Jesus Heals a Man With a Demon
October 24, 2019
Commentary
In the last half of this chapter Jesus demonstrates His power over three areas of life:
Demons – (vv. 26-39)Death – (vv. 40-42;49-56)Disease – (vv. 43-48)A demon possessed man met Jesus when He landed at Gadara on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (vv. 26-29). We find that it is possible for more than one demon to indwell in a human being because it says a"legion” of demons dwelt within this poor man (v.30). The word “legion” as used here stood for a large number. At the request of the demons Jesus gave permission for them to enter a herd of swine. Immediately the swine ran into the sea and were drowned (vv. 32-33).
Why didn’t Jesus just destroy these demons, or send them to the abyss? Because the time for such a thing had not yet come. He healed many people of the destructive effects of demon possession, but He did not destroy the demons. The same question could be asked today as to why Jesus doesn’t stop all the evil in the world? His time has not yet come, but it will come. A man had been freed from the devil’s power, but the people thought only about the livestock (vv. 34-38). Jesus now urged the man to return to his family and tell them what God has done (v. 39).
Application
Satan does not care how much Biblical truth I know just as long as I do not live it. Truth that is only in my head is purely academic and never will get into my heart until it is practiced.
Luke 8:26– 39 (NET)
26 So they sailed over to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 As Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man from the town met him who was possessed by demons. For a long time this man had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house, but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and shouted with a loud voice, “Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I beg you, do not torment me!” 29 For Jesus had started commanding the evil spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, so he would be bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard. But he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. 31 And they began to beg him not to order them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and the demonic spirits begged Jesus to let them go into them. He gave them permission. 33 So the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd of pigs rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned. 34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside. 35 So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus to leave them alone, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and left. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare what God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole town what Jesus had done for him.
Illustration: Astrology is Booming and being Computerized
An upsurge in astrological interest is unmistakable evidence of moral and social decay. Occultism rises ominously in times of world turmoil, religious apostasy, and moral decline. Carroll Righter is perhaps the best known and most successful of United States astrologers. Dubbed “the dean of America’s public astrologers,” he is one of about 10,000 full-time and 175,000 part-time practitioners in the U.S. alone. Astrology is booming and like almost everything else it is being computerized. A company called Time Pattern Research Institute, Incorporated, has programmed a computer to turn out a 10,000 word horoscope reading in two minutes. It set an earlier goal of 10,000 capacity in a month, with plans for continued expansion. (Merrill Unger, Demons in the World Today).