Amy C Walters

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon | Luke 8:26-39

In Luke 8:26-39, Jesus encounters a man who is a danger to himself and a danger to others. The people of the town had tried, unsuccessfully, to contain him. But Jesus sets the man free, transforming him inside and out.

Did you notice that in this story, this miracle of Jesus casting the demon out of this one man is the only thing that Jesus does in this town. The only thing. So that means he got himself and his disciples into a boat, crossed the lake (about seven miles across at the widest part), went through a horrible storm, landed near the tombs, met this wild man, cast the demons out of him, and when the people kicked Jesus out, he left. 

Jesus does all of that just to help one man. He must have a very different sense of efficiency than we do.

And the transformation that Jesus brings to that man’s life is incredible. We all love a good before and after story, don’t we? And this one is unmatched and Jesus transforms this man both on the outside and the inside. 

The man hasn’t worn clothes in a long time. He hasn’t lived in a house for a long time. Instead, he lives in the tombs among the corpses. When he is seized by these demons, he has the strength to break through chains. He’s dangerous. Even the guards who are there cannot control him. 

You can read more of this story in Mark 5:1-20. In it, Mark includes a few more details, such as the man cutting himself with rocks and howling like a wild animal. So this man is a danger to himself and a danger to others. 

What would it be like to be in his shoes? How would you feel? It would be very isolating, living alone among the tombs. 

I imagine there’s a great deal of shame that goes with that as well. There’s probably a great deal of fear and helplessness; when you are not in control of yourself, when you don’t know what you have done, what you could do, what you are capable of doing. 

I imagine that people who have experienced addiction might be able to relate to this man. They know the power of that addiction and the struggle against it, and the shame that comes when they give in to it. 

But then Jesus comes along, and those demons are no match for his power! Jesus casts them out, and this man is transformed. 

When the townspeople find out from the pig herders what has happened, they come out to Jesus, and see the man sitting at Jesus’ feet. This is the position of a learner, to sit listening, taking in what the teacher is saying. It’s a position of submission to that teacher. 

The man is also with other people. He’s not endangering himself. He’s not harming others. He’s able to interact with those around him.

He’s clothed–thank goodness–and in his right mind. Now, we don’t know exactly how people know that he’s in his right mind, but it was clear to everyone who came there that a radical transformation had taken place. 

This man is also transformed on the inside–it’s not just how he behaves and how he appears that has changed. Even his desires have changed.

One of the repeated words in this story is “beg.” And most of the time that it’s said, it’s coming from the demons. They are begging for escape from Jesus. They’re begging not to be tortured. They’re begging not to be sent into the abyss. They’re begging to go into the pigs.

But the last time “beg” is used is at the end of the story when the people from the town have asked Jesus to leave. As he’s getting into the boat, the man from whom the demons came out begs Jesus to let him go with him. The man wants to be near Jesus. His desires have changed from fleeing and escaping Jesus now to being drawn to him and wanting to stay with him. 

And why not? Jesus has given him freedom. When all anyone else could try to do was just contain him–and even that was unsuccessful–Jesus sets him free. Of course he would want to stay with someone who has that kind of power and compassion for him.

We’re going to address Jesus’ response to the man in the next post. But for now, our key truth for today is Jesus transforms us inside and out. We see both transformations, not just in the man’s appearance and behavior, but also in his desires. And it is clear to everyone around that this incredible transformation has happened. 

Notice too that the transformation happens right away. It doesn’t matter that this man has been enslaved to these demons for a long time. Just a little bit of time with Jesus is enough, and he is transformed. 

Jesus wants to set you free too. He wants to release you from the things that are weighing you down, the things that are controlling your life.

Jesus is capable of transforming you, and he is willing to go out of his way to come to you and help you. 

Think too about the people that you know that are maybe difficult to be around. Maybe they make you uncomfortable. Maybe you’re not sure what they’re going to do. Maybe they’re the kind of people that you would normally avoid.

This story tells us that Jesus is able to transform even the most difficult cases. He is able to break through all of that and transform them inside and out. So we should not shy away from them. We should bring the good news of Jesus’ power to them.