Luke chapter 8

vs 34

Something tells me that their reports were not glowing, and probably included several iterations of "bloody pigs in the lake!"

vs 35

It's got a lot to do with context. I mean, the people went out to see what was happening, because they'd heard reports. But those reports were negative, so they were expecting to see something scary. They see someone cured of a huge demon infestation, and do they cheer? No, they are afraid. Where did he get his clothes? I assume Jesus and the posse gave them to him.

vs 36

I assume "those people" are the pig tenders. And I'm sure they called it as they saw it, very much including the vital part about the pigs.

vs 37

This fear which was instilled at the behest of some people who lost their pigs is really a shame. A massive miracle has taken place, and everyone can't get past "If this Jesus fellow hangs around, what livestock will I lose?"

vs 38-39

Thankfully, the story does not end on a sad note. While the ex-demon possessed man doesn't get to go with Jesus, he does what he's told and spreads the word of what God (or Jesus, interesting switch of phrase) has done for him. So the place Jesus himself could not reach because of their fear, is instead reached by a guy whose previous skills included breaking chains and living naked in tombs. Next time you think of an evangelist or missionary, think of this guy, and that will show you how normal they are.

vs 40

Now Jesus returns back to the less scared side of the lake, and they're all keen to see him. He hasn't killed any livestock over there yet.

vs 41-42

Poor Jairus. Ruler of the synagogue, probably a nice guy, I'm sure he loved God, but his daughter is dying. We don't know if he was pro-Jesus or anti-Jesus, but at the moment hes' no-choice-Jesus. And Jesus goes with him, but has to get through the crowd first.

vs 43

People make a lot about Luke's apparent lack of mention of the doctors who couldn't help her but took all her money. Perhaps Luke is protecting his fellow leech-mongers. There is an alternate manuscript, of course, but it's entirely possible that the addition of the doctors bit was a scribal error, some young scribe who got too excited after scribing the whole of Matthew 100 times or something.

vs 44

Now, this shouldn't be surprising to us, because a few stories ago Jesus healed a servant from out on the street. So Jesus obviously has long-distance powers. And for her, touching his cloak would be sufficient. But Jesus, as far as we know, didn't go around healing people silently. He wanted to use this ministry to make a point about who he was, to link it to his teaching, to effect the people's lives more deeply. So she's not going to get away with it.