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Luke 8:38 “Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,”

   This is one of my favorite little tidbits in the gospels. The previous verse had already said that Jesus got in the boat and returned. But, now we get the details of what happened with the man who had been delivered.
   The picture being painted here is that the guy was trying to hop in the boat. He wanted to be with God. He wanted to be near the spout where the blessing comes out. He wanted to follow Christ like the other disciples. If Jesus had said to him, “Follow Me” he would have had no hesitation.
   But Jesus didn’t do that. Jesus jumped to the next step with this guy. He deployed him right away as we will see in the next verse. There are some who are truly meant to bloom where they are planted. Jesus had a plan for this man’s life that the demoniac would discover soon enough.

   Heavenly Father, I don’t want to stand in the way of Your plans for me. I will tell You what I think You want. But, I will listen to hear You have something different in mind. I will run from ‘good enough’ to chase after ‘best’. I want to give my life to You, to put at Your disposal for Your purposes. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:37 “Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.”

   This isn’t the only time in the ministry of Christ that He experienced such wholesale rejection. The fact is that the history of the truth is not filled with a lot of big miracles if you really think about it. For most of the history of the Church, and for most of Israel’s history, most miracle work on God’s part has been low key. Why? We, like sheep, are skittish. We tend to fear what we don’t understand. The folks living in this area were very afraid when they heard what had happened. Rather than investigating and getting to the truth, they did what they could to erase the mystery.
   We can see this sort of thing throughout human history. However, the good news is that Jesus has a plan. He would yet reach this region with the truth. And, He reaches the skittish all over the world each and every day.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for understanding us so well! You alone really do understand. We think we know ourselves, but we don’t. We think that somehow You must be held to our rules, but You never are. You do what You have planned, and You never change at all. I love You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:36 “They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.”

   The event had a profound effect on the eyewitnesses. They would never forget what they had seen. Though superstition was strong, the experience they had on this day would forever stick out in their minds and hearts. Even if it did not bring them to a place of belief, they would never be able to escape the amazing power of the person of Jesus Christ.
   Notice the word ‘healed’ at the end of this verse. It is the biblical word for salvation. It has two aspects. The man was first of all saved from the kingdom of darkness and brought into the kingdom of glorious light. He was delivered from his sin and given life in Christ. But secondly he was healed, or made whole. This is important because it shows that a person completely animated by the energies of evil is handicapped. They are incomplete and imbalanced. This flies in the face of all that satanic or new age thinking would claim, but it is true.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for making me whole! Without You I would always be incomplete. You make me the best me I can be. Only in You may I exist, and only by Your great grace, love and power can I live for all eternity. I am in You, and would have it no other way. I love You Father! Thank You for life in Christ! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:35 “Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.”

   Here we have a contrast that really shows the state this world is in. What had happened in this man’s life was absolutely amazing. He was made completely whole again. The demonic influence was gone and he was ready to learn from God. It was a total transformation.
   And yet, those living in the area, his countrymen, were gripped by fear. How could this be? Why were they not overjoyed? Easy, the devil. He will spend his time in nothing but making people afraid. His methods of control are night and day different from God’s. He cannot handle people the way God can. He has to keep them in a corner, keep them cowed, scared, and confused. He needs to weaken and only strengthen when he thinks he has it under control. He is petty and limited.

   Heavenly Father, may I never forget that You are not limited! You have nothing to hold You back. You are free and fierce. You exist as a consuming fire, and You rip through time and space at Your pleasure. You need no tricks or methods of control. You ask only for that which is best for us because You made us to fit it. When we resist You we are trying to jump from a bed of roses to a bed of nails. I will seek You forever, You are worthy! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:34 “When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.”

This verse is simply reporting the result of the pigs being drowned. Of course the guys tending these pigs were quite upset. This was their livelihood. But more than that, they were scared. This region, though surely inhabited by Jews, was largely pagan. This helps explain the presence of the pigs. Superstition was the religion of virtually all pagan culture. This death of the pigs was surely an omen of some kind in their minds and the people of the region were immediately afraid. Thus, it was a society motivated by fear.
This type of fear motivation is still common today. In the absence of other good motives, fear will find its place. Fallen human nature tends to take this as the default.

Heavenly Father, deliver us from fear! May our hearts be motivated only by Your amazing glory. To know You is the best motive anyone could hope to have. You are worth knowing and loving and seeking. You alone are a good goal for our existence. You have made us to need You and want You. You have given us the desire for Your truth. Without You we would always live in fear. Thank You for Your love. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:33 “Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.”

   The demons hoped to bring fear to the hearts of those who lived in that area. That is all they would ever do, deal in fear. That is the currency of the evil one, fear. And Jesus knew what they were going to do. He knew they would destroy those pigs. And He knew it would cause the people living in that area to ask Him to leave. But, He already had a plan. The demonic forces had already forgotten the man they had been forced out of. The devil’s crowd will always underestimate what God can do with a man transformed by Christ.

   Heavenly Father, I love You! You are never worried. You always have everything under control. I will say with all of my heart, You are my God! You alone may decide the fate of Your world. You alone hold the tomorrows in Your hands. Give me Christ and I have all, for You have made Yourself available to me. I can know You, and that is enough for me. You alone have the right to stop my life, and You alone have the power to keep it going. I will live to love You forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:32 “A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Him to permit them to enter the pigs, and He gave them permission.”

   This is really a great picture for us of the way God and the devil interact all of the time. First, demonic forces have no choice but to obey anything and everything that Jesus says. The demons we see here were very much begging, knowing that was their only recourse. Secondly, the devil and his minions, no matter how hopeless may be their situation, will always seek to work evil. And why? This is their nature. They automatically do whatever they think will be the most dishonoring to Almighty God, even if what they attempt fails dismally.
   Third, and finally, keep in mind that God works everything out for His glory. He is not a weak, anemic old man crouched in a throne somewhere trying to keep it all together. He is an ever consuming fire of bright and irresistible power. He is the one who lit stars hundreds of times the size of our sun. He is the one who has made whole galaxies that we have yet to see. He is not worried, scared, nervous, or anything of the kind.

   Heavenly Father, as we celebrate Easter we are reminded today more than any other of Your POWER. All that anyone might ever attempt to do against You all told would amount to little more than a single drop of water attempting to extinguish thousands of acres of blazing forest fires. And even that is inaccurate, for there is no possibility to express any exact comparison. It is pointless to try. We can rest this morning in Christ because Your Son has Triumphed Gloriously making a mockery of the evil one and all of his tricks. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:31 “And they begged Him not to banish them to the abyss.”

   This is where we see the true position of the forces of evil in relation to Christ. They grovel and beg upon Him to not do what He could and banish them. But, ultimately this is to be the destiny of these and all other minions of the devil. Theirs is an existence without hope, and their doom is completely certain. They were begging only for a reprieve, though they would have been reluctant to admit that.

   Heavenly Father, thank You for our great Champion. The Lord Jesus has made a mockery of the devil and all his followers. Only Christ may decide the fate of this world. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:30 “What is your name?” Jesus asked him. “Legion,” he said– because many demons had entered him.

   Why would Jesus ask this? Why give the demonic world an inch? What was the purpose here? Well, for one thing, the devil and his forces like to be shrouded in darkness. They don’t want to be brought to light. They need to be scary, not factually understood. But, also, Jesus reveals here what He was doing. He wasn’t just casting out a demon. No, He was ordering a hoard of demonic forces to leave this region. And the ‘Legion’ had no choice.

   Heavenly Father, help us always to understand that the problems we have with the powers of darkness are largely due to deception and trickery rather than power and influence. You are truly powerful, the devil is just a snake in the grass as he has always been. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Luke 8:29 “For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was guarded, bound by chains and shackles, he would snap the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places.”

   This passage provides an interesting opportunity. Jesus had commanded the demons to depart already. Here we get to see the interchange that follows. This is really a microcosm of the greater conflict. Satan is already defeated. His doom is sure and final. There is not a thing he can do to stop it. And yet, like a bratty child he will be drug away kicking and screaming.
   The verse here describes what the demons had done with this man. The idea here is that Luke is showing that no human power could stand against the demonic influence behind this man. But, Jesus is so much more than any human power could ever be.

   Heavenly Father, we know that You are the winner. We will trust You while the powers of darkness tremble and fade! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.