hearers, to whom the devil then comes and takes the word out of their hearts, so that they would not believe and be saved;

Luke 8:13. and those who fell on the stone are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy, but who have no root, and believe for a time, but fall away in the time of temptation;

Luke 8:14. and those who have fallen into thorns are those who hear the word, but, departing, are crushed by worries, wealth and worldly pleasures and do not bear fruit;

Luke 8:15. and those who have fallen on good ground are those who, having heard the word, keep it in a good and pure heart and bear fruit in patience. Having said this, He proclaimed: He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Luke 8:16. No one, having lit a candle, covers it with a vessel, or puts it under the bed, but puts it on a candlestick so that those who come in can see the light.

Luke 8:17. For there is nothing secret that would not be made manifest, nor hidden that would not be made known and would not be revealed.

Luke 8:18. So, watch how you listen: for whoever has, to him will be given, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks to have will be taken away from him.

For an explanation of the parable, see the comments on Matt. 13:10-17; Mk. 4:10-25.

Evangelist Luke follows Mark most of all here.

The "disciples" are the twelve apostles (cf. verse 1).

“So” (verse 10) – more correctly: “so that” (ἵνα), see Mk. 4:12.

“But going away” (verse 14). It would be more correct to translate: "walking" or "living" (in the Greek text here is the verb πορεύειν). The words: worries, wealth, and worldly pleasures are a definition for the word “walking” or a designation of the motives of “walking”. People, therefore, listen to the word, but in their activity they are guided by other factors - worries, etc. and through this they are suppressed, like seeds that grow between thorns, and do not reach maturity.

“In a good and pure heart” (verse 15), i.e. in a morally beautiful and good (καλῇ καὶ ἀγαθῇ) heart, and such a heart is made thanks to the cleansing action of the heard word (John 15:3).

"In patience" (verse 15), i.e. always holding on to the word. This is the opposite of "falling away" in verse 13.

“Whatever he thinks he has will be taken away” (verse 18). The Evangelist Luke is more precise here than Matthew and Mark: he says that some people only imagine that they have achieved certain successes in moral improvement, but in reality they have not gained anything. And so, soon this joy will also be taken away from such people - all their moral insignificance will be revealed before them ...

Luke 8:19. And his mother and his brothers came to him, and they could not come to him because of the people.

Luke 8:20. And let Him know: Your Mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see You.

Luke 8:21. He answered and said to them: My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.

The Evangelist Luke reports the coming to Christ of the Most Holy Mary and His brothers in accordance with Mark (Mark 3:31-35; cf. Matt. 12:46-50).

Luke 8:22. One day He got into a boat with His disciples and said to them: let's cross over to the other side of the lake. And they set off.

Luke 8:23. While they were sailing, He fell asleep. A stormy wind arose on the lake, and flooded them with waves, and they were in danger.

Luke 8:24. And, having approached, they woke Him up and said: Master! Mentor! perish. But He, having risen, rebuked the wind and the waves of the water; and they stopped, and there was silence.

Luke 8:25. Then He said to them, Where is your faith? And they, in fear and wonder, said to each other: Who is this, that he commands both the winds and the water, and obey Him?

Luke 8:26. And they sailed to the country of Gadara, lying opposite Galilee.

Luke 8:27. When He came ashore, a man from the city met Him, possessed by demons for a long time, and who did not wear clothes, and lived not in a house, but in tombs.

Luke 8:28. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, 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, don't torment me.

Luke 8:29. For Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of this man, because he tormented him for a long time, so that he was bound with chains and bands, saving him; but he broke the bands and was driven by a demon into the wilderness.

Luke 8:30. Jesus asked him: What is your name? He said legion, because many demons had entered into him.

Luke 8:31. And they asked Jesus not to command them to go into the abyss.

Luke 8:32. Right there on the mountain a large herd of pigs grazed; and the demons asked Him to let them enter into them. He allowed them.

Luke 8:33. The demons, coming out of the man, entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned.

Luke 8:34. The shepherds, seeing what had happened, ran and told the story in the city and in the villages.

Luke 8:35. And they went out to see what had happened; and when they came to Jesus, they found a man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and of sound mind; and were horrified.

Luke 8:36. And those who saw it told them how the demon-possessed one was healed.

Luke 8:37. And all the people of the Gadara neighborhood asked Him to depart from them, because they were seized with great fear. He entered the boat and returned.

Luke 8:38. The man from whom the demons came out asked Him to be with Him. But Jesus let him go, saying:

Luke 8:39. return to your house and tell what God has done for you. He went and preached throughout the city what Jesus had done for him.

The Evangelist Luke reports about the crossing of Christ with his disciples to the eastern shore of the Sea of ​​Gennesaret and the healing of the demoniac in accordance with Mark (Mark 4-5:20; cf. Matt. 8:23-27). At the same time, however, he makes some changes in particulars - he softens, for example, in verse 25 the Lord’s appeal to the apostles: “where is your faith?” (According to Mark - "Why are you so fearful? How do you not have faith?" Mk. 4:40), and in verse 28 replaces the expression: "I conjure you by God" (Mk. 5:7), the expression: "I implore You". Further on, he adds that the demon-possessed one had been possessed by demons for a long time and did not put on clothes (verse 27), that the demons asked the Lord not to drive them “into the abyss”, i.e. to hell (v. 31; cf. Rom. 10:7; Rev. 9 et seq.). The demoniac, after his healing, preaches about what happened to him only in his city (verse 39; according to Mark - "in Decapolis"; Mk. 5:20).

Luke 8:40. When Jesus returned, the people accepted him, because everyone was waiting for him.

Luke 8:41. And behold, a man came by the name of Jairus, who was the ruler of the synagogue; and falling down at the feet of Jesus, he begged him to enter his house,

Luke 8:42. because he had one daughter, about twelve years old, and she was about to die. As he walked, the people crowded him.

Luke 8:43. And a woman who suffered from bleeding for twelve years, who, having spent all her property on doctors, could not be cured by any one,

Luke 8:44. coming up behind, she touched the hem of his garment; and immediately the flow of her blood stopped.

Luke 8:45. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all were denied, Peter also said to those who were with him: Master! the people surround you and oppress you, and you say: who touched me?

Luke 8:46. But Jesus said, "Someone touched Me, for I felt the power that went out of Me."

Luke 8:47. The woman, seeing that she had not hidden herself, approached with trembling, and, falling down before Him, declared to Him before all the people why she had touched Him, and how she was immediately healed.

Luke 8:48. He said to her: dare, daughter! your faith has saved you; go in peace.

Luke 8:49. While He was still speaking this, someone from the house of the ruler of the synagogue came and said to him: Your daughter is dead; don't bother the teacher.

Luke 8:50. But Jesus, hearing this, said to him: do not be afraid, only believe, and she will be saved.

Luke 8:51. And when he came into the house, he did not allow anyone to enter, except Peter, John and James, and the father of the maiden, and the mother.

Luke 8:52. Everyone wept and wept for her. But He said, do not weep; she is not dead, but asleep.

Luke 8:53. And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead.

Luke 8:54. He sent them all out, and taking her by the hand, he exclaimed: maiden! get up.

Luke 8:55. And her spirit returned; she immediately got up, and He ordered to give her something to eat.

Luke 8:56. And her parents were surprised. He ordered them not to tell anyone about what had happened.

About the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus and the healing of the bleeding woman, the Evangelist Luke speaks in full agreement with Mark (Mark 5:21-43; cf. Matt. 9:18-26). Evangelist Luke, however, adds that Jairus had only “one” daughter (verse 42), that Peter answered Christ’s question, of course, on behalf of the disciples, and that this answer was not somewhat irreverent, as the answer of the disciples seems to be. Mark (Mark 5:31), because "all were denied" (verse 45). According to the Evangelist Mark, the woman trembled because she felt the change that had taken place in her (Mark 5:33), and according to Luke, because she realized that her deed had become known to the Miracle Worker.

"Peter, John, and James" (verse 51). Of the two sons of Zebedee, the Evangelist Luke puts John in the first place as the more famous person, and Mark puts James (Mk. 5:37).

“Weeping for her” (verse 52) – more precisely: “they struck their breasts as a sign of sorrow for her” (ἐκόπτοντο αὐτήν).

“And her spirit returned” (verse 55) is the addition of the Evangelist Luke, from which it can be seen that Christ revived the really deceased, from whom the soul had already departed.

Synodal translation. The chapter was voiced according to the roles by the Light in the East studio.

1. After this, He went through the cities and villages, preaching and proclaiming the Kingdom of God, and with Him the Twelve,
2. And some of the women whom He healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons came out,
3. and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the steward of Herod, and Susanna, and many others who served him with their possessions.
4. And when a multitude of people had gathered, and from all the cities the inhabitants came together to Him, He began to speak in a parable:
5. A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside and was trampled on, and the birds of the air pecked at him;
6. and another fell on a stone, and ascending, withered, because it had no moisture;
7. And another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked him;
8. and another fell on good ground, and, rising up, brought forth fruit a hundredfold. Having said this, he proclaimed: He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
9. And His disciples asked Him: What would this parable mean?
10. He said: It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, so that seeing they do not see and hearing they do not understand.
11. This is what this parable means: the seed is the word of God;
12. And what fell along the way, these are the hearers, to whom the devil then comes and takes the word out of their hearts, so that they would not believe and be saved;
13. And those who fell on the stone are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy, but who have no root, and believe for a time, but fall away in time of temptation;
14. And those who have fallen into thorns are those who hear the word, but, departing, are crushed by worries, wealth and worldly pleasures and do not bear fruit;
15. And those who have fallen on good ground are those who, having heard the word, keep it in a good and pure heart and bear fruit in patience. Having said this, He proclaimed: He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
16. No one, having lighted a candle, covers it with a vessel, or puts it under the bed, but puts it on a candlestick, so that those who come in can see the light.
17. For there is nothing secret that would not be made manifest, nor hidden that would not be made known and would not be revealed.
18. So, watch how you listen: for whoever has, to him will be given, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks to have will be taken away from him.
19. And his mother and his brothers came to him, and could not come to him because of the people.
20. And let Him know: Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.
21. He answered and said to them, My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.
22. On one day He got into a boat with His disciples and said to them: Let us cross over to the other side of the lake. And they set off.
23. While they were sailing, He fell asleep. A stormy wind arose on the lake, and flooded them with waves, and they were in danger.
24. And coming up, they woke him up and said: Master! Mentor! perish. But He, having risen, rebuked the wind and the waves of the water; and they stopped, and there was silence.
25. Then He said to them, Where is your faith? And they, in fear and wonder, said to each other: Who is this, that he commands both the winds and the water, and obey Him?
26. And they sailed to the country of Gadara, which lay opposite Galilee.
27. When He went ashore, a man from the city met Him, possessed by demons from a long time ago, and who did not wear clothes, and lived not in a house, but in tombs.
28. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, 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, don't torment me.
29. For Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of this man, because he tormented him for a long time, so that they bound him with chains and bands, saving him; but he broke the bands and was driven by a demon into the wilderness.
30. Jesus asked him: What is your name? He said, "legion," because many demons had entered into him.
31. And they asked Jesus not to command them to go into the abyss.
32. Right there on the mountain a large herd of pigs grazed; and the demons asked Him to let them enter into them. He allowed them.
33. The demons, coming out of the man, entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned.
34. The shepherds, seeing what had happened, ran and told in the city and in the villages.
35. And they went out to see what had happened; and when they came to Jesus, they found a man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and of sound mind; and were horrified.
36. Those who saw it told them how the demon-possessed one was healed.
37. And all the people of the Gadara region asked Him to depart from them, because they were seized with great fear. He entered the boat and returned.
38. The man from whom the demons came out asked Him to be with Him. But Jesus let him go, saying:
39. Return to your house and tell what God has done for you. He went and preached throughout the city what Jesus had done for him.
40. When Jesus returned, the people received him, because everyone was waiting for him.
41 And behold, a man came, named Jairus, who was the ruler of the synagogue; and falling down at the feet of Jesus, he begged him to enter his house,
42. because he had one daughter, about twelve years old, and she was about to die. As he walked, the people crowded him.
43. And the woman who suffered from bleeding for twelve years, who, having spent all her property on doctors, could not be cured by any one,
44. coming up behind, she touched the hem of his garment; and immediately the flow of her blood stopped.
45. And Jesus said, Who touched Me? When all were denied, Peter also said to those who were with him: Master! The people surround You and oppress You, and You say: “Who touched Me?”
46. ​​But Jesus said, Someone touched me, for I felt the power that went out of me.
47. The woman, seeing that she was not hidden, approached with trembling, and, falling down before Him, declared to Him before all the people why she had touched Him, and how she was immediately healed.
48. He said to her: dare, daughter! your faith has saved you; go in peace.
49 While He was still speaking this, someone from the house of the ruler of the synagogue came and said to him, Your daughter is dead; don't bother the teacher.
50. But Jesus, hearing this, said to him: Do not be afraid, only believe, and she will be saved.
51. And having come into the house, he did not allow anyone to enter except Peter, John, and James, and the father of the maiden, and the mother.
52. Everyone wept and wept for her. But He said, do not weep; she is not dead, but asleep.
53. And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead.
54. And he sent them all out, and taking her by the hand, he exclaimed: Maiden! get up.
55. And her spirit returned; she immediately got up, and He ordered to give her something to eat.
56. And her parents marveled. He ordered them not to tell anyone about what had happened.

4. JESUS ​​ON DIFFERENT ATTITUDES TO HIS TEACHINGS (8:1-21)

a. Positive response from his close followers (8:1-3)

Onion. 8:1-3. The first among those who gladly received His gospel of the kingdom of God were the twelve and some women whom He healed of evil spirits and diseases. Among the latter was Mary of Magdala, from whom Jesus cast out seven demons. The number "seven" in Scripture often serves as a symbol of fullness. So Mary Magdalene probably suffered from an extreme degree of possession. In addition to her, Luke names two more women (among many others) who supported Jesus and His apostles financially: this is Joanna, the wife of ... the steward of Herod, and a certain Susanna, about whom nothing more is known.

b. The parable of the Sower as an illustration of different perceptions of the gospel (8:4-15) (Mat. 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20)

Onion. 8:4. By telling this parable and explaining it, Jesus showed how different people's reactions to the word of God can be. Luke notes that at that time a multitude of people from all cities came together to Jesus. It is quite clear that in this crowd there were those who represented all four types of perception of Jesus' teaching, which are mentioned in the parable. It probably also contains a warning to "hearers" about the "obstacles" in learning the truth that they will encounter.

Onion. 8:5-8. An image of a farmer appears before his eyes, who manually scatters grain over a plowed field. The seed of this sower falls on four kinds of soil. Part of it hit the road running along the field, and the birds ... pecked at it. Another part fell on the rock (i.e., on a thin layer of soil covering the rock); these grains, although they sprouted, quickly dried up, because they did not have enough moisture (verse 6). There were some grains that fell among the weeds and were choked by them (verse 7). Finally, some part of the seeds fell on good ground; these brought forth a good harvest (verse 8).

Jesus ended the parable with a call to his listeners: He who has ears to hear, let him hear. With this phrase, Christ repeatedly ended His parables (Mat. 11:15; 13:9,43; Mark 4:9,23; Luke 8:8; 14:35). It means that spiritual people are able to comprehend the meaning of His parables. The non-spiritual, on the other hand, perceive in them only the "plot" side, that is, what lies on the surface.

Onion. 8:9-10. Before answering the disciples' question and explaining to them the meaning of the parable, He tells them why He teaches in parables. People who know how to discern spiritual things, that is, those who follow Him and recognize His teaching as true, are given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. And for those who do not accept the teachings of Jesus Christ, it is not given to comprehend the meaning of allegories on which parables are built. For their hearts were "hardened," their eyes were "closed," and their ears were "hard to hear" (Isaiah 6:9).

In the words of Christ, so that when they see they do not see and when they hear they do not understand, the same thought is expressed as in the above passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah. Christ's use of parables can be understood as a kind of act of Divine mercy towards those hearers who rejected Him: if they fully understood the truths He expressed (Luke 10:13-15), they would be subjected to a more severe judgment in the future.

Onion. 8:11-15. Here Christ explains to the disciples the meaning of the parable of the sower. The seed is the word of God. The words that He spoke, the Living Word that came from God, were the same that the people heard from John the Baptist. The listeners were responsible for accepting or rejecting these words.

The four kinds of soil are four "kinds" of people hearing the same good news. To the first type belong those who hear, in whose hearts the word of truth does not remain, for the devil snatches it away, so that these people would not believe and be saved (verse 12).

The second kind or group includes those who gladly agree with the truth of God, but it does not take a deep root in them (verse 13), and they cannot stand in it. The phrase that they believe for a time, but fall away in time of temptation, means that, believing more with their mind than with their heart, they renounce it when things take a "bad turn", that is, when the time comes for their faith to be tested.

The third group of those who hear the word are those who are not destined to reach spiritual maturity (verse 14). They seem to be interested in the highest truth, but are not able to fully accept it because of their preoccupation with material concerns, sometimes with an irresistible craving for wealth and worldly pleasures.

Finally, the fourth group is those who, having heard the word of God, keep it in a good and pure heart and bear spiritual fruit (verse 15).

In the process of Jesus' ministry, representatives of each of the four groups revealed their belonging to the corresponding group: 1) The scribes and Pharisees refused to believe in Christ. 2) Many people followed Jesus only because He miraculously healed and nourished them, but the message He brought to them "did not take root" in their hearts (compare John 6:66). 3) There were also those who, like the rich youth "of the rulers" (Luke 18:18-30), showed an interest, sometimes sincere, in the teachings of Jesus, but did not become His followers, defeated by their strong attraction to material joys. 4) Those belonging to the fourth group were filled with devotion to the Living Word; having absorbed the teachings of Christ, they remained faithful to Him at all costs (eg, 8:1-3).

in. The Need to Listen to Jesus and Accept His Teachings (8:16-18) (Matt. 4:21-25)

Onion. 8:16-18. This short parable is a logical continuation of the parable of the Sower. One of the main semantic stresses in it, Jesus again makes "hearing", or rather, "hearing" (verse 18). If someone understands the word of God, this cannot but be reflected in his life and behavior (verse 15), that is, it will become "visible" to everyone. As after lighting a candle, they do not cover it with a vessel (compare 11:33), so God does not reveal the secrets of the Kingdom of God (8:10) to people so that they keep them "secret". The task of Christ's disciples was to make them visible to the rest of the people (8:17).

Therefore, it is important for all who follow Him to observe for themselves how the word resonates with them (verse 18). If true faith is kindled in their hearts (verse 15), then the truth will be revealed to them more and more. If they do not accept what they hear with their hearts, they will lose all idea of ​​the truth (verse 18).

d. Jesus' attitude towards His earthly relatives (8:19-21) (Matt. 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35)

Onion. 8:19-21. From the previous verses (1-18) it is clear that only those people who accept (and put into practice) His teaching are in the right attitude towards Christ. Luke further writes: And his mother and his brothers came to him ...

Jesus was told that His relatives wanted to see Him (8:20). It should not be supposed that by His answer Christ renounces his relationship with them. Rather, He makes it clear that the bonds that bind Him to those who hear and do the word of God are like family ties. From these words of His, moreover, it follows that the gospel is intended not for one Jewish people, but for all who are ready to believe in it, including the Gentiles, and be guided by it in practical life. This lesson was, in particular, deeply learned by James, one of the mentioned brothers of Jesus by mother (James 1:22-23).

5. A NEW SERIES OF MIRACLES (8:22-56)

Again (compare 4:31 - 6:16) Luke writes about a series of miracles performed by Christ - performed in confirmation of the truth of His teaching. In this section, Jesus reveals His authority over the forces of nature, over demonic forces, and over sickness and death (8:22-25; 26-29; 40-56).

a. The elements are subject to Jesus (8:22-25) (Mat. 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41)

Onion. 8:22-25. While Jesus and His disciples were crossing in a boat to the other (less populated) side of the Lake of Gennesaret, a strong storm arose; the boat began to fill with water. The Lake of Gennesaret (aka the Sea of ​​Tiberias or the Sea of ​​Galilee) is known for these unexpected storms that suddenly turn it into a stormy and life-threatening. Jesus, while swimming ... fell asleep. The frightened disciples woke Him up with the words: Mentor! Mentor! perish. Jesus, having risen, forbade the wind and the waves of the water, and immediately reproached the disciples for their little faith.

After all, they sailed according to His direction: and he said to them: Let us cross over to the other side of the lake (verse 22). So they had to trust His word. The lake calmed down immediately (which usually does not happen during storms) precisely by the almighty word of the Lord. At the sight of this, fear and wonder seized the disciples (compare verses 35, 37).

b. Power of Jesus over demonic powers (8:26-39) (Matt. 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20)

Onion. 8:26. Whereas Matthew, in recounting this episode, writes that Jesus met with two possessed men (Matt. 8:28-34), Luke speaks of only one. There is some confusion about the area where this miracle happened. Matthew calls it "the country of the Gergeses," apparently after the small city of Gers, which was on the eastern shore of the Sea of ​​Galilee and now lies in ruins (Matt. 8:28), and Mark and Luke write about the "country of Gadarenes," apparently , in the city of Gadara (about 10 km southeast of the lower tip of the Sea of ​​Galilee). It is possible that the territory around the mentioned town of Gers and it itself were administratively subordinated to Gadara (compare the commentary on Mark 5:1).

Onion. 8:27-29. When He came ashore, a man possessed by demons met Him. His whole lifestyle testified to this. As is typical of most possessed people in the Gospels, this one also spoke (or shouted) in a loud voice. The demon that sat in it recognized Jesus, for the man called Him by name: What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? It was the demon, and not the person in whom he moved, who realized the power of Jesus over himself, which follows from his words do not torment me (verse 28).

Onion. 8:30-33. When asked by Jesus what his name was, the unclean spirit answered: legion (this Latin word denoted a military unit of 6,000 people). That is, the unfortunate madman was possessed by many demons. They asked Jesus "not to torment" them "before the time", as follows from the Gospel of Matthew (Matt. 8:29), not to send them to the abyss or to the underworld (the place of residence of the dead) ahead of time.

Under the "abyss" was also understood a certain bottomless abyss of water, and in the light of this, we can talk about the ironic ending of this meeting of unclean spirits with Christ. He granted their request to allow them to enter a herd of pigs that were grazing nearby, but as soon as this happened, the herd rushed down the steep into the lake and drowned. So despite Jesus' permission for them not to go into the abyss, the demons still fell into it.

Onion. 8:34-37. The reaction of the inhabitants of this area to the miracle that took place was fear (verses 35, 37 compare with 7:16; 8:25). Out of fear, they began to ask Jesus to leave them.

Onion. 8:38-39. Unlike the inhabitants of the "Gadarene neighborhood", the former possessed wanted to stay with Jesus, but He ordered him to go home and testify about what God had done for him. It was the first witness of Jesus Christ in the pagan world.

in. Jesus' authority over sickness and death (8:40-56) (Matt. 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43)

This entire section (chapters 7-8) begins and ends with a description of Jesus' ministry to people afflicted with sickness and death. However, what is said in 8:40-56 becomes the climax of the division due to its obvious symbolism: it is essentially about the ability ("power") of Christ to purify people (in the ritual sense of the word) without being "infected" with their impurity.

Onion. 8:40-42. And behold, a man came by the name of Jairus, to whom he was the head of the synagogue. He asked Jesus to save his only daughter who was dying. The fact that even the "leader of the synagogue" turned to Jesus with a request shows that people were beginning to understand. Who is he.

Jairus was responsible for conducting divine services and for the proper condition of the synagogue premises and its property. The New Testament speaks of two more "leaders of the synagogue": Crispus (Acts 18:8) and Sosthenes (Acts 18:17).

Onion. 8:43-48. Here Luke abruptly breaks off the story of Jairus to tell about an incident that happened on the way of Jesus to his house. And the woman who suffered from bleeding for twelve years ... The numbers here curiously echo: the daughter of Jairus was about twelve years old, and all the time that she lived in the world, the woman, which will be discussed below, suffered from bleeding. Sickness made her ceremonially unclean (Lev. 15:25-30), and anyone who touched her became unclean. None of the people could heal her, but behold, she touched ... the garment of Jesus, and immediately the flow of her blood stopped.

Christ question who touched me? - of course, does not mean that He did not know who touched Him. He just wanted the woman to publicly reveal her faith, which led her to touch Him. And falling down before Him, she discovered it. This woman's faith brought her healing (8:48). Go in peace, Jesus told her. Formerly, with the same words, He sent away the sinner who believed in Him (7:50). Both were cleansed and saved by Christ.

Onion. 8:49-56. The story returns to Jairus again. He accepted in his heart the words of Jesus, who, after Jairus was informed of the death of his daughter, said: do not be afraid, only believe, and she will be saved. His faith in the ability of Jesus to resurrect the dead is evidenced by the fact that He, the head of the synagogue, allowed Him to enter his house after He was touched by a ceremonially unclean woman.

After the resurrection of the girl, Jesus ordered to give her something to eat - a detail indicating that not only was her spirit returned to her (that is, the soul that left her body), but also a normal state of health. And her parents were surprised (here literally - "they were beside themselves with amazement"). Out of amazement, but not out of fear.

That Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone about what had happened was probably dictated by His unwillingness to be openly proclaimed as the Messiah until He Himself made it clear in Jerusalem.

E. Jesus instructs His disciples (9:1-50)

Luke concludes the section on Jesus' Galilean ministry with a description of several important events that provide Jesus with visual material for instructing his disciples. As regards this chapter, although Luke does not minimize the importance of the cases described in it, they are not at the center of his narrative. The "central theme" for him is the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. So everything that is told in this chapter, as it were, ends the previous part of Christ's ministry (4:14 - 9:50) and "bridges" to the beginning of His journey to Jerusalem (9:51).

Comments on Chapter 8

INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

A BEAUTIFUL BOOK AND ITS AUTHOR

The Gospel of Luke has been called the most delightful book in the world. When one day an American asked Denney to advise him to read one of the biographies of Jesus Christ, he replied: "Have you tried reading the Gospel of Luke?" According to legend, Luke was a skilled artist. In one Spanish cathedral, a portrait of the Virgin Mary, allegedly painted by Luke, has survived to this day. As for the Gospel, many researchers believe that it is the best biography of Jesus Christ ever compiled. According to tradition, it has always been believed that Luke was the author, and we have every reason to support this point of view. AT ancient world books were usually attributed to famous people, and no one contradicted this. But Luke never belonged to the prominent figures of the early Christian Church. Therefore, it would never have occurred to anyone to attribute this Gospel to him if he had not actually written it.

Luke came from Gentiles. Of all the writers of the New Testament, only he was not a Jew. He is a doctor by profession (Col. 4:14), and perhaps this explains the sympathy he inspires. They say that a priest sees the good in people, a lawyer sees the bad, and a doctor sees them for who they are. Luke saw people and loved them.

The book was written for Theophilus. Luke calls him "Venerable Theophilus". Such treatment was applied only to high-ranking officials in the Roman government. There is no doubt that Luke wrote this book to tell the serious and interested person more about Jesus Christ. And he succeeded in this, painting Theophilus a picture that undoubtedly awakened him. big interest to Jesus, about whom he had heard before.

SYMBOLS OF THE EVANGELISTS

Each of the four gospels was written from a particular angle. Evangelists are often depicted on church stained glass windows, usually each with their own symbol. These symbols do change, but the following are the most typical:

Symbol brand is human. The Gospel of Mark is the simplest, most concise of all the Gospels. It was well said about him that his excellent feature is realism. It most closely matches its purpose - the description of the earthly life of Jesus Christ.

Symbol Matthew is a lion. Matthew was a Jew, and wrote for the Jews: he saw in Jesus the Messiah, a lion "from the tribe of Judah," whose coming was predicted by all the prophets.

Symbol John is eagle. The eagle can fly higher than all other birds. They say that of all God's creations, only an eagle can look at the sun without squinting. The gospel of John is a theological gospel; the flight of his thoughts is higher than all other Gospels. Philosophers draw topics from it, discuss them all their lives, but resolve them only in eternity.

Symbol Luke is Taurus. The calf is meant to be slaughtered, and Luke saw Jesus as a sacrifice for the whole world. In the Gospel of Luke, moreover, all barriers are overcome, and Jesus becomes accessible to both Jews and sinners. He is the savior of the world. With that in mind, let's look at the features of this gospel.

LUCA IS A DEMANDING HISTORIAN

The gospel of Luke is primarily the result of painstaking work. His Greek is exquisite. The first four verses are written in the finest Greek in the entire New Testament. In them, Luke states that his gospel was written "by careful study." He had great opportunities and reliable sources for this. As Paul's trusted companion, he must have been well aware of all the major details of the early Christian Church, and they no doubt told him everything they knew. For two years he was together with Paul in prison in Caesarea. In those long days, he certainly had many opportunities to study and explore everything. And he did it thoroughly.

An example of Luke's thoroughness is the dating of the appearance of John the Baptist. At the same time, he refers, no less, to six contemporaries. "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (1), when Pontius Pilate ruled in Judea (2), Herod was tetrarch in Galilee (3), Philip, his brother, tetrarch in Iturea and the Trachotnite region (4), and Lysanius tetrarch in Abilineus (5), under the high priests Anna and Caiaphas (6), there was a word of God to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness " (Onion. 3.1.2). Undoubtedly, we are dealing with a diligent author who will adhere to the greatest possible accuracy of presentation.

GOSPEL FOR THE GENTIANS

Luke primarily wrote to Gentile Christians. Theophilus, like Luke himself, was from the pagans; and there is nothing in his Gospel that the pagan did not realize and would not understand, a) As we can see, Luke begins his dating Roman emperor and Roman governor, that is, the Roman dating style comes first, b) Unlike Matthew, Luke is less interested in depicting the life of Jesus in the sense of the incarnation of Jewish prophecies, c) He rarely quotes Old Testament, d) Instead of Hebrew words, Luke usually uses them Greek translations so that every Greek could understand the content of what was written. Simon Kananite becomes Simon the Zealot (cf. Matt. 10,4and Luke. 5.15). He calls Golgotha ​​not a Hebrew word, but a Greek one - Kraniev mountain, the meaning of these words is the same - the Place of execution. He never uses the Hebrew word for Jesus, rabbi, but the Greek word for teacher. When Luke cites the genealogy of Jesus, he traces it not to Abraham, the founder of the people of Israel, as Matthew does, but to Adam, the forefather of mankind (cf. Matt. 1,2; Onion. 3,38).

That is why the Gospel of Luke is the easiest to read. Luke did not write for the Jews, but for people like us.

GOSPEL OF PRAYER

The Gospel of Luke places particular emphasis on prayer. More than any other, Luke shows us Jesus immersed in prayer before important events in His life. Jesus prays during His baptism (Luke 3, 21) before the first encounter with the Pharisees (Luke 5, 16), before the calling of the twelve apostles (Luke 6, 12); before asking the disciples who they think he is (Onion. 9:18-20); and before predicting his own death and resurrection (9:22); during the transformation (9.29); and on the cross (23:46). Only Luke tells us that Jesus prayed for Peter during his trial (22:32). Only Luke gives a parable-prayer about a friend who comes at midnight (11:5-13) and a parable about an unrighteous judge (Onion. 18:1-8). For Luke, prayer was always an open door to God, and the most precious thing in the whole world.

GOSPEL WOMEN

The woman occupied a secondary position in Palestine. In the morning, the Jew thanked God that He did not create him "a heathen, a slave or a woman." But Luke takes women special place. The story of the birth of Jesus is told from the point of view of the Virgin Mary. It is in Luke that we read about Elizabeth, about Anna, about the widow in Nain, about the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee. Luke gives us vivid portraits of Martha, Mary and Mary Magdalene. It is very probable that Luke was a native of Macedonia, where a woman occupied a freer position than anywhere else.

GOSPEL OF GLOCATION

In the Gospel of Luke, glorifications of the Lord occur more frequently than in any other part of the New Testament. This praise reaches its apogee in the three great hymns sung by all generations of Christians - in the hymn to Mary (1:46-55), in the blessing of Zechariah (1:68-79); and in the prophecy of Simeon (2:29-32). The gospel of Luke spreads rainbow light, as if the radiance of heaven would illuminate the earthly vale.

GOSPEL FOR ALL

But the most important thing about the Gospel of Luke is that it is a gospel for all. It overcomes all obstacles, Jesus Christ appeared to all people, without exception.

a) The kingdom of God is not closed to the Samaritans (Onion. 9, 51-56). Only in Luke do we find the parable of the Good Samaritan (10:30-36). And that one leper who returned to give thanks to Jesus Christ for healing was a Samaritan (Onion. 17:11-19). John gives a proverb that the Jews do not associate with the Samaritans (John. 4.9). Luke, on the other hand, does not prevent anyone from accessing God.

b) Luke shows that Jesus speaks with approval of Gentiles who would be considered unclean by orthodox Jews. In him, Jesus cites the widow at Zarephath of Sidon and Naaman the Syrian as exemplary examples (4:25-27). Jesus praises the Roman centurion for his great faith (7:9). Luke cites the great words of Jesus: "And they shall come from the east and the west, and the north and the south, and shall lie down in the kingdom of God" (13:29).

c) Luke pays great attention to the poor. When Mary offers a sacrifice for cleansing, it is the sacrifice of the poor (2:24). The pinnacle of the answer to John the Baptist is the words "the poor preach the gospel" (7:29). Only Luke cites the parable of the rich man and the poor Lazarus (16:19-31). And in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." (Matt. 5:3; Luke 6, twenty). The gospel of Luke is also called the gospel of the destitute. Luke's heart is with every person whose life is unsuccessful.

d) Luke portrays Jesus better than others as a friend of exiles and sinners. Only he speaks of a woman who anointed his feet with ointment, shed tears on them and wiped them with her hair in the house of Simon the Pharisee (7:36-50); about Zacchaeus the head of publicans (19:1-10); about the penitent thief (23:43); and only Luke cites the immortal parable of prodigal son and loving father (15:11-32). When Jesus sent his disciples to preach, Matthew indicates that Jesus told them not to go to the Samaritans or the Gentiles (Mat. 10.5); Luke doesn't say anything about it. The authors of all four Gospels, reporting on the preaching of John the Baptist, quote from Is. 40: "Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of our God"; but only Luke brings the quotation to its triumphant end: "And all flesh shall see the salvation of God." Is. 40,3-5; Mat. 3,3; Mar. 1,3; John. 1,23; Onion. 3.4. 6). Of the gospel writers, Luke teaches most emphatically that the love of God is infinite.

BEAUTIFUL BOOK

When studying the Gospel of Luke, one should pay attention to these features. Somehow, of all the authors of the Gospels, I would most like to meet and talk with Luke, because this pagan doctor, who surprisingly felt the boundlessness of God's love, was in all likelihood a man of a beautiful soul. About the boundless mercy and incomprehensible love of the Lord, Frederic Faber wrote:

God's mercy is infinite

Like a boundless ocean.

In justice unchanged

Deliverance is given.

Do not comprehend the love of the Lord

To our feeble minds

We find only at His feet

Peace to tormented hearts.

The Gospel of Luke clearly shows the veracity of this.

ON THE ROAD (Luke 8:1-3)

The time foreseen has arrived. Jesus traveled. The synagogues were no longer open to Him as they used to be. Jesus really began his ministry in the church, where every person who had a message from God could expect to meet receptive and sympathetic listeners. But instead of cordiality, He met resistance; instead of the attentive listeners of the scribes and Pharisees, who openly and coldly watched Him in order to find a pretext for accusation; and so he went to the open roads, to the slopes of the mountains, and to the shore of the lake.

1) And here we again draw attention to a fact with which we have already met before. In this passage are given the names of the women who served Him with their possessions. It has always been considered a charitable deed to provide a plain financial assistance, and if the devoted followers of Jesus helped Him, then this was fully consistent with the then social practice. But, both in relation to the disciples of Jesus and in relation to these women, we should pay attention to how diverse this group was. Among them was Mary Magdalene, that is, Mary from Magdala, from whom He cast out seven demons. It is clear that she had a dark and terrible past. And among them was Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the steward of King Herod. The king had a lot of property and income, and the housekeeper just managed his financial affairs. In the Roman Empire, even in those regions which were governed by proconsuls appointed by the senate, the Roman emperor had his own steward who followed his interests. The steward was the most trusted and important dignitary of the court. And so, we find together Mary Magdalene with her dark past, and Joanna, the lady of the court.

This is one of the great accomplishments of Jesus: He inspires different people with the desire to live together, without losing any of his personal qualities. J. K. Chesterton remarks about the text from Is. 11:6, which says that the lion will lie next to the lamb: "We must remember that this text is interpreted too simply. People think that when the lion lies down next to the lamb, the lion is likened to a lamb. But this would be pure violence and direct aggression on the part of the lamb. This would mean that the lamb simply became like a lion, instead of, as before, the lion would eat the lamb. But the difficulty lies in whether the lion can lie next to the lamb, maintaining his royal ferocity And here's to the solution this tasks sought by the church; and it was precisely this miracle that she achieved." First of all, the church needs to learn how to unite people with different qualities and temperaments in common daily work. If we cannot cope with this task, then this is our fault, for in Christ this can be done, and this was done.

2) In this list we meet a group of women whose help was practical. Women were not supposed to preach; but they did what they could. One old shoemaker always wanted to become a priest, but it turned out that his dream never came true. He had a friend, a young student of theology, and when the young man first taught the pulpit in the church, the old shoemaker asked him for one favor: to let him make shoes for him, so that he would always know - in the church pulpit, which he could never climb himself, the priest stands in shoes made by his hands.

The main work is not always done by the person standing in the foreground. Many in public office would not be able to do their work for a week if they were not supported at home! Any gift of a person can be put at the service of Christ. Many of His most important servants are in the background, they are not visible, but they play an important role.

THE SOWER AND THE SEED (Luke 8:4-15)

In this parable, Jesus used a picture well known to His listeners. It is also possible that He said this while seeing a sower sowing seeds. The parable speaks of four kinds of soil.

1) Public land in Palestine was divided into long narrow strips; between the lanes lay paths that everyone had the right to use. Falling on these hard-packed roads, the seed didn't have a chance to get into the ground to grow.

2) In addition, there was stony soil. By this we should mean not only stones, but the soil, which is massive limestone layers covered with a thin layer of earth. There was no moisture or nutrients in it, and the plant that sprouted on it was doomed to dry out and die.

3) The soil with thorns at the time of sowing seemed clean enough. Any patch of land can be made to look clean by plowing it, but leaving weed seeds and roots of wild grasses in it. The good seed and the weeds develop and grow together, but the weeds grow faster and stifle the good seed plant.

4) Good soil is deep enough, clean and well cultivated. Verses 9 and 10 have always been cryptic. They sound as if Jesus spoke in parables so that people would not be able to understand the meaning of what was said; but we find it hard to believe that He deliberately concealed from His listeners the meaning of His utterances. Various interpretations of these verses have been offered.

1) B Mat. 13:13 this is stated somewhat differently. He says that Jesus because and spoke in parables that many cannot see and think intelligently. Matthew allegedly hints that the parable will not interfere, but will help people understand what Jesus was saying.

2) Immediately after this, Matthew quotes from Is. 6:9-10: "And He said, Go and tell this people: You will hear with your ears, and you will not understand; with your eyes you will see, and you will not see. For the heart of this people is hardened, and with their ears they can hardly hear, and they have closed their eyes, so that they will not see with their eyes, and they will not hear with their ears, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn to me to heal them." Thus, the teaching of Jesus in this passage is directed not so much to the object of teaching, but to the cause, why He is forced to resort to this form of teaching.

3) As a matter of fact, Jesus meant the following: the perception of people can become so coarse, heavy and dull that when the truth of God reaches them, they cannot discern and understand it. This is not the fault of God. People have become so lazy, so blinded by prejudice, and they are so reluctant to see what they do not want to see, that they have completely lost all ability to perceive the truth of God.

Let's look at two interpretations of this parable.

1) Some see the meaning of the parable in the fact that the fate of the Word of God depends on the person in whose heart it is sown.

a) A hard road means people whose mind is deaf to everything, and therefore refuses to acknowledge the Word of God.

b) Stony ground refers to those people who accept the Word of God but do not study it and do not realize the consequences associated with it, and therefore, faith withers as soon as difficulties arise.

c) The thorny ground refers to people whose minds and hearts are so occupied with their own affairs that there is no room left for the works of God. However, it should always be remembered that all those worldly problems that crowd out the works of God do not necessarily have to be evil deeds: the most dangerous enemy of the best is often the good.

d) Good soil means good, pious people. A good listener does three good things: First, he listens carefully. Secondly, he keeps what he hears in his mind and in his heart and comprehends it until he himself reveals for himself the meaning of what he heard. And thirdly, he acts in accordance with it. He turns what he hears into action.

2) Others see this parable as a lesson against despair. Just think of the position Jesus was in: he was expelled from the synagogue; scribes, Pharisees, and religious leaders oppose Him. And His disciples, inevitably, had to lose heart. It is to them that Jesus addresses in his parable, in which He says: “Every farmer knows that part of the seeds sown perishes; they all cannot grow. But this does not discourage him and does not induce him to stop sowing, because he knows that despite everything, he will reap the harvest. He knows that obstacles and disappointments await us, he knows that we have enemies and opponents, but we should never despair, because in the end we will reap a bountiful harvest."

This parable may well serve as a warning for us, how we should listen to the Word of God, and as an encouragement, how to cast aside all doubt and believe that no obstacles will prevent us from gathering God's abundant harvest in due time.

RULES OF LIFE (Luke 8:16-18)

Before us are three proverbs, each of which is an instruction for life.

1) Verse 16 emphasizes the open character Christian life. Christianity is best known in daily life. You can always find many reasons not to flaunt your Christian faith. Almost every person worries that he will suddenly be different from others; and very often people persecute those who deviate from accepted norms.

One writer wrote about his chickens. In the chicken coop, all the hens, with the exception of one, were of the same color. And this one was pecked to death by chickens. Even in the animal world, being different is a crime. But however difficult it may be, it is our duty to never be ashamed to show to everyone that we are Christ's and that we serve him; but if we think and enter into the sanctuary of God, then debt turns into good.

Before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of England, flags were hung on all houses and shops. I then somehow passed along a country road and near the bushes I came across a tinker's camp. It consisted of one tent, but around it fluttered the English flag, almost the same size as the tent. The nomadic tinker seemed to say: "I put myself and what I own under the flag of my country." And a Christian, no matter how humble his position, should not be ashamed to show people under Whose banner he lives.

2) Verse 17 emphasizes the impossibility of keeping any secret. We are always trying to hide something:

a) From themselves. We turn a blind eye to various acts of action and habit, the bitter consequences of which are already obvious to us. We are like a person who deliberately closes his eyes to the symptoms of the disease, although he knows it. It is worth considering what incredible stupidity a person is capable of.

b) We try to hide something from our neighbors. But usually one way or another the secret becomes known. A person who hides the truth is unhappy. Happy is the man who has nothing to hide. It is said that once an architect proposed ancient Greek philosopher Plato to build a house in which every room would be hidden from the eyes of people. “I will pay you double,” said Plato, “if you build me a house, every room of which anyone could look into.” Frank Man happy.

c) Sometimes we even try to hide something from God. But nothing is more impossible. It would be good if we constantly remembered what the Bible says: "You are the God who sees me." (Gen. 16,13).

3) In verse 18, the universal law is stated: whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, what he thinks to have will be taken away from him. If a person with a physical healthy body and the spirit will take care of itself, it will be capable of more and more significant accomplishments; if a person sinks, he will become lethargic, indecisive and will lose those abilities that he had. The more the student learns, the more he can learn; but if he refuses to continue his studies, he will forget what he knows. In other words, there is no permanent in life. We are either moving forward or we are left behind, and those who do not move forward are bound to lag behind life. Who seeks will always find; but he who ceases to seek loses what he had.

TRUE RELATIONSHIPS (Luke 8:19-21)

It is easy to see that, at least during the period of Jesus' stay on earth, the members of His family were not in complete agreement with Him. AT Mar. 3:21 says that "his neighbors went to take him, for they said that he had lost his temper." AT Mat. 10:36 Jesus warns his disciples that a man's enemies can be his own, and this he spoke from his bitter experience.

This passage expresses a great truth of great practical importance. Often a person feels closer to strangers than to relatives. The closest relationship between people is not blood relationship, but the relationship of souls and thoughts. Only people with common goals, common principles and common interests become truly close to each other.

Let us recall the definition of the Kingdom of God, with which we have already become acquainted. The Kingdom of God is manifested on earth in His communities, just as it perfectly fulfills the will of God in heaven. The highest perfection of Jesus lay precisely in the fact that He achieved the unity of His will and the will of God. And therefore, all people whose sole purpose is to make the will of God their own will belong to the true family of Jesus. We say that all people are children of God, and this is true, because God loves both saints and sinners; but true kinship with God is always ethically conditioned. Only then does true kinship with God arise when a person, with the help of the Holy Spirit, completely subordinates his will to the will of God.

The Stoics declared that this was the only path to happiness in life. They insisted that whatever happens, whatever befalls a person - joy or sorrow, victory or defeat, profit or loss, the radiance of the sun or a shadow - in everything is the will of God. A person who does not recognize this, beats his head against the universe, which gives him nothing but suffering.

When a man looks to God and says, "Do with me what You please," he has found the way to happiness.

Two truths follow from this:

1) There is fidelity that surpasses all earthly fidelity, there is something that stands above everything on earth. In this sense, Jesus Christ is a demanding Master because He does not share a person's heart with anyone or anything. Love is an exceptional feeling. You can love only one and serve only one master at a time.

2) It is really difficult, but this is the great miracle: when a person commits himself completely to Christ, he becomes a member of a family that includes the whole world. Whatever hardships you endure, they will be rewarded. As John Oxenham wrote:

Inseparable in Christ

Neither west nor east

Neither south nor north - God is alive

He attracted us to the community.

Redeemed heart everywhere

Bliss is destined

In His ministry and work

Merge into one.

Give me your hand, brother,

Wherever in the world you live

But once he entered the family of Christ -

You are dear to me and sweet.

East and West, North, South -

Merge in praise:

In Jesus we are brother and friend

All over the earth.

The man who seeks the will of God in Jesus Christ has entered the family of all the saints of heaven and earth.

PRESSURE THE STORM (Luke 8:22-25)

Luke tells this event extremely concisely, but picturesquely. No doubt part of the reason Jesus decided to cross the lake was because they were tired and needed rest. And as they sailed, He fell asleep.

It is very sweet to imagine a sleeping Jesus. He is tired, as we are tired. And He was tired, and He needed sleep. He entrusted the move to His disciples: they were fishermen on this lake, and, therefore, He simply relied on them, entrusted His cares to the Lord, for He knew that He was as close to Him on the lake as on dry land.

But suddenly a storm broke out. The Sea of ​​Galilee is notorious for sudden oncoming squalls. One traveler says: "The sun had barely set when the wind blew sharply on the lake and blew continuously all night with increasing force, so that when we reached the shore the next morning, its surface was like a boiling abyss." The reason for this is the following. The Sea of ​​Galilee lies 208 meters below the level of the Mediterranean Sea. Around it stretches the plain, and further - high mountains. The rivers have dug deep channels in the plain, through which, as if through wind tunnels, a cold wind from the mountains rushes to the lake; and so storms arise. The same traveler describes how they tried to secure their tents in such a storm. "We had to double all the ropes, and even after that we often had to lean with our whole body to hold our rocking tent so that the storm wouldn't pick it up and blow it away."

It was in such a sudden storm that the boat fell that day, and the lives of Jesus and His disciples were in danger. The disciples woke Jesus up and He rebuked the wind and calmed the storm.

Everything Jesus did was not only transitory. The real meaning of this journey lies in the following: where Jesus, the storm is abating there.

1) Jesus appears and the storm of temptation subsides. Sometimes temptation seizes a person with an almost irresistible force. As Stevenson once said, "Do you know Edinburgh's Caledonian Station? One dark, cold morning I met the devil there." We all have to face the devil. If we alone meet a storm of temptations, we will perish, but Christ brings silence in which temptations lose their power.

2) Jesus calms the storm of passion. The life of a passionate person is twice as hard. One man once met his friend, a man with a warm heart and a passionate character. "I I see,” he says to him, “that you have successfully curbed your character.” “No,” he answered him, “it was not I who curbed my character. Jesus curbed it for me."

If the heart is sad

Full of anger, full of pride

Thoughts sting steadily

The sky is dark because of tears, -

He alone forgives all bitterness

Words of resentment, the heat of passion,

Mercifully grants me

The height of bliss: peace to the soul.

We are doomed to destruction unless Jesus gives us peace and strength to overcome.

3) Jesus calms the storm of sorrow. Sorrow and suffering burst into everyone's life at some time, for suffering is often a punishment for love. If a person loves, he has to suffer. One man said after the death of his wife: "It was as if someone was holding my head so that I would not grieve." At such an hour, the hands of Jesus wipe away the tears, and the heart of the mourner is calmed.

CASTING OUT DEMONS (Luke 8:26-39)

We will never even be able to understand anything from this passage if we - regardless of what we ourselves think about demons - do not realize that they were at all real for the people of the Gadara neighborhood and for the demoniac itself. A person possessed by demons was too much of a danger to people, and therefore, lived somewhere among the graves, which were believed to serve as dwellings for demons. It should be noted the boldness with which Jesus acted in delivering the demon-possessed from the demons. The possessed one had a very great power, which allowed him to break his chains and bonds. The countrymen were so afraid of him that they would never have tried to do anything to alleviate his lot; and Jesus met him calmly and without fear. When Jesus asked the demoniac about his name, he answered "legion" (the Roman legion consisted of 6 thousand soldiers).

Too many people have created problems around the pig episode. Jesus was even condemned for sending demons on innocent pigs. This was considered a cruel and immoral act. The demoniac would never have believed in his healing if he did not have obvious evidence. Only one thing could cure him: he had to see for himself how the demons leave him. Is it possible to compare a herd of pigs, on the one hand, and immortal soul person on the other? Should we complain if at the cost of the lives of these pigs saved human soul? Isn't it perverted righteousness to complain about the death of pigs, if by doing so a person could be cured? We must not forget about the sense of proportion. If the death of the pigs was necessary in order to convince this man that he had recovered, then is it reasonable to object that this actually happened?

Let's see how they reacted to it. different people.

1) Inhabitants of the Gadara neighborhood asked Jesus to leave them.

a) They did not like that their order of life was violated. Their lives were peaceful until the arrival of Jesus, who disturbed their peaceful course, and they hated Him. Many people hate Jesus just because He violates their established order of life. If Jesus demands from a person "You must get rid of this habit, you must change your life", if He says to the employer: "You cannot be a Christian and force people to work on such conditions", if He addresses a landlord who rents apartments and says him, "You can't charge people such a rent for such a slum," then perhaps they would all say to Him, "Go away and leave us alone."

b) They valued their pigs above the human soul. One of the greatest dangers of life is that people value property over a person. That is why there are slums and bad conditions. Living by the principle, "Your own shirt is closer to the body", we have become selfish, we demand peace and comfort for ourselves, even if for this some tired person has to work to the point of exhaustion. But in this world there is nothing more important than a person.

2) But how did the cured man react! It was only natural that he asked Jesus to be with Him, but Jesus sent him home. To bear witness to Christianity, as well as to show Christian mercy, one should first of all begin at home. After all, it is much easier to live and preach about Christ among people who do not know us at all. But Christ tells us to preach about Him where He has placed us. And even if one of you is the only Christian in the workshop, in the bureau, in the school, in the factory, in the group in which you work or live, then you should not complain at all. Rather, see it as a call from Christ: "Go and tell the people you meet every day what I have done for you."

THE HEALING OF THE ONLY DAUGHTER (Luke 8:40-42 and 49-56)

Joy after sorrow clearly sounds here, Luke subtly depicts the tragedy of the girl's death. This feeling was exacerbated by the following circumstances:

a) She was the only daughter of her parents. Only Luke told about this: the clear light of the parents went out.

b) She was only twelve years old. This means that she was just on the threshold of maturity, because in the East, children develop faster than in the West. At this age she , Perhaps she was already thinking about marriage. And then the dawn of life suddenly turned into night.

c) Jairus was the head of the synagogue, that is, he was responsible for the synagogue and for conducting divine services. He achieved the highest position and respect in the eyes of his fellow tribesmen, was undoubtedly a wealthy man who made great efforts to climb the social ladder and satisfy his earthly ambition. And suddenly life, which had given him everything possible with a generous hand, seemed ready to take away from him - as often happens - the most precious thing. The whole story is filled with the sadness of life.

The mourners have already come to the house. To us, this may seem far-fetchedly repulsive. But to invite such paid mourners was a sign of respect for the deceased, and people never neglected this custom. The girl died. Everyone was sure of it. However, it is clear that Jesus brought the girl back to life. There is a very practical point to be made. Jesus commanded to immediately give the girl something to eat. Perhaps He was thinking about the mother as much as about the girl. Such a sharp change of pain caused by the death of her daughter, the joyful shock of her resurrection could well have caused her extreme nervous exhaustion. To save a person, it is important to keep him busy. It may be that Jesus, in His responsive wisdom, knowing human nature so well, simply wanted to give the overexcited woman something to do to calm her down. But even more interesting for us in this story is Jairus.

1) He was clearly a man who could suppress your ego. He was the leader of the synagogue. By this time, the doors of the synagogue were already closing to Jesus, if they were not already completely closed to Him. Jairus probably did not adore Jesus and must have considered him a lawbreaker. But when he was in dire need, he humbled himself and turned to Jesus for help.

In the famous "Song of Roland", Roland, a knight of Emperor Charlemagne, during his Spanish campaign in 778, with the entire rearguard, was surrounded and destroyed by the Saracens in the Ronceval Gorge. Roland had Olifan's horn taken from the giant Yatmund, the sound of which was heard 48 km away. His sound was so strong that with him the birds fell to the ground dead. Olivier, a friend of Roland, begged him to blow his trumpet so that Emperor Charles would hear, return and help them. But Roland was too proud to ask for help. And his warriors fell one by one in battle, and, finally, he alone survived. And only then, dying, he strained all his strength and blew a horn, and Charlemagne, hearing his sound, hurried back to help Roland. But it was too late - Roland was dead because he was too proud to ask for help in time.

The frivolous believe that they themselves are the masters of their lives. But only then will people become partakers of the miracles and mercy of God, if they suppress their self-love and humbly admit their impotence to achieve everything on their own. Therefore, people should turn to God and tell Him their needs. Ask and it will be given to you, but without that you cannot expect anything to be given.

2) Jairus, no doubt was a man of faith. Whatever his personal feelings, he did not quite agree with the lamentations of the mourning women: and he and his wife entered the room where their daughter lay. He hoped for a miracle. His soul was undoubtedly worried: "After all, no one knows what this Jesus can do." And we don't know everything Jesus can do for us. In the darkest days, we can trust in His unfathomable treasures, inexhaustible mercy, and invincible power.

NOT HIDDEN IN THE CROWD (Luke 8:43-48)

This story made an extraordinary impression on the early Christian Church. It was believed that this woman was a pagan from Caesarea Philippi. Eusebius, a major church historian (c. A.D. 300), reports that, according to tradition, this woman erected a statue in her hometown to commemorate her recovery. It was said that this statue stood there until the time of Emperor Julian, who tried to restore worship pagan gods, who destroyed the statue, and put his own in its place, but that his statue was destroyed by the thunder of heaven.

The shame and trembling of the woman was based on the fact that, according to the law, she was unclean (A lion. 15:19-33). Her bleeding simply isolated her from society. That is why she did not openly approach Jesus, but crept up behind Him in the crowd; and therefore the question of Jesus about who had touched Him so stunned her.

The clothes of all pious Jews were decorated at the edges with tassels, and a blue thread was inserted into the four tassels located at the edges. (Num. 15,37-41; Deut. 22.12). Every time a Jew dressed, they were to remind him that he belonged to the chosen people and was obliged to keep the law of God. Later, when the lives of the Jews were in constant danger, they wore these brushes on their underwear. The Jews still observe this rite today and wear tassels with blue thread on their shawls, which they throw over their shoulders and head during prayer. But at the time of Jesus, they were still worn on outer clothing, and the sick woman touched one of these brushes.

And again we encounter remarks specific to Luka the doctor. Mark says that this woman "suffered a lot from many doctors, exhausted everything she had and did not get any benefit", and her condition even worsened (Mar. 5.26). Luke does not quote the last part of the sentence because he chose not to condemn the doctors.

It is interesting to note that from the moment Jesus came face to face with this woman, it was as if there was no one but Jesus and the woman. But all this happened among the crowd; but she is forgotten and Jesus spoke to the woman as if she was the only one in the world. She, on the other hand, was a poor, useless sufferer, and it was to this useless woman that Jesus devoted all his attention.

After all, we are ready to attach labels to people and treat them in accordance with the position that they occupy in society. There were no artificial labels for Jesus. Whether he or she, they were suffering souls to Him. Love never evaluates people according to their role in society.

One day an important person came to visit Thomas Carlyle. Carlyle was busy with work and should not have been distracted from business, but his wife agreed to take the guest upstairs and slightly opened the door so that he could at least see the sage. She opened the door and they saw Carlyle, immersed in his work and forgetting everything else - he wrote the very books that made him famous. "This is Thomas Carlyle, the man the world is talking about, and he is my husband." His wife at that moment looked at Carlyle not as famous person but as for her beloved husband.

Almost all people would consider that this sick, unclean woman in the crowd is not even worthy of their attention. For Jesus, she was a suffering woman who needed help, and therefore, as we have seen, He completely forgot about the crowd and gave her all his attention. "God loves each of us as if He loves only one."

Commentaries (introduction) to the entire book "From Luke"

Comments on Chapter 8

"The most beautiful book in existence."(Ernest Renan)

Introduction

I. SPECIAL STATEMENT IN THE CANON

The most beautiful book in existence is praise, especially from the mouth of a skeptic. And yet, this is precisely the assessment given to the Gospel of Luke by the French critic Renan. And what can a sympathetic believer who reads the inspired masterpiece of this evangelist object to these words? Luke is perhaps the only pagan writer chosen by God to record His Scriptures, and this partly explains his special appeal to the heirs of Greco-Roman culture in the West.

Spiritually, we would be much poorer in our appreciation of the Lord Jesus and His ministry without the unique expressiveness of Dr. Luke.

It emphasizes our Lord's special interest in individuals, even the poor and outcasts, His love and salvation offered by Him to all people, not just Jews. Luke also emphasizes doxology (when he gives examples of early Christian hymns in chapters 1 and 2), prayer, and the Holy Spirit.

Luke - a native of Antioch, and a doctor by profession - was a companion of Paul for a long time, talked a lot with other apostles and in two books left us samples of the medicine for souls that he received from them.

External evidence Eusebius in his "History of the Church" about the authorship of the third Gospel is consistent with the general early Christian tradition.

Irenaeus widely cites the third gospel as being written by Luke.

Other early evidence in support of Luke's authorship includes Justin Martyr, Hegesippus, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian. In the extremely tendentious and abridged edition of Marcion, the Gospel of Luke is the only one accepted by this famous heretic. Muratori's fragmentary canon calls the third Gospel "according to Luke".

Luke is the only evangelist who wrote a continuation of his gospel, and it is from this book, the Acts of the Apostles, that Luke's authorship is most clearly seen. The passages with the word "we" in the Acts of the Apostles are a description of events in which the writer took a personal part (16:10; 20:5-6; 21:15; 27:1; 28:16; cf. 2 Tim. 4, eleven). After going through everyone, only Luka can be recognized as a participant in all these events. From the dedication to Theophilus and the style of writing, it is quite clear that the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are written by the same author.

Paul refers to Luke as "the beloved physician" and speaks of him specifically, not confusing him with Jewish Christians (Col. 4:14), which points to him as the only pagan writer in the NT. The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are larger than all of Paul's letters combined.

Internal evidence reinforce external documents and church traditions. Vocabulary (often more accurate in medical terms than other New Testament writers), along with literary style Greek, confirms the authorship of a cultured Gentile Christian physician, who is also well and thoroughly acquainted with Jewish characteristics. Luke's love for dates and precise studies (eg 1:1-4; 3:1) puts him in the ranks of the first historians of the Church.

III. WRITING TIME

The most probable date for the writing of the Gospel is the very beginning of the 60s of the 1st century. Some still attribute it to 75-85 years. (or even by the 2nd century), which is caused, at least, by a partial denial that Christ could accurately predict the destruction of Jerusalem. The city was destroyed in 70 AD, so the Lord's prophecy must have been written before that date.

Since almost everyone agrees that the Gospel of Luke should predate the writing of the book of Acts, and that Acts ends with Paul's stay in Rome around 63 AD, the earlier date seems to be correct. The great fire in Rome and the subsequent persecution of Christians, whom Nero declared responsible (64 AD), as well as the martyrdom of Peter and Paul, would hardly have been ignored by the first church historian if these events have already happened. Therefore, the most obvious date is 61-62 AD. AD

IV. PURPOSE OF WRITING AND THEME

The Greeks were looking for a person endowed with divine perfection and at the same time combining the best features of men and women, but without their shortcomings. This is how the Luke represents Christ - the Son of Man: strong and at the same time full of compassion. It emphasizes His human nature.

For example, here, more than in other Gospels, His prayer life is emphasized. Feelings of sympathy and compassion are often mentioned.

Perhaps that is why women and children occupy such a special place here. The gospel of Luke is also known as the missionary gospel.

This gospel is directed to the Gentiles, and the Lord Jesus is presented as the Savior of the world. And finally, this gospel is a manual for discipleship. We trace the path of discipleship in the life of our Lord and hear it detailed as He instructs His followers. In particular, it is this feature that we will trace in our presentation. In the life of a perfect Human, we will find elements that create an ideal life for all people. In His incomparable words we will find the way of the Cross to which He calls us.

As we begin our study of the Gospel of Luke, let us heed the call of the Savior, leave everything and follow Him. Obedience is a tool spiritual knowledge. The meaning of Holy Scripture will become clearer and dearer to us when we delve into the events described here.

Plan

I. PREFACE: LUKE'S PURPOSE AND HIS METHOD (1:1-4)

II. THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN AND HIS FOREIGNER (1.5 - 2.52)

III. PREPARATION OF THE SON OF MAN FOR SERVICE (3.1 - 4.30)

IV. THE SON OF MAN PROVES HIS POWER (4.31 - 5.26)

V. THE SON OF MAN EXPLAINS HIS MINISTRY (5:27 - 6:49)

VI. THE SON OF MAN EXPANDS HIS MINISTRY (7.1 - 9.50)

VII. INCREASING RESISTANCE TO THE SON OF MAN (9.51 - 11.54)

VIII. TEACHING AND HEALING ON THE WAY TO JERUSALEM (Ch. 12 - 16)

IX. THE SON OF MAN INSTRUCTS HIS DISCIPLES (17:1 - 19:27)

X. THE SON OF MAN IN JERUSALEM (19:28 - 21:38)

XI. THE SUFFERING AND DEATH OF THE SON OF MAN (Ch. 22-23)

XII. THE VICTORY OF THE SON OF MAN (Ch. 24)

H. Some women serve Jesus (8:1-3)

It should not be forgotten that the Gospel describes only some of the events in the life and ministry of our Lord. The Holy Spirit, by His will, has chosen some topics and left out many others. Here we have a simple account of how Jesus ministered to His disciples. by cities and villages Galilee. When He preached the gospel Kingdom of God women whom He blessed served Him, probably for food and lodging. For example, there was Mary called Magdalene. It is assumed that she was a titled lady from Magdala (Migdol). In any case, it was miraculously expelled from her seven demons. There was also John whose husband served steward of Herod, as well as Susanna and many others. Their love for our Lord has not gone unnoticed or unrecorded. In sharing their possessions with Jesus, they thought little of what Christians of all subsequent ages would read about their generosity and hospitality.

The theme of our Lord's ministry was the gospel Kingdom of God. Kingdom of God signifies the Kingdom, visible and invisible, wherever God's rule is acknowledged. Matthew uses the term "Kingdom of Heaven", but it is basically the same and means that "the Most High rules over the kingdom of men" (Dan. 4:29) and that His "kingdom is from generation to generation" (Dan. 4, 31).

In the NT we read about several phases of Kingdom development:

1. First of all, the Kingdom was proclaimed by John the Baptist, who said that it was at hand (Matt. 3:1-2).

2. Then the Kingdom was really present in the Personality of the King ("for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you," Luke 17:21). This was the good news of the Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed. He offered himself as the King of Israel (Luke 23:3).

4. Today the Kingdom is present in a hidden form (Matt. 13:11). Christ the King is temporarily absent, but some people on earth recognize His reign in their hearts. In a sense, the Kingdom today embraces all those who only profess to acknowledge the rule of God, even if they are not truly converted. This sphere of outward confession is seen in the parable of the sower and the seed (Luke 8:4-15), the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24-30), and the fish in the net (Matt. 13:47-50). However, in its deepest, truest sense, the Kingdom only includes those who are converted (Matt. 18:3) or regenerated (John 3:3). This is the realm of inner reality. (See commentary on Matt. 3:1-2.)

5. One day the Kingdom will be literally established here on earth, and the Lord Jesus Christ will reign for a thousand years as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 11:15; 19:16; 20:4).

6. The last phase is known as the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:11). This is the Kingdom for eternity.

I. Parable of the sower (8:4-15)

8,4-8 Parable about sower describes the Kingdom as it is today. It teaches us that the Kingdom of God includes not only confession, but also the real essence. And it serves as the basis for a very solemn warning about how we should listen Word of God. One should not lightly listen to the sermon and instructions from the Holy Scriptures.

Those who listen to him have a greater responsibility than before. If they reject what they hear or obey the Word selectively, they do so to their own peril.

But if they listen to the Word and obey it, they become able to receive more light from God. Jesus told a parable to a multitude of people, and then explained to the students. The parable spoke of sower, his seed, four types of soil, adopted seed, and four results.

The Lord ended the parable with the words: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" In other words, when you hear the Word of God, be careful how you receive it. For there to be fruit, the seed must fall on good land.

8,9-10 Students Jesus was asked about the meaning this parable, and the Lord explained that mysteries of the kingdom of God will not be understood by everyone. Since the disciples were willing to trust and obey, they given know the meaning of the teachings of Christ. However, Jesus deliberately expressed many truths in the form parables, so that others who do not have true love to Him, they did not understand; so seeing they do not see and hearing they do not understand. In a sense, they heard and saw. For example, they knew that Jesus was talking about the sower and his seed. But they didn't understand anymore. deep meaning this example. They did not understand that their hearts were hard, unreceptive, thorn-choked ground, and that they did not benefit from the Word they heard.

8,11-15 Only to the disciples did the Lord reveal the meaning parables. They have already accepted the teaching they have received, so more will be given to them. Jesus explained that the seed is the Word of God, that is, the truth of God, His teaching. fallen on the road symbolizes those who heard the Word, but treated it superficially and lightly. It remained on the surface of their lives. That's why the devil(the birds of the air) it was easy to carry the Word out of their hearts.

Listeners represented as rocky soil, also heard the Word, but did not allow it to penetrate into themselves. They didn't repent. The seed did not receive encouragement (moisture), so it withered and died. Perhaps at first they brilliantly confessed their faith, but this was not true. The sprout of their faith seemed alive on the outside, but had no inside. root. When troubles came, they left their Christian confession.

The listeners, who are compared to thorny ground, went well for a while, but proved to be untrue believers because they did not have the perseverance to go on. Cares, wealth and pleasures of life got the better of them, and the Word was quenched and crushed.

fallen on good land represents true believers whose hearts kind and pure. They not only embraced the Word, but allowed it to shape their lives. They were receptive to and obedient to doctrine, developing true Christian character and bringing fetus for God.

Darby summarizes the passage as follows:

“If, after hearing the Word, I not only rejoice in what I hear, but also possess it as my own, if what I hear becomes part of my soul, then I will gain even more; because when the truth becomes the property of my soul, then there appears the ability to perceive even more ".(J. N. Darby, The Gospel Of Luke, p. 61.)

J. Responsibility of hearers (8:16-18)

8,16 At first glance, this and previous sections not related. But in fact, the consistent train of thought is not interrupted here. The Savior still emphasizes the importance of how His disciples deal with His teachings. He likens himself to a man who lit a candle and does not cover it with a vessel or put it under the bed, but puts it in a candlestick so that all people saw the light. As He expounded to His disciples the principles of the Kingdom of God, He lit a candle. What should they do with her?

First of all, they must not cover her. vessel. In MF. 5:15, Mk. 4:21 and Luke. 11:13 also speaks of a vessel, which was used as a measure in the sphere of trade. So, a candle hidden under a measuring vessel could mean that in the hustle and bustle of business life, a person’s testimony was eclipsed or crowded out. It would be better to put a candle on a measuring vessel, that is, to practice Christianity in the business area, and use your business as a pulpit to spread the gospel message.

The student should put the candle in the candlestick. In other words, he must live the truth and preach it so that everyone can see it.

8,17 Verse 17 seems to indicate that if we allow business or laziness to limit our preaching of the Word, this neglect and our failure will come to light.

The hidden truth will become known, and what we have been hiding will be revealed.

8,18 Therefore, we must be careful how we listen. If we faithfully communicate the truth to other people, then God will reveal to us more and more profound truths. On the contrary, if we do not have a spirit of diligence in evangelism, then God will deprive us of the truth that we think we have. We lose what we don't use. G. H. Lang comments:

"The disciples listened, wanting to understand intellectually, willingly to believe and to show obedience; others listened indifferently, or out of curiosity, or resolutely opposed to what they heard. The first will be given more knowledge; the second will be deprived of the knowledge that they think they have."(G. H. Lang, The Parabolic Teaching of the Scripture, p. 60.)

But we need to share
This good news from heaven
If we want to keep it;
Stop giving
We stop having
This is the law of love.

(R.S. Trench)

K. True mother and brothers of Jesus (8:19-21)

At the moment when Jesus spoke His speech, He was told that they had come to Him mother and brothers and wait for Him to see. They are could not come to him because of the people. In response, the Lord said that a true relationship with Him does not depend on natural bonds, but on obedience. Word of God. He recognized as members of His family all those who tremble before the Word, accept it with humility, and are inwardly ready for obedience. No crowd can stop Him spiritual family to be among His hearers.

M. The Son of Man calms the storm (8:22-25)

8,22 This chapter goes on to describe how Jesus exercises His dominion over the forces of nature, demons, sickness, and even death. Everything obeys His word; only people reject Him. Severe storms on the Sea of ​​Galilee start unexpectedly, making sailing risky. But it was this storm that was orchestrated by Satan; perhaps he made an attempt to destroy the Savior of the world.

8,23 When the storm broke, Jesus slept; the fact that He fell asleep, testifies to the truth of His human nature. Storm subsided at the word of Jesus; this fact certifies His absolute Deity.

8,24 Students woke up Teachers, expressing desperate fear and fear for their safety. With complete composure, he stood up and forbade the wind and the waves, and came silence. What He did on the Sea of ​​Galilee, He can do today for the grieving, storm-tossed disciple.

8,25 He asked the students: "Where is your faith?" They shouldn't have been worried. They didn't have to wake Him up. No waters can swallow the ship on which the Lord of the ocean, earth and heaven reclines. To be in the boat with Christ is to be in absolute security and peace. The disciples did not fully appreciate the limits of their Master's power. Their understanding of Him was insufficient. They were surprised that the forces of nature obey Him. They were no different from us. In the storms of life, we too often fall into despair. Then, when the Lord comes to our aid, we marvel at the manifestation of His authority. And we are amazed that we do not trust Him more completely.

N. Healing of the Gadarene possessed (8:26-39)

8,26-27 When Jesus and His disciples reached the shore, they found themselves in the land Gadarinskaya. There they met human, obsessed demons. Matthew mentions two demoniacs, while Mark and Luke only mention one. Such a seeming discrepancy may indicate that there were actually two different events, or that one author gave a more complete description than the others. In this particular case of demon possession, the clothing offering did not wore, shunned society and lived in coffins.

8,28-29 Seeing Jesus, he begged to be left alone. Of course, through this unfortunate man spoke unclean spirit. Demon possession is a reality. These demons were not just influences. These were supernatural beings that inhabited a person and controlled his thoughts, speech and behavior. These particular demons caused a person to be extremely violent - so much so that during one of these violent fits he tore the chains with which they tied him and ran away into the desert. And this is not surprising when we see that enough demons have gathered in this one man to destroy about two thousand pigs (see Mark 5:13).

8,30-31 Name this person was "legion", because he was obsessed with legion demons. These demons recognized Jesus as the Son of the Most High God. They also knew that their judgment was imminent and that He was to execute it. However, they wanted a reprieve and pleaded with Jesus not to command them to go into the abyss.

8,32-33 They asked permission, leaving the man to enter a large herd of pigs who grazed right there on the mountain. They obtained such permission, resulting in a herd of pigs plunged down the steep slope into the lake and drowned. Today the Lord is criticized for destroying someone's property. But if Jews kept pigs, then their occupation was unclean and illegal. Whether Jews or Gentiles, they should value one person more than two thousand pigs.

8,34-39 The news quickly spread throughout the area. When many people gathered, they saw the former possessed who had completely returned to his normal, healthy state and decency. Inhabitants Gadarene the area was so upset that asked Jesus retire from them. They thought more of their pigs than of the Savior; cared more about multiplying their pigs than about their souls. Darby remarks:

"The world begs Jesus to depart, desiring to live in their own pleasures, being more disturbed by the presence of the power of God than by a legion of demons. Jesus withdraws. The man healed by him ... longs to be with Him, yet the Lord sends him back ... to be a witness of grace and power revealed on it."(Darby, synopsis, III:340.)

Later, when Jesus revisited the Decapolis, He was greeted by many well disposed people (Mark 7:31-37). Was it the result of the correct testimony of the healed possessed?

A. The cure of the incurable and the resurrection of the dead (8:40-56)

8,40-42 Jesus went back across the Sea of ​​Galilee to the western shore. There were a lot of people who were waiting for him. Jairus, head of the synagogue, especially longed to see him, because his twelve year old daughter was near death. He strongly requested Jesus immediately go to his house. However the people oppressed him, hindering progress.

8,43 Among the crowd was a timid but desperate a woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years. Doctor Luka admits she spent on doctors the whole estate and savings, but none of doctors couldn't heal her. (Mark makes an unprofessional remark that her condition has actually worsened!)

8,44-45 She felt that there was a power in Jesus that could heal her, and so she made her way through the crowd to where He was. Approaching, she touched the hem of his garment- hem or bottom edge of the Jewish garment (Numbers 15:38-39; Deut. 22:12). And immediately her blood flow stopped. and she was completely cured. She tried to leave quietly, but her escape was prevented by Jesus' question: "Who touched Me?" Peter and the other disciples thought it was not a very reasonable question: all sorts of people were crowding, pushing and touching Him!

8,46 But Jesus I recognized a touch of a very different kind. As someone said, "The flesh pushes, but faith touches." He knew that to Him touched faith because I felt force, that went out from Him, the power that healed the woman. He felt what strength gone from Him. Of course, He did not become less powerful than before; but healing was worth something to Him. There has been a waste of energy.

8,47-48 The woman approached with trepidation and began to apologize, explaining why touched him, and gratefully testify of what happened. Jesus rewarded her public confession by encouraging her faith in public and wishing her peace. No one ever touches Jesus in faith without Him knowing it and bestowing His blessing. No one ever confesses Him openly without receiving reinforcement of their assurance of salvation.

8,49 It is likely that the healing of the bleeding woman did not delay Jesus on the journey for long, but it did take some time, because a messenger came with the news that daughter Jairus died and therefore the services of the Master are no longer needed. There was faith that He could heal, but there was no faith that He could raise the dead.

8,50 But it was not so easy to dissuade Jesus from what was intended. He said words of comfort, encouragement and promise: "Do not be afraid, only believe, and you will be saved."

8,51-53 Arriving at the house, He entered the room, taking with Him only Peter, John and James together with parents. Everyone wept with grief, but Jesus told them to stop crying because the girl not dead, but sleeping. This caused Him to be ridiculed because they knew exactly that she died.

Was she really dead or was she in a deep sleep like a coma? Most interpreters agree that she was dead. They point out that Jesus also said about Lazarus that he was asleep, meaning that he was dead. Sir Robert Anderson says the girl was not really dead. (Sir Robert Anderson, Misunderstood Texts of the New Testament, p. 51.) Here are his arguments:

1. Jesus told the girl to get up. He used the same word as in verse 48 of this chapter, where it refers to healing, not resurrection. This word is never used in the NT when referring to the resurrection from the dead.

2. Jesus in the case of Lazarus used another word to mean "sleep."

3. People thought she was dead, but Jesus would not have claimed the resurrection from the dead if he knew for sure that she was sleeping.

Anderson says that this question only depends on who we want to believe. Jesus said she was sleeping. Others thought they knew she was dead.

8,54-56 In any case, Jesus told her: "Girl! Get up." She immediately got up. Returning her to her parents, Jesus told them not to talk about the miracle. He was not interested in fame, the unstable delight of the public, idle curiosity. This concludes the second year of Jesus' earthly ministry. Chapter 9 opens the third year, which begins with the sending of the twelve to work.

. After this, He went through the cities and villages, preaching and proclaiming the Kingdom of God, and with Him the twelve,

Having descended from heaven in order to present us with His own pattern and destiny in everything, the Lord teaches us not to be lazy in learning, but to go around in all places and preach; for whatever He did, He did for our instruction. He went through all the cities and villages and led twelve disciples with Him, who did not teach, did not preach, but themselves learned from Him and were edified by His deeds and His words.

The Lord preached not about earthly blessings, but about the Kingdom of Heaven. For who else was more fit to preach about heavenly things than the one who comes from heaven? That is why none of the prophets preached about the Kingdom of Heaven. For how could they preach about what they had not seen? That is why the Forerunner said: "who is of the earth... and speaks as he who is of the earth", a “Coming from heaven, ... what ... he saw, ... testifies of this” ().

. and some of the women whom He healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons came out,

. and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the steward of Herod, and Susanna, and many others who served him with their possessions.

Women also followed the Lord, so that we know that weakness does not prevent the female sex from following Christ. See also how they, being rich, despised, yet they all chose poverty for the sake of Christ and with Christ. And that they were rich, learn from the fact that they served the Lord with their own property and not with someone else's or unjustly acquired property, as many do.

In words: "out of which came seven demons" some take the number "seven" indefinitely, instead of: "many", for in Scripture the number seven is often taken instead of: "many." Another, perhaps, will say: as there are seven spirits of virtue, so, on the contrary, there are seven spirits of malice, for example: there is the spirit of the fear of God, there is, on the other hand, the spirit of God's fearlessness; there is a spirit of understanding, there is, on the other hand, a spirit of unreason, and so on. Unless these seven spirits of wickedness are cast out from the heart, no one can follow Christ. For Satan must first be cast out, and then Christ instilled.

. When a multitude of people had gathered, and from all the cities the inhabitants gathered to Him, He began to speak in a parable:

Now what David said long ago on behalf of Christ has come true. "I'll open it," he said, "My mouth is in a parable"(). The Lord spoke in parables for many purposes, namely: to make the listeners more attentive and excite their minds to investigate what is being said (for we people are usually more engaged in hidden speeches, and pay little attention to clear ones), and so that the unworthy would not understand what is said mysteriously; and for many other reasons He speaks in parables.

. a sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell by the wayside and was trampled on, and the birds of the air pecked at him;

. and another fell on a stone, and ascending, withered, because it had no moisture;

. and another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked him;

. and another fell on good ground and, rising up, brought forth fruit a hundredfold. Having said this, he proclaimed: He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

"The sower went out," that is, the Son of God. He “came out” from the bosom of the Father and from His hiddenness and became visible. Who came out? The one who always sows. For the Son of God never ceases to sow in our souls: He sows good seeds in our souls not only when He teaches, but also through this world, and through those manifestations that take place with us and around us. He went out not to destroy the farmers or burn the country, but only to sow. For the farmer often goes out, not only to sow, but also for others.

He "went out... to sow his seed". For the word of his teaching was his own, and not someone else's. The prophets, for example, whatever they said, did not speak of themselves, but of the Spirit; which is why they said, "This is what the Lord says." And Christ had His seed; why, when He taught, He did not say, "This is the Lord's word," but, "I say to you."

"When He sowed", that is, taught, "another seed fell on the road. He did not say: the sower threw, but: it "fell"; for the sower sows and teaches, and the word falls into the hearts of the hearers. They turn out to be either a road, or a stone, or a thorn, or a good earth.

. And His disciples asked Him: What would this parable mean?

. He said: It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, so that seeing they do not see and hearing they do not understand.

When the disciples asked about the parable, the Lord told them: “It has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God”, that is, you who want to learn; for everyone who asks receives. "But to the rest," unworthy of the sacraments, they communicate in secret, and such seem to see, but "do not see," and hear, but "do not understand," and this is for their own good. For Christ hid this from them for this purpose, so that, having known the mysteries and despised them, they would not fall under greater condemnation, since he who knows and neglects is worthy of the gravest punishment.

. This is what this parable means: the seed is the word of God;

. but what fell along the way is the hearers, to whom the devil then comes and takes the word out of their hearts, so that they would not believe and be saved;

Three categories of people who are not saved according to this parable. The first group includes those who are like a seed that fell along the path, that is, they did not receive the teaching at all, for just as the trodden and beaten road does not accept the seed, because it is hard, so the hard-hearted do not accept the teaching at all, because although they listen but without attention.

. and those who fell on the stone are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy, but who have no root, and believe for a time, but fall away in the time of temptation;

The other includes those who are like a seed that fell on a stone, that is, those who, although they accepted the teaching, but then, due to human weakness, turned out to be powerless before temptations.

. and those who have fallen into thorns are those who hear the word, but, departing, are crushed by worries, wealth and worldly pleasures and do not bear fruit;

The third category, however, are those who know the doctrine and yet are overwhelmed by the cares of life. So there are three parts of those who perish, and one part of those who are saved. Thus, those who are saved are few, but those who perish are very many. See how He speaks of those who are overwhelmed by the cares of life: He did not say that they are overwhelmed by wealth, but by the cares of wealth. For it is not wealth that harms, but care about it. Because many have benefited from wealth by distributing it to satisfy the hunger of the poor.

. and those who have fallen on good ground are those who, having heard the word, keep it in a good and pure heart and bear fruit in patience. Having said this, He proclaimed: He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Consider, perhaps, the accuracy of the evangelist, as he said of those who are being saved: "hearing the word, keep it". This he said for the sake of those who are "on the way"; for these do not contain the doctrine, but the devil takes it away from them. "And bear fruit"- He said this for the sake of those who are “suffocated by the cares of this world” and do not endure to the end, for such, that is, those who do not bear fruit to the end, do not bear fruit. “In patience,” he said for the sake of those who are “on the stone”; they accept the teaching, but, not resisting the one who finds temptation, they turn out to be worthless. You see how He said about those who are being saved: "keep ... and bear fruit in patience" and through these three characteristics he distinguished them - from those who do not contain, what are those who are "along the way", from those who do not bear fruit, what are those who are "in thorns", and from those who cannot bear the temptation that attacked them, what are those who " on the stone and

. No one, having lit a candle, covers it with a vessel, or puts it under the bed, but puts it on a candlestick so that those who come in can see the light.

. For there is nothing hidden that will not be made manifest, nor hidden that will not be made known and revealed.

. Therefore, watch how you listen: for whoever has, to him will be given, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks to have will be taken away from him.

Here is the beginning of another teaching. For He turns to the disciples and says this with the aim of instructing them to be diligent in life and unceasing ascetics, since everyone will turn their eyes to them. For everyone is looking at the teacher and the preacher, everyone is watching him, whether he is good or vice versa, and he will not hide anything of his own. So, if you disciples will be careful and diligent, then God will give you great grace; and whoever does not have thoroughness and attentiveness, by his negligence will quench and destroy that gift from God, which, apparently, he has.

. And his mother and his brothers came to him, and they could not come to him because of the people.

Hence it turns out that Christ was not together with His relatives according to the flesh, but they came to Him, for He, having left them, is engaged in spiritual teaching. So everyone who is entrusted with the service of God should not prefer anything to him; but we must also leave our parents, if they uselessly and in vain hinder us in the work of God, just as the Lord is now doing.

. And let Him know: Your Mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see You.

. He answered and said to them: My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.

When some told Him about His relatives, He does not enter into brotherhood among the few, and He does not attach the honor to the sons of Joseph, as if they were only His brothers. But since He came to save the whole world and make everyone brothers, He says: "My mother and my brothers are those who listen to the word of God; then, since hearing alone does not save anyone, but only condemns, He says: "and I will do it." For we must listen and act together. He calls His teaching the Word of God, for whatever He said, everything belonged to His Father, since He was not an adversary to God, so that His words would not be God's.

Some understand this in this way: since Christ taught and was in glory for His teaching, some, excited by envy, as if in mockery of Him, said: “behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside, wanting to see you”. Since His Mother was poor and His brothers were not glorious, like the children of a carpenter, they, in order to disgrace Him as an ignoble one, pointed Him to His Mother and brothers. But He, knowing their thought, said: The poverty of relatives does not harm Me in the least; on the contrary, if anyone, even if he is poor, listens to the Word of God, I make him my kinsman.

. One day He got into a boat with His disciples and said to them: let's cross over to the other side of the lake. And they set off.

. While they were sailing, He fell asleep. A stormy wind arose on the lake, and flooded them: waves, and they were in danger.

. And, having approached, they woke Him up and said: Master! Mentor! perish.

The Lord falls asleep with a special intention, namely: to deliver the exercise to the disciples and to test what their faith is, whether they will remain without embarrassment from temptations. It turns out that they are weak. They reveal faith not perfect, but mixed with unbelief. For they believe that He is able to save, but how those of little faith say: save! "we perish". And if they had perfect faith, they would be fully convinced that it is even impossible for them to perish when the Almighty is with them.

But He, having risen, rebuked the wind and the waves of the water; and they stopped, and there was silence.

To make His power more evident, He allowed them to be confused. For we people tend to remember more that deliverer who saved us from great danger. So He arose and saved them, not at the beginning, but when they were on the brink of danger.

You can see and figurative sense. The present event is an image of what happened to the disciples afterwards. The lake is Judea, upon which a strong storm of rage against Christ came, as the Jews raged at the crucifixion of the Lord. The disciples were also confused, for they all left Him and fled. But the Lord arose from sleep, that is, resurrected, and the disciples calmed down again. For, appearing before them, He said: "Peace be with you" (). This is the figurative meaning of this place.

. Then He said to them, Where is your faith? And they, in fear and wonder, said to each other: Who is this, that he commands both the winds and the water, and obey Him?

"Who is it?" they say this not in a sense of doubt, but in a sense of wonder. They said, as it were, “Who is this,” that is, how great and marvelous He is, and with what power and strength does He do this?!

. And they sailed to the country of Gadara, lying opposite Galilee.

. When He came ashore, a man from the city met Him, possessed by demons for a long time, and who did not wear clothes, and lived not in a house, but in tombs.

. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, 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, don't torment me.

Look: the demon is possessed by two passions of malice: insolence and fear. For the words: "what have you to do with me" are characteristic of a daring and shameless slave, but “I beseech you” of a timid one. He lives in "coffins", with the intention of giving people the sly idea that the souls of the dead become demons.

For: Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of this man, because he tormented him for a long time, so that he was bound with chains and bonds, saving him; but he broke the bands and was driven by a demon into the wilderness.

. Jesus asked him: What is your name? He said legion, because many demons had entered into him.

. And they asked Jesus not to command them to go into the abyss.

. Right there on the mountain a large herd of pigs grazed; and: demons asked Him to let them enter into them. He allowed them.

. The demons, coming out of the man, entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned.

The demons ask that they not be commanded to "go into the abyss", but that they are still allowed to live on earth. The Lord allows them to be on earth so that by attacking people, they will make them more glorious. For if there were no opposing ones, there would be no feats, and if there were no feats, there would be no crowns.

Know more figurative meaning. Whoever has demons in himself, that is, demonic deeds, does not put on clothes, that is, does not have baptismal clothes and does not live in a house, that is, in a church, for he is not worthy to enter the church, but lives "in tombs", that is in places of dead deeds, for example, in obscene houses, in house-keepers (customs). For such houses are the receptacles of wickedness.

. The shepherds, seeing what had happened, ran and told the story in the city and in the villages.

. And they went out to see what had happened; and when they came to Jesus, they found a man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and of sound mind; and were horrified.

. And those who saw it told them how the demon-possessed one was healed.

. And all the people of the Gadara neighborhood asked Him to depart from them, because they were seized with great fear. He entered the boat and returned.

. The man from whom the demons came out asked Him to be with Him. But Jesus let him go, saying:

. Return to your house and tell what God has done for you. He went and preached throughout the city what Jesus had done for him.

The flight of the shepherds was an excuse for the Gadarenes to save themselves; but they did not understand. They should have marveled at the power of the Savior and believed in Him, but they, it is said, asked, that is, begged Jesus to depart from them. For they were afraid lest they should yet suffer some other loss, just as they had lost their pigs. But the one who has received healing presents an indisputable proof of healing. He became so healthy in mind that he knew Jesus and asked Him to be with Him. He was probably afraid that, after moving away from Jesus, he would again not fall into the power of demons. But the Lord, showing him that he, not being with Jesus, but covered by His grace, can be above demonic networks, says to him: "Go back to your house and tell what God has done for you". Didn't say: "what have I done for you" to give us an example of humility of mind and that we would relate every happily accomplished deed to God. But the healed man was so sensible that he talked about what "Jesus" had done to him. Although the Lord commanded him to tell about what "God" did to him, and he tells what "Jesus" did to him. So, when we do good to someone, we should not want to preach about him; but he to whom a good thing has been done must proclaim it, even if we do not wish it.

. When Jesus returned, the people accepted him, because everyone was waiting for him.

Jesus had just returned from the country of Gadara, and the people were already waiting for Him, partly for the sake of teaching, and partly for the sake of miracles.

. And behold, a man came by the name of Jairus, who was the ruler of the synagogue; and falling down at the feet of Jesus, he begged him to enter his house,

. because he had one daughter, about twelve years old, and she was about to die.

One leader of the synagogue also came, neither poor nor outcast, but one of the first. The Evangelist also adds his name, so that it becomes all the more obvious that the miracle is true. At the insistence of need, he falls at the feet of Jesus. Even if he had to fall before Jesus without urgent need and confess Him as the Existing God, it happens, however, that even sorrow induces people to choose a better one. Why did David say: “Do not be like a horse, like a foolish hinny, whose jaws need to be curbed with a bridle and a bit, so that they submit to you” ().

As he walked, the people crowded him.

. And a woman who suffered from bleeding for twelve years, who, having spent all her property on doctors, could not be cured by any one,

. coming up behind, she touched the hem of his garment; and immediately the flow of her blood stopped.

In the course of the Lord's journey, a woman approaches, guided by a very strong faith. "Coming up, she touched the edge of the clothes" Lord in the certainty that as soon as he touches, he will immediately be healed. "And immediately her blood flow stopped". As if someone turns their eyes to a shining light or brings brushwood to a fire, they (light and fire) immediately have their effect, so the woman who brought faith to the One who could heal was immediately healed. For she did not think about anything, neither about the long-term illness, nor about the despair of the doctors, nor about anything else, but she only believed, and she was saved. And it seems that she touched Jesus first with her mind and then with her body.

. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all were denied, Peter also said to those who were with him: Master! the people surround you and oppress you, and you say: who touched me?

The Lord, wishing to show everyone the faith of his wife, to imitate her, and to give Jairus a good hope for his daughter, reveals what was done secretly. Namely: He asks about who touched Him, but Peter, as a bold one, reproaching Him for such a question, says: So many people hinder You, “And You say: Who touched Me?” But he did not understand what the Lord was asking. For Jesus asked: "who touched me" with faith, and not just like that. For just as everyone has ears to hear, and yet another, having ears, does not hear, so also in this case one touches with faith, and another, although he draws near, his heart is far away. So the Lord, although he knew the wife, asks, however, in order, as I said, to glorify her faith and to give more hope to the head of the synagogue, he asks and thus leads the wife to the middle.

. But Jesus said, "Someone touched Me, for I felt the power that went out of Me."

. The woman, seeing that she had not hidden herself, approached with trembling, and, falling down before Him, declared to Him before all the people why she had touched Him, and how she was immediately healed.

. He said to her: dare, daughter! your faith has saved you; go in peace.

"I felt the power coming out of me". He speaks rightly. For the prophets did not have the power that comes from them: they performed miracles by the grace of God. And Jesus, being the Source of all goodness and all strength, also has strength that comes from Him. Christ doubly heals his wife: firstly, he healed her illness, and then he pacified the fear of the soul, saying: “be of good cheer, daughter!” .

. While He was still speaking this, someone from the house of the ruler of the synagogue came and said to him: Your daughter is dead; don't bother the teacher.

. But Jesus, hearing this, said to him: do not be afraid, only believe, and she will be saved.

Jesus, having heard that someone said to the ruler of the synagogue: do not disturb the Teacher, that is, "do not trouble", do not ask to go, did not allow the ruler of the synagogue to say anything to Himself, but warned him so that the leader of the synagogue would not say: I do not have in You needs; the misfortune has already happened; the one we hoped you would heal is dead. So that he would not say anything like that (for he was an unbelieving Jew), Christ forestalled him and said: "don't be afraid, just believe"; look, - he says, - at the bleeding one; imitate her and you will not be deceived.

. And when he came into the house, he did not allow anyone to enter, except Peter, John and James, and the father of the maiden, and the mother.

The Lord allows only Peter, John and James to enter with Him, as the most chosen of the disciples and as able to keep silent about the miracle, for He did not want it to be revealed to many ahead of time. He hid most of His works, perhaps because of the envy of the Jews, so that, inflamed with envy, they would not be guilty of condemnation. We should act in the same way: if someone envies us, we should not reveal our perfections before him, so that, striking him with them, we would not arouse more envy in him and not lead him into sin, but should, as far as possible, try to hide them from him. .

. Everyone wept and wept for her. But He said, do not weep; she is not dead, but asleep.

. And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead.

When the Lord said that the girl "not dead, but sleeping", and called it a dream (because he had to resurrect the dead, as if to awaken from sleep), then those who heard this laughed at Him that He then allowed the miracle to be more a miracle - so that later they could not say that the maiden did not die, but slept, for this He arranged it so that first they mocked Him for saying: "not dead, but sleeping" to stop the mouth of those who want to slander. For the maidens were so obvious that they laughed at Him when He said that she was not dead.

. He sent them all out, and taking her by the hand, he exclaimed: maiden! get up.

The Lord sent everyone out, perhaps in order to teach us not to love glory and not to do anything for show, or perhaps in order to instill that he who performs a miracle should not be among many, but should be in solitude. and be free from all disturbance from others.

. And her spirit returned; she immediately got up, and He ordered to give her something to eat.

"And the spirit returned" maidens. For the Lord did not bring in a new soul, but commanded that the same one that had flown away from the body return. He ordered food to be served to her - for greater assurance and proof that she really had risen.

. And her parents were surprised. He ordered them not to tell anyone about what had happened.

It can be understood that way. Bleeding is every soul in which bloody and murderous sin seethes and bubbles up, as it were. For every sin is a killer and slaughterer of the soul. If the soul touches the clothes of Jesus, that is, His incarnation, and believes that the Son of God has become incarnate, then it will receive health. If someone is also the head of the synagogue, that is, the mind, which rises above the wealth accumulated from covetousness, but his daughter, that is, the thought, falls ill, then let him only call on Jesus and believe in Him, and be saved.