Having established the authority of faith, Luke shows while its effect is unlimited, its prevalence is not. There is a notable divide between those driven by faith and those who cling only to that which their human mind can conceive and perceive.
The Twelve have been selected, and now they must be trained. We saw in the previous chapter negative examples provided by the Pharisees and Scribes. Having established what they shall not be, Jesus begins teaching them how to be like Himself. Thus, they depart on a preaching tour of Galilee, accompanied by some women in supporting roles. We sense here Luke got to know the three he named here who were delivered from demonic oppression. Of the three, Mary Magdalene figures large in the narrative, for her plight had been severe. No less was the change Jesus made in her life. There is no evidence to support popular assertions she was a prostitute. Rather, she was a deeply troubled woman who was set free to walk in faith. So it was she took her place in a rather large entourage for this trip.
We can be sure the Parable of Soils was used more than once as Jesus taught. Here it serves to introduce the spiritual principle of differences between people who were drawn to Jesus' ministry. Some just didn't get it. They were like the hard packed paths crossing the fields and meadows of Palestine. Some were too shallow to do anything with it. They were like the shallow soil overlaying bed rock -- quickly warmed by the sun and sprouting early in the morning. Later in the day, the same warmth dehydrated that shallow soil. Some could not let go of this world, could not step into the spiritual realm, rather like being caught in the thorn bushes of that land. However, there would always be some who were completely taken by the message and changed by it.
While the obvious lesson of farming was in their grasp, the disciples didn't quite know what to make of the spiritual symbolism. Because of their unique position as future leaders of this spiritual revolution, they were allowed to ask for a fuller explanation of the mystical implications. The reason for parables was to differentiate the hearts of men. Those who embraced the message of Jesus would be changed by it, but the rest of the world would only be driven away. Truth has a polarizing effect, and truth can hardly be put in human language. Thus, it had to be caught, not taught. Jesus pointed out the different ways in which people responded to His teaching, that only those with a heart prepared by God can cling to the truth.
A critical element in this imagery is the long view, noting things must inevitably start small. The difference is not who embraces it and rejoices, but those who stay with it. Oil lamps put forth a very pitiful glow, so to make the most of that feeble light, they were placed high on a stand. Any confinement of that light makes it disappear altogether. The teaching of Jesus was not some secret canon for insiders only, but must be offered to everyone. It's not possible to know at first whether a heart is ready for the gospel, so there should be no barriers erected to limit exposure of it. People would carry enough barriers in themselves already. Indeed, the truth by its own nature could not be hidden, anyway. More important it was for the disciples to make sure they understood it clearly so they could teach it clearly. The word "holy" meant separate; holiness meant nothing if the separation wasn't obvious in the long run.
This sort of holiness would be noticed first in family relations. We know Jesus' siblings did not believe in Him until after the Resurrection. Thus, their coming was likely an attempt to suggest He not embarrass the family by raving like a madman or starting a rebellion and getting Himself arrested. Jesus pointedly noted there was a higher priority than mere blood relations. A shared spiritual DNA took precedence. His natural family's concerns were their own problem.
Still, it was a good idea to take a break from the crowds. Jesus directed His disciples sail with Him to the eastern shore of Galilee, which was pretty deserted in those days. On the way, one of the notorious wind storm struck. Galilee was a deep bowl ringed mostly by hills and cliffs. As the heat of the day built up on the land around it, the expansion of warm air could create unpredictable bursts of wind across the cooler lake surface. These experienced fishermen found themselves severely threatened by such a wind storm. Jesus, with His supreme faith in His mission given by the Father managed to sleep through it. The stark contrast in attitude was the point of this story. The storm hardly threatened the Man of Faith. When the disciples managed to awaken Jesus, He showed them why He was unconcerned by commanding the storm to cease. He wasn't teaching them to order weather to their liking, but to face it as something their Lord controlled. They still weren't getting it, as they remarked what sort of rabbi it was whom the weather obeyed.
Eventually they reached the shore near Kherasa. Again we see the prevalence of demons, as they were confronted right away by a notorious naked tomb dweller. This man exhibited inhuman strength in breaking standard restraints, and had caused a lot of trouble in that region. Jesus had already commanded the demons to depart, but they were delaying in fear of their ultimate destiny. These had no doubt about the authority of Jesus, making much of His divinity. Since that was beside the point, He demanded they stick with the issue at hand. If the only fact of importance was Jesus' identity as Son of God, the lesson of His walking in faith would be hidden from the disciples. They took the opportunity to beg for some sort of reprieve, exchanging the poor man they held for a herd of pigs nearby. To Jesus this seemed sufficient improvement to permit the Legion their wish. The whole herd rushed down the steep slope into the sea and drowned.
The herders ran away, and told the folks in Kherasa and the surrounding area what they had seen and heard. To them, this business of faith and deliverance was an economic disaster, never mind the life spared by it. While it was probably nice to see the wild man sane and safe, they would rather not have lost the income from the swine herd. They begged Jesus to leave. As He and the disciples began climbing back into the boat, the former tomb dweller naturally begged to join them. Clearly he wasn't valued by his neighbors. Jesus pointed out that was all the more reason the man should stay and preach the truth. If anything would confront them more forcefully with the truth, it was the man who represented such a radically different point of view of what mattered to them.
The reception back in Capernaum was somewhat better. In the midst of the welcome, the ruler of the local synagogue, Jairus, approached with a long face. Partisans and lawyers notwithstanding, this man knew Jesus was his only hope -- his only child, a twelve-year-old daughter, was dying. Obviously, Jairus felt this was an emergency. Jesus complied with the request, and set off with him. However, He did not share Jairus's panic. On the way, a woman suffering a loathsome hemorrhage reached through the press of people to touch the tassel hanging off the back of Jesus' rabbinical cloak. She was healed. Jesus was aware and felt compelled to stop the procession and identify her. His question to the crowd about who had touched Him seemed silly, given the jostling crowd around Him.
He insisted this was something altogether intentional, and it resulted in a move of spiritual power. The woman was embarrassed; falling at His feet she explained her actions. Jesus pointed out her faith was the difference. Everyone else in the crowd was just that: a bunch of people expecting a show. This woman's healing offered no entertainment, but was so very important in itself, Jesus felt compelled to praise her example. It mattered, and the crowd needed to know it.
What would Jairus have felt, seeing this woman dared to interfere with his emergency like this? Too late, for as they stood there, he received word his daughter had died. Few can imagine what must have crossed his mind at that moment. Was his daughter no less important to God than that woman? Jesus remarked Jairus had nothing to fear from God. This business with his daughter was not over, yet. She would be well if he could see past his pain and believe.
At the house, the crowd of mourners had even less understanding. To them, death was the end. In the Kingdom of Heaven, death was a mere circumstance, subject to the authority of faith. For Jesus, death was no more significant than sleep. They mocked Him, so He ordered them out. Unbelievers did not deserve to see what followed. Taking with Him the inner circle of Peter, James and John, Jesus led Jairus and his wife into the girl's side. He took her hand and called her to rise. Her parents must have been stunned to see her do so. To help them adapt to the shift in their reality, Jesus told them to feed the girl, who would naturally be hungry after recovery from a long illness.
This was still the time of planting seed. For now, He told them, keep it quiet. Better it was those who embraced the teachings of Jesus should have time to absorb what happened so they would see it through spiritual eyes. There would be time enough later for them to tell of this event when they did understand, so they would tell of it in a way to polarize between those who could not understand, and those whose hearts God had made ready for the truth.
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By Ed Hurst
26 July 2008
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