Proclaim it Throughout the Whole City
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Luke 8:26-39
26. Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27. And as he stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons; for a long time he had worn no clothes, and he lived not in a house but among the tombs. 28. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beseech you, do not torment me." 29. For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him; he was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters, but he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the desert.) 30. Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. 31. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them leave. 33. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 34. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled, and told it in the city and in the country. 35. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36. And those who had seen it told them how he who had been possessed with demons was healed. 37. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them; for they were seized with great fear; so he got into the boat and returned. 38. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but he sent him away, saying, 39. "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
A couple of aspects of this story are of particular interest to me this morning. First, we should note that Jesus was in a Gentile town – not among the Jews. So often when Jesus performed a miracle – a healing of an ill (or demon-possessed) person, he beseeched them not to tell anyone. But that is because he was among Jews—his own people. Remember, he had to be careful that “his time” didn’t come before it was intended by exposing himself and being arrested before he had finished his mission. That’s probably why he didn’t mind the residents knowing about this particular miracle.
As he approached this poor, pathetic man, the demons within him called out in agony and dread to Jesus to “leave them alone – not to torment them.” My bible notes point out that Satan probably rallied all his forces to come to earth in order to wage a battle against Jesus. Such power demanded everything the depths of hell could muster – and of course, it was not enough—but they tried mightily! But as wily and powerful as Satan and his forces are, Jesus was able to “trick them” into believing he would show mercy on them by sending them into the pigs. They preferred life as a filthy animal, wallowing in mud over returning to “the abyss.”
Satan still wages war against the followers of Jesus. He roams the earth, looking for victims, looking for those he might use as instruments of his evil work, seeking out means of influence in the world. And he is so skilled, after so many centuries of practice, that sometimes he succeeds—even in us! Even in the faithful, he might win a battle or two in this war! Once we know the good news, Jesus sends us out to spread the word to the world. But Satan steps in when we’re tired, when were stressed, when we’re lonely, sad, frightened. He doesn’t want us to turn to Christ in those times. He doesn’t want us to call upon the forces of heaven to cover us with protection and, in essence, send Satan into that herd of swine.
Knowing how scary the world is, knowing the forces that battle for our minds and hearts and our very souls, we may want to stay safe within our “comfort zone.” We want to go to church, and participate in activities there, but not out “in the world” because there are non-believers there. At our jobs, in the community, we come in contact with dozens of people who haven’t heard the Good News! And they vie for our attention, for our loyalty, for our thoughts and for our deeds. But Jesus doesn’t want us to stay isolated and shut off from the world. He wants us to go – go out into the streets and tell the story! Jesus always wins! His love is too strong and too deep to allow us to suffer eternal wrath. And we are never alone.
I guess this sounds a little “doom and gloom” this morning! But the battle for our souls is real and we need to be armed and at the ready every minute! Study the bible, pray, seek God’s wisdom, practice the love of Jesus. If you can to those things, you will be like this healed man, so amazed and grateful that no one will be able to silence you!
I hope you spend your day proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus has done for you. And that you are ever mindful of the power and love of our Lord and Savior.
Mary
