Return Home and Tell

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

RETURN HOME AND TELL

Luke 8:34-39

34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 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. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 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. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 "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.

NIV

Here we have the man who had been possessed by a legion of demons being cured by Jesus, and for whatever reason all the town’s people were overcome with fear. Would they have rather this man be out of his mind, naked living in the tombs? Why would they have asked Jesus to leave them? Did they think it was some supernatural trick or were they just afraid to be in the presence of God because they were sinners themselves? All we know for sure is they were filled with fear because Jesus healed this man. We also do not know why Jesus didn’t take this opportunity for a teaching moment, to share the good news about the kingdom of God, but what we know is that he did leave them. He got into his boat and sailed off into the sunset. But the rest of this story is our life lesson. This healed man wanted to go with Jesus, to join the group of travelers, the band of brothers so to speak, but Jesus refused him. Jesus told him instead of becoming one of the group, go back home and tell all the people just how much God has done for you. This man did exactly that, he returned home and told everyone what Jesus had done for him. Here it is. When God does something wonderful in our lives, and he has done just that for each and every one of us who believe, what do we do? We might tell a few people, but then we join the group, the band of brothers, the fellowship, the church and hang out there the rest of our natural born lives. It seems we would rather be with the group then returning home to tell how much God has done for us. This returning home is not to a particular place, but a state of mind. What did we think before we accepted Jesus? We need to return to those who think likewise as we did and tell them what God has done for us. This is not preaching the four spiritual laws to them, but simply being a witness to what God has done for us. Yes, it is a good thing to gather together with other believers to worship God. But let us not simply hang out with other believers, but let us return home, to the place we once lived, in the darkness of sin, and tell everyone what God has done in our lives. How he cast all our demons into the pigs, so to speak, and healed us from living in a tomb, for that is where they are now living. We have been raised from the tomb, from having a dead spirit, and have been born again, alive in Christ. Let us return home and tell everyone what God has done for us.