RSV ~ Luke 8 Notes
Lk 8:1-3 | ISB Notes
Jesusâ urgent mission left no time for him and the disciples to settle into a trade. Several women thus accompanied them to offer provisions and financial assistance. This challenged Jewish custom, which discouraged men from associating with women in public (Jn 4:27).
Lk 8:4 | ISB Notes
in a parable: Parables either reveal or conceal divine mysteries. Here Jesusâ message remains hidden to the crowds, although it is explained to the disciples (8:9-10).
See word study: Parables at Mt 13:3.
Lk 8:5-8 | ISB Notes
The parable of the Sower. Jesus sketches four different responses to the gospel. Three scenarios are unfruitful, while the good soil is receptive and produces a great harvest (8:8). As the sower, Jesusâ ministry runs parallel to the OT prophets who encountered opposition and widespread unbelief (13:3334; Acts 7:51-53). See note on Mk 4:3-8.
Lk 8:10 | ISB Notes
the secrets: Jesus explains the parable to his disciples instead of the crowds. He is preparing them for leadership roles in Godâs kingdom, the Church (22:28-30). See note on Mk 4:11.
seeing they may not see: An allusion to Is 6:9-10.
⢠Isaiah pronounced Yahwehâs judgment on wayward Israel. It had the disciplinary effect of closing their eyes and ears to the truth and hardening their hearts to Godâs love. Even still, God preserved a âholy seedâ (Is 6:13) or remnant of faithful people who believed in him. Jesusâ own ministry falls in line with Isaiahâs (Jn 12:39-40).
Lk 8:16-18 | ISB Notes
The parable of the lamp explains Jesusâ teaching strategy, where the mysteries of the kingdom will be hidden from the multitudes only temporarily. With the birth of the New Covenant Church, they will finally come to light (8:17; 12:2-3).
⢠Morally (St. Augustine, De Quaest. Evang. 2, 12): Jesus encourages boldness in evangelical preaching. No minister of the gospel should conceal the light of truth beneath earthly fears of persecution. The faithful servant puts Christâs lamp in full view, displaying his truth for the benefit of all.
Lk 8:18 | ISB Notes
Take heed: Jesus attaches great responsibility to his message (12:48). The blessings of Godâs truth must be treasured and shared, since whoever neglects or ignores them will lose them.
Lk 8:21 | ISB Notes
my brethren: Not Maryâs children, but probably the cousins of Jesus (CCC 500). . hear the word of God and do it: Jesusâ spiritual family shares his life and follows his ways (6:35; 11:28; Jn 1:12; Rom 8:29). Maryâs divine motherhood was established on this same basis; she embraced Godâs will throughout her life. See note on Lk 1:38.
Lk 8:22-56 | ISB Notes
Three episodes highlighting the power of Jesusâ word. At his command, raging storms are stilled (8:24), demons are cast out (8:29), and the dead are raised to new life (8:54).
Lk 8:25 | ISB Notes
Who then is this: The disciples marvel at Jesusâ divine power over nature (Job 26:12; Ps 89:9; 107:2829). See note on Mt 8:23-27.
⢠Allegorically (St. Bede, In Lucam 31): Jesusâ sleep signifies his death, an absence that strikes fear in the heart of his disciples. Beaten by waves of doubt, they are finally comforted when Christ awakes from the grave to put down the devil and strip him of the power of death.
Lk 8:26 | ISB Notes
Gerasenes: The city of Gerasa was located east of the Jordan river and was one of the ten Gentile cities of the Decapolis (Mk 5:1, 20). This non-Jewish setting is accentuated by the presence of feeding swine (8:32), animals the Israelites would neither raise nor eat (Lev 11:7-8; Deut 14:8).
Lk 8:30 | ISB Notes
Legion: A military term for 6,000 Roman soldiers. It points to the overwhelming presence of evil in the man and the intensity of the spiritual warfare taking place. The superiority of Jesus is made clear when his mere word conquers an entire army of Satanâs forces (11:20). See note on 4:36.
Lk 8:31 | ISB Notes
the abyss: The gloomy pit where demons are confined until the Last Judgment (2 Pet 2:4; Rev 9:1-11; 20:1-3).
Lk 8:35 | ISB Notes
at the feet of Jesus: The posture of a disciple before his teacher (10:39; Acts 22:3).
Lk 8:39 | ISB Notes
Return to your home: Jesus refuses the manâs permanent company but sends him to publicize Godâs grace. Hinting at Christâs divinity, the man announces the mercy of God in terms of what Jesus has accomplished for him (Mk 5:19-20).
Lk 8:40-56 | ISB Notes
Three details link these miracle stories together. (1) Both highlight the number twelve, which represents the age of the young girl and the duration of the womanâs suffering. (2) Both beneficiaries are females. (3) Both illustrate how God honors genuine faith (8:48, 50) (CCC 2616).
Lk 8:41 | ISB Notes
ruler of the synagogue: A leading Jewish elder who presided over Sabbath services and other weekly activities (13:14; Acts 13:15). See note on Mt 4:23.
Lk 8:43 | ISB Notes
a flow of blood: This condition excluded the woman from normal life in Israel. According to the Law, she lived in perpetual uncleanness and could not be touched by anyone (Lev 15:19-30). Jesus first cures her infirmity and then publicizes her restoration before âall the peopleâ (8:46-48) to facilitate her reintegration into Jewish society.
Lk 8:44 | ISB Notes
fringe of his garment: The Mosaic Law required Israelites to wear tassels on their garments to remind them of Godâs commandments (Num 15:38-39; Deut 22:12).
Lk 8:51 | ISB Notes
Peter and John and James: Three of Jesusâ closest disciples (9:28; Mk 14:33).
Lk 8:52 | ISB Notes
she is not dead: The departure and return of the girlâs spirit (8:55) suggest that Jesus speaks metaphorically. She is in fact dead, but he says she is sleeping to emphasize that her condition is only temporary and soon to be reversed. .