In last week’s Bible reading, we read about Jesus meeting a man in a mess. His life had become a mess as a result of Satan’s work. He had demons possessing his body!
We read about this encounter in Luke 8:26-39. Jesus took a boat ride with His apostles across the Sea of Galilee to the country of the Gerasenes. This land was opposite the Sea of Galilee. It was considered gentile territory.
A storm occurred while they journeyed. The apostles feared for their lives, but Jesus calmed it with a few words (Luke 8:25). In this section of Luke’s gospel, we find Jesus exercising power over disasters (Luke 8:22-25), demons (Luke 8:26-39), disease (Luke 8:40-48), and death (Luke 8:49-56).
Matthew mentions two demon-possessed men (Matthew 8:28). Luke only focuses on one.
The Devil’s Mess
- He was naked (Luke 8:27). He hadn’t put on any clothes for a long time.
- He was isolated (Luke 8:27). He had been cast out of his community and lived in the cemetery.
- He was violent (Mark 5:5). He was hurting himself and was a threat to others.
- He was screaming (Mark 5:5). Imagine how exhausting it must have been to do that day and night.
- He had been shackled (Luke 8:29). Chains and shackles could not contain him.
- He had demons (Luke 8:30). “Legion” was inside of him. This term was used to describe how many demons were inside his body.
The Demons
- They knew about Jesus’ identity (Luke 8:28). They refer to Him as “the Son of the Most High God.”
- They knew about Jesus’ power (Luke 8:31). They knew that He had the power to cast them away into the abyss.
- They knew that they had limited time to do their evil work (Matthew 8:29). Once the miraculous gifts ceased (1 Corinthians 13:9-13), so would their ability to possess people.
The Lessons about Jesus
- He cares. Jesus has compassion for the messes in people’s lives (Luke 8:28-30; 1 Peter 5:6-7).
- He helps. Jesus went out of His way to clean up the devil’s mess in this man’s life (Luke 8:31-37). He did the same for our sin mess when He died on the cross (Mark 10:43-45).
- He speaks. His words had power over the demons (Luke 8:29; Matthew 8:32). When we listen to and submit to His words in the gospel, messes can be cleaned up in our lives as well!
- He changes. This man was changed physically and spiritually by Jesus. Jesus would use him to tell others about His blessings (Luke 8:39). Jesus can use people with the biggest messes to be the best messengers!
Conclusion:
Do you need Jesus to take care of the mess of sin in your life (Mark 16:15-16)?