Luke
8
- After this, Jesus traveled about from one
town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.
The Twelve were with him,
- and also some women who had been cured of
evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons
had come out;
- Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's
household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them
out of their own means.
- While a large crowd was gathering and people
were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable:
- "A farmer went out to sow his seed.
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on,
and the birds of the air ate it up.
- Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the
plants withered because they had no moisture.
- Other seed fell among thorns, which grew
up with it and choked the plants.
- Still other seed fell on good soil. It came
up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown." When he said
this, he called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
- His disciples asked him what this parable
meant.
- He said, "The knowledge of the secrets
of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables,
so that, "'though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may
not understand.'
- "This is the meaning of the parable:
The seed is the word of God.
- Those along the path are the ones who hear,
and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that
they may not believe and be saved.
- Those on the rock are the ones who receive
the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for
a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.
- The seed that fell among thorns stands for
those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries,
riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
- But the seed on good soil stands for those
with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering
produce a crop.
- "No one lights a lamp and hides it in
a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those
who come in can see the light.
- For there is nothing hidden that will not
be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out
into the open.
- Therefore consider carefully how you listen.
Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks
he has will be taken from him."
- Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see
him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd.
- Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers
are standing outside, wanting to see you."
- He replied, "My mother and brothers
are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."
- One day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's
go over to the other side of the lake." So they got into a boat and set
out.
- As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall
came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in
great danger.
- The disciples went and woke him, saying,
"Master, Master, we're going to drown!" He got up and rebuked the
wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.
- "Where is your faith?" he asked
his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is
this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him."
- They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes,
which is across the lake from Galilee.
- When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by
a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn
clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.
- When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell
at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with
me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!"
- For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to
come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained
hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been
driven by the demon into solitary places.
- Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"
"Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him.
- And they begged him repeatedly not to order
them to go into the Abyss.
- A large herd of pigs was feeding there on
the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave
them permission.
- When the demons came out of the man, they
went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake
and was drowned.
- When those tending the pigs saw what had
happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside,
- and the people went out to see what had happened.
When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone
out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were
afraid.
- Those who had seen it told the people how
the demon-possessed man had been cured.
- Then all the people of the region of the
Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear.
So he got into the boat and left.
- The man from whom the demons had gone out
begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,
- "Return home and tell how much God has
done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus
had done for him.
- Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed
him, for they were all expecting him.
- Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue,
came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house
- because his only daughter, a girl of about
twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.
- And a woman was there who had been subject
to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.
- She came up behind him and touched the edge
of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
- "Who touched me?" Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding
and pressing against you."
- But Jesus said, "Someone touched me;
I know that power has gone out from me."
- Then the woman, seeing that she could not
go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all
the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly
healed.
- Then he said to her, "Daughter, your
faith has healed you. Go in peace."
- While Jesus was still speaking, someone came
from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead,"
he said. "Don't bother the teacher any more."
- Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't
be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."
- When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he
did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child's
father and mother.
- Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and
mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead
but asleep."
- They laughed at him, knowing that she was
dead.
- But he took her by the hand and said, "My
child, get up!"
- Her spirit returned, and at once she stood
up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.
- Her parents were astonished, but he ordered
them not to tell anyone what had happened.
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