Luke 8 reminds me of building a campfire. You must start with kindling and twigs to allow the flames to spread. Then, by slowly adding larger split wood, the cold and dark are soon overcome by the fire. In today’s chapter we look at light and darkness. We begin with Jesus and the twelve traveling from town to town “proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God”. We are also told several women were among the crowd and that they were “helping to support them out of their own means”. Each of these women “had been cured of evil spirits and diseases”. Each had come from a very dark place and they were now tending to the Savior so others could be healed. It is important to point out that Jesus taught from the Law of Moses. He spoke of good and evil, and He taught the wisdom of God in the language of the common man. He taught of hope and redemption. First He used an experience all understood, planting seed and gathering the harvest. A good farmer will prepare the soil and then carefully scatter the seed. Jesus related this to the way people hear the Word of God. For me, it never really took root until I had some disturbance in my life. After being tilled, “seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown”. It is not until the harvest that you can share your abundance. Friend, what are you sowing?
The next parable describes the purpose of a lamp. It helps us see, and helps others find their way. Today there is societal pressure to keep your religion to yourself because corruption loves darkness. God’s standards of right and wrong are ridiculed while acts of evil are excused. The righteous are isolated and discouraged, but listen, “No one lights a lamp and hides it… they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light”. It is getting dark, and many are looking for a light of truth. Will you hold up your light? Jesus said to the crowd, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s Word and put it into practice”. Small acts of kindness can encourage a spark of faith. Interestingly in the next verse Jesus says, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake”. They went together because many embers burn hotter than one single log. Storms will come, but even wet wood will burn if the fire is hot enough. Jesus calmed the storm and asked, “Where is your faith?” Get together and fan the flame.
The chapter closes with a blaze. First, after reaching the other side of the lake, Jesus “was met by a demon-possessed man from the town”. Trembling with fear, he shouted, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” Yet we often approach Him with a list of our own wants. After healing the man, the people “asked Jesus to leave them… So He got into the boat and left”. What happens when institutions and nations ask Him to leave? After returning, a man named Jairus, “a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with Him to come to his house” to heal his gravely ill daughter. As Jesus was on His way, “one woman came up behind Him and touched the edge of His cloak and was immediately healed”. Jesus stopped and asked, “Who touched Me?” The woman explained “why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed”. Her testimony was given to encourage those present. We bless others by just telling our own story. Jesus told her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace”. At that moment Jairus heard the news, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher anymore”. But Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid”. Then He told the mourners, “She is not dead but asleep”. “They laughed at Him”. But He told the little girl, “My child, get up!” We read, “Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up”. My friend, is it time for you to gather together to stand against the darkness?