CHAPTER 8

1 And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,
2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.

As Jesus traveled through cities and villages, a large crowd of followers surrounded Him.
There were the "twelve" disciples: And there were "many others" who followed Jesus. Among these were "certain women" whom Jesus had healed and helped. These "ministered" to Jesus and the disciples out of their own "substance."

In order for any large ministry to exist and remain, there must be supporters who minister out of their "substance."

4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:
5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

This particular teaching of Jesus is communicated in Matthew 13:3-23, and Mark 4:3-25.

It is usually referred to as The Parable of the Sower.
Wycliff says it could better be referred to as The Parable of the Soils.

We see in verse 9 that the disciples wanted an explanation of the parable.
The area was indeed farming country. The disciples had no problem understanding the facts about farming; but they wanted Jesus to explain the application of the parable.

Many of the farmers scattered seed upon prepared ground.
However, travelers used trodded down paths. The ground was also rocky, and some of the rocks were underneath a shallow amount of soil. Another problem was the thorn bushes which grew in clumps. Even if they were cut down, the roots caused a problem for crop growth.
The disciples understood all this; but again, they desired Jesus to show them WHY He was using such a parable, and HOW it related to the Kingdom of God.

Jesus told them He would certainly explain, because it was "given" for them to understand. In other words, because they came to Him FOR an explanation, it was "given" of God's will that they RECEIVE an explanation.

Let me pause here and say that, if your heart desires to know about the Bible, and you go to Jesus in faith ASKING, He will provide understanding!

But those who have no desire to understand, and refuse Jesus as Lord, the Bible remains a "closed book!" (See Isaiah 29:11-14, and 1Corinthians 2:14).

Now, let's look at the explanation of the parable.

Vs 11
The "seed is the Word of God."
The original "Sower" is the Lord Himself.
Secondary sowers are the children of the Kingdom of God.

Vs 12
Obviously, if seed falls on the hardened path ("wayside"), it stays on TOP of the ground. Likewise, if seed falls on a person walking the hardened path of the world, it never gets inside the person's heart. It is quite easy then for the "devil" to take away the seed through misconception and deceipt.

Vs 13
The "rock", here, represents rocks underneath the soil. There is a thin layer of dirt over the rock. The seed can sink into that thin layer, but doesn't have room for roots to grow downward. Therefore, the roots push the seed OUT of the ground, and no maturity or growth is allowed.
The Word of God might be believed, in the mind, by a person. But that Word never enters the spirit (heart) of the person in the form of commitment. Maturity through growth is not allowed because the pull of the world eventually takes the "Seed" away.

Vs 14
Sometimes, the farmer's seed fell on ground where thorn bushes had been cleared, but the roots of those thorn remained in the ground. When Spring and Summer came, the thorns grew back again and choked the seed, halting growth and maturity.
There are many who receive the gospel, but are easily "choked" by difficulty or persecution. Worldly cares often cause a person to detour from actively learning, growing, and serving the Lord.

Vs 15
Fourth, there is the seed that "fell on the good ground." This seed "brought forth fruit, some some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." (See Matthew 13:8).
True Christians are distinguished by continued study of the Word, regular attendance in church, growing to maturity, and producing witness, testimony, and evangelism. Not all produce the same amount of fruit, but all produce fruit. It is God's express desire that we produce "much fruit" (See John 15:8).

Once surrendered to Jesus, the exercise of faith will not keep a person from selfishness, weakness or problems. But the exercise of faith will certainly CONTINUE in those whose hearts are truly toward the Lord. "Who hath ears to hear,let him hear." Let me digress for a moment here and explain something.
Recently, I heard a sermon from well-meaning pastor that stated if you have strong enough faith, you will not have sickness and problems.

Well, that doesn't line up with what the Word of God teaches.
You WILL get old, you WILL get sick, and you WILL die!
Furthermore, along the way, you will have many problems!
No matter how strong your faith, these things WILL HAPPEN!
But it is the exercise of faith which helps you CONTINUE, and the exercise of faith which will DELIVER you in the end.
Jesus did not promise a paved road to heaven; He promised a "straight and narrow" and "rocky" road.
Jesus did not call you to a "rocking chair," but to a cross!

Jesus DID promise to be WITH you in all your problems (See Matthew 18:20).
And, Jesus promised to deliver you from death into His presence immediately (See Ecclesiastes 12:6-7, and John 11:25-26).

16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.

The purpose of teaching the parable above is set here in verse 16.
Jesus puts the "light of life" in those who surrender to and follow Him. (See John 8:12).

The "light" given by Jesus to His followers is to be SEEN!

Verse 17 is simply a support for verse 16. Light cannot be hidden!
Neither can the "light of life" be hidden in a truly saved person!

Then, Jesus adds "Take heed therefore how ye hear" (verse 18).
YOU are the "soil"!!
If you really HAVE the 'seed" of Christ in you, the "light" of the Gospel will surely shine!
If the "light" is not shining, the "fruit" is not there because the seed is not there!

19 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press.
20 And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.
21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.

Jesus was not being callous toward His mother and brothers.
Even though He knew that His half-brothers didn't believe He was Messiah (See John 7:5), Jesus was not showing a hardened attitude toward them.

Jesus was simply declaring that spiritual kinship with Him is as important as physical.
If they truly loved Him, they would have spiritual contact with Him through prayer, and would not be upset because they did not have physical contact with Him.
True believers follow Jesus by faith and not by sight!

22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

This must have been an unusually strong storm to frighten these experienced fishermen!
The Sea of Galilee is notorious for evening storms. Do you think the storm took Jesus by surprise?

While others were obviously fretting about the storm, Jesus was peacefully asleep. There is definitely something to be said about "Peace In The Midst Of The Storm!" When the soul is perfectly at peace with God, there is peace even when the world is raging!

Nevertheless, the storm was REAL! Even though Jesus had commanded them to go across, and was WITH them, they were frightened.

Notice that Jesus did not say they had a LACK of faith, but rather they had "little faith." He certainly recognized the faith they had in Him, for they were coming to Him for help. But He was slightly chastising them for being unnecessarily fearful.

What is a "lack of faith?" Faith is given when we are saved, but it is also something that must grow. It is something that has to be learned. One need not sow weeds and thorns, they grow naturally. Neither must one sow discontent, malice, covetousness, etc. They are seeds that grow naturally to man. However corn, wheat, beans, etc. must be sown and then cultivated in order to grow and bear fruit. And so it is with faith. The "seed" of faith has already been sown in our lives through surrender to Jesus. However, we are to CULTIVATE that seed and allow it to GROW!

Would you, Christian, experience strong faith in the difficulties of life? Then remember, you are a new creature in Christ Jesus. The seed is planted, you must cultivate.

Read the Word. Heed the Word. Live the Word. Let disciplined education cultivate the plant until the fruit is received.

Our Lord allows us to be "in the storm" at times. He expects us to be fruitful for Him during those times because He is WITH us. And we must remember, that He who led us INTO the storm can QUIET the storm!

Jesus, OWNS the wind (See Psalm 135:7).
And Jesus also "gathers the winds in His fist" (See Proverbs 30:4).
And Jesus can keep you in "perfect peace" through the winds and storms (See Isaiah 26:3).

26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.
27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.
28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.
29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)
30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.
32 And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.
33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.
34 When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country.
35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.
37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.
38 Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,
39 Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.
40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.

The "country of the Gadarenes,"or the country of the Gergesenes " (Matt. 8:28), or the town of GERASA "is not named in Scripture, and is referred to only in the expression, "country of the Gerasenes" (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26,37; see Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek, Appendix, 11). This describes the district in which Christ met and healed the demoniac from the tombs, where also took place the destruction of the swine. It was on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and must have been a locality where the steep edges of the Bashan plateau drop close upon the brink of the lake. This condition is fulfilled only by the district immediately South of Wady Semak, North of Qal 'at el-Chucn. Here the slopes descend swiftly almost into the sea, and animals, once started on the downward run, could not avoid plunging into the depths. Many ancient tombs are to be seen in the face of the hills. Gerasa itself is probably represented by the ruins of Kurseh on the South side of Wady Semak, just where it opens on the seashore."
(from International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1996 by Biblesoft)

One can imagine Jesus and the disciples ascending the steep slopes from the sea shore. Then they were met by "a man with an unclean spirit." This possessed man must have been very strong, because the Bible also says he had "often been bound with fetters and chains." Each time he had broken them!

Not only was the man strong, but also he had very erratic behavior. "And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones."(vs 5)

But when this possessed man saw Jesus, he came running, bowing and worshipping Him (vs 6)! Even demons recognize that Jesus is God!! Jesus spoke to the man inhabited by the demons and said, "Come out of him thou unclean spirit." (Vs 8)

We realize that the voice of the man was controlled by the demons within. And they, the demons, asked Jesus if He had come to torture them (vs 7) They were upset, and believed that Jesus came to torment them before the judgment day.

Our God is not malicious! He is God of love, kindness, patience. He has set aside a specific day in which all unbelieving, unrelenting spirits (including both demons and men) will be judged. At that time, they will be cast away from God and tormented with the fires of justice forever! (See Revelation 20:10-15). Until that time, God does not torment even unbelievers! The only torment they receive is from the consequences of their own sin! Because God is "...longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

The demons, realizing that Jesus did not come to torment them, asked that instead of just casting them out, He send them into the swine. Perfectly fit, if ya ask me! Those ole devils want someone to inhabit. If they can't have someone, they'll even settle for PIGS!!

Jesus obliged the demons, and sent them into the herd of swine. That immediately threw the pigs into a fit! They were overwhelmed! And they ran headlong over the cliff into the sea! So the demons ended up without a habitation anyway!

People sometimes don't mind being inhabited by demons, when the demons give them strength; even if their resultant behavior is extremely irratic. They reason they don't mind is because they still have some control over deciding how they want to live their lives. And the demons certainly don't mind if the people they inhabit get drunk, do drugs, and have illicit sexual behavior.

But people, in general, have a problem with allowing Jesus to inhabit them! You see, Jesus doesn't just want BELIEF, He wants CONTROL!

This poor demon-possessed man KNEW that!! He knew that he was beyond hope and help without Jesus. And he came running to Jesus, bowing and worshipping, even though the demons had control of his tongue. You see, that poor man realized he NEEDED Jesus to have CONTROL! And he came SURRENDERING!

As a result, Jesus cast out the demons, and the man was FREE! Free to live in love, kindness, and to have hope of eternal life through Christ.
Anyone possessed by the demons of alcohol, drugs, gambling, and illicit sexual behavior can have the SAME RELEASE!! All they have to do is WORSHIP Jesus, and let Him take CONTROL! (See Luke 9:23-24).

Then we see the people of the town coming because of the news, and they saw the man "clothed, and in his right mind!" Jesus can clothe anyone in His love and righteousness! He can give them a "right mind," which is realizing that we are created for the purpose of giving God glory.

Now, the towns-people had never seen this kind of power before. And it SCARED them (vs 15). So they decided to ask Jesus to LEAVE!

This type of behavior happens all the time in the world today. People see the power of change that Jesus can make in a person's life, and they become AFRAID. Then, they want God's Holy Spirit of conviction to LEAVE THEM ALONE!

My friends, it doesn't take faith to surrender to Jesus! After all, we don't have faith until we have surrendered to Jesus (See Ephesians 2:8-9).

All it takes to surrender to Jesus is to see that there is no hope without Him, and there is hope WITH Him!

That's what this demon-possessed man saw! He saw that his life was totally wrecked without Jesus. He also saw that surrender to Jesus was the only way to get rid of the demons which had control over him.

The healed demoniac wanted to follow Jesus (vs 38). But Jesus commissioned him as the first home missionary (vs 39).

Now, I believe, vs 40 is such a beautifully constructed transitional statement that it can belong to the thought preceeding it, or the thought following it. So I'm going to include it twice.

When Jesus "returned" to the Gadarene country later, ALL the people came to Him. (See Mark 6:53-56).

The reason? Because the healed demoniac had been telling EVERYONE what God had done for him through Jesus!!

40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.
41 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:
42 For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.
43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she was healed immediately.
48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
49 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.
50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
51 And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.
52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.
53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.
54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.
55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.

Here is the beginning of a story about Jairus, a ruler in the synagogue. But his story is interrupted by another person's story - that of a woman who had "an issue of blood twelve years." (vs 25) Since the story of Jairus and his daughter does not continue until vs 49, let's discuss the story of this woman first.

While Jesus was walking, the crowd gathered. Imagine a tremendously crowded street, and a woman slipping quietly behind Jesus, just so she could "touch" His garment!

Let us first realize that this woman KNEW her condition. As a result of her condition, she was considered UNCLEAN, and was not supposed to be touching other people! (See Leviticus 15:19)

Now this woman had suffered from this condition TWELVE years! What a LONELY woman she must have been!! But this woman KNEW in her heart that just a TOUCH from Jesus could heal her totally!

As soon as she touched Jesus, she was healed!!! So many folk spend time reaching out for a feel-good feeling, and all they need is a TOUCH from Jesus!

This next part is very interesting. As soon as the woman touched Jesus, He KNEW it! And Jesus IMMEDIATELY turned, asking "Who touched my clothes?" There was such a big crowd, that the disciples attempted to laugh-off Jesus' question. They said there were too many people to know who touched Him.

But Jesus wouldn't move! Again, He asked, "Who touched me?" And as Jesus was gazing around the crowd, He saw the woman. He never rebuked her, and He never exposed her to the crowd. But, just as she had known Jesus could heal her, she ALSO knew that there must be a WITNESS to His salvation!! SO she came forward and confessed!

God does not call silent lambs!

AFTER she had confessed and given witness to Jesus' saving grace, Jesus told her to depart in "peace."
There is NO peace like the peace of knowing one is accepted with God and acceptable as a witness for Him!

Now. Let's get back to the story of Jairus.

While Jesus was speaking to the woman, a messenger came from Jairus' home. The messenger stated that Jairus daughter had DIED. The Greek term is apothnesko and literally means dead, or without life. This is the same sense in which Jesus used it in verse 39. The Greek term used for "sleepeth," is katheudo, which literally means resting, or lying at rest.

Note that Jesus left the crowd, and only took Peter, James and John (the brother of James) with Him. Jesus did not want the "hype" of His power revealed by the unscrupulous crowd; but He did want sufficient witnesses to the truth.

When Jesus entered the house, the whole family (and probably some friends) were weeping. Jesus told them the child was only resting, and not without life. They laughed! They could plainly see that she was DEAD! But what Jesus was referring to was the SPIRIT of the child! My friend, one is never spiritually dead unless one is without Jesus!

And this lesson is a very striking one indeed!

Jesus simply approached the little girl and said, "Talitha cumi," which means "young girl, arise." IMMEDIATELY, this young 12-year-old girl arose and walked around!

YES!! Jesus is God! And God can RAISE THE DEAD!!! And that's exactly what He will do one day! God will raise ALL the dead of the world, and bring them to His "Great White Throne" for judgment! The Bible says that John envisioned that day in Revelation 20, verse 12: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." When the body dies on this earth, the spirit, or person STILL EXISTS! And that spirit, or person, goes immediately to a transitive place awaiting final judgment (See Ecclesiastes 12:6-7)

ALSO, Jesus is raising the dead TODAY when people are saved! He is raising the spiritually dead, by speaking LIFE into their souls! He is raising them from spiritual separation, and rejoining them to Himself! "And you hath he quickened (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins;" (Ephesians 2:1)

If you have never surrendered to Jesus, let me share with you that He can raise you from the deadness of your sins. He can elevate you far beyond the guiltiness, the fear and the anxiety. He can give you the "peace of God, which passeth all understanding through faith in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:7)

56 And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.

Several times in His ministry, Jesus "charged" people not to tell of His work. Our Lord, Jesus, was not a showman! He did not desire being made a public spectacle.

And, there was a practical reason for His quietness. He had disciples to teach and prepare. His ministry was already hazarded by the multitudes who followed Him. This made it difficult for Him to spend much needed time with the disciples.

Our Lord, Jesus, being filled with eternal love, would honor each earnest request. But being made a public spectacle restricted His time spent in founding the first church with the eternal principles of God.

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.