Luke 8:42 - Printer Friendly

ESV: for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him.

NIV: because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.

NASB: for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.

CSB: because he had an only daughter about twelve years old, and she was dying. While he was going, the crowds were nearly crushing him.

NLT: His only daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying. As Jesus went with him, he was surrounded by the crowds.

KJV: For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.

NKJV: for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.

Jesus has returned to Galilee where big crowds are often a problem (Luke 8:19; Mark 4:1). He has come to teach (Mark 1:38) but the people want healing. One of these desperate people is a synagogue leader whose daughter is dying.

Modern readers are used to clear, precise, linear timelines. In Matthew, the ruler says, "My daughter has just died" (Matthew 9:18), and in Mark, "My little daughter is at the point of death" (Mark 5:23). While Mark matches Luke well enough, Matthew's account is an example of how Matthew condenses stories, this time combining the two calls for Jesus to come heal Jairus's daughter. More significantly, Luke omits Jairus's declaration of faith. Matthew and Mark follow Jairus's explanation of his daughter's circumstance with "but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live" (Matthew 9:18; cf. Mark 5:23).

The Gospel writers told many of the same stories, but to different audiences and with different purposes. Luke endeavored to write an "orderly account" of Jesus' ministry (Luke 1:3). He doesn't order the stories chronologically but by subject and with a specific intent; Luke's goal is to show Jesus' attention toward outcasts like Gentiles, women, children, and sinners. By including additional details from the story, Luke stresses Jesus' compassion for children—in this case, Jairus's daughter. Matthew, in keeping with revealing Jesus as the Messiah of the Jews, shows how a Jewish leader has great faith in Him.

"Pressed" as used here has a different meaning than "pressing" in Luke 8:45. It has a sense of "choke" or "suffocate," like the thorns in the parable of the sower (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.