Luke 8:26-39
"When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again," Luke 8:34-37.
I know it has taken us weeks to get to this point, but in our passage of Scripture, a lot has happened in a short time. People's lives have been transformed and turned upside down. Emotions have been running high. Adrenaline has been flowing. When adrenaline is flowing, the body's fight or flight response kicks in, while others freeze in shock. We saw this with the disciples as they were in a hurricane while crossing the sea of Galilee, and we see it with the people of Gadara after Christ saved the mad man of Gadara and cast the devils out of him. The devils went into the swine which ran violently over the cliff into the sea of Galilee. This was a shock and awe event. Their lives had been interrupted by Jesus Christ.
"When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country," Luke 8:34. They ran away in fear. What they saw and what they heard impacted them. The younger people in our area do not know about raising hogs. They do not know how stubborn they are. You make them do what they do not want to do and they start squealing. One hog squealing can send chills down your spine; can you imagine the sound thousands of hogs would make? So, the hog herders fled. They fled and told everyone in the area what had happened. Having just lost a herd of hogs would affect the people of that area financially, and also food wise. But this is not what caused them to fear the most. Look at verse 35.
"Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid," Luke 8:35. "They were afraid" is the Greek word "phobeo" and means to become fearful, afraid, terrified. We see the same Greek word in verse 25 when the disciples were afraid. Remember how the disciples responded, "What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him." This multitude from the country of the Gadarenes have come to see what was done and they too are fearful. As they looked at the man who was possessed by the devils sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind, they had to have repeated what the disciples said, what manner of man is this! that even the devils obey Him. The hogs were dead, the mad man healed, and these were truly amazing events, but the focus was on the One Who was the source of all this.
"They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed," Luke 8:36. They pointed to Christ. Christ is the One who healed this man, it is Christ's fault that this man is not what he used to be. It is Christ that has made him a new creation. It is Christ that has interrupted this man's life, and ours. Change brings conflict, and adrenaline (Acts 16:16-24).
"Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again," Luke 8:37. The whole multitude were one in heart, one voice, and with one desire. They begged Jesus to leave because they were exceedingly fearful of Him. "Fear" in this verse is the Greek word "phobos" and means to flee in fear; that which inspired fear; thing or person. Fear can drive us to do things that are not rational. What these people needed most was forgiveness of their sins, the only One Who could do this for them was there, and they beg Him to leave instead of begging Him to stay. Why? They were fearful of Jesus, and what He was able to do. They were fearful of Jesus because they did not know Him. They did what was natural for them to do. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil," John 3:19. The men of Gadara wanted the Light of the world to leave because their deeds were evil. If Christ can change the mad man of Gadara, He can surely change them. They loved their sin; therefore, they hated the Saviour, and their lives showed it. They loved the things of this world (I John 2:15-17). The devils did not want to be tormented before the time. They know there are consequences for their rebellion against God, and these people of Gadara internally understand that there are consequences for their actions. This produces fear. Fear of the day of reckoning. Fearful to stand before God on judgment day. Fearful of Christ's return, and fearful at the thought of being dead. When you think of Christ you are fearful. Turn to I John 4:7-19. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love," I John 4:18. Perfect love is a love that lacks nothing. "Love" in this verse is the Greek word "agape" and is used in an absolute sense and is that love of which God or Christ is the object in the hearts of Christians. Christ is all in all. The Christian has trusted Christ for salvation, and he knows he is saved according to the Scriptures. He is trusting Christ alone; therefore, he does not fear meeting Christ, nor does He fear judgment day because he knows all of his sins were paid for by Christ. This person does not want Christ to leave, but instead, he wants Christ to return, and he looks forward to being with Christ for eternity. We see a sharp contrast with the people of Gadara and the man whom the Lord saved (verses 38-39). No doubt that he was longing for Christ's return.
The bible tells us how to get rid of the fear. Perfect love casteth it out. This is why we must grow in our knowledge and understanding of Who our Lord and Saviour is, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He is going to do.
We learn this by studying the Scriptures. Read the Gospels. Are you fearful of meeting Jesus? "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," Matthew 11:28 (Matthew 11:25-30). You may say you are the worse sinner and Christ would not want you; don't believe that lie. Christ came to seek and to save people just like you. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out," John 6:37.
Trust Jesus Christ alone to save you and receive forgiveness of all your sins, and He will cast out that fear. Oh what a Saviour!
Please send questions and comments to
richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com.
Soli Deo Gloria.
