“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
OK friends I KNOW 💥 you’ve heard this story before! It’s the story of Jesus casting out SIX THOUSAND demons from a man. YIKES! 😱
Yes, that’s a lot. In fact, I always found this episode in the Gospels interesting because the demons BEGGED Jesus not to cast them into the abyss. I say it’s interesting because in ancient Jewish demonology, the ABYSS is where God sent the fallen angels who fathered GIANTS with human women. According to ancient texts like Enoch, the abyss is where they will be kept until the final Judgment. I know, CRAZY right?!
Nonetheless, Jesus EXERCISED the hordes of darkness from a man who then naturally BEGGED to go with Jesus when he left the region. I’m sure you wouldn’t have wanted to stay there either, right?! 🤔
But what Jesus did next BLEW my mind … when he would NOT allow the man passage but INSTEAD told him to go back home and tell others EVERYTHING the Lord had done for him! 🤯
This, friends, is exactly what the man did, traveling all throughout the Decapolis (a region of ten cities). Do you see what happened?? This man was once MAD, but now he was a man on a MISSION. Jesus didn’t just exercise the demons; he also exercised the man’s inner EVANGELIST and you’ve got to do the same! Let out your inner witness and tell someone about the Gospel TODAY because of ALL that the lord has done for you 💪
Application:
Name one AMAZING thing God has done for you.
Have you ever told someone else the GOOD NEWS about Jesus?
Watch my latest short videos linked below for encouragement and share one of them with a friend!