A Stunning Demand
We often prescribe for ourselves that which Jesus does not. In Luke 8:26-39, we see not only a miracle of God, but a stunning demand as well. Let's look at the passage of Scripture:
26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes,[c] which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “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. (ESV)
We read a rather cool story. At first glance, it's all an easy read, the story of a man who was clearly tortured and in pain by demonic possession that only Jesus could cast out. The end result is freedom and rejoicing. But a closer look draws us into a stunning demand by Jesus.
First, understand the despondency of the possessed man. Imagine being put in chains from time to time. To cast off chains (especially during that time) was no small feat. It would have involved bruises, blood, and wounds. Then the man is so out of his mind, he's naked, dirty, and living "among the tombs" (where the living rarely go). Externally, he's a dirty, crazy, potentially dangerous man. Internally, he's a trapped man who over time has likely given up hope, feeling condemned to being trapped within his own mental anguish, wanting to die but unable for the Legion at work inside of him. It is one thing to be possessed by one demon. The Exorcist makes that frightening enough. But multiple demons? It had to be chaotic in his psyche beyond measure.
Jesus casts out the demons, the pigs go off the cliff and die (an act that has its own unforeseen repercussions), and the man is thankful. Actually, the man is beyond thankful. The demons have just been cast out of him, he is barely in his right mind, fragile, probably a little confused, thankful, and (for the first time in a long time) hopeful. Here's where things get stunning:
The man begs to be with Jesus and Jesus says..."go and tell." The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away...
I was raised in the suburbs by wonderful Christian parents. I'm a far cry from the possessed man, and yet, I can relate. My deepest longing is to be with Jesus (and by the Holy Spirit, I am). Monks spend their whole lives in devotion to "be" with Jesus. Many Christians focus on their "being" with Jesus as the measure of devotion. But, in real life with a real situation and when confronted by someone who would seem to deserve to hang with Jesus as he is nursed back to emotional and physical health, Jesus sent him away. Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you. Jesus tells him to go on mission, declaring what God has done, in the places this man may (now that he's whole) live, work, and play. The daily-ness of that imperative is really challenging. In addition, this man is no longer "with" Jesus! Surely he should know more than what he knows. No Christian therapy. No Jesus counseling. He's not yet even read a Christian book nor purchased Christian music. And there's no Jesus church gathering into which he can integrate. In fact, that gathering is moving on back across the Sea of Galilee to Peter's hometown.
A stunning demand.
Jesus is either cruel, indifferent, or loving. Knowing that Jesus is motivated by love and God's best for that man, let's go with loving. If so, we must view Jesus' demand through the eyes of love. It may be just possible that Jesus knows the man has everything he needs to a) bear an effective testimony (mission), and b) grow in Christlikeness. The mission will shape the man. This man will reflect on the love it took for Jesus as God to love him enough to meet him where he was to free him. He would consider the change of heart. And the imperative of Jesus would keep him telling others that "self-help" wasn't involved and Jesus alone could set him free. It may just be that though the demand of Jesus seems like rejection, it is in fact, an invitation to join Him on mission. Where others are not yet ready, Jesus knows this man is ready (whether the man knows it or not). He begs to be with Jesus. And Jesus essentially says, "If you really want to be with me, be on on mission with me."
This stunning demand has BIG implications for us, how we view Christian growth, and what we're really willing to do when Jesus sets us free.
