Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you

 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a  house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  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.

When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  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.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  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.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

- Luke 8:26-39

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught, "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."  Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered them and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For he commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a  house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  After a terrifying storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and the disciples come to the other side of the Sea.  Here they encounter something strange indeed:  a man who cannot live among men, but lives among the tombs.  He wears no clothing.  He is taken so far outside the commerce of "civilized" life by the occupation of the demons that he's kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles, and driven into the wilderness.  He is a prisoner indeed, afflicted into a state of utmost misery.  But the demons understand who Jesus is, and the Judgment He represents.  Jesus uses His power to command the departure of the demons from the man, and arrives as Deliverer -- a key meaning of the word Savior.

Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?"  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  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.  A legion of  the Roman Army at around the time of Christ was about 5,000 men.  It was the largest unit of the Roman Army.  So the elements of "occupation" by a hostile power figure very strongly here.  My study bible says that while some teach that this region across the Sea of Galilee must have been a Gentile region, as evidenced by the presence of the swine, it's more likely that the text is teaching us this is a region where Jews are engaging in what was considered a sinful occupation.  Jesus would forbid His disciples to go to the Gentiles on their first apostolic mission  (Matthew 10:5), and was reluctant to seek out Gentiles Himself (Matthew 15:24).  The destruction of the entire herd of swine suggests several things, according to my study bible.  First, that while animals are a venerable part of creation, human beings are of far more value.  Second, Christ removes a source of sin, as swine herding was an abomination to the Jews (Deuteronomy 14:8).  Additionally, the text teaches us that demons have no power over creation, but are rather subject to the will of God -- they could only enter the swine at Christ's command.  Clearly it is Jesus who has the power in this spiritual realm.  He is the "stronger man" who can bind this hostile force (Mark 3:27).  Human beings are protected under God's providence, otherwise the demon-possessed man would have come to the same end as the swine.  Finally, their great economic loss would remain as a sign for the hardhearted people who fled the region (see the following verses). 


When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  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.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  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.  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.  These apostate Jews who were raising the swine care only for their economic loss.   Although the miraculous healing of this man, who is now clothed and in his right mind, and peacefully sitting at the feet of Jesus must have made an impression, this is not a priority for the people of the region.  When they find how Jesus healed the man, they respond with great fear.  They ask Jesus to depart from them.  But the healed man is ready to proclaim the good news of His Savior, and what great things Jesus had done for him.  

This story tells us so many things.  I always find new things to see in it whenever it comes up.  It's rather striking to us that although the man wants to come with Jesus and the disciples, Jesus has other plans for him.  We may wonder why this is so, considering the hostile environment that perhaps only served as a "welcoming place" for the legion of demons that had afflicted him.  The people are entirely hostile to Christ and His mission.  They don't care at all about the healing of this man, and are rather more saddened and disturbed by the loss of the swine.  They simply respond with fear to Christ's effect on their environment, and ask Him to leave the region.  But Christ's desire for this healed man is to be a kind of light among the darkness.  He will go on to proclaim to others what great things Christ has done for him.  He will be a witness, he will testify.  He will be a sign of the presence of the Kingdom in a dark world, the great changes wrought in him and for his life being evident to all.  What Jesus does is send the man out, back into this place where people apparently prefer a kind of darkness, in order to cling to his truth.  He bears witness to the truth of Christ, to the healing that has happened to him, to the great things Jesus has done for him.  In so doing, he bears a light into the darkness, and his mission -- as given by Jesus -- is simply to continue proclaiming and clinging to that light and bearing it for others.  This, we suspect, is yet another aspect of his healing.  We can see parallels to the terrible imprisonment of this man in modern afflictions of the world.  It bears resemblance to addiction of all kinds and forms, or people who may find themselves stuck in an abusive situation, community, or family.  When we are healed or helped by Christ to be "liberated" from any form of bondage, it's essential that we cling to the truth of that liberation and healing.  When we return to our own environments, we'll still need the strength of Christ's truth and grace to remain in the place He's put us, to remain within the new life He gives.  And we may need to cling to His truth and light to deal with those who don't value our lives in a healthy state.  This remains true for those in recovery of any kind, regardless of the affliction or problems one may describe.  Christ takes this man back into his home town as a changed person, with a new life to live, an experience to tell and teach to others.  He'll need to proclaim and live the "good news" in order to live that new life he's been given.  So we should remember and cherish and live all the good things the Lord has done for us, proclaiming them for ourselves.