Verse 1. Notice the busy itinerary the Lord had. The disciples accompanied Him. As He ministered to others there were those who ministered to Him.
Several women are mentioned—they had at least one thing in common: they had been delivered from demons and disease.
· Mary Magdalene, she may have been a titled woman; was delivered from seven demons.
· Joanna was the wife of Herod’s household manager.
· Susana was another and many others unnamed.
These all shared their substance with the Lord and His disciples. Their kindness to the Lord did not go unrecorded or unnoticed.
Verses 4-15 The parable of the sower.
This parable was told to the multitude then explained to the disciples. We have the sower, the seed, four kinds of soil, and four results.
1. The wayside soil was trampled by men, the seed devoured by birds.
2. In the rocky soil the seed withered for lack of moisture.
3. In the thorny soil growth was choked by the thorns.
4. In the good ground thee seed brought forth one hundred grains for each seed.
The disciples asked the Lord the meaning of the parable. Verse 9. The seed is the Word of God. Verse 11 = His own teaching.
1. The wayside hearers heard the Word in a superficial way. This made it easy for the devil to snatch it away.
2. The rock-hearers heard the Word too - but they remained unrepentant. No encouragement was given to the Word, so it withered and died.
3. The thorny ground hearers seemed to get along for a time. They evidently were not genuine, for soon the cares – riches - pleasures of life took control, and the Word was stifled.
4. The good ground hearers represent true believers. They believed – received – and allowed the Word to mold their lives. They were teachable and obedient. They developed true Christian character and produced fruit for God.
Verses 16-18 The parable of the lighted lamp.
This parable is an exhortation to all who have truly received the Word. The Lord says here that they have lit a lamp and it should be set on a lamp stand. He should live – preach - and teach the Word at every opportunity. Note the two things which should not be done with the lighted lamp.
It should not be hidden under a vessel. Under a bushel. Hiding our lamp under a bushel speaks of our witness being obscured with the rush of business. We should use our business as a pulpit for propagating the Gospel.
Secondly the lamp should not be hid under a bed. The bed speaks of rest and comfort, sloth and indulgence. These can obscure the light, and keep it from shining.
Verse 17 Seems to suggest that if we hide our light, that despite ourselves it will burst through to our embarrassment.
Verse 18 We should be careful HOW we hear. If we share what we have with others, God will reveal greater truths to us. If we continue to hide what we have, God will take it away from us. The principle seems to be: What we don’t use, we lose.
Verses 19-21
At this point we see Him surrounded by eager listeners. So much so that His mother and His brothers could not get near Him. On being informed that they desired to see Him He answered, “My mother, and My brothers are those who hear the Word of God and do it.” In Christ the spiritual relationship is much stronger than natural ties.
Verses 22-25 Jesus stills the storm.
In the remainder of this chapter Jesus shows His power over the elements, demons, disease, and death. All these obey His Word—only man refuses.
This storm probably was of satanic origin. Note the humanity of the Lord—He was sleeping. Note His Deity—he rebuked the winds and waves. The disciples revealed their lack of faith. They did not realize the extent of His power. Sometimes we are no different from them. When the storms of life are raging we too often despair.
Verses 26-29 The demoniac healed.
When Jesus arrived in Gadara He was met by a demon possessed man.
This was an extreme case of demon possession.
This man had been possessed for a long time.
He had discarded his clothes.
He shunned society.
He lived in tombs.
He had been bound by ropes and chains, but he had broken loose.
He was driven by a legion of demons.
When he saw Jesus, the devils in him pleaded with Jesus that He would not send them into the deep – abyss - Hell. They besought Him that He would send them into a herd of pigs. He gave them permission to go there, and the 2,000 pigs rushed into the Sea of Galilee and were drowned.
The news quickly spread. Crowds of people came to see. They saw two things:
1. The healed demon possessed man sitting – clothed - and in his right mind, at Jesus’ feet.
2. They saw 2,000 dead pigs in the sea.
Their reactions—they asked Him to return to the other side and leave them alone. The healed man was then sent back to his friends to testify.
Sometime later Jesus returned to Decapolis and was met by a very sympathetic crowd. Could this have been because of the faithful witness of the healed man?
Verses 41-49 Two great miracles.
When Jesus returned to the western shore of Galilee He was met by Jairus. His daughter was sick, and he asked Jesus to come to his house and heal her. He consented to do so, but as he went to the house the crowd pressed round Him.
In the crowd there was a timid, desperate woman. She had been sick for 12 years - she had spent her life-savings, but was no better.
She knew Jesus could heal her and getting close to Him she touched Him in faith and was healed. See Verses 45-48. The touch of faith brought deliverance.
After this miracle a messenger came from Jairus’ house, “Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.” Verse 49. But Jesus said to Jairus “Fear not, only believe.” As soon as He arrived at the house, He went to the room where the girl was. He took her by the hand—said “Child arise” and she arose immediately.