Jesus
Exercises His Authority
[Luke
chapter 8, verses 22-39 (part 2 of 3)]
Today
as we continue our ongoing series on the writings of the apostle
Luke, we move on to the middle part of chapter 8 of his account of
the Gospel. As you recall from last week's study, Jesus had just
stated to those whom his family had sent that his “mother and
brothers” were anyone who “hears God's Word and puts it into
practice”. As Luke's gospel moves on from that account, today we
find ourselves at the story of Jesus calming the storm. I have heard
a fair number of sermons already on this story, and I'm sure you have
too, which is why I'm going to tell this story a little differently
in order to apply it to modern life. So open your Bibles or navigate
on your portable devices of choice to Luke's gospel chapter 8,
beginning at verse 22.
“One
day Jesus said to his disciples, 'Let's go over to the other side of
the lake'. So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, he
fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was
being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and
woke him, saying, 'Master, Master, we're going to drown'! He got up
and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and
all was calm. 'Where is your faith?', he asked his disciples. In fear
and amazement they asked one another, 'Who is this? He commands even
the winds and the water, and they obey him'.” (Luke 8, verses
22-25)
Verse
22 and the first part of 23 bear a stark contrast between our
Savior's management style and that of the corporate world here in the
early 21st
century. Today's workplace has the worker practically married to
their jobs. Workers are routinely on call 24/7, but without any
additional compensation beyond work-related expense reimbursement.
They carry their 'smart phones', tablets and portable PC's with them
everywhere they go. Many have their digital devices in the bedroom
with them when they sleep, and I wouldn't be surprised if some people
actually have their devices in bed with them. Contrast all this with
Christ, the leader of the 12 apostles and the founder of Christianity
who, during the height of the storm in the middle of the day, was
asleep! Any modern-day corporate manager would have viewed that
situation as Jesus being asleep on the job, and would have fired
Jesus on the spot! President Donald Trump would have, too!
“He
got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm
subsided, and all was calm. 'Where is your faith?', he asked his
disciples.” To say this in
modern terms, 'What's wrong, are you afraid of a little storm?',
Jesus was saying to his disciples. 'All you guys had to do was to
awaken me and inform me of the situation, and I would have handled
it', he was saying to his undoubtedly stunned apostles. 'Next time,
awaken me sooner until waiting until the last moment!', Jesus
probably said to them, and with a little exasperation at that. “In
fear and amazement they asked one another, 'Who is this? He commands
even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”
Who is this indeed! Jesus exercises his authority over the storm
because it had been delegated to him by his heavenly Father. That is
why Jesus rebuked the apostles the way he did! It was because they
did not yet recognize that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God!
Having finished pointing those things out, let's move on to part 2 of
our study, beginning at verse 26.
“They
sailed to the region of the Gerasines, which is across the lake from
Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed
man from the town. 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 seized him, and though he was
chained underfoot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and
had been driven into solitary places. Jesus asked him, 'What is your
name?' 'Legion', he replied, for many demons had gone into him. And
they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.”
(Luke 8, verses 26-21)
The
“region of Gerasines” mentioned in verse 26 is also spelled,
“Gadarenes” or “Gergesines” in other Biblical translations,
but they are all talking about the same place. So the apostles, who
were fishermen by trade and so were right at home in a sailing boat,
put the boat ashore and the first person who comes and greets them is
a demon-possessed man. This poor individual was clearly in pathetic
shape from a medical and psychiatric standpoint, and was often
tortured by the combination of demon possession and mental illness
that befell him. It was at best an uncomfortable situation for the
Twelve, so I can visualize them hanging back to watch and see what
Jesus would do about the man, but also to step in and protect him if
things got out of hand. Unbeknownst to them, that would not be
necessary because Jesus is the Son of God, and we just saw that the
apostles did not yet recognize this fact. Jesus was protected by the
Holy Spirit and he was covered by divine reinforcement!
“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.”
How did that man know who Jesus was? I have seen and heard a number
of different explanations of this, but it basically comes down to the
fact that it was the demon inside the man, rather than the man
himself, who ascertained Jesus' true identity. The man himself
undoubtedly was severely handicapped by limited comprehension, a
distorted sense of reality and a broken spirit. “Jesus
asked him, 'What is your name?' 'Legion', he replied, for many demons
had gone into him. And they begged him repeatedly not to order them
to go into the Abyss.” So what
is the “Abyss”? What was Luke talking about here? This translates
into modern English as hell. This is not the only place in the Bible
where hell is mentioned, but this is ample proof to quiet the
skeptics who question whether hell really exists or not. Jesus, who
is the Son of God, cannot tell a lie! So, if his apostle Luke
mentions hell by name, then there really is such a place. Those who
refuse to believe in hell – or heaven for that matter – do so at
their own risk. Having said that, let's now conclude our study,
beginning at verse 32.
“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 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 Jesus, they found the man from whom
demons had come 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, for 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 them 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, verses 32-39)
So
when the demons went into the pigs, the pigs did the equivalent of
committing suicide. But since the herd of pigs was the livelihood of
at least some of the town's people, they were really upset with
Jesus. Their livelihoods had been destroyed. What's our lesson here?
Jesus doesn't care about anybody's economies! It's not that he wants
us all to be poor, but he doesn't want us all to be rich, either.
It's the same as when churches over-emphasize tithing! Christianity
and following Christ are all about our service to others. The money
aspects of ministry, while too important to be ignored, are a
side-issue and besides the point when it comes to bringing genuine
ministry to the people. And what do I mean by genuine ministry? It
means to live one's faith as a lifestyle, not merely as a set of
beliefs and values. It also means to keep on serving even when the
money isn't there. In Christian ministry, the true servants of the
Lord press on even without resources.
“When
they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom demons had come 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, for they were overcome with
fear.” So here come the town's
people to see the man who had destroyed their herd of pigs. When they
see the formerly demon-possessed man seated at Jesus' feet, instead
of being inspired and joyful at the sight of his healing, they are
gripped with fear. Between the loss of their herd of pigs and the
healing of a man they likely used to laugh at and make fun of, it was
all too much for their limited minds to handle. They wanted their
herd of swine and the income it generated more than they loved the
Son of God's healing presence. They loved money and success more than
they loved Jesus. No wonder Jesus left them!
But
before he did, he gave some final instructions to the man he had just
healed. “The man from whom the demons had gone out begged
to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return home and
tell them how much God has done for you.' So the man went away and
told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.”
Notice here that the first thing the man who Jesus healed wanted to
do was become an apostle like the other 12 men who witnessed all
this. 'If you want to be an apostle', Jesus told him (I'm
paraphrasing here), 'go back and be a witness for me to the people of
that town'. I'm sure he did a very convincing job of it too. But
there's one last thing that bears mentioning here. Jesus and the
apostles left for the other side of the lake looking for people to
minister to. All they found was one crazed man, and he was healed.
None of the townspeople were healed. Not a single one, and they had
all been nearly drowned in a storm on the lake while crossing over to
the other side. All that for just one man, but Jesus apparently still
considered his journey a success. This tells me that God sees success
in entirely different terms than humankind does. With Jesus, success
is measured in quality, not quantity. So if we all start measuring
our success in those terms, it will by default make us more
Christ-like. So let's all begin to be more like Him by seeing things
in his terms instead of our own. Because, when we do that, “we have
the mind of Christ.”
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