Luke 8...A living witness

Its a popular story...Jesus meeting the demon-possessed man...casting the demons out who enter a herd of pigs feeding nearby...the pigs immediately rushing headlong down a steep embankment into the lake where they are drowned. Amazing stuff really. Great demonstration of the supernatural powers of Jesus, as son of God. Clear declaration of his victory over Satan and all his followers. But you get so caught up in the story you miss out on an even more interesting bit at the end.

The people living in the area came out and saw the man now clothed and in his right mind and heard how he was cured. They were frightened by these developments, no explanation is given in the text, but fear it was and so they ask Jesus to leave. And so Luke tells us that he got into the boat and left. What is interesting in all this comes back to the man delivered from the demons.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away...(v.38)

The man begs to go with Jesus. Who wouldn't. To have lived in such a state for such a long period of time and then to be healed in what can only be described as an awesome demonstration of divine power...I don't know about you...but I would want to follow this guy, too. Think about what you could learn. Imagine what you would see. But oddly Jesus sends the man away and says...actually commands him....

"Return home and tell how much God has done for you."

No invitation to follow...no call to forsake all and come along...but a very clear directive to go home...to your family...your friends...your tribe...your neighbourhood. Tell them...not just your story...but what God has done. There are two good reasons for these instructions.

First reason...Jesus...
1. Jesus scared these people by his demonstration of power. They couldn't listen to him or think about him without thinking of demons and devils and pigs rushing into the lake.
2. Jesus was gone. They had asked him to go away so he was not physically present to proclaim the coming kingdom and the healing and forgiveness it would bring.

Second reason...the man...
1. He was family. The people knew this man for years in his former state. They had tried to deal with him...care for him...to the best of their abilities. You can probably imagine the heartache many of them felt seeing him in his demon-possessed state. Now he was healed. Dressed and rational. Though he probably still made them a little uneasy he is once more one of them.
2. He was among them...to tell the story...to witness to the power and love of God. Even the nation of Israel, God's chosen people, wanted Moses to act as a bridge between them and God because God frightened them...too much glory, too much perfection. Moses was one of them...the people. In the same way so is this man. He becomes a prophet in one sense because he now speaks on behalf of Jesus. By his life and word he is proclaiming the good news of the coming kingdom and all that the Kingdom of God would bring.

Luke records for us that the man is obedient to this command of Jesus and becomes an active witness for Jesus...in his town...not the countryside...just the town. Small area of operation, but vital for the work of the Kingdom.

Now you and I are not demon-possessed. You have not lived for years naked out in the outback or broken chains used to bind you. In fact you have probably lived a pretty ordinary life. You have grown up...fallen in and out of love...become educated...developed skills and abilities...found employment...maybe married and raised or raising a family. You have all had a variety of experiences both good and bad, and you have also know joy and sorrow. But the truth is the same for you as it was for the demon-possessed man.

1. You have been delivered by Jesus from the power of Satan and evil. Through his obedience to the Law and will of God, his innocent suffering and death, his resurrection and your baptism into Him, Jesus has removed any claim that the devil and all his powers has on you. Try as he might, Satan cannot take you out of the hand of God...or remove you from his kingdom. You are now God's child...a disciple of Jesus...an heir of the kingdom.
2. You are called to witness....in your town...in the place where you live and work and play. You are called to witness to your family, your friends, your workmates, to people you meet...telling them the story (your story) of what God has done for you. It is a marvellous opportunity...and a command.

The beauty and simplicity in all this is that what many people are looking for in this day and time is authenticity...something "real". Amazing miracles or answers to all life's questions and problems are not what is wanted. They want to hear real people telling real stories of faith...how God works in their life and how he affects the way they live. Your family...your friends...want to hear your story and see it lived out in you everyday in the ordinary things and ordinary places of your life. That's why Jesus sent the man back to his town so that every day the people there had a living witness of God's love and power and healing...a witness they knew...a witness they could relate to and talk to.

You are that witness...where you live...where you work...where you play.

"Tell them how much God has done for you."