Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Luke
Chapter 8: Thy Faith Hath Made Thee Whole
Luke 8 shows the word of the kingdom sown and the power of the King displayed. Jesus travels preaching the glad tidings, supported by devoted women, and tells the parable of the sower, where the same seed, the word of God, falls on four kinds of hearts and only the good ground, an 'honest and good heart,' bears fruit 'with patience.' He names His true family: 'My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.' Then His power breaks out over storm, demons, disease, and death. He stills a raging storm with a word, so the disciples ask, 'What manner of man is this!' He frees a man tormented by a legion of demons, who is found 'sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind.' And a woman sick twelve years is healed by touching His garment, 'thy faith hath made thee whole,' while Jairus' dead daughter is raised, 'Maid, arise.' The chapter reveals the Lord of the word and of the storm, the demons, the disease, and the grave, who meets faith with mighty grace.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Luke chapter 8. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here Jesus teaches the parable of the sower, stills the storm, casts out Legion, and raises Jairus' daughter. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
The Seed Is the Word
The same word falls on four hearts; the good ground bears fruit with patience.
What Manner of Man?
He rebukes the wind and waves, and they obey Him.
In His Right Mind
A man tormented by many demons is set free and restored.
Maid, Arise
A sick woman is healed and a dead girl is raised by His word.
Bring Forth Fruit with Patience (Luke 8:1-21)
The word of God is sown on four kinds of hearts, and the true family of Jesus is those who hear the word and do it.
They Which Hear the Word of God, and Do It
"And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance. And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad. Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it."
Word Study
"patience," Greek hupomone (ὑπομονή). The word means steadfast endurance, patient perseverance, remaining under a load without giving way. Luke alone adds this note to the good ground: they "keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." The mark of the honest, good heart is not merely a quick, joyful start but a fruit that comes through perseverance over time. The rocky-ground hearers "for a while believe" but fall away in temptation; the good-ground hearers keep the word and bear fruit "with patience," holding fast through trials. True faith endures, and its fruit ripens through steadfastness.
Explanation
Luke notes that women -- Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and others -- travel with Jesus and support the mission from their means, a quiet mark of the Gospel's dignifying of the overlooked. The parable of the sower explains why the word bears such uneven fruit: the same seed meets hard, shallow, crowded, and honest hearts, and only the last "keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience." A lamp is not hidden but set to give light, for nothing concealed will stay hidden. And true kinship is redrawn: "my mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it." The word received and obeyed makes a family closer than blood.
Gospel Focus
Luke opens with a lovely detail: as Jesus preached "the glad tidings of the kingdom," He was accompanied and supported by devoted women, "Mary called Magdalene... Joanna... Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance." The Saviour of all honored and included the women who loved Him, and they served with their means. Then comes the parable of the sower, the foundational parable about how we hear the word. The seed is "the word of God," and it falls on four kinds of hearts. The wayside heart is hard, and "the devil... taketh away the word... lest they should believe and be saved." The rocky heart receives "with joy" but "have no root," and in "time of temptation fall away"; emotion without depth does not last. The thorny heart is crowded, "choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life," and bears "no fruit to perfection." And the good ground is "an honest and good heart," which hears, keeps the word, and "bring[s] forth fruit with patience." The seed is always good; the difference is the soil. And Luke's added word is crucial: the good heart bears fruit "with patience," enduring through trials rather than falling away. Jesus drives it home: "Take heed therefore how ye hear", not merely whether we hear, but how. Then, told His mother and brothers are outside, Jesus redefines family: "My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it." Kinship with Christ is not by blood but by hearing and doing His word, receiving the seed into an honest heart and bearing fruit. The whole passage searches us with one question: what kind of soil is your heart, and do you not only hear the word but keep it and do it, bearing fruit with patience?
Sitting at the Feet of Jesus, in His Right Mind (Luke 8:22-39)
Jesus stills a raging storm with a word and frees a man from a legion of demons, restoring him to soundness.
What Manner of Man Is This!
"Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him."
Word Study
"in his right mind," Greek sophronounta (σωφρονοῦντα). The word means to be of sound mind, self-controlled, sane. The man who had been naked, homeless, and uncontrollable, driven by a legion of demons, is found "sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind." Luke, the physician, notes the complete restoration: from raving madness to sound-mindedness, from the tombs to the Teacher's feet, from nakedness to being clothed. This is what Christ does with a wrecked life: He does not merely improve it but restores it whole, giving back a right mind and seating the delivered soul, calm and clothed, at His feet.
Explanation
Asleep in the boat, Jesus is wakened by terrified disciples and rebukes the wind and raging water into "a calm," leaving them to ask, "What manner of man is this?" -- for only God stills the sea (Psalm 107:29). Landing among the Gerasenes, He frees a man tormented by a legion of demons, who is found "sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind." The townsfolk, more attached to their drowned swine than their delivered neighbor, beg Him to leave; the healed man begs to follow but is sent home to "shew how great things God hath done." The One who commands storm and legion is Lord over every power that binds.
Gospel Focus
Two miracles reveal the Lord's power over the chaos of nature and the powers of darkness. First, the storm. As they cross the lake, Jesus, truly weary, "fell asleep," and a violent storm fills the boat, until the terrified disciples wake Him: "Master, master, we perish." He "rebuked the wind and the raging of the water," and instantly "there was a calm." His gentle question, "Where is your faith?", exposes that fear had crowded out their trust, though the Lord of the sea was in the boat. And they ask the great question: "What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him." The Scriptures answer it, for it is God who stills the raging sea; the One asleep on the cushion is God in flesh. Second, at the country of the Gadarenes, Jesus meets a man utterly destroyed by demons: naked, homeless, living "in the tombs," uncontrollable. The demons recognize and dread Him, "Jesus, thou Son of God most high," and are helpless before Him. Their name is "Legion," an army of them tormenting one man, yet at Jesus' word they must go. And the transformation is total: the townspeople find the man "sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind." Here is Christ's power to restore the most ruined life, giving soundness, dignity, and a place at His feet. Two sad and one glad response follow. The Gadarenes, valuing their swine and their comfort above a man's salvation, beg Jesus to leave, tragically preferring their pigs to the Prince of peace. But the delivered man begs to stay with Jesus, and receives instead a better calling: "Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee." So the first missionary to the Decapolis is a man freed from a legion of demons. Christ still stills storms and breaks the grip of darkness. Bring Him your chaos and your bondage; He can calm the storm and give you a right mind, and seat you at His feet.
She Is Not Dead, but Sleepeth (Luke 8:40-56)
A sick woman is healed by faith's touch, and a dead girl is raised by Christ's word, revealing His power over disease and death.
Fear Not: Believe Only
"And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him. And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house: For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him. And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched. And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done."
Word Study
"sleepeth," Greek katheudei (καθεύδει). The word is the ordinary word for sleep. Jesus says of the dead girl, "she is not dead, but sleepeth", not that she had not truly died, for they knew she had, but that to Him her death was as reversible as sleep, from which He could wake her with a word. This becomes the New Testament's tender way of speaking of a believer's death: those who die in Christ are said to "sleep," for to the Lord of resurrection their death is temporary, and He will wake them. The One who says "Maid, arise" holds the keys of death; to Him the grave is but a bed from which He calls His own.
Explanation
Luke again nests one miracle within another: on the way to raise Jairus's dying daughter, a woman with a twelve-year hemorrhage touches Jesus' hem and is healed, and He draws out her secret faith into open confession -- "Daughter... thy faith hath made thee whole." Word comes that the girl has died, but Jesus says, "Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole." Taking her hand, He calls, "Maid, arise," and her spirit returns. The Lord who was interrupted by one desperate touch is never too late for another; He holds sickness and death alike by the hand and commands them to release their captives.
Gospel Focus
Two intertwined stories display Christ's power over disease and death, and both turn on faith. Jairus, a synagogue ruler, falls at Jesus' feet for his dying "one only daughter." As Jesus goes, a woman "having an issue of blood twelve years," who "had spent all her living upon physicians" and could not be healed, presses through the crowd and touches "the border of his garment," and is instantly healed. She is a picture of every sinner who has exhausted every human remedy; and her faith, though weak and trembling, truly touches Christ and draws healing from Him. When Jesus asks "Who touched me?", it is not because He does not know but because He will not let her slip away with a healing and no relationship. She comes "trembling," tells all the truth, and hears the tenderest word: "Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace." The whole crowd thronged Him; only she touched Him in faith, and the difference between pressing near Christ and touching Him in faith is the difference between the curious and the saved. Meanwhile the delay proves fatal, word comes, "Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master." But Jesus speaks the word that steadies every trembling believer: "Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole." At the house, amid the mourners' scorn, He says, "she is not dead, but sleepeth", for to Him her death is but sleep. He takes her hand and says, "Maid, arise," and "her spirit came again, and she arose straightway," and, ever practical and compassionate, He commands that she be given food. Here is the crown of the chapter: Jesus is Lord over both the slow wasting of disease and the sudden finality of death. To trembling faith He gives healing; to a grieving father He gives back his child. And He transforms the grave itself: for those who are His, death is but sleep, and the voice that woke this little girl will one day call all His people from their graves. Whatever your incurable trouble or your grief at the grave, bring it to Him. "Fear not: believe only."
Chapter 8 in Review
Luke 8 sows the word and displays the King's power. In the parable of the sower, the same "word of God" falls on four hearts, and only the good ground, "an honest and good heart," keeps the word and brings "forth fruit with patience," while the devil, temptation, and worldly cares rob the rest. Jesus names His true family, "these which hear the word of God, and do it." Then His power breaks out: He stills a storm, so the disciples ask, "What manner of man is this!"; He frees a man from a legion of demons, found "sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind"; He heals a woman by faith's touch, "thy faith hath made thee whole"; and He raises Jairus' dead daughter, "Maid, arise," saying, "she is not dead, but sleepeth."
For the Apostolic reader the chapter joins the word and the wonder to reveal Christ. The parables press how we hear the word of God, calling us to be good ground that keeps it and bears fruit with patient endurance, and to be His true family who hear and do. And the four miracles proclaim who He is: Lord over the storm, who stills the sea as only God can; Lord over the demons, who breaks a legion's grip and restores a wrecked man to soundness; Lord over disease, whose power flows to trembling faith; and Lord over death, to whom the grave is but sleep. Woven through it all is the theme of faith: "Where is your faith?", "thy faith hath made thee whole," "Fear not: believe only." Christ meets desperate, even trembling, faith with mighty grace, and restores fully, the storm calmed, the madman clothed and seated at His feet, the outcast called "Daughter," the dead child raised and fed. So the chapter calls us to receive the word into an honest heart, to hear and do it, and to bring our storms, our bondage, our incurable troubles, and our griefs to the Lord of the word and of the storm, the demons, the disease, and the grave. "Fear not: believe only."
- The seed is the word; the good heart keeps it and bears fruit with patience (8:11, 15).
- Take heed how you hear; Christ's true family hears the word and does it (8:18, 21).
- Jesus stills the storm as only God can: "the winds and water... obey him" (8:24-25).
- Christ restores the most ruined life: "clothed, and in his right mind" (8:35).
- Faith, not the crowd, draws healing from Christ; "thy faith hath made thee whole" (8:48).
- Jesus is Lord over death; to Him the believer's death is but sleep (8:52-55).
Questions for Reflection
- What kind of soil is your heart, and do you bear fruit with patience?
- Are you Christ's true family, hearing the word of God and doing it?
- Do you merely throng Christ in the crowd, or touch Him in faith?
- Does the One who says "Maid, arise" take the fear out of death for you?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The word as living seed and hearing rightly: 1 Peter 1:23; James 1:21-25; Luke 6:46-49. God stilling the sea: Psalm 107:23-30; 89:9. Christ's power over demons: 1 John 3:8; Colossians 2:15. Believers who 'sleep' in death: John 11:11-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; 1 Corinthians 15:20. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The sower and the true family: Luke 8:1-21; Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-34.
- The stilling of the storm and the Gadarene demoniac: Luke 8:22-39; Matthew 8:23-34; Mark 4:35-5:20.
- The woman with the issue of blood and Jairus' daughter: Luke 8:40-56; Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43.