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Text from Luke 8:26-39
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Text from Luke 8:26-39
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Jesus and his disciples sail to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. They encounter a demon-possessed man who had been living in the tombs. Jesus commands the demons to leave the man and they enter a herd of pigs, which then drown in the lake. The people of the region are afraid and ask Jesus to leave. The man who was healed wants to go with Jesus, but Jesus tells him to go home and share what God has done for him. Jesus and his disciples then leave the region. Verses 26-39, this has proved to be a tremendous chapter for us as we learn about the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. And this morning, a great story for us as we partake in the Word of God today. So Luke chapter 8, verses 26-39, and this is God's Word. They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time, this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "'What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me.' For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. Jesus asked him, "'What is your name?' "'Legion,' he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed, and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left. The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, "'Return home and tell how much God has done for you.' So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him." The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Please be seated. The story of Christ and the Gerasene demoniac. Today, we'll look at this text, and we see it broken down in a couple of ways. Verse 26, we'll read of the day that Jesus crossed the lake, and then verses 27-29, it's the deliverance of the demoniac. Verses 30-33, Christ commands even the demons. Verses 34-37, dwelling securely in the presence of God, and then verses 37-39, it's the commissioning of the Gerasene. What a tremendous story. What a confusing story. What a story that is before us this morning, one that there is ample disagreement about. And so let us investigate and study this word today. Now, before we consider today's text, let's go back a bit. A few pages previous, and we're in Luke's gospel, chapter five, verse one. This is early in Jesus' ministry. This is just before he began to call the disciples, and notice the description of the scene in Luke chapter five and verse one. Notice the beginning of the text. It says, one day as Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, which is the same lake as the Sea of Galilee, one day as Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God. So here we can see and we can imagine Christ at the lakeshore and his gaze fixed upon the water. Now, Jesus certainly has plenty of work to do in Capernaum and Galilee. And of course, we've read through Luke's gospel so far, and his ministry has pretty much all been in this region. It's been in Capernaum and it's been in Galilee, the land to the north and the northwest and the west of the Sea of Galilee. But Jesus also knows that waiting on the other side of the lake, waiting for him is another world. It's a different world. It's an unholy world. It's a pagan people, a people bound by sin and bound by their ungodly worship. And Jesus also knows that there yet waits for him a day, an appointed day, a day ordained by God, when he will set out upon the lake. He will sail across the lake and he will step out of the boat. And on that day, Jesus will prove that Emmanuel, which means God with us, he will prove that day that the God with us is not only the God with the Jews, but he's also the God with the Gentiles. And this affirms something by the prophet Isaiah. So keep your bookmark or keep your finger in Luke. And let's turn back to the prophet Isaiah. And so if you flip to the middle of your Bible, that's Psalms, and then you can go a little bit forward to Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah. You'll find it there. And we're gonna look at Isaiah chapter 65, verse one. So this is in the end of, or close to the end of Isaiah's writing. Isaiah 65 and verse one. And let's look together at this text where Isaiah is speaking the word of God and he's declaring the word of God, not just for the Jewish people, but for all people over all time. Listen to what Isaiah writes. So Isaiah 65, verse one, he writes, this is what God would say. This is God's word. I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me. I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, here am I, here am I. All day long, I have held out my hands to an obstinate people who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations. A people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick, who sit amongst the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil, who eat the flesh of pigs and whose pots hold broth of unclean meat, who say, keep away, don't come near me, for I am too sacred for you. Isaiah here prophesies that revelation and conviction and salvation and deliverance will come, and it will come not only to the Jews, but will also come to the Gentiles, which means it will also come to the pagans. It will come to the unclean. It will come to the ungodly. It will come to the unbelievers. Now, with that in mind, let's go back to Luke. And we studied this last week. This was Luke chapter eight, verse 22. Remember Luke writing this for us. Luke chapter eight, verse 22. One day Jesus said to his disciples, let's go over to the other side of the lake. So they got into the boat and they set out. Now, certainly this verse tends to be overshadowed by the events that occurred on the lake. Recall last Sunday, we read of Christ calming the stormy sea, saving the disciples, who feared that their boat was about to capsize and that they were about to drown. And we don't want to minimize Jesus' miracle upon the waters, excuse me, but let's remember that this miracle, this miracle that happened was part of the journey. This was part of the trip across the lake. So Luke begins this portion of his text with a description of Jesus and the disciples on their journey on the water. Look at verse 26 of our text for today. It says, they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. So they likely set sail from Capernaum, the little fishing village located on the northwest shore of the lake, and they are headed for the southeast shore. So they're gonna travel diagonally across the Sea of Galilee. The larger region east of the Sea of Galilee, so imagine the Sea of Galilee, and the larger region on the east side of the Sea of Galilee and the east side of the Jordan River is a region known as the Decapolis. That's Greek for 10 cities, Deca, 10, polis, cities. It's the Decapolis. And everything in this little corner of Asia under the Decapolis is under, of course, under Roman rule, as is the whole region. The Decapolis is primarily made up of 10 cities, and these cities were all established by the Romans. And a few of these cities still exist today. So for example, Damascus, the capital of modern-day Syria, was one of the cities of the Decapolis. And another of the cities of the Decapolis was known in that day as Philadelphia, but now it's the larger city of Amman, the capital of modern-day Jordan. It's in the same spot. So this region, the Decapolis, is a Roman-occupied, Roman-ruled, Roman-influenced region just across the Sea of Galilee, just across the Jordan River. Within this region exists a smaller district known as the Gerasenes. And it's the area comprised of little towns and the villages, and the land on the hills above the Sea of Galilee, the land then sloping down to the lakeshore. So the Bible tells us of a larger region known as the Decapolis, and within it, there's a smaller region known as the Gerasenes. If you kind of think about a larger region being Missiana, and then a smaller region being Elkhart County, we could kind of think of it that way, all right? Very much similar. Now, like the larger region of the Decapolis, the Gerasenes occupy the land east and southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Now, the Sea of Galilee, remember, is a lake, even though we call it a sea. It's a lake about 13 miles long and about seven miles across. And it's a lake, but the Jordan River, the upper Jordan flows into it, and the lower Jordan flows out of it. You could kind of say that the Sea of Galilee is just a really big wide spot in the Jordan River. It would be very much the same way, because it's all connected. And so the Gerasenes occupy the land east and southeast of the Sea of Galilee. This means the district is east of the Jordan River. So it's east of the promised land. It's east of the land that God declared for his people, the land of Israel. So in crossing the lake and going ashore in this manner, Jesus and his disciples have crossed into foreign land. So the way Luke describes it, Jesus' ministry was maintained in Galilee, and it was maintained in that section of Israel. And this is now the time when Jesus crosses outside of Israel and into foreign territory. He crosses into foreign land. They have entered pagan territory. Yes, there are some Jews that live east of the river, but not many. Every town on the western side would have had its own synagogue, but few towns on the eastern side would have a place of worship for God's people. The worship of God's people, understood by the Jews, would be little to not present at all on this side of the Jordan and on this side of Galilee. So most people in this region of the Gerasenes would not be concerned about a number of things that concern Jews. For example, they would not be concerned about following Jewish dietary restrictions. So Jesus and his followers, of course, are not surprised to find a pig farm in this location. And most people in this region would not be concerned about following Jewish custom and command concerning ceremonial purity. This is an unclean land populated by unclean people living unclean lifestyles. And so in this region, the worship of God would almost be non-existent. And yet, this is the location that is Jesus' destination. This is where they're headed in the boat. When he says, let's go to the other side of the lake, you can imagine the disciples saying, we don't really wanna go to the other side of the lake, the disciples. But he's bringing the disciples along with them because Jesus, of course, as we have read, is preparing them for ministry. Jesus is readying his followers for the things they might expect once they're out on the road sharing the good news. Disciples saying, you mean we're gonna have to leave the comforts of the people that love God and are serving God and go to this bigger wide world where things aren't so great? Yes, you might have to do so. The disciples will find themselves in some rough and tumble places, in some dirty places, in some unholy places. So why is Jesus bringing the disciples to such a God-forsaken place like the Gerasenes? Well, he's doing so because God has not only sent his son to minister to the Jewish people, remember what God said to Abraham. He told Abraham that you will be a father of many nations. It was never God's intention to limit or restrict his kingdom just to the region or the territory known as Israel. The kingdom would expand so that one day all the world would be covered by it. The kingdom territory is everywhere and also kingdom people would be found everywhere. The children of God will come from every race and tribe and tongue and nation. In Matthew's gospel, in fact, tells us that some people from this very region are already Christ's followers. So this is what Matthew writes. This is in Matthew's gospel, a time before Jesus delivered a sermon on the mount early in earthly ministry, Matthew chapter four, verses 23 through 25. Listen to what Matthew writes. He says, Jesus went through Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon possessed, those having seizures and the paralyzed and he healed them. And then look at verse 25, large crowds from Galilee, from the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. So even among the ungodly pagan Romanized residents of the land of the Gerasenes, people that you would never want to hang out with if you're a good Jew, people you certainly wouldn't join for a meal, even in this land across the river, there are some people, men and women, boys and girls who are hearing the gospel and are being impacted by the gospel. All of a sudden they hear the truth and they are made new creations in Christ. And it's even happening in this God forsaken place known as the Decapolis, as the Gerasenes. And so we are confronted again with just this picture of Christ getting in the boat and sailing across the lake. We're confronted again with the absolute importance of the incarnate son of God. Jesus is the Emmanuel. Jesus is God with us. And his appearance here in this world is not just some politicians or some celebrities 15 minute photo op that makes the evening news or that gets posted on Facebook so it would generate a lot of likes and a lot of clicks. Jesus comes to this world and he engages with this world. He walks our sod and he breathes our air and he gets his hands dirty and he goes to the dark corners of our world, the places where we'd all rather not go. And he does it so well that it killed him. It went to the cross because of it. So we talk about Emmanuel, we talk about that at Christmastime. Okay, let's think of the impact of what it means to be the Emmanuel. Jesus fulfills it in this way. So here's Jesus calling the disciples to get in the boat and travel with him to the other side of the lake. And the disciples, of course, know nothing of what's in store. They don't know what's in store, but Jesus knows. He knew who he would meet once he stepped out of the boat. And rather than run away from this man, Jesus goes to him. We see Jesus in this scene. He was sleeping in the boat when they were traveling across with the waves and the wind, for goodness sake. Jesus is at peace and he is calm and he is unafraid. This is the day that Jesus crossed the lake. Now, Jesus came to reach the unreachable and to love the unlovable and to save the unsavable and to redeem the unredeemable. And he's willing to go anywhere to do it. And thank God for that. And he made sure the disciples understood that if they were to be his disciples, they would have to do this too. So here's the glorious truth. Here's the good news for this dark and dying world. There is no place that is outside of the reach of the gospel. And there is no one who is of such condition that Jesus will not seek them out. So we keep praying and we keep working for the kingdom and we keep communicating the truth and we keep loving the unlovable because we serve a king whose kingdom is continually expanding. And he is one who will not stop until the will of the father is accomplished. So Jesus and the disciples sail across the Sea of Galilee. And in verse 27 brings us into the story. We see that when Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man. So Luke tells us several things about this man, about this man we've come to know as the Gerasene Demoniac. First, scripture tells us that the man is demon-possessed. Yes, there really are demons. And yes, there really is demon possession. This man is not suffering from what would be identified today as physical illness or an abnormality or a mental or some other medical condition. The Bible has identified plenty of people as suffering from illness or injury and the like. And as Luke was a physician, he would be able to diagnose injury or illness. So scripture here identifies this man as demon-possessed and we would do well here to rely on Luke's description. Let's not use anybody's argument to water this picture down. This man is truly demon-possessed. That doesn't mean we understand it. That doesn't mean we fully comprehend what's going on, but scripture makes this claim and we have no reason to second-guess that. This man is demon-possessed. This man is from the town, so he is a known resident in the area. Everybody knows who this guy is. And he has suffered for a long time. And he doesn't wear any clothing. And he doesn't live in a house. But instead, he makes his home in the tombs. He resides in local cemetery. If you go to this region today, along the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee and along the hills, you will see tombs cut into the rock. And in some cases, the tombs are sealed up because they were used, a body was put inside. But in some cases, they're still open because a body never was put inside. It was a practice back in those days to prepare a tomb, cut into the rock, and have it ready for when you or someone in your family needed it. And so there would be tombs with an open side. And apparently, this man, the demon-possessed man, is living in and among these tombs. He's living in one of these spaces, in one of the cemeteries in this area. The man was subject to frequent demonic seizures. Seizures, yes, but as Luke describes it, lets us know there's more than just some sort of physical abnormality that's going on. These are demonic seizures. And the text says he would become violent during these seizures, so much so that the townspeople would attempt to restrain him, even with chains, but so violent was he that he would break the chains and run off back to the cemetery or run out to the wilderness. They could not tie him down. And apparently, no family and friends in the area, or apparently no family and friends that wanted to talk to him any longer, so his was a solitary existence. And notice the way that this event reads. Luke reports in verse 29 that Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Now, we don't hear the words of the command from Jesus. Luke doesn't record the words that Jesus spoke. In fact, remember, Luke would not have been an eyewitness to this. Luke would have received the story from the disciples who were there with him that day when he interviewed them for his book. So this would have been later on, he would have gathered this information. Luke was not an eyewitness. So Luke does not record the words that Jesus spoke, but because Jesus has given this command, the garrison would deliver him of his demon possession. And let's pay particular attention to verse 28. It's when the man saw Jesus. Notice this in verse 28. The man saw Jesus delivered from the demons that had possessed him. Now the man has eyes to see. And who does he see standing before him? He sees Jesus, but he sees more, doesn't he? Look what he says. He says, this is Jesus, who is the son of the most high God. He knows who this is. How would he know who this is unless he's been delivered? He's been delivered and he knows and he declares this to be the case. He knows this is Jesus, the son of the most high God. And here we read the text that says, the man falls at Jesus' feet, which we know from Luke is the posture before Christ of worship and adoration and devotion. Paul Barnett, an Anglican bishop from Australia, argues that this is not a mockery of worship driven by the demons, but instead this is worship of Jesus, which is sincere, although a bit confused. He's in the posture of worship. The man who was demon-possessed is now resting at the feet of Christ. His worship is sincere, although yet a bit confused. He cries out, shouting at the top of his voice. He says, what do you want with me? I beg you do not torture me, Lord Jesus. It seems that this man must certainly now expect judgment and eternal damnation from Christ. If you were demon-possessed and you didn't know anything better and you didn't know anything about grace and mercy, would you not expect to see the Son of God standing before you? Well, it must be time for judgment. It must be time for condemnation. But hold that thought because it's clear in the text that Jesus is not yet done ministering to the Gerasene. Yes, this man has much to receive from Christ. Yes, this man has much to learn about Christ. Now the Gerasene, though, is face-to-face with the Son of Man, the Son of the Most High God. This man was known as a demoniac, but now everything changes. He is delivered. And we then come to verse 30 and following. And here we read that Jesus has no intention of referring to him going forward as the demoniac. He was called the demoniac. We've called him the demoniac, but Jesus will use that name, will not use that name. No one will use that name any longer. Notice verse 30. Jesus asked him, what is your name? And it was just a few seconds previous when the Gerasene was crying out, shouting at the top of his voice, but now notice there's no more screaming. It says legion, he replied, very calmly, very matter-of-factly. The Gerasene's voice now controlled and now calm. But this is tragic, is it not, that he's called legion. And he responds with the name legion. Certainly the Gerasene has a name. He must have had a name. He would have been given a name by his parents when he was born. He certainly must have a name. But the length of time of demon possession seems to have robbed this man of his sense of identity. Jesus asked him, what is your name? And he said, legion. He used the name legion, and what would have come to the mind was, of course, the Roman occupied army in the area at the time, and a legion in the Roman army would have numbered somewhere up to 6,000 soldiers. So there are those who have estimated that perhaps there were 6,000 demons within him because he used the name legion. We don't know that that's necessarily the case, but Luke confirms that it's many demons that possessed this man. And what follows then in verses 31 through 33 is a strange tale indeed. Look at verse 31. And they, the demons, begged him, Jesus, repeatedly not to order them to go into the abyss. The word here for abyss being the place where sin and Satan will ultimately be judged and condemned. So that picture, that word will appear again in scripture. Do not let us go to the abyss. Do not make us go to the abyss. Recall yet, last year, study the book of James. And we read where James had written that even the demons believe. Remember that? James said, even the demons believe and shudder. So these demons know the one who stands before them, and they know that their eternal condemnation is coming someday. So when they see the Son of God standing before them, they are putting two and two together. And they also know that their eternal condemnation is coming. Look at verse 32 through 33, and we'll see Jesus now render judgment upon these demons. Look at the text. It says, a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. And the demons begged Jesus to let them go into them. And he gave them their permission, gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank and into the lake and was drowned. Now, much has been made over the demise of the pigs. Was this a proper method for Jesus to employ? What ethical justification would enable Jesus to allow this to happen to the pigs? Well, here's the truth in which the story is grounded. Christ is the Lord, and his rule and reign also extends over judgment. And so his method of judgment is of his choosing. And his choosing is always right because his decisions are always just. So does not the just judge of the world have the right to determine how he's going to carry out judgment? Absolutely. This we know to be true. And so Christ calls out the demons, and he sends them to their demise. Now, there yet remains a significant portion of the church, and it includes many in a certain Presbyterian denomination that see an ethical dilemma in this text. They cannot accept the divine justification for the drowning of the pigs. And so their argument is that something's wrong here in the text. Either this is just some made-up story that we don't need to worry about, or they say, well, maybe Jesus isn't sinless after all, because he killed these pigs, he destroyed these pigs. How could he do that? And so maybe Jesus isn't the sinless lamb of God. It's amazing that people who would claim to be Christians, who would claim to be Presbyterians, yet might hold this view, and yet this is what we see. They argue against divine justification for the drowning of the pigs. But we know that this is indeed a divine act because Christ hereby displays that the death of the pigs is ordained by God. Jesus has delivered the garrison from demonic possession, and the drowning of the pigs stands as a visible sign that this miracle has taken place. The demons no longer possess the garrison, and these demons will possess no person ever again because Christ commands even the demons. So we come to verses 34 and 37, and we find that people of the region are also not happy with Jesus' actions. The people who lived there weren't happy with Jesus' actions, notice the text. When those tending the pigs saw what happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and the countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. So when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed in his right mind. You would think, great, let's have a celebration. No, actually, they were afraid, and those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured, time for celebration. No, what do they do? They tell all the people of the region, the garrisons, ask Jesus to leave because they were overcome with fear. Why are the people of the garrisons overcome with fear? Why would they rather have Jesus gone from their midst? The people could clearly see the miracle that Christ has brought forth, right? The text here says that they found the man. So the people that lived in the local town, the people in that region, came to the scene and they saw the man. They saw them with their own eyes, and they saw the one who was a demoniac, who was not a demoniac any longer, and they saw him sitting at Jesus' feet, and they saw him dressed, and they saw him in his right mind. They saw this. They knew that this miracle had taken place. And not only is there a miracle taking place, this most assuredly displays that God is with them because a miracle, divine miracle, is present within their midst. So why are they overcome with fear? And why are they angry? Well, a couple of things. One possibility centers, of course, on the pigs as a source of food for the garrison residents. Remember, to the Jews, pigs are unclean animals. Has Jesus come to destroy all pigs? Well, maybe he, moving in, he said, first thing we're going to do, guys, we're going to get rid of all the pigs because they're filthy and they're unclean animals. So we could see the people might have thought that might be happening. What are we going to eat if we can't eat pigs? We're going to have to learn how to fish, apparently, because we're not going to be able to eat pigs any longer. But another possibility focuses on the people's pagan worship. We earlier read from Isaiah, where the prophet spoke of God's displeasure with an obstinate people who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations, a people who continually provoke me to my face, offering sacrifices in gardens, which means not offering sacrifices in the temple. We think that the pigs might have some connection to the people's pagan worship. So if Jesus comes to destroy the pigs, what then might the people offer as a sacrifice when they go to assuage the wrath of their pagan deities? What are they going to use? Get rid of our pigs. Now what do we sacrifice? What do we do now? Whatever the reason for the people's anger, the truth is clear. The Son of God comes to them and provides a real miracle in their midst, and though the people see the results of this miracle and they know that it's true, a man who was demon-possessed is now free, but the people are upset because this Jewish guy comes in and he steps on their toes and he offends their cultural sensitivities. Thanks for the miracle, Jesus, but did you have to do it that way? You know, maybe, Jesus, you should have cleared everything with us first. We would have made sure you wouldn't have tripped up over any political incorrectness. We would have seen to it that you wouldn't have offended anyone while on the way to being Lord and Savior. We would have cleared the decks for you. It's here that New Testament scholar Daryl Bach points out that Jesus' power over demons is observed, but it's not appreciated, and Bishop Barnett, who we referred to earlier, offers that this displays a distorted sense of priorities which preferred property to people, right? The demon-possessed man is free, and all people complain about is the pigs that were killed. So for all those residents of the Gerasenes, and for everyone today who takes offense at the conduct of Jesus, let's consider again the glorious message of this story, and here it is. A man who was demon-possessed was demon-possessed no longer. A man who was demon-possessed was demon-possessed no longer, and is not this the glorious truth of the gospel? Here at Grace Point, we tell people that you can come as you are, but just know that you won't remain as you are. When you hear the gospel, you are confronted with the revelation of Jesus Christ. Now you see Jesus, and once you see Jesus, you can't unsee Jesus, and when you see Jesus, you will be changed. Notice again the picture that Luke presents to us. What's the picture? They, the town residents, the people of the Gerasenes, that they get on believers, they found the man, the man who was a Gerasene who was a demoniac no longer, and he was sitting at Jesus' feet, and he was dressed, and he was in his right mind. The man who is now free, he is now free from the demons who haunted him, and this man is now at rest, and this man now enjoys true peace, for he dwells securely in the presence of God. That is a glorious thing indeed. So the people of Gerasenes have seen with their own eyes, they have witnessed the miracle which Christ has brought forth in this deliverance from demon possession, a deliverance of one of their own, and how do the people respond? They criticize Jesus' methods, and they say, and they ask him to leave, and so look at the last part of 37. It says, so he got into the boat and left. Jesus said, okay, if you want me to leave, I'll leave. Now Christ here would have been justified, would he not, to have turned his back on the Gerasenes and walked away, thus condemning them to the coming judgment. If the text would read that way, where it said, and here, and here, going forward is condemnation of the Gerasenes, none of them will ever hear of the kingdom because they rejected Jesus, and we would say, well, you know, that might be, we could see where that would be a possibility, but no, that's not what happens. Jesus, in fact, could have called the Gerasenes to join with his followers and disciples. In fact, verse 38 tells us, the man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but notice verse 39. We find that Jesus already has a mission. He already has a calling. He has a job for the Gerasenes. He's going to commission the Gerasene. Jesus calls us and commissions us to kingdom work. He's called and commissioned the disciples. He's called and commissioned you and I, and he's calling here and commissioning the Gerasene. Notice what the text says. Return home and tell how much God has done for you. You know, years before Saul of Tarsus was commanded by Christ to evangelize, the Gerasene receives a direct calling to communicate the gospel to the Gentiles, starting here in the region of his own home. Tell people what has happened to you. Let them see that you have been delivered and made new. Testify as to the love and the mercy of God, and do it in your own hometown. So what did the Gerasene do? Well, notice the last sentence. So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. He did it. He fulfilled and he was obedient to the command, and he communicated the gospel in his hometown. The Gerasene heads right back into his hometown. Family and friends have ignored him for years. Kids he knew from high school, former co-workers, old neighbors, people he meets at the coffee shop or at the post office or at Martin's pushing a cart. Let me tell you about what Jesus has done for me. And they know because they know this guy was, and they know what he was, and they can see that what he was, he is no longer. So what do we learn here? Why do we need to know this story? Because this is a crazy story, as we've studied today. What do we need to know this story? Well, a couple things, three things. Gotta have three, Presbyterian, we gotta have three. So first, this Jesus who previously calmed the raging waters, remember that from last week, this Jesus who previously calmed the raging waters also calmed the raging demon-possessed man. Mike and I were commenting about how the song we're about to sing here in a few minutes so fits our service, even though we didn't plan that. Song says, and though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we're reminded that Christ rules and reigns over creation. And he also rules and reigns over evil, and he rules and reigns over the works of the evil one. Second, this Jesus, this Jesus made the unclean man clean again. Now, the priestly ceremonies can only make a person outwardly pure, the priestly ceremonies of the day, the going to the temple and making the sacrifices and doing all the washing of the hands and all that stuff. That would keep and make a person outwardly pure, but Christ comes and he purifies the whole person. He purifies inside and out. And third, this Jesus who heals also restores, and then he calls into service. So Christ lifts up each and every child of God. God would never use me. I can't serve, I can't do anything. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Christ lifts up each and every child of God, and he sets them to the task of the work of the kingdom of God. You and I are called to this task, just as the garrison was, so are you. And so, dearly beloved, please know that the distraction or the difficulty or the darkness or the disobedience or the demon that you are currently facing is no match whatsoever for the Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God, who is the king over all creation and is our king and is the one who is restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. All his and our enemies. And so, and also, please receive this, my dear brothers and sisters. The day is coming when you and I and all who believe in Christ will have the glorious opportunity to rest at the feet of Jesus, and we'll get to sit down next to the garrison. And like the garrison, we will dwell in the presence of grace and mercy and freedom. Let's bow our heads and pray, shall we? Heavenly Father, this is an overwhelming story and an overwhelming truth, how you have sent your son, who faced the challenge of an ungodly land and an ungodly people, and a demon-possessed man. He had communicated the gospel, and he set this man free, and for this we are grateful. And this setting this man free spoke the truth to an entire region, and for that we are grateful. And we're thankful that this man who was set free is heretofore throughout all of eternity a brother to each one of us, and for this we are grateful. And we're thankful that just as the garrison finds himself now in the presence of grace and mercy and freedom, so too we all also experience this because of Christ, who saved us when we needed saving, who delivered us when we needed delivering, and who redeemed us when we needed redeeming. Thank you, Jesus, for this glorious gift. You rule and reign over all creation. There's nothing in heaven or hell that can stand against you, for you rule over it all. You are Lord over it all. We praise you and give you glory. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
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