Luke 8:22-25

DAILY DEVOTION

FOR

FRIDAY, MAY 3

SCRIPTURE:  Luke 8:22-25

By:  Josh Boles

Today we are going to look at the few verses in Chapter 8 where Jesus calms the storm. A lot of times it takes time, and effort to figure out the meaning of a certain text. Today is an example of just the opposite in my opinion. I believe that the message of this story is screaming at us, yet it is something that we each struggle with on a regular basis.

Jesus and His disciples are on a boat in the middle of the sea of Galilee. The sea of Galilee is actually a lake, but is a very large one. Nearly 8 miles wide and 12 miles long. Living in Oklahoma we have probably all been on, or near a lake during a storm. Although these storms can sometimes cause the waves to rock a boat back and forth, very rarely are they anything like the ocean storms we see on tv or read about in the news.

This is typically true for a smaller body of water. The storms are not violent enough to do serious damage, but here we have a different story. The sea of Galilee sits 700 feet below sea level, and the location makes it very susceptible to sudden, and violent storms. When the cold winds that come over the eastern mountains meet the warm air over the sea, it creates a catastrophic event, much like a tornado here.

This explanation helps us to see things from the disciples eyes a little bit. Jesus was sleeping through this storms, and the disciples were doing everything they could do to save their lives, and the boat. We even read in verse 23 that they were in danger. This was a very real, and very dangerous situation. In this moment, the disciples realized that they were helpless.

In their helplessness they woke Jesus, and He rebuked both the disciples and the storm. We see this in 24 and 25. Jesus calmed the raging storm and then asked the disciples, “where is your faith?” In this moment they had an epiphany, and began to understand Jesus’ power. Pay attention to the question they ask at the end of 25, “who then is this, that he commanded even winds and water, and they obey him?”

The disciples had to learn a valuable lesson in this situation, but they had to learn it the hard way as we often do. Those hard lessons learned are often due to a lack of faith, and this was certainly true for the disciples here. They started off ok in realizing they were helpless. We have to realize that in any situation, or any trial. We are completely helpless. It is when we show no faith, and take matters into our own hands that things begin to fall apart.

The disciples failed to realize that although they are helpless, Jesus was not. It is revealed to us in verse 25 that even nature is subject to obey the Lord. We see even in the surrounding verses in Luke 8 that Jesus is Lord over nature, demons, disease, and death. This certainly means that he has authority, and is sovereign over us. This means that there is not a situation any of us could face that Jesus is not authoritative over.

I don’t know who all is reading this today, but maybe you need to stop for a minute and let this truth settle over you for a minute, I know I need to. God knows you. He knows every situation you are in, and has a plan for His glory through it all. We need to realize that yes, we are helpless, but we place our trust in somebody who is Lord over all situations across all time, and space. This is a never changing truth.

If you are in one of these “storms” now, place your full trust in him. If you are not, you probably will at some point experience a storm in your life. Trust in the one who is sufficient to rule and reign over, and in your life.

Luke 8:4-18

DAILY DEVOTION

FOR

THURSDAY, MAY 2

SCRIPTURE:  Luke 8:4-18

By:  Jeremy Witt

We come to one of the most famous parables of Jesus in our reading.  Before we dive into this particular parable, I want to point out some tools for understanding with parables.  Jesus often spoke by using something familiar and turning into a spiritual twist.  By linking the known with the hidden, He caused the original hearers to think and usually taught a spiritual truth.  But a word of caution for us today:  don’t read too much into the parable.  A parable causes the reader or hearer to discover truth for them and it can conceal truth too lazy or hard-hearted to understand.  Usually, Jesus used a parable for only one intended purpose and had only one meaning.  There are some parables such as this one where Jesus explains and there are some that leave us to think. 

Our parable comes to us in verses 4-8, and its explanation comes in verses 9-15.  This farmer planted by scattering or throwing seed as he walked throughout the field.  His goal is to get as much seed into the ground to produce a harvest, but the farmer knows that some seed will not make it.  In my case regarding my garden with my “green thumb”, there will be a lot of waste!   Getting anything to come up is worth celebrating in my case.  In the case of this parable, the reason the seed doesn’t grow is not the fault of the farmer or the seed, but the soil.  The yield depends on the condition of the soil.  The farmer is giving all the soil a chance which just so happens to be how God does with us.  Jesus died for all “types of soils.”  Our job is that of the farmer which is to spread the seed (God’s message-the Gospel) wherever we go.  So keep spreading seed!

So what is verse 10 about?  “When they look, they won’t really see.  When they hear, they won’t’ understand?”  Read Isaiah 6:9-10.  Jesus quotes from Scripture.  First, for the original audience, the reason might be because of their expectations of which the Messiah would be or what the Messiah might do.  The Jews were expecting a military/political Messiah like King David to come and overthrow the Romans and restore the border of Israel to what God promised Abraham.  They were not looking for a carpenter’s son to bring a spiritual kingdom.  They had God in a box so to speak.  For us today, we can do the same thing.  We have expectations of God and what He will do. 

The second thing might be because of their religion.  Jesus did not fit the religious model of that day.  He did not pander to the religious elites.  He reached out to the ignored and unlovable.  He spoke in parables.  These did not listen to the words or even the heart behind His message.  They were blind and deaf to Jesus. 

The third reason why people missed Jesus’ purpose was that they were one of the soils that missed it such as in the case of the footpath soil which was hardened as their hearts.  This would be like the Pharisees or religious leaders.  The Rocky soil illustrates the crowds who followed for the show and wanted to hear Jesus speak, but never did anything with it.  The Thorn soil gets consumed with the things of the world which is the one that can be us very easily.  We want the seed, but we allow the other things in this world to keep us from producing the harvest.  The good soil is the one that receives the seed, keeps to it regardless and follow Jesus till the harvest.

Verses 16-18 really add to our understanding of the parable of the soils.  If we will be true followers of Jesus, we will produce a harvest but we will not keep it to ourselves.  Just one with a lamp, we will share that light with others, and eventually, it will all be seen.  May we not think that we know it all or we will be like the Pharisees.  May we be teachable, moldable, and have ears to hear (verse 18).