Luke 8:32

8:32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, ¹  and the demonic spirits ²  begged Jesus ³  to let them go into them. He gave them permission. ⁴ 

Luke 9:59

9:59 Jesus ⁵  said to another, “Follow me.” But he replied, ⁶  “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

Luke 13:8

13:8 But the worker ⁷  answered him, ‘Sir, leave it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put fertilizer ⁸  on it.

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¹ tn Grk “mountain,” but this might give the English reader the impression of a far higher summit.

² tn Grk “they”; the referent (the demonic spirits) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ sn Many have discussed why Jesus gave them permission, since the animals were destroyed. However, this is another example of a miracle that is a visual lesson. The demons are destructive: They were destroying the man. They destroyed the pigs. They destroy whatever they touch. The point was to take demonic influence seriously, as well as Jesus’ power over it as a picture of the larger battle for human souls. There would be no doubt how the man’s transformation had taken place.

⁵ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁶ tn Grk “said.”

⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the worker who tended the vineyard) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ tn Grk “toss manure [on it].” This is a reference to manure used as fertilizer.