John Gill Commentary Luke 8

And it came to pass afterwards ,
&c;] After Christ has healed the centurion's servant at Capernaum, and has raised a widow's son that was dead, to life, at Naim; after John's disciples had been with him and he had dismissed them, and had said many things in commendation of John, and in vindication both of him, and of himself: and after he had taken a meal in a Pharisee's house, where he met with a woman that had been a notorious sinner, who showed great affection for him, which occasioned much discourse between him and the Pharisee:

that he went throughout every city and village :
that is, in Galilee, where he now was, as is clear from the foregoing chapter, and from what follows in this, (Luke 8:26) and besides, it was by the sea of Galilee that he delivered the following parable concerning the sower; see (Matthew 13:1)

preaching, and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God ;
of the Gospel dispensation, which was now taking place, and had been long expected; publishing the doctrines and mysteries of it, such as free and full remission of sins for his own sake, justification by his righteousness, acceptance in him the beloved Son of God, and complete salvation by him as the Saviour of his people, than which nothing could be more welcome news, or better tidings; pointing out the ordinances of that dispensation, and showing who were the proper subjects of them, and directing and encouraging such to submit unto them; as also signifying what the kingdom of grace lies in, not in meats and drinks, or any outward things, but in inward holiness, peace, and joy; and what is a meetness for entrance into the kingdom of glory, namely, regenerating grace; and what gives a right unto it, even a better righteousness than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, and which was no other than his own:

and the twelve were with him ;
the twelve apostles, whom Christ had chosen, and ordained as such: these attended him wherever he went, that they might be witnesses of his miracles, and learn his doctrines; that so they might be thoroughly furnished for their future ministry, both in Judea, and among the Gentiles.

And certain women which had been healed of evil spirits ,
&c.] Of devils, who had possessed them, and were healed by Christ, dispossessing them; (See Gill on Luke 7:21).

and infirmities :
various diseases of body: some were dispossessed of devils, and others freed from bodily disorders; of the first sort was

Mary Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils :
by the order of Christ, for he cast them out, (Mark 16:9) and which shows, that this is to be understood, in a literal sense, of devils, and the dispossession of them by Christ; and not in a figurative sense, of vices, and the expulsion of them by the power of divine grace; for this same phrase is used where real dispossessions are intended: nor need it be thought strange that seven devils should be in one person, when, in this same chapter, we read of a legion in one man, and which also Christ cast out, (Luke 8:30Luke 8:33Luke 8:35) . This woman seems to be a different person from her spoken of in the latter part of the preceding chapter, seeing this looks as if it was the first time of her being taken notice of by this evangelist, and is described by a different character. She is called "Magdalene", to distinguish her from others of the same name; the reason of which (See Gill on Matthew 27:56). She is said ^F4 to be a widow, and so not being bound to an husband, was at leisure to follow Christ.

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: Jerom in Mar. xv. 40.

And Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward
Joanna, or Juchan, as the Syriac version calls her, was a name, among the Jews, for a woman, as Jochanan, or John, was for a man. In the Talmud ^F5 we read of one Jochani, or Joanni, the daughter of Retibi, the same name with this. Her husband's name was Chuza. Dr. Lightfoot observes, from a Talmudic treatise ^F6 , such a name in the genealogy of Haman, who is called the son of Chuza; and Haman being an Edomite, and this man being in the family of Herod, who was of that race, suggests it to be an Idumean name. But in my edition of that treatise, Haman is not called the son of Chuza, but (azyk rb) , "the son of Ciza"; and besides, Chuza is a Jewish name, and the name of a family of note among the Jews: hence we read ^F7 of R. Broka the Chuzite; where the gloss is, "for he was", (yazwx ybm) , "of the family of Chuzai". And elsewhere ^F8 mention is made of two sons of Chuzai; and both the gloss, and Piske Harosh upon the place, say, "they were Jews": so Abimi is said to be of the family of Chuzai, or the Chuzites ^F9 ; and the same is said of R. Acha ^F11 .

This man, here mentioned, was Herod's steward; a steward of Herod the "tetrarch", of Galilee. The Arabic version calls him his "treasurer"; and the Vulgate Latin, and the Ethiopic versions, his "procurator"; and some have thought him to be a deputy governor of the province under him; but he seems rather to be a governor, or "chief of his house", as the Syriac version renders it: he was one that presided in his family, and managed his domestic affairs; was an overseer of them, as Joseph was in Potiphar's house; and the same Greek word that is here used, is adopted by the Jews into their language, and used of Joseph ^F12 : and who moreover say ^F13 , ``let not a man appoint a steward in his house; for if Potiphar had not appointed Joseph, (owpwrjwpa) , "a steward" in his house, he had not come into that matter,'' of calumny and reproach. It was common for kings, princes, and great men, to have such an officer in their families. The Persic version is very foreign to the purpose, making Chuza to be "of the family of Herod". This man might be either dead, as some have conjectured; or, if living, might be secretly a friend of Christ, and so willing that his wife should follow him; or, if an enemy, such was her zeal for Christ, that she cheerfully exposed herself to all his resentments; and chose rather meanness, contempt, and persecution with Christ, and for his sake, than to enjoy all the pleasures of Herod's court without him.

And Susannah ;
this also was a name for a woman with the, Jews, as appears from the history of one of this name with them, which stands among the apocryphal writings. She, as well as Joanna, and perhaps also Mary Magdalene, were rich, and persons of substance, as well as note, as should seem by what follows: "and many others"; that is, many other women; for the words, are of the feminine gender:

which ministered unto him of their substance ;
four ancient copies of Beza's, and five of Stephens's, and the Syriac version read, "which ministered unto them"; that is, to Christ, and his disciples, as the Persic version expresses it. This shows the gratitude of these women, who having received favours from Christ, both for their souls and bodies, make returns to him out of their worldly substance, in a way of thankfulness; and also the low estate of Christ, and his disciples, who stood in need of such ministrations; and may be an instruction to the churches of Christ to take care of their ministers, and to communicate in all good things to them, of whose spiritual things they partake; and may be a direction to them to minister to them of what is their own substance, and not another's; and to minister a proper part, and not the whole, as these women ministered to Christ, and his apostles, of substance which was their own, and that not all of it, but out of it.

FOOTNOTES:

• F5: T. Bab. Sota, fol. 22. 1.
• F6: Massechet Sopherim, c. 13. sect. 6.
• F7: T. Bab. Tasnith, fol. 22. 1.
• F8: T. Bab. Nedarim, fol. 22. 1.
• F9: Juchasin, fol. 75. 1.
• F11: Juchasin, fol. 78. 1.
• F12: Targum Jon. & Jerus. in Gen. xxxix. 4.
• F13: T. Bab. Beracot, fol 63. 1. & Maimon lssure Bia, c. 22. sect. 15. & Maggid Misn. in ib.

And when much people were gathered together
To Jesus, as he was by the sea side, the sea of Galilee, or Tiberias:

and were come to him out of every city ;
of Galilee, to hear him preach, and see miracles:

he spoke by a parable ;
the following things.

A sower went out to sow his seed
By whom Jesus Christ is chiefly designed; though it is true of every preacher of the Gospel: who goes forth, being sent by Christ, with the precious seed of the word: for the phrase, "his seed", which only Luke has, best agrees with Christ, he being the proprietor and subject of it. The Alexandrian copy reads, "the seed of himself", The Persic version reads the whole clause thus, "a sower chose ground, and there he sowed seed": he fixed on the spot of ground to sow his seed in, as Christ did on the people of the Jews, and afterwards the Gentiles.

And, as he sowed, some fell by the wayside ;
on the road, which was by the side of the field, in which people commonly walked, and so was beaten hard, and the seed lay upon it, and was not received; which designs such hearers of the word, as are not susceptive of it, do not take it in, and have no manner of understanding of it.

And it was trodden down ;
by every one that passed by, as the Gospel preached to such hardened and ignorant hearers, is despised and trampled under foot by them.

And the fowls of the air devoured it ;
who generally flock about places where seed is sowing; and here intend the devil and his angels, that have their dwelling in the air; and frequent places of public worship to hinder the usefulness of the ministry of the word, as much as in them lies.