“When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met Him a man from the city who had demons”(Luke 8:27a).
A trip across the Sea of Galilee brought Jesus and His disciples to the region of the Gerasenes. This was a region in which many Gentiles lived, those non-Jews. We catch this fact by the tending of the herds of pigs. So, Jesus is entering a territory that typically would not be sympathetic to Jews. He was entering what we may call “heathen” territory. Jesus is far away from any synagogue. Besides the Jews in His own party of disciples, there are no other Jews within many miles.
So, what is Jesus going to do in a “heathen” territory? Well, He is going to bring His healing power to an unbelieving pagan.
For most people today, we discount the idea of demonic possession. We just think this is something of film and television, but not of real life. But we hear today that demonic possession is not the stuff of movies but is a real-life issue.
Let us recall what Jesus said just prior to His bodily ascension into heaven. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age”(Matthew 28:18-20).
There is something to Jesus’ words here. He says all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him.
On this day in our Gospel lesson, Jesus meets a man who is in terrible shape. He is socially isolated. He doesn’t have a proper place to live, but is attracted to living among tombs. Not only that, he has also been wandering around naked. And this is only half of his problems. It gets worse. Far worse.
Not only is he socially isolated, naked, and living among the dead, he is also often bound with chains and shackles so to protect him and others from himself. But when seized by the control of an evil spirit, those chains and shackles don’t stand a chance as he “hulks up” with superhuman strength and breaks those chains and shackles.
After Jesus commanded the unclean spirits to come out of this demon-possessed man, the demon-possessed man said, “What have you do do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me!” (Luke 8:28). Because this man is under the control of demons, he recognizes Jesus. This is a gift that all angels cannot keep quiet. They must proclaim God when they see Him, even if a fallen angel, a demon. It’s a quirk that they just can’t seem to get out of them. They can’t change the essence of their created nature.
So, Jesus asks the man, “What is your name?” (Luke 8:30a). And he replied, “‘Legion,’ for many demons had entered him” (Luke 8:30b).
For this poor man, he was possessed by a whole host of demons. To get some context, a Roman legion numbered four-to-six thousand soldiers. Did he have that many demons in him? Maybe. But it’s more likely that the demons used that name “Legion” in a general sense to refer to the great number of demons who had gone into this man.
So, for this man, he was tormented by a legion of demons. And for a long time, he had worn no clothes, he had not lived in a house, and even shackles and chains could not hold him. The only thing that attracted his attention were living among burial sites.
This man was totally helpless against the demons. He was powerless to save himself. He was completely controlled by the power of evil.
We, as poor, miserable sinners are also troubled by demons. Now, we may not be possessed by an evil spirit, but we all have our terrors and vices. We, like this man, can live a life of isolation as we isolate ourselves from God and other people. Behind our “demons” is rebellion against God, and they can take various forms.
§ Things like: despising God’s Word, by not holding it sacred by gladly hearing it and learning it.
§ Things like: being angry, stubborn, or disrespectful toward those in authority.
§ Things like: looking lustfully at someone who isn’t your spouse, or engaging in any form of sexual immorality, including pornography.
§ Things like: taking pleasure in talking about the faults and mistakes of others.
§ Or things like people saying that they are “two spirit” or “gender fluid,” which could be simply a fad – a product of our fallen cultural rot, a mental illness, or it could be actual demon possession for which the demons must be exercised out.
But we all have our demons, even if we aren’t possessed by an actual demon.
And like this man, we are utterly and completely helpless in changing our situation before God and our neighbor. This is our spiritual condition by nature, as we are under the power of the devil. So, when we see God’s Law, all we see is despair. All we see is our failure in adhering to God’s Ten Commandments.
But remember, the Word of Christ is authoritative. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. So, He is able to change our tragic human realities. Jesus changed all things for the better for this man. He clothed him and put him back in his right mind. He restored him.
If Jesus can do those things for an unbeliever, what more can He do for you who trusts and clings to Him? So, Jesus transforms us too! Through His keeping of the Law, through His suffering and death, Jesus heals you and all of humanity by grace through faith in Him from the effects of sin, which is death and the power of the devil. In Christ alone, your sins are forgiven and you are restored as a child of God.
So, how does Jesus do this for you and me? Well, through what you are hearing now, through the preaching of His authoritative Word, through the proclamation of your absolution, and through His Word in Holy Baptism. In the Divine Service, Jesus clothes us and puts us in His right mind through His Word. Thanks be to God that He has rescued us through Christ’s perfect obedience, and His death and resurrection!
But today’s Gospel lesson doesn’t just end with the demon-possessed man being set free of his demons by Jesus. Upon hearing the commotion of the pigs drowning, the 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” (Luke 8:35).
These people were filled with terror in the sight of Jesus. For the power of Jesus was graphically obvious – a herd of pigs floating dead in the lake, and a madman now restored to sanity.
So, sadly, Jesus is often rejected. They begged Jesus to leave. So, Jesus obliged and sailed away. But Jesus does not forget about the people of the country of the Gerasenes as the now sane man went away proclaiming throughout the whole city how much God in Jesus has done for him. This man becomes a missionary proclaiming the mighty works of God!
And Jesus continues to make disciples of all nations, despite continued rejection. He makes disciples as the Word is preached and the Sacraments are properly administered through the end of the age. Jesus continues to transform us from sin and unbelief to forgiveness and faith, even to the end of the age! So, may we join this healed man in proclaiming the mighty works of God through our various callings in life! Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +
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