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Luke 8:1. After this He passed through cities and villages, preaching and preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God, and with Him the twelve, Having descended from heaven in order to present us with a pattern and destiny in everything, the Lord teaches us not to be lazy in teaching, but to go around to all places and preach; for whatever He did, He did for our instruction. He passed through all the cities and villages and led with Him twelve disciples who did not teach or preach, but they themselves learned from Him and were edified by His works and His words. The Lord preached not about earthly blessings, but about the Kingdom of Heaven. For who else was it more fitting to preach about heavenly things than Him who came from heaven? That is why none of the prophets preached about the Kingdom of Heaven. For how could they preach about something they had not seen? That is why the Forerunner said: “he who is from the earth... and speaks as one who is from the earth,” and “He who comes from heaven... has seen... and testifies to this” (John 3:31, 32). Luke 8:2. and some women whom He healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons came out, Luke 8:3. and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who served Him with their substance. Wives also followed the Lord, so that we know that weakness does not prevent the female sex from following Christ. Look also at how they, being rich, despised everything and chose poverty for the sake of Christ and with Christ. And know that they were rich from the fact that they served the Lord with “their own” property and not with someone else’s or unjustly acquired property, as many do. In the words: “out of which came seven demons,” some take the number “seven” vaguely, instead of “many,” for in Scripture the number seven is often taken instead of “many.” Another, perhaps, will say: just as there are seven spirits of virtue, so, on the contrary, there are seven spirits of evil, for example: there is the spirit of the fear of God, there is, on the other hand, the spirit of fearlessness of God; there is the spirit of understanding, there is, on the other hand, the spirit of foolishness, and so on. Unless these seven spirits of evil are driven out from the soul, no one can follow Christ. For first we must drive out Satan, and then bring in Christ. Luke 8:4. When a large crowd had gathered, and people from all the cities came to Him, He began to speak in a parable: Now what David said long ago on behalf of Christ has come true. “I will open,” he said, “my mouth in a parable” (Ps. 77:2). The Lord spoke in parables for many purposes, namely: to make the listeners more attentive and to arouse their minds to investigate what is being said (for we humans are usually more occupied with hidden speeches, and pay little attention to clear ones), and so that the unworthy would not understand what is said mysteriously; and for many other reasons He speaks in parables. Luke 8:5. The sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell along the road and was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it; Luke 8:6. and some fell on a stone and, having sprung up, dried up, because they had no moisture; Luke 8:7. and some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew and choked it; Luke 8:8. and others fell on good soil and sprang up and bore fruit a hundredfold. Having said this, he exclaimed: whoever has ears to hear, let him hear! “The sower came out,” that is, the Son of God. He “came out” from the depths of the Father and from His hiddenness and became visible. Who came out? The One who always sows. For the Son of God never ceases to sow in our souls: He sows good seeds in our souls not only when He teaches, but also through this world, and through those phenomena that happen to us and around us. He came out not to destroy the farmers or burn the country, but then only to sow. For the farmer often goes out not only to sow, but also to do other things. He “went out... to sow his seed.” For the word of teaching was His own, and not someone else’s. The prophets, for example, whatever they said, spoke not from themselves, but from the Spirit; which is why they said: “This is the Lord speaking.” And Christ had His seed; why, when He taught, He did not say: “This is what the Lord says,” but: “I tell you.” “When He sowed,” that is, taught, “other seed fell by the wayside.” He did not say: the sower threw, but: it “fell”; because the sower sows and teaches, and the word falls into the hearts of the hearers. They turn out to be either a road, or a stone, or thorns, or good soil. Luke 8:9. His disciples asked Him: what does this parable mean? Luke 8:10. He said: To you it has been given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God, but to others in parables, so that seeing they do not see and hearing they do not understand. When the disciples asked about the parable, the Lord told them: “it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God,” that is, to you who want to learn; for everyone who asks receives. “And to others,” unworthy of the sacraments, they are communicated in secret, and they seem to see, but “do not see,” and hear, but “do not understand,” and this is for their own good. For Christ hid this from them so that they, having known the sacraments and despised them, would not fall under greater condemnation, since he who knows and despises is worthy of the most severe punishment. Luke 8:11. This is what this parable means: the seed is the word of God; Luke 8:12. and those who fell along the way are the listeners, to whom the devil then comes and takes the word from their hearts, so that they do not believe and are saved; Three categories of people who are not saved according to this parable. The first includes those who are like a seed that fell along the way, that is, they did not accept the teaching at all, for just as the trampled and beaten road does not accept the seed, because it is hard, so the hard-hearted do not accept the teaching at all, because although they listen, they do not pay attention. Luke 8:13. and those who fell on the stone are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy, but who have no root, and believe for a time, but fall away during temptation; The other group includes those who are like a seed that fell on a stone, that is, those who, although they accepted the teaching, but then, due to human weakness, found themselves powerless against temptations. Luke 8:14. and those who fell among the thorns are those who listen to the word, but, leaving, are overwhelmed by the worries, wealth and pleasures of life and do not bear fruit; The third category is those who know the teaching and, however, are suppressed by the worries of everyday life. So, three parts are perishing, and one part are being saved. Thus, those who are saved are few, but those who perish are very many. Look how He speaks regarding those who are overwhelmed by the worries of this life: He did not say that they are overwhelmed by wealth, but by worries about wealth. For it is not wealth that harms, but worries about it. Because many have benefited from wealth by distributing it to satisfy the hunger of the poor. Luke 8:15. and those who fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word, keep it in a good and pure heart and bear fruit with patience. Having said this, He exclaimed: whoever has ears to hear, let him hear! Consider, perhaps, the accuracy of the evangelist, as he said about those being saved: “having heard the word, they keep it.” He said this for the sake of those who were “on the way”; for these do not contain doctrine, but the devil takes it away from them. “And they bear fruit” - He said this for the sake of those who are “overwhelmed by the cares of this life” and do not endure to the end, for such, that is, those who do not bear fruit to the end, do not bear fruit. “In patience” - he said for the sake of those who are “on stone”; They accept the teaching, but, unable to resist the temptation that comes, they turn out to be unfit. You see how He said about those who are being saved: “they keep... and bear fruit in patience,” and through these three properties He distinguished them from those who do not, such as those who are “on the way,” from those who do not bear fruit, such as those who are “in the thorns,” and from those who cannot bear the temptation that attacks them, such as those who are “on the rocks.” Luke 8:16. No one, having lit a candle, covers it with a vessel, or puts it under the bed, but puts it on a candlestick, so that those who enter can see the light. Luke 8:17. For there is nothing secret that will not be made manifest, nor hidden that will not be made known and not revealed. Luke 8:18. So, watch how you listen: for whoever has, to him will be given, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him. Here is the beginning of another teaching. For He addresses the disciples and says this with the aim of instructing them to be careful in life and constant ascetics, since everyone will turn their eyes to them. For everyone looks at the teacher and preacher, everyone watches him, whether he is good or vice versa, and he will not hide anything of his own. So, if you, disciples, are attentive and thorough, then God will grant you great grace; and whoever does not have thoroughness and attentiveness will, through his negligence, quench and destroy the gift from God that he apparently has. Luke 8:19. And His Mother and His brothers came to Him, but they could not come to Him because of the crowd. From this it turns out that Christ was not with His relatives in the flesh, but they came to Him, for He, having left them, was engaged in spiritual teaching. Likewise, anyone who is entrusted with the ministry of God should not prefer anything to it; but we should also leave our parents if they uselessly and in vain hinder us in the work of God, just as the Lord is doing now. Luke 8:20. And they let Him know: Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see You. Luke 8:21. He answered and said to them: My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it. When some told Him about His relatives, He did not conclude brotherhood among the few and did not give the sons of Joseph the honor that they were His only brothers. But since He came to save the whole world and make everyone brothers, He says: “My mother and My brothers are those who listen to the word of God; then, since hearing alone does not save anyone, but only condemns him, He says: “and I do this.” For we must listen and do it together. He calls His teaching the Word of God, for whatever He said, everything belonged to His Father, since He was not an opponent of God, so that His words were not God’s. Some understand this passage this way: since Christ taught and was in glory for His teaching, some, excited by envy, as if in mockery of Him, said: “Behold Your Mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see You.” Since His Mother was poor and His brothers were not glorious, like the children of a carpenter, they, in order to disgrace Him as ignoble, pointed out to Him His Mother and brothers. But He, knowing their thoughts, said: the poverty of relatives does not harm Me at all; on the contrary, if anyone, even if poor, listens to the Word of God, I make him My kinsman. Luke 8:22. One day He entered a boat with His disciples and said to them: Let us cross to the other side of the lake. And off we went. Luke 8:23. While they were swimming, He fell asleep. A stormy wind arose on the lake, and they were flooded with waves, and they were in danger. Luke 8:24. And coming up, they woke Him up and said: Master! Mentor! we die. The Lord falls asleep with a special intention, namely: to provide exercise to the disciples and test what their faith is, whether they will remain without embarrassment from temptations. It turns out that they are weak. They reveal faith that is not perfect, but mixed with unbelief. For they believe that He can save, but as those of little faith say: save! “we are dying.” And if they had perfect faith, they would be completely convinced that it is even impossible for them to perish when the Almighty is with them. But He stood up and rebuked the wind and the disturbance of the water; and they stopped, and there was silence. To make His power more evident, He allowed them to be troubled. For we people usually remember more the savior who saved us from great danger. Therefore He rose up and saved them, not at the beginning, but when they were on the verge of danger. You can also see a figurative meaning. The present event is an image of what happened to the disciples subsequently. The lake is Judea, which was hit by a strong storm of fury against Christ, as the Jews were furious at the crucifixion of the Lord. The disciples were also confused, for everyone had abandoned Him and fled. But the Lord arose from sleep, that is, resurrected, and the disciples calmed down again. For, appearing before them, He said: “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). This is the figurative meaning of this place. Luke 8:25. Then He said to them: Where is your faith? They said to each other in fear and surprise: Who is this, who commands the winds and the waters, and obeys Him? “Who is this?” they say this not in a sense of doubt, but in a sense of surprise. They seemed to say: “Who is this,” that is, how great and wondrous He is, and by what authority and power does this happen?! Luke 8:26. And they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which lies opposite Galilee. Luke 8:27. When He came ashore, He was met by a man from the city, possessed by demons for a long time, and not wearing clothes, and living not in a house, but in tombs. Luke 8:28. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him and said in a loud voice: What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me. Look: the demon is possessed by two passions of malice: insolence and fear. For the words: “What do You care about me” are characteristic of a bold and shameless servant, and “I beg You” are characteristic of a timid one. He lives in “coffins”, with the intention of instilling in people the evil idea that the souls of the dead become demons. Luke 8:29. For Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man, because it had tormented him for a long time, so that they bound him with chains and bonds, keeping him safe; but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the desert. Luke 8:30. Jesus asked him: What is your name? He said: legion, because many demons entered into it. Luke 8:31. And they asked Jesus not to command them to go into the abyss. Luke 8:32. There was also a large herd of pigs grazing on the mountain; and the demons asked Him to allow them to enter into them. He let them. Luke 8:33. The demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down a steep slope into the lake and drowned. The demons ask that they not be commanded to “go into the abyss,” but that they be allowed to live on earth. The Lord allows them to be on earth so that, by attacking people, they make them more glorious. For if there were no opponents, there would be no exploits, and if there were no exploits, there would be no crowns. Know the more figurative meaning. He who has demons within himself, that is, demonic deeds, does not put on clothes, that is, does not have baptismal clothing and does not live in a house, that is, in a church, for he is not worthy to enter the church, but lives “in tombs,” that is, in places of dead deeds, for example, in indecent houses, in customs houses. For such houses are receptacles of evil. Luke 8:34. The shepherds, seeing what had happened, ran and told it in the city and in the villages. Luke 8:35. And they came out to see what had happened; and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and were horrified. Luke 8:36. Those who saw them told them how the demoniac was healed. Luke 8:37. And all the people of the Gadarene region asked Him to leave them, because they were seized with great fear. He entered the boat and returned. Luke 8:38. The man from whom the demons had come out asked Him to be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying: Luke 8:39. return to your house and tell me what God has done for you. He went and preached throughout the whole city what Jesus had done for him. The flight of the shepherds was a reason for salvation for the Gadarenes; but they did not understand. They should have been amazed at the power of the Savior and believed in Him, but they, it is said, asked, that is, begged Jesus to leave them. For they were afraid lest they should suffer another loss, just as they had lost their pigs. But the one who receives healing provides indisputable proof of healing. He became so healthy in mind that he came to know Jesus and asked Him to be with Him. He was probably afraid that, as he moved away from Jesus, he would again fall into the power of demons. But the Lord, showing him that even though he is not with Jesus, but covered by His grace, he can be above the demonic snares, he says to him: “return to your house and tell us what God has done for you.” He did not say: “What have I done for you,” so that we could set an example of humility and so that we would attribute every happily accomplished deed to God. But the healed man was so prudent that he told about what “Jesus” had done to him. Although the Lord commanded him to tell about what “God” did for him, but he tells what “Jesus” did to him. So, when we do good to someone, we should not want to preach about it; and the one to whom good has been done must proclaim it, even if we do not want it. Luke 8:40. When Jesus returned, the people received Him, because everyone was waiting for Him. Jesus had just returned from the country of the Gadarenes, and the people were already waiting for Him, partly for the sake of teaching, and partly for the sake of miracles. Luke 8:41. And behold, there came a man named Jairus, who was the ruler of the synagogue; and, falling at the feet of Jesus, asked Him to come into his house, Luke 8:42. because he had one daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. One ruler of the synagogue also came, neither poor nor outcast, but one of the first. The Evangelist also adds his name, so that it is all the more obvious that the miracle is true. At the insistence of need, he falls at the feet of Jesus. Even if, without urgent need, he had to fall before Jesus and confess Him as God, it still happens that sorrow prompts people to choose the best. Why did David say: “Do not be like a horse, like a foolish mule, whose jaws must be bridled with bridle and bit, so that they obey you” (Ps. 31:9). As He walked, the people crowded around Him. Luke 8:43. And a woman who suffered from bleeding for twelve years, who, having spent her entire estate on doctors, could not be cured by anyone, Luke 8:44. coming up behind him, she touched the hem of His robe; and immediately the flow of her blood stopped. During the Lord’s journey, a wife begins, guided by a very strong faith. “As she approached, she touched the hem of the Lord’s garment” in the confidence that as soon as she touched, she would immediately be healed. “And immediately the flow of her blood stopped.” Just as if someone turns his eye to a shining light or brings brushwood to the fire, they (light and fire) immediately exert their effect, so the woman who brought faith to Him who is able to heal immediately received healing. For she did not think about anything, neither about the longevity of the illness, nor about the despair of the doctors, nor about anything else, but she only believed, and she was saved. And it seems that she touched Jesus first with her mind and then with her body. Luke 8:45. And Jesus said, Who touched Me? When everyone denied, Peter said and those who were with Him: Mentor! the people surround you and crowd you in, and you say: who touched me? The Lord, wanting to show everyone his wife’s faith so that they could imitate her, and to give Jairus good hope about his daughter, discovers what was done in secret. Namely: He asks about who touched Him, but Peter, being bold, reproaching Him for such a question, says: so many people are troubling You, “and You say: who touched Me?” But he himself did not understand what the Lord was asking. For Jesus asked: “Who touched Me” in faith, and not just like that. For just as everyone has ears to hear, and yet another, having ears, does not hear, so in this case, another touches with faith, and although another approaches, his heart is far away. So the Lord, although he knew the wife, asks, however, in order, as I said, to glorify her faith and to more reassure the leader of the synagogue, he asks and thus brings the wife out into the middle. Luke 8:46. But Jesus said: Someone touched Me, because I felt power coming out of Me. Luke 8:47. The woman, seeing that she had not hidden herself, came up with trepidation and, falling down before Him, declared to Him in front of all the people why she touched Him and how she was immediately healed. Luke 8:48. He told her: dare, daughter! your faith has saved you; go in peace. “I felt the power coming from Me.” He speaks fairly. For the prophets had no powers coming from them: they performed miracles by the grace of God. And Jesus, being the Source of all good and all power, also has powers that come from Him. Christ heals his wife doubly: firstly, he healed her illness, and then he pacified the fear of her soul, saying: “Be brave, daughter!” . Luke 8:49. While He was still saying this, someone came from the house of the ruler of the synagogue and said to him: Your daughter is dead; don't bother the Teacher. Luke 8:50. But Jesus, hearing this, said to him: Do not be afraid, just believe, and you will be saved. Jesus, having heard that someone said to the leader of the synagogue: do not bother the Teacher, that is, “do not bother”, do not ask to go, did not allow the leader of the synagogue to say anything to Himself, but warned him so that the leader of the synagogue would not say: I have no need of You; the misfortune has already happened; the one we hoped You would heal died. So, so that he would not say anything like that (for he was an unbelieving Jew), Christ forestalled him and said: “Do not be afraid, only believe”; look,” he says, “at the bleeding one; imitate her and you will not be deceived. Luke 8:51. Having come to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter except Peter, John and James, and the girl’s father and mother. The Lord allows only Peter, John and James to enter with Him, as the most chosen of the disciples and as those who can keep silent about the miracle, for He did not want it to be revealed to many ahead of time. He hid most of His deeds, perhaps because of the envy of the Jews, so that, fueled by envy, they would not be guilty of condemnation. We should act in a similar way: if someone envies us, we should not reveal our perfections to him, so that, striking him with them, we would not arouse more envy in him and lead him into sin, but we should, as far as possible, try to hide them from him. Luke 8:52. Everyone cried and sobbed for her. But He said: do not cry; she is not dead, but she is sleeping. Luke 8:53. And they laughed at Him, knowing that she had died. When the Lord said that the girl “did not die, but was sleeping,” and called death a sleep (since he had to resurrect the deceased, as if to awaken her from sleep), then those who heard this laughed at Him, because He then allowed the miracle to be more of a miracle, so that later they could not say that the girl did not die, but was sleeping, for this He arranged it so that they first ridiculed Him for the words: “not dead, but asleep,” so that stop the mouths of those who want to slander. For the death of the girl was so obvious that they laughed at Him when He said that she was not dead. Luke 8:54. He, sending everyone out and taking her by the hand, exclaimed: maiden! stand up. The Lord sent everyone out, perhaps in order to teach us not to love glory and not to do anything for show, and perhaps also in order to instill in us that one who has to perform a miracle should not be among many, but should be in solitude and be free from any worries from others. Luke 8:55. And her spirit returned; She immediately stood up, and He ordered that she be given something to eat. “And the spirit returned” of the young woman. For the Lord did not bring in a new soul, but commanded the return of the same one that had flown away from the body. He ordered food to be served to her - for greater assurance and proof that she had indeed been resurrected. Luke 8:56. And her parents were surprised. He ordered them not to tell anyone about what had happened. This can be understood this way. Every soul is bleeding, in which bloody and murderous sin boils and flows as if with a spring. For every sin is a killer and hardener of the soul. If the soul touches the garments of Jesus, that is, His incarnation, and believes that the Son of God became incarnate, then it will receive health. If someone is the ruler of the synagogue, that is, the mind, exalted above the wealth collected from covetousness, but his daughter, that is, the thought, falls ill, then let him call only Jesus and believe in Him, and he will be saved.