A Testimony of Transformation
There is no doubt that Jesus has performed many miracles, the Bible is filled with them, and we even hear stories today of what God has done in the lives of those who place their faith in Him. As part of my personal Bible study, I read through each of the four gospels, and I am always astounded by the miracles that Jesus performs and what we can learn from them. To be honest, each time I read through the gospels, I learn something new, or see something that I hadn’t noticed before. Today’s post is the result of one of those times.
When reading through Luke, I read again the account of Jesus healing the demoniac in the land of the Gerasenes. Until recently, I had always been drawn to notice how Jesus sought after the demon possessed man, how the man was possessed by multiple demons, and the result of when Jesus removed the demons from him. I never took the time to consider the words that the man and Jesus exchanged after the demons were sent out.
“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 the demon-possessed man had been 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 Jesus 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.”
Luke 8:35-39
I feel it is essential to look at this passage starting from verse 35 because we need to understand the state of the man and those who had lived near him while he was still possessed. Luke 8:27 describes the man as someone who was not in their right mind, basically living like an animal, unclothed and living in tombs. This man was hidden away from the rest of those who lived in this area, yet everyone knew of him. This is why the people came out to see what had happened to him. Instead of a wild beast of a man, they found him clothed and sitting at the feet of Jesus. While the people were afraid, I believe that it has to do with the sudden change in the man. It would be a shock to have someone who behaved one way suddenly change into a whole new person, but this is honestly the power of Christ. When we place our faith in Him, He makes us a new creation, “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ” 2 Corinthians 5:17. This passage perfectly describes 2 Corinthians 5:17.
The next aspect of the passage in Luke 8 that I feel is interesting to point out is the man’s response after the demons had been removed from him by Jesus. This man wished to go with Jesus; he wanted to be wherever Jesus was. This I feel, is the reaction that many new believers have. When we understand the cost of our sin and have been freed from it, we wish to follow Jesus Christ. We have a hunger to know Him and be in the Word so that we may understand Him more. Then we want to share what Jesus has done for us. This is where I find Jesus’s response interesting; Jesus tells the man to return home and declare what God has done for him. Remember, the others who lived there were frightened enough to want Jesus to leave. While Jesus did not stay to personally tell these people of the kingdom of God, He left someone in whom they had seen a drastic change take place. Gone was the man who haunted the tombs, before them was someone who had the grace of God bestowed upon him. And this the villagers could not ignore. They had seen a new creation be made, and he wasn’t going anywhere.
In short, the interaction between Jesus and the man after he had been freed from his demons is a reminder to us that sometimes God wants us to stay and witness where we are. Many born-again believers who had a rougher past than some would be just like this man. They would have friends and family around them who would see the sin in their lives, the metaphorical demons that they coped with. But when that individual turned to Christ, and He removed these issues from their lives, the friends and family (or villagers in this case) would see no longer the individual in the tombs but the person clothed and in their right mind. They would constantly be reminded that Jesus Christ brought about this change; there is no better testimony than that for those who have seen us at our absolute worse.
Seek the truth and encourage one another,
Alex