Broken Bottles
Breaking things seems to come naturally to me. Not that it is done on purpose, of course. I think I am one of the few people in the history of the world who has broken a marble statue while dusting. I still remember the figurine. It was one of my mother’s most cherished possessions. It had been in the family for many years. It was an oriental man carved out of green marble, which stood majestically about twelve inches tall. She always placed him in a prominent place of honor, easily noticed by guests who marveled at his beauty. However, that was soon destroyed by a junior high, Pledge carrying, dust frenzy, gal.
It started out innocently enough. I was just doing my weekly chores. Somehow while cleaning one of the tables, the rag that I was using caught on the Oriental man’s hat and crashed him down on the table. (So you see, it really wasn’t my fault. It was my mom’s fault for giving me an old rag to use for dusting that had holes in it that could easily catch a marble hat. Really, it could have happened to anybody.) As I lifted the rag off the lifeless figure to assess the damage, I was mortified. It was horrific! The Oriental man was, well, beheaded! I was convinced the same would happen to me as soon as my mother came home.
I put the head back on the man and just sat and looked at it. What was I to do? Finally, I had a brilliant idea. As soon as my mom walked in the door, I asked her, “Do you truly believe the verse that says to not store up treasures on earth but in heaven?” Surely, the spiritual tactic would work. My mom would thank me for giving her this opportunity to grow in the Word. My hope quickly faded when she asked, “What did you break?” She knew me too well. I still feel guilty all these years later when I see that marble man still sitting on the table, shakily repaired, with a huge slit in his throat!
Due to my habit of breaking things, I am drawn to the story of the woman who broke her jar of alabaster perfume on the feet of Jesus. (Or maybe it is due to the fact that Jesus’ responded so much better than my mom.) This story touches my heart every time I read it. I identify with two of the main characters. One of them radiates the beauty of her love for the Savior. The other refuses to respond to the Savior. I seem to waver back and forth, acting like one of the two. The one is nameless, we only know her as the “woman”. The other is named Simon. In fact, it is at his house where the story is set. Let’s begin in Luke 7:36.
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two men owed money to a certain money lender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for My feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give Me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on My head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:36-50)
Before you continue reading, stop and pray. God may have already spoken to you through His Word. Listen to His Spirit. Worship Him. I know I had to before I could continue writing.
Will you journey with me into the heart of God? Can you hear His love? It is beating for you. A woman heard the same sound long ago. It captivated her so much that she risked everything to be in His Presence again.
Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so He went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume… (Luke 7:36-37)
How did the woman know that Jesus would be eating at Simon’s house? Did the Pharisee willingly share his guest list with others in the town so that the gossip would travel? Maybe he wanted to brag about the big names that would be coming over to dinner. “Hey, have you ever heard of that prophet named Jesus? Well, guess what, He’s coming over to join the guys and I for dinner.” How often do we “drop” names so others will realize how important we think we are? You just have to mention that you know the “big guy on campus”. Or maybe you need to let your co-worker know that you played golf with the boss. You never seem to mind mentioning that you know the mayor, the governor, or the guy who ate the most donuts for the Guinness book of world records. It just proves that we put people on a hierarchy. Some are “in” and some are definitely “out”. But Jesus never sees people that way. His heart loves us all, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
These verses, right at the beginning, show the marked difference between the Pharisee and the woman. The Pharisee wanted Jesus to come to him. He was in control. It was his house, his invited guest, his meal, his timing. He would make the decision of whether Jesus would be invited back or not. He would let Jesus know if He was “in” or “out” of his life. He was not going to make any type of sacrifice. He was only willing to stay in his comfort zone, in his familiar surroundings, with his friends. It was just an opportunity to inflate himself to other people, to be able to say, “Yes, Jesus came to my house.”
What a contrast to the woman! She was willing to travel, to go out of her way to come to where Jesus was. She did not mind the walk, no matter the length. She just wanted to be near Him. It did not matter the cost. She risked public humiliation and even possible rejection by Jesus Himself. The emotional sacrifice was only one part; she also brought an expensive jar of perfume. A lifetime of savings would be gone. She did not mind. Stepping out of her comfort zone, she humbles herself, giving complete control to the One who already controlled the stars of heaven.
…and as she stood behind at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. (Luke 7:38)
We have heard this story so often that we skip over the experience. Focus on your own feet. Let’s all be honest, that part of the body is just nasty. First of all, feet are not attractive. And boy, can they smell sometimes. (Emphasis on “boy”. Why do high school boys have the worst smelling feet in the universe?) Imagine if those smelly feet had dirt all over them. Some of you right now are thinking about that one person in your life that you always hope will not get so comfortable in your home that he or she, but most like he, takes off his shoes. Come on, you all know someone. Or you may be the one that someone else pictures. Anyway, do you want to get near someone’s smelly feet? But this woman, not only came near but she also kissed them, cried over them, poured perfume over them, and dried them with her hair. Some of us would be crying more because of the smell or of the wasted perfume or of having messed up hair!
This woman, with her beautiful heart, cared about nothing else but to show her love to the Savior. She humbled herself and took on the lowest job that a servant could do. Washing the feet was considered to be the job for the bottom slave on the totem pole. But what others rejected, she considered an honor to do for Jesus. She did not even feel worthy enough to look at His face or to anoint His head with oil.
Anointing with oil is common in the Bible. We have numerous examples. For one, we know that Samuel the prophet anointed David with oil to proclaim that he would be the next king of Israel. Samuel did not anoint David’s feet. Why? Because as God’s prophet, Samuel, too, was called by God. It was one God-called position anointing another person set apart by God. But the woman is proclaiming another message. She is saying, “I have no right to proclaim You for Who You are. I am here to proclaim what I was, what I am, and to thank You for loving me anyway and for seeing me as I will be.”
What a beautiful act of worship. She saw herself for who she is-a sinner, low, dirty, an outcast. However, she also saw God for Who He is-Savior, Redeemer, Forgiving Love. Because she had a right perception of herself and a right perception of her Lord, she could let go of her shame and grab onto the feet of Jesus.
By the way, one day we will get to do the same. Although, we will not be using precious perfume, we will be casting our crowns at His feet.
While this beautiful scene, an amazing act of worship, is taking place, there is another in the room who is missing the significance. His opinions are recorded in verse 39.
When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner.”
The Pharisee’s heart is in sharp contrast to the woman’s. Seeing such a powerful sight, he responds with judgment and criticism. It is directed not only to the woman but to Jesus as well. When we judge others we are judging the one Who created them. We must leave judgment to God alone. Remember, too, when the world judges us and rejects us, that we are not alone. They are judging Him as well. So, we are in great company!
Simon’s criticism is obvious in one word “If”. He thought, “if this man was a prophet, He would know…” the Lord Himself is reclining at the table and the Pharisee is questioning His ability to know. The All-Knowing God is being condemned as not knowing anything. Simon could be sitting at the feet of all Knowledge and Wisdom instead he sits at the head of the table, condemning Him. This Pharisee believes he knows more than the Lord. It seems ridiculous but how often do we do the same thing? We judge the situation from our limited viewpoint, not asking God what He thinks about the situation.
God’s viewpoint was extremely different. He refused to look at the Pharisee. His eyes were on the woman kneeling at His feet.
God brought this point home to me in a vivid fashion. One night I had a dream. In the dream, I was standing on a street corner with a group of friends. We were all laughing and carrying on when we looked up and saw a young girl crossing the street. She was pregnant, unwed, and miserable. Instead of talking to her even though she was someone we knew, we pointed and laughed at her instead. I suddenly woke up from the dream. I was so confused about it because it had been so detailed, as if it really had happened. I thought about it for a while but eventually I fell back to sleep. (When I said I thought about it for a while, don’t get the idea that I was up for hours. It was probably three minutes. I like my sleep. I rarely wake up in the night, which was the weirdest part. Did I mention that I like my sleep?) I had another dream. In my next dream, I was the pregnant girl. I went through the same situation of crossing the street but I was the one getting laughed at. It was so painful, humiliating, embarrassing for I knew my “friends” were mocking me. I felt alone. My dream continued, taking me through the day. It processed my feelings of being hurt, confused, lonely, and yet determined to do what was right despite my mistake. I woke up again. (Like I said, this is so weird for me.) God immediately dealt with my heart. He told me to never judge people. I don’t know their situation, what they have gone through, who they truly are. He alone knows that. I am only called to love. All of us are the girls who made mistakes in the past. Yet, God forgives each one of us, no matter what we have done.
Jesus, not only knowing what this woman had done and also knowing the heart of the Pharisee, began to speak. He doesn’t address the woman; He speaks to Simon. Realize, people, that this is amazing because the Pharisee hadn’t spoken out loud. Remember, it said that Simon had spoken to himself. Imagine his surprise when Jesus answered his thoughts. Why do we try to cover up our hearts? We justify our thoughts because we didn’t say them out loud. That doesn’t matter. God knows our hearts. He is willing to cut right through it to expose the evil. Jesus knew the heart in question was not the woman’s but the Pharisee’s.
Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me teacher,” he said.
Before we go on, let me point our something icky. (Yes, the word “icky” can be used in a book.) Simon says, “Tell me teacher.” Can’t you just hear the arrogance? Simon thought he got away with his critical thoughts about Jesus. How could anyone know? He didn’t say them out loud. He even mockingly, hypocritically called Him “teacher” after just thinking that Jesus must not know much. Do you ever do that? Do you ever put someone down in your mind and then smile to their face? That’s called hypocrisy. Don’t try to justify it because you didn’t say it out loud. Sin in the heart is still sin. Jesus didn’t allow Simon any excuses, and He doesn’t give us one either.
The good man brings good things out of the good stored in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart, his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45).
That is why Jesus didn’t play into the game that Simon thought he was winning. Jesus addressed the heart of the issue by telling Simon a story.
“Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him 500 denarii, and the other 50. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. (Luke 7:41-43)
By the way, always remember, both men needed their debts cancelled. Before comparing your sins to others and thinking you are not so bad, remember that both of you needed your debts cancelled. And your sins and my sins hung Jesus on the cross just as much as someone else. Remember our “righteousness” is like filthy rags. We all needed to be cleansed. This can only happen by asking Christ into our lives. Then, we are pronounced innocent. Even then, we cannot forget how far Christ has brought us. We still cannot condemn the sinner for we ourselves were once like them.
Dawson McAlister, a well-known youth speaker, really brought this truth home to me. When I was in junior high, I attended one of his weekend conferences. One afternoon he told us that Ted Bundy, the infamous serial killer, had been executed for his terrible crimes. Everyone began cheering. Then he said, “Ted Bundy reportedly accepted Christ before he died, which means that he will be standing beside us in heaven worshipping God. He is just as much forgiven as you and I.” I have never forgotten that. Amazingly enough, forgiveness is extended to all, even to me. So how can I judge others? I must leave that to God.
Simon needed an illustration to get this point. (I guess he never attended a Dawson McAlister conference.) Jesus presented him a question. Simon gave an answer. Jesus told him that he had judged correctly in his answer. By the way, that was the only time that night when Simon had judged correctly.
Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
His judgment of the woman earlier had been wrong. Jesus used the story to open up Simon’s eyes to the truth. Then, Jesus explained what was lacking in Simon’s hears.
Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?”
“Do you see this woman?” Jesus knew that Simon did not truly see the woman. Yes, physically his eyes worked; however, his heart could not truly see others. He saw their mistakes, their sins, but not the person. Jesus was saying, look at her. Don’t look at what she has done in the past. Don’t look at what she is wearing. Don’t look at the way she carries herself. Don’t look at the label you have put on her. Look into her eyes, her heart. See her as someone I created, that I planned to be born, whom I fashioned in the womb, who I loved before time began, who I will show my love by enduring the cross, who will one day be with Me in paradise. Do you see her? Do you see the one I love?
Is Jesus asking us that today? Do we truly see others? Or do we see the man with AIDS, the woman who had an abortion, the teenage boy addicted to drugs, the prostitute, the adulterer, the murderer, the liar, the cheater, the hypocrite, the gossip? God is saying to us today, stop judging, stop acting as if your debt wasn’t paid, and truly look at them. I made them. I love them. Do you see them? We need to stop hiding our eyes. People are hurting, are dying all around us. We, like Simon, are judging them, not wanting them to get near us, to touch us. We would rather put them down then try to help them up. Yet the King of the Universe lets them touch His feet. He reaches a hand to them. He loves them.
Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” (Luke 7:44-47)
What a comparison. I must ask myself, who am I more like? Do I want Jesus to come to me, and then not ask me to do anything for Him just save me from hell? Or am I willing to sacrifice my pride to do menial tasks such as washing His feet, cleaning the sanctuary, taking out the trash, working hard with no recognition, cutting grass, sewing clothes, or a list of other things. Or am I willing to take time for Jesus, to kiss Him through worship, Bible study, prayer, service, evangelism? Or am I willing to pour out myself, to be an empty vessel, to give all of my resources, my time, my energy to Him? Oh, what a reward is in store for us when we live for Him!
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” (Luke 7:47)
Not only can we be forgiven for everything, but also we can be filled with abundant love. Who would like to love others more? Raise your hand! (Some of you actually raised your hand, didn’t you?) We all would like to love others more. But to have this we must be willing to be forgiven. We must be vulnerable, hold nothing back, come to His feet, kneel before Him with humility, allow His forgiveness to be poured out on us, realize that He forgives because He loves us so much, and THEN in turn our only response is to love Him and others.
That is what the woman did. Her love response was so beautiful that Jesus spoke the tenderest words to her.
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Who of you feel ashamed? Who of you still regret your past? Maybe your past mistake was only a few hours a go. Jesus wants to say to you today, “your sins are forgiven.” Oh, but to hear that you must first come to Him. Take that step today. Let your heart kneel before Him. Then, you will hear His precious words of forgiveness and will experience His tender mercy. Don’t miss out on what Jesus desires to give you. You may have heard this message a million times but it has never penetrated your heart. Don’t be like the men who had gathered at Simon’s house. They also heard the words of Jesus but it was only the woman who experienced them.
The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
They still didn’t know who Jesus was. They still hadn’t figured it out. These educated, religious men were unable to comprehend the fact that God was at their table. But one sinful woman, who was not even worthy enough to recline at the table, she alone knew whom Jesus, the Son of God, her Savior was.
Some of you may be sitting close to Jesus and yet not recognizing Who He is. You go to church; you do the “right” things and yet do not realize your need to leave your seat of honor in order to humbly bow at the feet of Jesus. Do not miss His mercy; it is so close to you.
But that day, one heard His voice.
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
What saved her? Faith. What saves today? The same thing. You must have faith in Jesus. When you do, the peace comes. Can you imagine a sinful woman whose life was full of turmoil, left the feet of Jesus completely forgiven and filled with peace? Only Jesus can bring such transformation. How awesome He is! Praise be to the Lord!
There are so many wonderful stories of changed lives. We see them in the Bible, in our church; we bear witness in our own hearts. Changed lives are God’s favorite hobby. We come to Him broken, He makes us whole. We come to Him stained with sin; He forgives us and cleanses us. We come in turmoil; He sends us away in peace. We come feeling unwanted; He welcomes us. We come feeling unloved; we leave as His precious child.
Where are you today? Come to Christ. Pour out your heart to Him. His love and mercy is available to you right now. Kneel, worship, and cry, whatever you need to do. Take time right now to show Him your love for Him. By the way, His eyes are on you right now. They are filled with love.
Clean Clothes
Have you ever seen something so terrible that your heart breaks within you? Have you ever felt powerless to do anything to help someone from his or her own demise? Have you ever witnessed a person hurt himself? I have seen terrible self-destruction in my days. I’ve seen eating disorders almost drive people to hospitalization, drug addictions that destroyed health and relationships, sexual promiscuity that led to diseases, and other things just too terrible to write.
There are some hurts that I have witnessed that I wish I could erase from my memory for they seem to lead to only more and more destruction. But then I have also seen hope. I have seen lives changed. People turn around and embrace love, joy, and peace. I have heard testimonies that make me look past the sorrows, the failures, and see a God Whose heart broke more than mine, Whose love reached further to the deepest need, and Who orchestrated events to bring their prodigal home. Only He, in the darkest times, can see what no one else sees, a child sitting with Him in the heavenly places.
Let us travel together to the darkest, most frightening place of all the journeys of Christ. He chose to go to the place that everyone else tried to avoid for His heart took Him there.
They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, a demon-possessed man from the town met him. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house but had lived in the tombs. When He saw Jesus, He cried out and fell at His feet, shouting at the top of His voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and He gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to see 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. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 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. The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “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.” (Luke 8:26-39)
There is so much in this story that I don’t even know how to begin. But I can start with “Praise the Lord”! He is awesome! He is our hope, our Savior, and our perfect example. Right at the beginning, He teaches us an amazing lesson about life. Look at it with me.
They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, a demon-possessed man from the town met him. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. (Luke 8:26-27)
As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a demon-possessed man met him. Have you ever noticed that whenever God calls you to a specific task, there are so many bad things that greet you?
There is a false popular philosophy going around today that teaches if you have enough faith then bad things will never come your way. That is not true. Jesus definitely had enough faith, yet His life ended at the cross. The apostle Paul had enough faith, yet he was beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and finally beheaded. All the other apostles, except for John were killed for their faith in Christ. We learn from church history, that the apostle John was boiled in oil and then exiled to the island of Patmos. If the pillars of Christianity faced such difficulty, how can we justify the false idea that “true faith” keeps disease and difficulty away?
Don’t buy into the lie. If you live for Christ, you will be attacked. Satan will launch battles against the ones who are living for God. He does not need to battle (torture, yes, but there is no need to battle) the unsaved; they are already under his evil influence. He only works to keep them lost and separated from God. He does not bother too much with the apathetic Christians. You know them, the people who say they are Christians on Sunday but live like the world the rest of the week. True, they are eternally God’s children, but down on earth, they are not living like God or furthering His kingdom. And if they are not helping God’s side, then they are giving ground to the enemy! But the people Satan keeps attacking are the believers who are determined to follow God’s will for the enemy realizes that they are truly at battle against his evil power.
Remember this next time you are faced with evil itself. Christ Himself has been in a similar situation. He will empower you with His strength. He, too, has seen the enemy face to face.
Jesus has just stepped ashore and immediately He is confronted with a demon-possessed man. The man has been in this terrible condition for a long time. Where did he live? In the tombs. A man, who truly was living in death, meets for the first time the Resurrection and the Life.
Visualize this man. He was filthy. He probably had not bathed in years. Imagine the grime. The smell would have been overwhelming. He had not brushed his hair or had it cut in years. It was long, matted, dirty, tangled. He was disgusting. Look into his eyes. They hold a menacing evil. Not only that, he was not wearing any clothes. Now imagine this man coming into your church doors, walking the center aisle. Can you imagine the shock? People would hide under the pews. Someone would pull out their cell phone and call the police. Some parishioners would scream. Others would cry in fear. Soon, the law enforcement would come and arrest him and take him away. Then, the people would crawl out from under the pews and console each other. We do not want to see anything like that, especially in our church.
Did you know that is how all of us looked to God before we were saved? We were dirty, wretched, naked. Only Jesus could cleanse us from our filthy sin and clothe us in His righteousness. Do you know how He did that? He became dirty, wretched, and naked in our place.
Jesus had not been able to bathe for at least two days before His crucifixion. He was bleeding from all the beatings that He had received at the hands of the Jews and the Romans. The smell of dried blood permeated the air around Him. The dust of the air clung to His blood and sweat. They stripped Him naked and forced Him to carry a cross through the streets of Jerusalem. People smelled his stench. People saw his pain. People saw his nakedness.
He took my place. He took your place. He took our place.
This is described in Wes King’s song “The Robe”. Read the words. Praise the One who made this possible.
Anyone whose heart is cold and lonely. Anyone who can’t believe. Anyone whose hands are worn and empty. Come as you are. Anyone whose feet are tired of walking. And even lost their will to run. There is a place of rest for your aching soul. Come as you are. For the robe is of God. That will clothe your nakedness. And the robe is His grace. It’s all you need. Come as you are. Anyone who feels that they’re unworthy. Anyone who’s just afraid. Come and receive His mercy. Come, come as you are. For the robe is of God. That will clothe your nakedness. And the robe is His grace. It’s all you need. Come as you are.
Here in this account in Luke, Jesus sees a man who looked just like you and just like me before we were saved. I wonder if Jesus knew that soon He would look like this demon-possessed man. I don’t know. All I know is that this man took one look at Jesus and immediately fell before the feet of the Lord.
When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at His feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. (Luke 8:28-29)
I want you to see something critical. The demons in the man broke the chains. It would appear they gave him “freedom”. But where did this freedom lead him? To solitary places. This is still happening in our world today; however, it has taken a more subtle role. The demons are still gaining control and we give it the name of “freedom”. Sexual freedom has led to the solitary places of unwanted pregnancy, diseases, abortion, confused sexual identity, broken hearts, and broken lives. All in the name of freedom. Alcohol freedom has led to the solitary places of addiction, fetal alcohol syndrome, drunk driving, broken homes, and broken families. Speech freedom has led to the solitary places of media violence, pornography, grotesque art, broken innocence, and broken purity.
The world promises “freedom” but its freedom leads to solitary places, for that is all sin is capable of doing. Sin separates, isolates us from God. That is a lonely place. The enemy wants to keep you there forever. That was the plan in the Garden of Eden, to separate God’s precious creation from their Loving Creator. But the evil plan was thwarted. For God became man. His Name is Jesus. And He came to redeem His people. Nothing can stand in His way.
Demons may be stronger than man, able to break man-made chains, but they’re strength is nothing compared to God’s power. Demons tremble in the presence of Jesus. They fear the authority of the Lord. A word from Jesus is more powerful than any action they could do.
He spoke a word of healing, of true freedom in the life of the demon-possessed man. Jesus told the demons to leave him. By the way, the man did not ask for help. He was unable to do that. Jesus met his deepest need without being asked. How gracious is our God! How often has He provided for you in situations when you forgot to ask, or did not know what to ask for, or were too overwhelmed to even utter “help”? His love is amazing. His help is perfect and powerful.
One word from Jesus and the demons had to obey. His command had to be followed. But the demons made one request. They asked permission to go play with pigs.
And they begged Him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and He gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. (Luke 8:31-33)
Poor pigs. The whole herd just, well, died. This is a weird scene. It did not go unnoticed. There were a few pig-herders around and they ran into town and reported the news.
When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 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. (Luke 8:34-35)
Why would they be afraid? An amazing miracle had happened. The lost was found. The hopeless case was cured. This was a time for celebration! Let’s throw a party. Let’s dance, sing, jump around, praise God. (Or if that is too crazy for you, at least just give a great big smile.) But they did none of these things (not even smile). They were more uncomfortable with the man being normal then when he was demon-possessed.
We get comfortable with other people’s sins, don’t we? “Oh, that is just the way they are. They have always been like that. They will never change.” So, we quit reaching out to them. We quit praying for them. By doing that, we mock God. Because what we are saying is that He is not strong enough to bring change to that person.
Who have you given up on? Remember, God did not give up on you. Who gave you the right to give up on others? Keep praying for them. Keep reaching out to them. God may allow you the privilege to see Him work a miracle in that person’s life.
But there were some there that day that witnessed the miracle. They told others what Jesus had done.
Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. (Luke 8:36)
That is all God asks of us. He wants us to tell others what we have seen Jesus do in our lives as well as others. We are responsible to do that. However, the way people choose to respond to our message is up to them.
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. (Luke 9:37)
This scene is heart breaking. They rejected Jesus. They chose fear over peace. They chose to be overcome instead of being over comers. They were more comfortable with death than life. They asked Him to leave. And Jesus left.
Oh, but there was one who knew His power. He was the one driven to the feet of Jesus by demons who had to kneel before the Lord Almighty. He was the one who stayed by the precious feet of his Savior, clothed and in his right mind, as the town people came out to investigate his healing. He was the one who knew all that God had done for him that day.
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “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. (Luke 8:38-39)
The demon-possessed man, who lived in the tombs, the one who everyone thought was beyond hope and beyond help, became God’s chosen missionary! He was the first missionary in the area. Is it not true that God can use anyone who is willing, despite our past, our failures, our weakness, our reputation? God asks all of us to share His message. What is the message? It is the same one a man from the Gerasenes proclaimed that day. He told others what Jesus had done for him. That was it. This simple yet powerful message is still effective today.
Jesus is calling us to do the same. He calls us to tell others what God has done for us. That is what witnessing is. You don’t need a seminary degree. You don’t have to have formal training. You don’t need to be a nun. All you need is to tell people that God has saved you from your sins. Each of us can do that. A small child can do that. We are without excuse. We must be telling others the miracle of God’s love that took a wretched, naked sinner and clothed the person in His robe of righteousness. He saved us from ourselves. Each one of you has your own story. Share it with others. You may be the person God has chosen to reach out to one specific person. Only one. We compare ourselves to Billy Graham and say, “He reaches millions. I could never do that.” But those numbers are made up of individuals. The one person. You can reach them one by one. Then you will be just like Jesus.
Who did Jesus reach in this passage? Only one man who was demon-possessed. Only one. Some revival speakers of today would consider that number to be a failure. But not Jesus. He knew that the town would reject Him. From the beginning of time, He realized this mission would be for one man. He made a special trip across the lake to reach him. That is how important each soul is to Jesus. May it be the same for me and for you.