2.9.13. 2.25.2024 Luke 8.26-39 Certain about His Welcome
Luke: Certain about Jesus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Luke 8:26–39 (ESV)
26 Next, they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, 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.
Entice: This story has many elements, many plot-points to consider. Yet we often forget that the Gospel stories about Jesus are always about Him. In this case our primary concern is not the demons, the demoniac, or even the pigs. The focus is on how Jesus is welcomed by those who see Him work and who hear His word.
Engage: That should still be our focus, even today where demons are not so prevalent and yet other intoxications, compulsions, and afflictions wear upon our culture. Some of the statistics tell a mind-boggling tale of what we humans do to ourselves. The legalization of gambling has created a mental and financial health crisis. But like most harm, it is not evenly spread. Mostly men, mostly between the ages of 18-24. Wrecking their lives for an addiction to the dopamine thrill. That’s not the only group singled out by an oppressive agent.
Despite some balancing factors social media has a devastating impact on the mental health of young people whose relentless search for “likes” has created a
withdrawn,
lonely,
compulsive,
generation in constant search of
mental,
physical,
and
spiritual affirmation.
The Evil one does not need
demons in the 21st century. He has other, more powerful tools.
Expand: Demons are interesting.
And pigs are cute.
(have you heard of the League of Pigs? An online video racing platform dedicated to detailed accounts of…pig racing?).
It is People, though, who are important and how people react to Jesus is critical. There are good ways, bad ways, and thankful ways to respond to Jesus. We see them all in this passage.
Excite: Then and there gives way to here and now and the fact that each of us must be certain for ourselves how we will respond to Jesus.
Explore:
How will you welcome Him?
How will you welcome Him?
Expand: This odd text shows us several possible responses, several ways that individuals could welcome Jesus.
Body of Sermon: Oddly enough the demons recognized Jesus and
1 Grudgingly Acknowledge His Divinity.
1 Grudgingly Acknowledge His Divinity.
1.1 They addressed Him properly.
1.1 They addressed Him properly.
By Name
By Name
Jesus
and
By Title
By Title
Son of the Most high
1.2 They understood His power and authority over them.
1.2 They understood His power and authority over them.
They expected Him to torment them.
They expected Him to torment them.
They expected He would banish them.
They expected He would banish them.
They rightly feared the righteous presence of God in flesh.
They rightly feared the righteous presence of God in flesh.
Even without the exorcism of demons there is more than enough information for people today to acknowledge the divinity of Jesus, His claims on our lives, and the need to respond appropriately. Knowing is step one.
Jesus’ brother James reminds us,
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
He likely got his image from this very incident. Minimally we should at least believe what rebellious spirits believe! Yet This passage reminds us that more is at stake!
So, we next consider the response from the various witnesses to this miraculous deliverance. They
2 Selfishly Acted with Disgust.
2 Selfishly Acted with Disgust.
Why, if this guy and his troop of demons was such a menace, if Jesus is so powerful to heal him, did they act as they did? Why the hostility? Why anger? And one would hope that it was more than just “Oh dear, what about the pigs?” Thankfully the text gives us basic insight into possible motivations.
First, they were
2.1 Embarrassed by prior Failure.
2.1 Embarrassed by prior Failure.
Not a commonly discussed aspect of this text. What failure do I mean? Their inability to help this man. Who do you think did all that clothing, guarding, and binding? And why did they do it? It seems that they had a therapeutic motive for what they did for the man and none of it worked. He was one of their own. A villager, farmer, part of the family, woven in the fabric of their community and they had repeatedly failed help him. Despite years of labor, they failed to do what Jesus did in a heartbeat. They could not help a man they knew and loved, and Jesus, an outsider, helped him in an instant!
How often do we act out of embarrassment because we have failed? And how often does that behavior slide into a selfishness that causes us to reject others?
Beyond embarrassment they were
2.2 Compelled by indefinable Fear.
2.2 Compelled by indefinable Fear.
I’m sure they would all agree that demons were bad. They were shocked at the actual process and outcome of the demonic exit.
“We can’t have any of that here! What will happen next? How do we know that the demonic destruction will end with Pigs?!”
Fear makes us do a lot of things. It makes us selfish and causes us to be disgusted with those who make us afraid. Jesus didn’t do what He did to “make them afraid”. Yet His broader act of compassionate healing had that affect.
And We shouldn’t ignore that these selfish, disgusted people really were
2.3 Shocked by financial loss.
2.3 Shocked by financial loss.
The Pigs!
The Pigs!
The Clean up?
The Clean up?
But…Financial loss?
So?
What is more important,
People or Pigs?
People or profit?
People or a peaceful life?
Their disgust should disgust us, yet it is familiar because so many of us react the same way. We might not be confronted with Legions of demons that go from people to pigs destroying everything they can, but far too many of us, are so disgusted by our own
failures,
fears,
and
finances
that we send Jesus away because we cannot imagine He wants a part of us. How tragic. How sad. How unnecessary.
We can all find the certainty and share in the joy of the man who on that day, in that place, as described in this text
3 Thankfully Accepted Deliverance.
3 Thankfully Accepted Deliverance.
That man was welcomed by Jesus and found
3.1 Restoration.
3.1 Restoration.
After so much time and so much loss that man was welcomed by Jesus and delivered.
The restored man found
3.2 Recognition.
3.2 Recognition.
The very man with the Legion. Not an imposter. Not a look alike. Not some mean-spirited trick. The same man…
Fully Clothed
Fully Clothed
In His right Mind
In His right Mind
3.3 Response.
3.3 Response.
“I’m with You Jesus!”
He was so certain of Jesus that He wanted to be a disciple! Jesus returned him home and said…you tell your story and my story! In your home. In your place. Among your people.
Sadly, His joy could have been experienced in the entire region rather just the one home where a man was released from a legion’s worth of torture.
Shut Down
Whatever your burden,
Whatever your burden,
Jesus is the answer.
Jesus is the answer.
His divinely present Lordship always provokes some kind of response.
Disgust in some. Deliverance in others.
The Legions afflicting our culture may be different. It may be some addiction rather than demons. It may be a compulsion. Perhaps it is a sense of alienation.Earlier I mentioned the negative impacts of social media as the gravest threat to the mental health of teenagers that we have ever seen. Worse than drugs, worse than Satanic panics. We May never confront a literal unclean-Spirit…But Legions have been let loose and their work leaves a wasteland.
There are some things we can do to help Jesus exile the Legions affecting our culture.
Be thankful for your own deliverance.
Be thankful for your own deliverance.
Let go of your own failures, fears, and financial woe.
Let go of your own failures, fears, and financial woe.
You can’t be very helpful when you are selfishly wrapped in a web of embarrassment.
Accept the saving Son of the Most High.
Accept the saving Son of the Most High.
Demons do, and shudder. Why not acknowledge Him and live?
Jesus crossed a big lake to deliver a man from His legion. He invites us to go across town to do our part in delivering our culture from the present enslaving compulsions. These days, He doesn’t require us to take it out on the Pigs.