What God Has Done
“The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ’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 8:38-49
He was a terror—striking fear into the hearts of all who saw him. He ran naked and lived among the tombs, crying out night after night. The people in town had tried to subdue and secure him with ropes at first, then with chains and shackles—nothing worked. He continually broke their bonds and ran out into the desolate places and lived among the tombs. He was driven there, not of his own accord, but because of the demons that lived inside of him. He was a tortured soul, enslaved to the powers of darkness, unable to control himself, spending night after night in terrible anguish.
Jesus had just previously stilled the storm and now was touching down at Gerasenes. The scripture says that the demon-possessed man came right up to Jesus, fell down and cried out in a loud voice, “What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me” (v. 28). Jesus had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out, but because it didn’t immediately Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” (v. 30). Normally, an unclean spirit came out at the moment of Jesus’ command, but because He was dealing with many spirits, this made it necessary for Jesus to identify them. The man responded, “Legion,” (v. 30). A “legion” was the name given to the largest division of a Roman army, consisting of approximately 4,800 soldiers. It was not as if there were that number within the man, rather the number simply indicated that there was an extremely large number. The demons asked for permission to be cast into a large herd of pigs, and once Jesus granted them permission, the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
The story concludes with the formerly demon-possessed man “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind” (v. 35). Such a transformation caused great fear in the people of the surrounding area (v. 35, 37) and they asked Jesus to leave (v. 37). As Jesus got into the boat to leave the region the formerly demon-possessed man begged to go with Jesus (v. 38), but Jesus refused saying, “’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.”
Jesus desires that we share the good news of what He has done for us. We don’t start off by going all over the world, rather we begin by going home and telling those closest to us what God has done for us in and through Christ. We tell how He transformed us by bringing us to Himself and clothing us with Himself.
What has God done for you? What does He want you to tell others about Himself? Have you forgotten God’s work in your life? If you are saved, then know this, you have passed from death into life, darkness into light, and from ignorance to knowledge. God has chosen you as a vessel in which to display His handiwork and He desires that your light shine among men that they may glorify their Father in heaven (cf. Matthew 5:16). May we all seek to return home and tell what God has done for us resulting in His glory and our joy. Amen.
He was a terror—striking fear into the hearts of all who saw him. He ran naked and lived among the tombs, crying out night after night. The people in town had tried to subdue and secure him with ropes at first, then with chains and shackles—nothing worked. He continually broke their bonds and ran out into the desolate places and lived among the tombs. He was driven there, not of his own accord, but because of the demons that lived inside of him. He was a tortured soul, enslaved to the powers of darkness, unable to control himself, spending night after night in terrible anguish.
Jesus had just previously stilled the storm and now was touching down at Gerasenes. The scripture says that the demon-possessed man came right up to Jesus, fell down and cried out in a loud voice, “What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me” (v. 28). Jesus had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out, but because it didn’t immediately Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” (v. 30). Normally, an unclean spirit came out at the moment of Jesus’ command, but because He was dealing with many spirits, this made it necessary for Jesus to identify them. The man responded, “Legion,” (v. 30). A “legion” was the name given to the largest division of a Roman army, consisting of approximately 4,800 soldiers. It was not as if there were that number within the man, rather the number simply indicated that there was an extremely large number. The demons asked for permission to be cast into a large herd of pigs, and once Jesus granted them permission, the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
The story concludes with the formerly demon-possessed man “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind” (v. 35). Such a transformation caused great fear in the people of the surrounding area (v. 35, 37) and they asked Jesus to leave (v. 37). As Jesus got into the boat to leave the region the formerly demon-possessed man begged to go with Jesus (v. 38), but Jesus refused saying, “’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.”
Jesus desires that we share the good news of what He has done for us. We don’t start off by going all over the world, rather we begin by going home and telling those closest to us what God has done for us in and through Christ. We tell how He transformed us by bringing us to Himself and clothing us with Himself.
What has God done for you? What does He want you to tell others about Himself? Have you forgotten God’s work in your life? If you are saved, then know this, you have passed from death into life, darkness into light, and from ignorance to knowledge. God has chosen you as a vessel in which to display His handiwork and He desires that your light shine among men that they may glorify their Father in heaven (cf. Matthew 5:16). May we all seek to return home and tell what God has done for us resulting in His glory and our joy. Amen.
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