Wednesday, January 11, 2023

#1375 Luke 8 Part 4 Who Is Jesus

 



22 One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, 23 and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. 24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and 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, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus's Daughter

40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 And there came a man named Jairus, who was a ruler of the synagogue. And falling at Jesus' feet, he implored him to come to his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying.

As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. 43 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. 44 She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. 45 And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” 47 And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

49 While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” 51 And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no one what had happened. Luke 8: 22-56 ESV

Luke 8: 22-56

The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.

5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord. Isaiah 2: 1-5

And He awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves - There is a stir surrounding Jesus, and this is a people who have read the prophets and live in expectation of a Messiah, someone to take the throne of David. God has revealed His purpose to do this, to have someone sit upon the throne of the Kingdom. Jesus has been preaching the Kingdom, and fulfilling prophecies, and even indicating this in the Synagogues. The Kingdom expectation is one of peace, the doing away with hunger, a reversal from disease and the sin that brings it. So these miracles aren't just for show, not for their entertainment value, but instead they point to Jesus deity and His ability to not only take the throne, but reverse the curse. 

…18“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him,…
…21and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked. 23Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’ ”… Luke 4: 18-23

Where is your faith - Jesus was exhausted, His preaching itinerary was insane, and the fact He could heal and perform all sorts of other miracles left Him with little time to recharge. He sleeps in perfect peace, in total trust of the Father's watchful eyes. The disciples do not yet comprehend Who is asleep in the boat with them, but they know much about the power of the sea, because they are fishermen. If they are afraid then it is serious, but if they realize Who is with them in the boat, and what He still has left to accomplish, then they would be at ease.

David Gooding writes, "We live in a universe that is lethally hostile to human life: only the miracle of creation and divine maintenance preserves our planet and its wonderful adaptations and provisions for the propagation of human life. Within our earth itself wind, wave, lightning, storm, flood, drought, avalanche, earthquake, fire, heat, cold, germ, virus, epidemic, all from time to time threaten and destroy life. Sooner or later one of them may destroy us. The story of the stilling of the storm is not, of course, meant to tell us that Christ will never allow any believer to perish by drowning, or by any other natural disaster. Many believers have so perished. It does demonstrate that he is Lord of the physical forces in the universe, that for him nothing happens by accident, and that no force in all creation can destroy his plan for our eternal salvation or separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (see Rom. 8:38–39). (Borrow According to Luke : a new exposition of the Third Gospel)

J C Ryle - The lesson now before us is one of deep practical importance. To have true saving faith is one thing. To have that faith always ready for use is quite another. Many receive Christ as their Saviour, and deliberately commit their souls to Him for time and eternity, who yet often find their faith sadly failing when something unexpected happens, and they are suddenly tried. These things ought not so to be. We ought to pray that we may have a stock of faith ready for use at a moment’s notice, and may never be found unprepared. The highest style of Christian is the man who lives like Moses, “seeing Him who is invisible.” (Heb. 11:27.) That man will never be greatly shaken by any storm. He will see Jesus near him in the darkest hour, and blue sky behind the blackest cloud. - Precept Austin

…2Open the gates so a righteous nation may enter—one that remains faithful. 3You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You. 4Trust in the LORD forever, because GOD the LORD is the Rock eternal.… Isaiah 26: 2-4

Who then is this that He commands even wind and water - God has not forgotten Who He is or what He has said, and here He reminds men of His ability to accomplish it. We know a fallen world, and in this world we know of entropy, of the mind, of nature, of kings and kingdoms. Though they may have forgotten, though the hipster beard movement may have forgotten, and though everyone else who wants to sit around at the table of the so called "intellectuals" has forgotten, yet God has not forgotten what He says He will accomplish. Look again at Isaiah 2, it marks a time of great peace. We hear the geniuses of our day talk of global warming, yet before combustion the climate changed and has been changing for quite some time. Look at the frozen mammoths of the north, at civilizations that numbered in the hundreds of thousands but had to flee for lack of water and the encroaching desert. We read of famines during the times of the patriarchs. It is not a new thing. God claims that these are the result of sin, a curse upon the land, upon health, of both the mind and the body. Men no longer see each other as made in the image of God, and everyone views themselves as the center of the universe, so they fight, they steal, they kill. Jesus has the power to reverse all these things, to usher in the Kingdom, but there is a price that He first must pay. The wages of sin is death.

The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11: 6-9

…9Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. 10I declare the end from the beginning, and ancient times from what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’ 11I summon a bird of prey from the east, a man for My purpose from a far-off land. Truly I have spoken, and truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, and I will surely do it.… Isaiah 46: 9-11

Jesus, Son of the Most High God - The demons recognize Jesus better than the disciples do. He is the Word, God the Son, the One through whom all things were created, even the angels. His word has to be obeyed; He speaks and it happens as He says. They know this and so they appeal to the King of Glory.

Pigs - They beg Him to allow them to enter the pigs, for He is in charge. He has shown His power over the weather, over sickness, and here is a case study for Luke's investigation; a well known demoniac, a mad man. He isn't possessed by just one demon, but the lead speaks up and refers to them as Legion, for they are many. Talk about pronouns, I bet this guy was a mess. Jesus sends them into the pigs, and demonstrates His power over the spiritual realm, but also over what some would interpret as the sickness of the mind, the result of human depravity and reprobate. This will also mark the Millennial reign; He has the authority and power to bind these things, remove these things.

1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.…
…4Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.… Revelation 20: 1-6

Though she had spent all her living on physicians - Remember, Luke is a physician. Peter is a fishermen, and when he sees the immense catch and he asks the Lord to depart from him. The people who knew the demoniac also asked Jesus to leave their area, and Christ commanded him to stay there and let the people know all that God had done for him. He was the first commissioned evangelist so to speak. Now we have a woman who has known sickness for a long time, and is considered unclean. She is trying to be stealth probably because of the uncleanness, and so she just goes so far as to touch the hem of his garment. Some want to be far from Him and others will do anything to get close to Him. 


…19I will rejoice in Jerusalem and take delight in My people. The sounds of weeping and crying will no longer be heard in her. 20No longer will a nursing infant live but a few days, or an old man fail to live out his years. For the youth will die at a hundred years, and he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. 21They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.… Isaiah 65: 19-21

Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace - Instead of making Jesus ceremonially unclean, just like when Jesus touches the lepers, the woman becomes clean. He has power over sickness. Some believe that He uses daughter in order to protect her since she was before unclean, and for showing the familiarity. 

Hendriksen writes Jesus "gave her an opportunity to change "faith concealed" (Matt. 9:21) to "faith revealed" (Mark 5:33), which resulted in further encouragement (Mk 5:34)....Her faith, though not the basic cause of her cure, had been the channel through which the cure had been accomplished. It had been the instrument used by Christ's power and love, to effect her recovery....Moreover, by saying, "Your faith has made you well," was he not also stressing the fact that it was his personal response to her personal faith in him that cured her, thereby removing from her mind any remnant, however small, of superstition, as if his clothes had contributed in any way to the cure? (Baker New Testament Commentary – Exposition of the Gospel According to Mark) - Precept Austin

John MacArthur writes - The phrase made you well translates a form of the verb sozo, which is the common New Testament word for salvation. This same phrase in the Greek text appears in Luke 7:50+, where it clearly refers to salvation from sin. It is also used in Luke 17:19+ to describe one of the ten lepers who returned to worship Jesus. While all ten were healed, he alone was saved. Further, the Lord’s calling her daughter indicates that He received her as a child of His kingdom (John 1:12+). She was restored, physically, socially, and spiritually through the grace and personal power of the Lord Jesus Christ. (See Luke Commentary) - Precept Austin

Your daughter is dead - While all this happened with the woman, the pressing crowd and the healing of the issue of blood, Jesus had been on His way to see the daughter of one of the rulers of the synagogue. People came out from the house to let Him know it was too late, nothing anyone could be expected to do now, she had passed.

They laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead - "Child arise", Jesus wasn't put off by their laughter, it didn't slow Him down, and wouldn't you love to see their faces. I guarantee the laughter came to a very abrupt end. 

…24Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. 26And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”… John 11: 24-26






























0 comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.