Stories from the Bible - Ep 21 Jesus - Helper of the Desperate (Luke 8)

Episode Date: August 17, 2022

Hear how Jesus helps some desperate people in today's stories from Luke 8.  The Scriptures quoted are from the NET Bible® http://netbible.com copyright ©1996, 2019 used with permission from Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved

Beauty. Perfection. Desire. Deception. Rebellion. Judgment. Hope. You're listening to Stories from the Bible. Bible stories told in order, using the words of the Bible, with introductions to give a recap and provide context. At the end of each story, you might want to pause and take a moment to reflect on what you noticed in the story. Things you liked or didn't like. Something the story showed you about God or about people. Don't worry if not everything makes sense. Keep listening to each episode and sit with the journey.

I'm stoked to have you on the ride. Hello and welcome to episode 21. Last time, we heard the stories from Luke chapter 7. First, there was the Roman commander, a centurion. As a Roman, he was the natural enemy of the Jews. However, this Roman has heard of Jesus and he has a servant about to die, so he sends some Jewish leaders to ask Jesus to come and heal the servant. The Jewish leaders tell Jesus that he ought to do what the centurion has asked, because he is a worthy man who's been kind to the Jews. Jesus starts to go back with them to the centurion's house. However, before they arrive,

the centurion sends some friends to Jesus, who seem to contradict what the Jewish leaders have said about the centurion being deserving of Jesus' personal attention. It seems like what has happened is the centurion has realized his previous plea for help, delivered via the Jewish elders, could have been easily misconstrued as him presuming on some right he has to get Jesus to do something for him. So he sends some friends to quickly clear up the misunderstanding. And his friends pass on this clarification to Jesus. Please, Lord, I am not worthy of having you come into my house. That's why I didn't even presume to come to you myself. Instead, why don't you just say the word

and I know my servant will be healed. You don't need to come here in person. I know you have the power and authority to do this. And when Jesus heard the message, he was amazed and said to the crowd following him, I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. And of course, when the friends returned to the centurion, they found the servant healed. Did you notice the difference between how the Jewish leaders and the centurion treated Jesus? From the side of the Jewish elders, by emphasizing the worthiness of the centurion as the reason Jesus should do something, they show they put faith in good works. In other words, the Jewish elders think that doing good things is the way to get something from Jesus. They have a transactional view of relating to him. They are putting their faith, their trust, in good works,

in the things that people do to try and be good. By treating Jesus like this, they show they have no idea who he really is. In contrast, the centurion has absolutely no faith in his own good works. He has no confidence in his own worthiness. When he asks Jesus to heal his servant via the Jewish elders, the reason he hopes Jesus will help is based entirely upon what he has heard about Jesus. In other words, all his trust, all his hope, all his faith that Jesus might do something for him is based upon who Jesus is. The centurion gets it.

He gets that Jesus is far, far, far above him. He feels so unworthy that he goes out of his way to stop Jesus from coming into his home. That is why Jesus commends the centurion's faith, because the centurion is putting absolutely no trust in his own worthiness, and all his hope is in who Jesus is. Soon after that, Jesus raises the son of a widow from the dead. He does this in front of two crowds, the crowd of his followers and the crowd of mourners that were with the dead man and his mother. News of this, of course, spreads wildly throughout the country. Later in the chapter, we heard about a dinner party. A Pharisee called Simon had asked Jesus over for dinner, and a woman of the city came in uninvited.

She stood behind Jesus, weeping, washing his feet with her tears an overflowing response to the impact Jesus had already had on her. Probably she'd met Jesus before that night, and she'd felt accepted by him, despite who she was. Luke doesn't tell us specifically, but we know for a fact that Jesus used to hang out and eat with the outcasts of society. Earlier in Luke, we heard how the religious leaders complained about Jesus associating with sinners. The fact that Jesus had not turned her away when all she was used to was rejection so overwhelmed her heart that the opportunity of showing her love for him overrode any fear she might have felt about entering the house of Simon the Pharisee. The woman's outpouring of love for Jesus was in stark contrast to Simon's fairly cold welcome. Jesus helps Simon to see the difference in their responses to him

comes down to how much they feel they have been forgiven. Simon takes it for granted that Jesus would want to come to his house for dinner. After all, he's a pretty good person. Everybody around him says so. He's a Pharisee, a highly religious man looked up to by society, who thinks of himself as pretty worthy of Jesus' time and attention. Quite a contrast to the Roman centurion who told Jesus not to come to his house because he wasn't worthy to have Jesus come under his roof. Simon, on the one hand, is totally oblivious to his sin and therefore doesn't think twice about asking Jesus, the perfect, powerful Son of God, over to his house. And so it follows that because Simon doesn't feel he has much sin that needs forgiveness,

he doesn't feel that it's that big of a deal for Jesus to accept him, so he doesn't love Jesus much. The woman, on the other hand, is acutely, painfully, despairingly aware of her sin. So when Jesus accepts her, her heart overflows with love for him. Today's story starts here. Sometime afterward, he went on through towns and villages, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and disabilities.

Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Cusa, Herod's household manager, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their own resources. While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from one town after another, he spoke to them in a parable. A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled on, and the wild birds devoured it. Other seed fell on rock, and when it came up, it withered because it had no moisture. Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up with it and choked it. But other seed fell on good soil and grew, and it produced a hundred times as much grain.

As he said this, he called out, The one who has ears to hear had better listen. Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, Now the parable means this. The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the onesable means this. The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who have heard.

Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in a time of testing fall away. As for the seed that fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life,

and their fruit does not mature. But as for the seed that landed on good soil, these are the ones who, after hearing the word, cling to it with an honest and good heart and bear fruit with steadfast endurance. No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lamp and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light.

For nothing is hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light. So listen carefully, for whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him. Now Jesus' mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not get near him because of the crowd. So he was told, Your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to see you.

But he replied to them, My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it. One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples and said to them, Let's go across to the other side of the lake. So they set out, and as they sailed, he fell asleep. Now a violent windstorm came down on the lake, and the boat started filling up with water, and they were in danger. They came and woke him, saying, Master, Master, we are about to die. So he got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. They died down, and it was calm. Then he said to them, Where is your faith? But they were afraid and amazed, saying to one another,

Who then is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him. So they sailed over to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man from the town met him who was possessed by demons. For a long time this man had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him and shouted with a loud voice, Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God, I beg you, do not torment me. For Jesus had started commanding the evil spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times, so he would be bound with chains and

shackles and kept under guard, but he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places. Jesus then asked him, What is your name? He said, Legion, because many demons had entered him. And they began to beg him not to order them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and the demonic spirits begged Jesus to let them go into them. He gave them permission. So the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd of pigs rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside. So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.

Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus to leave them alone, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and left. The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to your home and declare what God has done for you. So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole town what Jesus had done for him.

Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him because they were all waiting for him. Then a man named Jairus, who was a leader of the synagogue, came up. Falling at Jesus' feet, he pleaded with him to come to his house because he had an only daughter, about 12 years old, and she was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds pressed around him. Now a woman was there who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for 12 years but could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak,

and at once the bleeding stopped. And Jesus asked, When they all denied it, Peter said, Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing against you. But Jesus said, When the woman saw that she could not escape notice, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched him

and how she had been immediately healed. Then he said to her, While he was still speaking, someone from the synagogue leader's house came and said, Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher any longer. But when Jesus heard this, he told him, Do not be afraid. Just believe, and she will be healed. Now when he came to the house, Jesus did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James and the child's father and mother. Now they were all wailing and mourning for her, but he said,

Stop your weeping. She is not dead, but asleep. And they began making fun of him because they knew that she was dead. But Jesus gently took her by the hand and said, Her spirit returned, and she got up immediately. Then he told them to give her something to eat. Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened. The story ends here. Thanks for joining us for today's stories.

You might like to take a moment to pause and think about what you noticed. Things you liked, things you didn't like. Something the story showed you about Jesus. To read it for yourself, it's in the book of Luke, chapter 8. If you can find someone willing to read it and talk about it with you, even better. You've been listening to Stories from the Bible. I'm Jen, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you.