Sermon Outline, September 28

Peter J. Leithart, September 24, 2003

Sermon outline for September 28:

Luke 8:1-56

INTRODUCTION
Luke likes to organize his gospel into triads. In chapter 7, there were a series of triadic patterns: Jesus asks three times "What did you go into the wilderness to see?" (vv. 24-26), the sinful woman does threefold homage to Jesus (washing, kissing, and anointing His feet, v. 38), making up for the triple insult of Simon's inhospitality (vv. 44-46). Chapter 8 as a whole is organized in threes. Jesus speaks about "hearing" the word using a parable of seed, a parable about a lamp, and by talking about His true mother and brothers (vv. 4-21). Then there is a series of three mighty acts: Jesus stills a storm at sea, pacifies a violent demoniac, and raises a girl from the dead (healing a woman along the way).

Luke also frequently links together stories in pairs, one dealing with a man and one with a woman. In 7:1-10, the centurion's slave is healed, and then Jesus returns an only son to his bereaved mother. In chapter 8, Jesus first heals a demon-possessed man, and then two women. In both cases, too, Luke has paired a story dealing with Gentiles (centurion and demoniac) with one that focuses on Jews (widow, Jairus's daughter, and the woman with the flow of blood).

THE TEXT
"Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God, and the twelve were with Him. . . ." (Luke 8:1-56).

JESUS' ENTOURAGE
Luke begins chapter 8 with a summary statement of Jesus' continuing ministry in Galilee (vv. 1-3). Like Elisha, he receives support from wealthy women (see 2 Kings 4:8-11), who apparently journey with Jesus as the Twelve do (v. 1). These women are model disciples, who have received benefits from Jesus' ministry (v. 2) and as a result devote their resources to Jesus' work (v. 3). They are healed in order to minister, and are among those who "hear the word of God and do it."

The reference to the "twelve" in verse 1 is also significant. They have not been mentioned since they were called in chapter 6. In this chapter, their training is highlighted: They travel at sea, and three of them are admitted to Jairus's house to witness the little girl's resurrection. Though their faith is still weak, Jesus decides they have seen enough to be sent out as His witnesses (see 9:1-6).

HEARING THE WORD
Luke 7:4-21 hangs together by its emphasis on "hearing" the word of Jesus. The verb for "hearing" is used eight times in this section, sometimes translated as "listen" (vv. 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 21).

Jesus has already spoken in parables several times in Luke's gospel, mainly when His teaching meets with hostility (5:36-39; 6:39-45; 7:41-43). Here, He makes that explicit, explaining to His disciples that He speaks in parables to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah (6:9) about Israel being hardened. This is consistent with the fact that Jesus does not visit any synagogues during this trip; He is now devoting His main attention to those who have responded to His word in faith.

In a series of three paragraphs, Jesus talks about the right way to hear:

-Men are made from the ground, so it's appropriate for Jesus to use different sorts of ground to symbolize different sorts of people. Jesus describes different ways of "hearing" of the word, and shows that only one kind is fruitful: Only those who "hold it fast" are able to "bear fruit with perseverance."

-The brief parable about the covered lamp is also about how one listens (v. 18). Jesus' words are an illuminating lamp on a stand, and those who enter into its light are illumined. Coming into the light also exposes us, and how we listen (or fail to listen) to the word of the Lord cannot remain hidden forever. The word works secretly, like a seed in the ground, but eventually this secret operation will manifest itself in fruit or lack of fruit. Together with the first parable, this one emphasizes the need for patience: If the word is like seed and like a secret to be revealed later, we have to wait for it to bear fruit.

-By listening rightly to the word of Jesus, finally, we become members of His family. Jesus does not define His family by blood ties but by response to His word.

COMMANDER OF SEA AND SATAN
Jesus crosses the lake of Galilee and enters Gentile territory (vv. 26, 32). On the voyage, a storm breaks out while Jesus calmly sleeps in the boat. There is a clear allusion to Jonah (Jonah 1:4-6). Jesus is the great prophet who brings the good news of release to Gentiles, though, with one exception, these Gentiles do not repent as the Ninevites did (vv. 34-38; Jonah 3). The disciples' terror also alludes to various Psalms where Yahweh seems to sleep while the Psalmist is attacked (Psalm 44:23; 73:20; 78:65). Jesus' power to calm the seas also demonstrates His authority over the "sea" of Gentiles, and demonstrates that He is Yahweh, the Creator-God who is the Master of the Waters (Genesis 1; Exodus 14).

Jesus' disciples do not immediately pick up the point. His demonstration of power over the sea leaves them asking the same question the Pharisees have asked, "Who is this man?" (see 5:21; 7:49). That question is answered in the following incident. Among the Gerasenes is a demoniac. He is almost inhuman, without clothes or house, and in a state of living death, living among the tombs; Jesus shows, as He will later in the gospel, that He has authority over the grave as well as the sea (cf. Luke 24:5), and He restores the man to manhood. The demoniac is possessed of a "Legion" of demons, and is a "strong man" that no one can bind (vv. 29-30); but Jesus is the "Stronger Man," who can handle a legion of demons (not to mention a legion of Romans). Legion is cast into the lake, which in context becomes symbolic of the "abyss" (vv. 31, 33). Jesus command of the sea is the same as His command of the abyss.

TWO WOMEN
After exorcizing the demoniac, Jesus is asked to assist Jairus, a synagogue ruler whose twelve-year-old daughter is dying (vv. 40-42). Interpolated in this story is another story about a woman with an issue of blood that had made her unclean for twelve years (see Leviticus 15). These two events happened together, but Luke also wrote the story in a way to bring out the similarities: Both are women, and both are called "daughter" (vv. 42, 48-49); both are associated with the number 12, the number of Israel (vv. 42-43); both are in a state of death �E the girl is actually dead and the woman is ceremonially dead; Jesus heals both with a touch (vv. 44, 54).