Luke 8:40 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him.

NIV: Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.

NASB: And as Jesus was returning, the people welcomed Him, for they had all been waiting for Him.

CSB: When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him.

NLT: On the other side of the lake the crowds welcomed Jesus, because they had been waiting for him.

KJV: And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.

NKJV: So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.

Jesus' goal for His ministry in Galilee is to preach (Mark 1:38). He performs miracles of healing and provision to validate that His words come from God and because He has compassion for abandoned and abused people. Miracles are not His primary ministry, but they are what He is known for.

In Galilee, especially on the shores of the sea, people often swarm Jesus. The crowds are so much that to teach, He must get into a boat and float away from the crowd (Mark 4:1). After one such exhausting time of teaching, He told the disciples to set sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He got a nap in a violent storm, which He calmed, on the way and then healed a demon-possessed man on shore before yet another crowd arrived—this time to ask Him to leave (Luke 8:22–39). Jesus got back in the boat to return to Galilee. This verse (Luke 8:40) describes His arrival there.

It seems that some in the crowd He'd previously left in Galilee had tried to follow (Mark 4:36). They might have turned back in the storm. Now, when Jesus lands back in Galilee, He's quickly enveloped by a crowd that had been awaiting His arrival. They are quite eager, even aggressive. "Pressed around" in Luke 8:42 is Greek for "choked," vaguely echoing the thorns that choked the seeds in an earlier parable (Luke 8:14).

Luke 8:40–56 records the third and fourth examples of Jesus providing salvation from worldly hardships—this time, illness, shame, and death. Jairus begs Jesus to come heal his daughter. Along the way, a chronically ill woman touches Jesus' robe. Jesus stops, blesses her faith, and calls her "daughter." He then raises the young girl from the dead. Jairus and the woman both show their faith through their diligence and boldness to procure Jesus' healing power. Next, Jesus will imbue His disciples with His power to continue His work. These stories are also found in Matthew 9:18–26 and Mark 5:21–43.

Luke 8 includes portions of three sections of Jesus' Galilean Ministry. The women who support Jesus' ministry bridge the faithful outcasts of chapter 7 to the sower who spreads the news of God's kingdom (Luke 8:1–3). Luke 8:4–18 includes the parables of the sower and the lamp under the jar. These illustrate the importance of hearing Jesus' message with a mind to believe and obey. Luke 8:19–56 presents different faith reactions when Jesus' life, power, and authority elicit questions about His identity.

This passage continues Luke's pattern in the account of Jesus' Galilean ministry: alternating calls to discipleship with stories that describe the discipleship He expects. In Luke 6:17, Jesus transitioned from calling and training the Twelve to a more general call; in Luke 7, Jesus interacted specifically with those with less privilege in society. Chapter 8 reveals how people react when Jesus reveals who He is, mostly through miracles. In Luke 9:18–50, Jesus returns to intense discipleship of the Twelve to give them courage and faith, preparing them for the journey to Jerusalem and what they will witness there.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.