Herod Antipas thought he had silenced Yochanan (John) upon killing him, but Yeshua and His disciples were spreading the message everywhere. A common teaching on remarriage — that doing so is a sin — overlooks the likely teaching, shown in Antipas’ fear: divorce and remarriage in the course of adultery is what’s sinful.
Yeshua (Jesus) sent the 12 and 70 other close followers to various cities as witnesses of His message about the coming of the Kingdom of God. Key to this commission was a quotation from the prophet Micah at a time when Israel was about to be taken apart because of rebellion against God. The same was about to happen to Israel in the first century.
The story of the woman who had suffered with a hemorrhage for 12 years is woven beautifully into the story of the suffering, death and resurrection of the 12 year old girl.
Accounts in the gospels often are arranged more based on theme than chronology. It seems the four accounts in Luke 8 following the parable of the sower are those lessons lived out in Yeshua’s life.
Some wonder if parables are an example of God’s cruelty or trickery, purposefully blocking people from repenting, turning their lifestyle around and heading back to God by having the Messiah obscure God. Yet Yeshua’s goal seemed to be toward clarity about God rather than obfuscation.
Those baptized by the Messiah’s messenger, Yokhanan (John), and the woman who washed Yeshua’s feet understood repentance — turning back from a life in rebellion against God — and forgiveness — God’s removing the stain of guilt on a person for that rebellion — better than the those supposed to be in charge of teaching Israel about God.
Deep trust in the God of Israel by those new to that trust and separated from God by their former lives is the thread weaved through the accounts of the healing of the Capernaum centurion’s servant, the raising of the Nain widow’s only son, Yokhanan’s message of repentance and the woman who anointed Yeshua with her tears and expensive ointment.