Luke 8:2

2. Certain women And this was suitable and right. For must the ministry to Jesus be confined to the male sex alone? These women, however, could serve Jesus in no fashion or character like the apostles, but unofficially and purely according to the full spontaneous dictates of a devout heart.

Evil spirits and infirmities So that evil spirits and infirmities are not the same thing. Devils and diseases may combine, but they are not identical.

Mary called Magdalene So called from Magdala, now Medjil, a town on the west side of Lake Gennesaret. See map at page 62, vol. i, and note on Matthew 14:34.

Luke makes mention of Mary here for the first time, and that in such a manner as clearly to imply that she is not the same as the sinful woman in the last chapter. Her native town is but a few miles from Capernaum, and she had met the Saviour and experienced his miraculous mercy. That her life had been unchaste, is a perfectly unauthorized notion. If we should infer any special sin from her demoniac possession, we should be as inclined to select sorcery as unchastity.

To sorcery the Jews, after the captivity, resorted as a dark substitute for their ancient Divine revelations and prophetic guidance; and hence it was, perhaps, that their persons became liable to demoniac possession; a result of which modern Spiritism might well beware.

Seven devils Words of mysterious but terrible import! Seven may be a symbolical and indefinite number to indicate the complete evil control under which Mary had come.

See sup., note to chap. 6. Redeemed by Jesus, she now gratefully came from under the despotism of her demoniac masters into the blessed service of a divine Lord.