(Luke) Shining Light Tells the Good Story 8

WOMEN OF HONOR

1After this, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) began to walk from one village to another telling stories about Creator’s good road. The twelve he had chosen were with him 2and also some women who had been healed and set free from evil spirits. One was Strong Tears (Mary) from the village of Creator’s High Lodge (Magdala), who had been set free from seven evil spirits. 3Another was Woman of His Goodwill (Joanna), the wife of Vision Seer (Chuza), the headman of the household of Chief Looks Brave (Herod). And then there was Water Flower (Susanna). These women and many others helped out with their own goods.

FOUR KINDS OF SOIL

4The people began to gather in crowds as they came from village after village to Creator Sets Free (Jesus). As the crowds gathered, he told them a story.

“Listen!” he said. 5“A seed planter went to plant some seeds and began to scatter them about on the ground.

“Some seeds fell on the village pathway, but people walked on them, and the winged ones pecked at the seeds and ate them all.

6“Some of the seeds fell on the rocks, where there was only a little dirt. The plants grew, but they dried up because they had no water.

7“Other seeds fell into the weeds, and thistles sprouted around the seeds and choked the life out of them.

8“But some seeds fell on good ground, grew strong, and gave a harvest of one hundred times what was planted. If you have ears to hear, you will understand this story.”

BLIND EYES AND DEAF EARS

9But his followers did not understand, so they asked him for the meaning of the story.

10He answered them, “To you the honor has been given to understand the mysterious ways of Creator’s good road. This honor is not given to those who are not ready for it. I speak to them in stories because ‘even though they have eyes to see, they do not see, and even though they have ears to hear, they fail to understand.’#8:10 Isaiah 6:9

MEANING OF FOUR KINDS OF SOIL

11“This is what the story means,” he told them. “The seed in this story is the teaching from the Great Spirit about his good road.

12“The village pathway represents the ones who hear, but then Accuser (Satan), the evil snake, sneaks up and steals the words out of their hearts to keep them from believing the teaching and being set free.

13“The rocky ground represents the ones who hear and receive the teaching with glad hearts, but because they have no roots, their faith is shallow and does not last. As soon as the teaching brings them trouble or opposition, they stumble and fall away.

14“The weeds and thistles represent the ones who have heard the teaching, but they are too busy worrying about their earthly possessions, so the teaching is choked and their faith stops growing good fruit.

15“The good ground represents the ones who hear the teaching with good and pure hearts, hold on tightly to it, and never let go until it grows good fruit in their lives.

16“No one after lighting a lamp hangs a blanket in front of it. Instead, they would put it on a table so everyone can see. 17The ones who have ears to hear will understand this teaching.

18“But they must listen carefully, for the ones who understand will gain wisdom and be ready for more—much more. But the ones who do not listen wisely will lose even the little they think they understand.”

ALL MY RELATIVES

19The mother of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and his brothers came to see him. They were unable to get to him because of the great number of people gathered there. 20Someone told him, “Your relatives are here, waiting to see you.”

21Creator Sets Free (Jesus) smiled and told the messenger, “The ones who listen to the teachings of the Great Spirit and walk in his ways are all my relatives—my mother, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters.”

POWER OVER VIOLENT STORMS

22On another day Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to his followers, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” They climbed into a large canoe and pushed off from the shore.

Tired from a long day, 23Creator Sets Free (Jesus) fell into a deep sleep.

His followers let him sleep and continued to paddle across the lake. A windstorm came up suddenly and began to move over the waters. They paddled harder, trying to get to shore before the storm hit.

Soon the storm overtook them and threatened to sink the canoes. 24In desperation they woke him from his sleep and cried out, “Wisdomkeeper! Wisdomkeeper! We are all going to drown.”

He woke up from his sleep, stood up, and spoke sharply to the wind and the raging water. At his words the wind stopped blowing and the waves calmed down. Great peace fell upon the surface of the waters. 25He turned to his followers and said to them, “Where is your faith?”

Amazed and afraid, they shook their heads and whispered to each other, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves listen to him!”

POWER OVER EVIL SPIRITS

26When they finished crossing, they came to the territory of the people of Honored in the End (Gadarenes), across the Lake of Circle of Nations (Sea of Galilee). 27As soon as he stepped from the canoe, a man from the village was there. This man had been tormented with evil spirits for a long time. His clothes had worn off him, and he was homeless, so he lived in the local burial grounds.

28When the man saw Creator Sets Free (Jesus), he fell to the ground in front of him. The evil spirit cried out through the man, “Creator Sets Free (Jesus), Son of the One Above Us All, what do you want with me? I beg you not to torment me!” 29He said this because Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had ordered the evil spirit to leave the man.

In the past this evil spirit had often taken hold of the man, so the villagers had kept the man bound with chains and under close watch. But the man had broken the chains, and the evil spirit had forced him out into the desert.

30Creator Sets Free (Jesus) asked, “What is your name?”

“Many Soldiers,”#8:30 Lit. legion, a segment of the occupying Roman army of about five thousand soldiers he answered, because thousands of spirits had entered into him. 31They begged him not to send them into the deep dark pit of the world below.#8:31 Abyss or underworld

32There was a large herd of pigs feeding on a nearby mountainside, so the spirits begged him to permit them to enter the pigs. 33When he gave them permission, the evil spirits left the man and entered into the herd of pigs. Then the whole herd stampeded down the mountainside headlong into the lake and drowned.

34The ones who were watching over the pigs were scared to death and ran away. They went to the nearby village and told them everything that had happened. 35As word spread, people came from the villages and the countryside to see for themselves. There they found the man whom the evil spirits had come out of, sitting quietly at the feet of Creator Sets Free (Jesus). He was clothed and in his right mind. This filled the hearts of the people there with awe and fear.

36The ones who had seen what happened told the people how the man with evil spirits had been set free. 37Then the people from the territory of Honored in the End (Gadarenes) begged Creator Sets Free (Jesus) to go away from their land.

38As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) entered the canoe to return to the other side, the man who had been set free from the evil spirits begged him to take him along. Creator Sets Free (Jesus) would not permit it and said to the man, 39“Return home to your family and friends.” He told the man, “Tell them all the powerful things the Great Spirit has done for you.”

The man went his way and told his story in the villages, telling everyone the great things Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had done for him.

A DESPERATE REQUEST

40Creator Sets Free (Jesus) canoed back to the other side of the lake. A great crowd, waiting for him at the lakeshore, welcomed him with glad hearts. 41A man named He Gives Light (Jairus), the headman of the local gathering house, pushed his way through the crowd and fell down on his knees in front of Creator Sets Free (Jesus) and begged him to come to his house. 42He had an only daughter, about twelve winters old, who was dying.

As Creator Sets Free (Jesus) went with the man, the crowd also trailed along, pressing in around him from all sides.

WHO TOUCHED ME?

43There was a woman in the crowd who had been bleeding in an unusual way for more than twelve winters.

Under tribal law this woman would be considered unclean. She was also required to warn people nearby of her condition by saying out loud, “Unclean! Unclean!” Instead, she pushed her way through the crowd to get to the Wisdomkeeper.

She spent all she had on medicine men who were not able to heal her. 44She came up close behind him, reached out her hand, and touched the fringe of his outfit, and right away the blood stopped flowing.

Creator Sets Free (Jesus) stopped, turned, and looked around the crowd.

45“Who touched me?” he asked.

The ones who heard him shrugged their shoulders and began to look around also.

When no one came forward, Stands on the Rock (Peter) said to him, “Wisdomkeeper, the crowds are pushing, shoving, and touching you, what do you mean?”

46“Someone touched me,” he said again. “I felt power go out from my body.”

Fear took hold of the heart of this woman, for she had not announced herself as unclean, and even worse, she had touched a spiritual leader. The crowd might turn against her or even have her stoned to death.

47The woman knew she could hide no longer. She came forward, trembling with fear, and fell down before him. In front of all the people she told the story of why she touched him and how she was healed right then.

48Creator Sets Free (Jesus) looked at her with kindness in his eyes and said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

POWER OVER DEATH

49As they continued on, a messenger from the home of the headman of the gathering house came. With sadness on his face he said to He Gives Light (Jairus), “There is no need to trouble the Wisdomkeeper any longer. Your little girl has died.”

The man’s heart fell to the ground, and grief began to creep over him.

50Creator Sets Free (Jesus) overheard and quickly said to him, “Do not fear, simply trust me and all will be well.”

51When they came to the house, Creator Sets Free (Jesus) did not permit anyone to go in with him except the child’s parents and his most trusted followers—Stands on the Rock (Peter), He Shows Goodwill (John), and He Takes Over (James).

52All the people there were crying for the little girl. Creator Sets Free (Jesus) said to them, “Do not cry. The child is not dead. She only sleeps.”

53They mocked him and laughed, for they knew she was dead. 54So he sent them outside, and then, taking the little girl by the hand, he said, “Little girl, stand up!” She drew in a deep breath as 55her spirit returned to her body, and she stood up. Creator Sets Free (Jesus) had them give her some food.

56Her father and mother stood there, amazed beyond words, weeping for joy. Their little girl was alive! Then he firmly told them not to tell anyone what had happened.

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