GOSPEL READING
THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
The two daughters: Luke 8,40-56
This story of the healing of two women is found in all three Synoptic Gospels; it follows the preceeding episode in both Mark and Luke.
Mark's Gospel (Mk 5,21-43) provides the basic story. There, the healing of the two women is a classic example of the "sandwich" where one story has been inserted into another. The insertion is not only a way of marking time in the story, it also invites us to make a comparison and a contrast between the two stories.
This double episode has been taken over by the other two evangelists. As with the previous incident, Matthew's version (Mt 19,18-26) is short, he tells the healing of the two women in only eight verses. Luke however takes 17 verses for the story, compared with Mark's 23.
We can begin by looking for the two points of contact between the two women.
We can begin with the inner story, 8,42b-48, which gives us the standard by which the outer story is to be compared and contrasted.
Note what is said about the crowd in 8,42b.
Compare the description of the woman in 8,43 with Mark, Mk 5,26.
The woman's status can be checked in Leviticus 15,25-30. What does this tell us about the woman's actions, expecially in 8,44?
Note how the woman touched Jesus, see Numbers 15,37-41. What does this tell us about Jesus? Compare 8,46 with Mk 5,32. Consider what is not involved in this healing.
What does Luke stress in 8,47 compared with Mark, Mk 5,33?
Note what Jesus commends in verse 48 which will become the exhortation of the outer story, 8,50.
Coming now to the outer story, we can note how it begins in 8,40, see also 9,11 or 10,38.
What is the attitude of the synagogue official in verse 41? How does Luke describe the girl - see 7,12? Note the detail here which Mark only mentions at the end. What is the effect of Luke's change?
What is Jesus' reaction to the death of the girl in 8,50? Note the stress Luke makes in 8,53.
What does Jesus do in 8,54 which broke custom? What is implied by Jesus' word to the girl?
What is the conclusion in verse 56? 7,9 may provide a clue as well as 8,48.
Then go to my response.
We can now continue with our overview of chapter 9.