King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 19 notes
1And 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,
2And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
3And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.
4And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:
First he went out to every city and village preaching; now after that, the people started coming to him.
First the announcement and proclamation of the kingdom 👑 had to be made.
How else were the people to know there was salvation for them?
Now after that, the people, seeing the results, started coming of their own accord.
Jesus was deliberate and strategic in his ventures.
He knew how to dine with the high and mighty, like he did in Simon's house.
He also knew how to go to the low and abased.
He was indeed the people's Messiah.
5A 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.
6And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
8And 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.
9And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
10And 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.
What manner of teaching style is this? Imagine a preacher who comes to your church and shares very interesting stories, yet refuses to explain, and yet you love his stories and the miracles he does, and even multiplying bread.
But his teachings are full of strange illustrations, difficult to decipher, yet he refuses to explain them.
That was Jesus: some loved him, some hated him, and some just did not know what to make of him.
He himself knew he had become somewhat of a mystery.
No wonder he at a point asked to know what people thought of him.
He was indeed a mighty wonder.
11Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12Those 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.
So the devil 👿 has such powers.
No wonder we ought to arrest every thought 💭 and make them subject to Christ.
13They 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.
Matthew's account says when persecutions arise on account of the word; Luke here says temptation. I think they line up and complement each other well.
14And 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.
Many unfulfilled ministries find themselves here.
Mark 4:18-19 KJV
And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
15But 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.
16No 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.
These two verses line up well... The good ground hears the word and bears fruit in many folds.
Just like a light is not hidden but shines forth, bears fruit 🥝
17For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
18Take 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.
In other words, he that hears and heeds, by paying attention to and doing what the word says, shall more be given...
But the one who does not have, even the little he/she has is taken away.
19Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press.
20And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.
21And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.
He was speaking forth a mystery here. It might have sounded almost like an insult 🤬 or high-mindedness for him to have said this.
But that was truth. We are his brethren. We are his family 👪
22Now 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.
23But 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.
24And 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.
25And 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.
I love this... What manner of man is this?
Ah, so was Jesus expecting them to, like, do something about the storm? 😕 😤 🤦🏾 🤷🏻♂️
If this was his expectation of his followers during a storm, then I won't be surprised 🤨 that if JESUS was in our individual situations, he would say the same thing.
Where is your faith? 😳 Yes, we all go through storms in life. And the storms are to bring out the best in us 🙏.
So like Jesus, I ask us, you and I, where is your faith?
26And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.
27And 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.
28When 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.
29( 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.)
Spirits drive men. Here is an example of an evil 😈 spirit driving 🚘 a man.
In the case of Jesus, he was thus so filled with the Spirit it drove him to the desert 🏜 to fast.
We are commanded to be full of the Holy Ghost 👻 till he controls us 🎮
Ephesians 5:18-19 KJV
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; [19] Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
30And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
31And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.
32And 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.
33Then 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.
They caused massive economic damage... 100% destroying someone's business, these demons.
But I wonder what was the moral (as if they have any) for desiring to leave the man, enter into pigs 🐽, only to destroy them.
34When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country.
35Then 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.
36They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.
37Then 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.
But why did they do this? What were they afraid 😨 of...
That Jesus would bring judgement upon them, or that the devils will come for revenge?
Or they were just afraid at the entire turn of events.
38Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,
39Return 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.
40And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.
41And, 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:
42For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.
Jairus's faith needed Jesus physically present, but the centurion's did not.
It would have saved both him and Jesus the time if Jairus's faith was great enough.
It is interesting that Jesus could not have great faith for the people he ministered to, but had to meet them where their faith was, and not lord his great faith over theirs.
If Jairus had the faith of the centurion, then maybe we would never have had the story of the woman with the issue of blood, because it was en route to Jairus's house that the woman with the issue of blood showed us great faith.
The faith of touching the hem of Jesus's garment. A faith many a song has been written about.
43And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,
44Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.
This touch of faith, which many have preached about as an example of great faith, is not entirely new.
In
Luke 6:19 KJV
And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
We see many have been doing this kind of thing even before the woman with the issue of blood.
What makes her case unique was that she thought to herself, I do not need to touch his body or even cling to his clothes.
No, I just need a little something; just the hem is enough.
Secondly, so strong was her faith, she literally seems to have drained so much power that even Jesus felt it.
Jesus, the repository of power, felt it when power was taken out by this woman; she indeed may have really pulled from him.
45And 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?
46And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
This lets us in on the kind of things that went through and out and inside of Jesus as he ministered to people.
This is the only one time we have on record Jesus commenting on what he felt.
It's almost like today when we say we feel the presence of God.
Lord, help us to discern your impulses... Lord, help us.
47And 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.
48And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
49While 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.
50But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.
51And 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.
52And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.
53And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.
54And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.
In this walk 🚶 of faith, speak no evil; speak only faith and that which you want to see.
Jesus refused to speak any contrary view, even when the circumstances indicated otherwise.
It was the same in the case of Lazarus. From when he was sick to when he died...
Spiritual principles at work here.
55And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.
56And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done.
Why should no one know what was done?