Luke 8:22-56

Luke 8

Jesus Calms the Storm

22One 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. 23As 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.
24The 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. 25"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."

The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man

26They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27When 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. 28When 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!" 29For 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.
30Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"

"Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

32A 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. 33When 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.

34When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35and 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. 36Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37Then 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.

38The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39"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.

A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman

40Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

45"Who touched me?" Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."

46But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."

47Then 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. 48Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."

49While 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."

50Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."

51When 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. 52Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."

53They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54But he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!" 55Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

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The passage about Jesus calming the storm is another story that is practically ready-made for children's Sunday School classes. My four year-old can tell the story after hearing it on a Sunday morning. It's short, but it demonstrates a couple of things: First of all, Jesus got TIRED. He was human, and he needed rest! Secondly, he had an amazing amount of power to be able to rebuke the wind and waves. This is a perfect juxtaposition of his human side and his God-side. One minute he's asleep, the next minute he's telling the wind to stop blowing. And can you blame the disciples for being scared?

The demon-possessed man is an interesting story, especially if you are of the type that might be pessimistic about unseen forces like "demons." It's kind of a funny story, on the surface. These demons seem to be both taunting Jesus, and yet quite fearful of his power over them. Jesus allows the demons to go into a herd of pigs, which immediately run off a cliff and drown in a lake.

Needless to say, this freaked out the guys that had been taking care of the pigs. They (and the people they told) were scared of Jesus -- they were "overcome with fear." They asked Jesus to leave.

Jesus' popularity seems to be growing, as verse 40 says a crowd welcomed him home, because they were expecting him. The crowds are almost crushing him, and people are begging to be healed. A woman just TOUCHES his cloak, and she is healed. Again, Jesus combines physical healing with teaching on faith and internal healing. In many of the people Jesus healed, you see a physical healing going along with Jesus saying something like, "Your faith has healed you."

Immediately after this woman is healed, Jesus raises up a dead child. This is more than healing a blind man or a bleeding woman -- this is bringing the DEAD back to LIFE.

Two questions, then: At one point, Jesus says "Just believe, and she will be healed." Do we still have the ability to be healed through faith? Is it rare? Does it happen at all? I'm skeptical when I hear today's claims of "faith-healing," although I still believe God might choose to heal some people. He has the power, and who he chooses to heal is up to him. For some reason, I don't think the "depth of our faith" necessarily gives much weight to who might be healed. But I do believe it can happen.

Secondly, why does Jesus (in verse 56) order the girl's parents not to tell anyone what happened?