SERMON: LUNATICS FOR JESUS!
Scripture: Luke 8:26-39
They sailed on to the country of the Gerasenes, directly opposite Galilee. As Jesus stepped out onto land, a madman from town met Him; he was a victim of demons. He hadn’t worn clothes for a long time, nor lived at home; he lived in the cemetery. When he saw Jesus he screamed, fell before Him, and bellowed, “What business do you have messing with me? You’re Jesus, Son of the High God, but don’t give me a hard time!” (The man said this because Jesus had started to order the unclean spirit out of him.) Time after time the demon threw the man into convulsions. He had been placed under constant guard and tied with chains and shackles, but crazed and driven wild by the demon, he would shatter the bonds.
Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
"Mob. My name is Mob,” he said, because many demons afflicted him. And they begged Jesus desperately not to order them to the bottomless pit.
A large herd of pigs was browsing and rooting on a nearby hill. The demons begged Jesus to order them into the pigs. He gave the order. It was even worse for the pigs than for the man. Crazed, they stampeded over a cliff into the lake and drowned.
Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had been sent, sitting there at Jesus’ feet, wearing decent clothes and making sense. It was a holy moment, and for a short time they were more reverent than curious. Then those who had seen it happen told how the demoniac had been saved.
Later, a great many people from the Gerasene countryside got together and asked Jesus to leave—too much change, too fast, and they were scared. So Jesus got back in the boat and set off. The man whom He had delivered from the demons asked to go with Him, but Jesus sent him back, saying, “Go home and tell everything God did in you.” So he went back and preached all over town everything Jesus had done in him.
The crux of this story, to me, is found in the last two sentences of the narrative. Jesus said to the man whom He had healed, “Go home and tell everything God did in you.” So he went back and preached all over town everything Jesus had done in him.
You have to love the ending to this story. The lunatic, made well, just goes and does what Jesus tells him to do! Simple enough. Just do what you are told! That's the military way, you know. Just do what you are told, and you will get along fine, with everyone.
Sarah MacLaughlin wrote, "Do you want to be told what to do? I haven't found a single person who likes it. Whether you're 4 or 40, it's generally not a favorite."
I think her line, 'it's generally not a favorite,' is perhaps one of the most understated viewpoints one would ever want to read! I think, rather than 'it's generally not' should be screaming in 40 point type ... I DO NOT LIKE IT!
But the man in our text didn't take that attitude. He just simply did what he was told to do.
Let's begin by looking at what Jesus did in him, or for him, or with him, or however one wants to express it.
1. The first thing Jesus did for the man, was simply to talk to him. I can imagine the conversation may have went something like this:
Jesus got off the boat, and met the fellow there near the water. Jesus looked at him, recognized him as one of God's children who had a terrible affliction, and simply said, "Hi, there, Bill." No, Bill was not likely his name .... more than likely it was Legion, or so he said a bit later."
"Hi, Bill! How's it going today?"
Bill looks at Jesus in stunned silence. I can imagine Bill thinking, "Huh? You talking to me? No one EVER talks to me!"
Jesus said, "Yes, Bill, I'm talking to you! I was just passing by and saw you, and thought maybe we could have us a bit of a chin wag."
Oh? You don't think Jesus would have used the expression 'chin wag?' Sure He would have. He would have said ANYTHING to get Bill to talking, you see.
Do you get the picture, here? Jesus is having a NORMAL conversation with a guy who is stark naked in broad daylight. Could YOU do that? WOULD you do that?
Jesus was smart enough to know that all God's children are naked, under their clothing!
And ole Bill just perked right up! The head demon in him started screaming at Jesus ... and Jesus just more or less told the demon to SHUT UP. Well, in polite words, of course, but that was the gist of it.
A bit of a curious side note to this story .... the demon asked Jesus to ORDER them into the herd of pigs. Jesus answered their prayer! (that's praying, in my book. Whenever we talk to God, we are praying, right?) Jesus gave them what they asked for.
So.... the second thing that Jesus did for him, or in him, or on his behalf was to explain the new life into which the man was entering! How do I know this? Well..... read the narrative! After the demons were gone, and after the pigs were gone, when folks came to see what was happening.... well, let's read that part of the story, again:
"They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had been sent, sitting there at Jesus’ feet, wearing decent clothes and making sense. It was a holy moment, and for a short time they were more reverent than curious."
After the man was rid of the demons, he and Jesus had some more conversation. What do YOU think they were discussing?! It wasn't the weather, you can be sure of that. Jesus was simply explaining the man's new life to him. Jesus was giving him hope for the future, assurance of sins forgiven, and the promise of direction in his life. Jesus did things like that!
3. The third thing that Jesus gave the man was respect. If we, as humans, want anything in life, it is for those around us to respect us...to treat us normally, and to let us know that they value us as persons, they value our opinions, they value our input into their lives. Respect.
4. The fourth thing that Jesus did for the man was to give him a RIGHT MIND! Oh, what a blessing this must have been for the lunatic! To be living the way he was living for a long time...and suddenly, to be making sense in your discussions and such.... what a grand blessing it was!!
5. And the fifth and last thing I want to talk about that Jesus gave him, was a job! Imagine that! The lunatic was healed, and within a matter of an hour or so, Jesus had already given him a job! Jesus told him ...“'Go home and tell everything God did in you.” So he went back and preached all over town everything Jesus had done in him.'"
Now ... let's modernize this lovely miracle! Let's bring it into the 21st century! Let's bring it to June 23, 2019, in Bluefield, Virginia!
And, let's ask ourselves some questions! Ready? OK, here goes!
1. What has Jesus done for you? I'm tempted to give you 5 minutes of silence, to think about it... and maybe I should pass out paper and pencil so you could write it out .... but, alas, that wouldn't likely work too well. It might be too much like taking a test, or something!
My second thought was to just ask you to talk back to me, and tell me things Jesus has done for you ... but that might be embarrassing for you, especially if you don't particularly care for speaking to the whole Church about personal things.
And my third thought ... probably the most rational of the three ... is to simply list a few of the things that I can see that Jesus has done for you!
a. Here would be a pretty good place to just stop and sing, VICTORY IN JESUS! Think of some of those words! A Savior came from glory to save a wretch like me! And somehow Jesus came and brought to me the VICTORY! I heard about a mansion, He has built for me, in Glory! And the last FABULOUS line of that old lovely song .... HE LOVED ME ERE I KNEW HIM ... HE PLUNGED ME TO VICTORY BENEATH THE CLEANSING FLOOD!
That, in itself, is a tremendous thing that has been done for us, my friends!
b. Now ... let's turn to John 14:27 ... we find some incredibly powerful words of our Lord. He said: "I’m leaving you well and whole. That’s My parting gift to you. Peace. I don’t leave you the way you’re used to being left—feeling abandoned, bereft. So don’t be upset. Don’t be distraught."
What is PEACE worth to you? Well, obviously I cannot answer for you, but for me, it's a gift beyond my ability to tell it like it is.
c. He gives us love so far beyond our imagination that we can't come close to describing it. And, of course, that brings to my mind the verse of another song ....we sung it just last week: The third verse of THE LOVE OF GOD goes like this:
Could we with ink, the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made ...
were every stalk on earth a quill ..... and every man a scribe by trade .....
to write the love of God above ... would drain the ocean dry ....
nor could the scroll contain the whole, ...... though stretched from sky to sky.
d. Another gift that Jesus has given us is His prayers for us ..we find more than one reference to that, in the Bible. The first one I will mention is found in John 17: Jesus is praying, and says, "Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life that You conferred as a gift through Me, so they can be one heart and mind as You and I are one heart and mind."
A few verses later His prayer reads like this: "I’m praying not only for them but also for those who will believe in Me because of my disciples and their witness about me."
Check out Hebrews 7:25 ....The priesthood of Jesus is permanent ... He’s there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through Him, always on the job to speak up for them."
Or .... how about from that fabulous 8th chapter of Romans, v 34 and following: "The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture..."
If we were in a Pentecostal Church, there would be shouting all over the Church about now!
The penultimate thing (that means next to last!) ... the next to last thing that I will mention is that Jesus gave us is the gift of HOLY SPIRIT!
Reading from Romans 5, now : ".....we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!"
Okay ... if the previous one was next to last, then this one must, of necessity, be LAST!
The thing that Jesus has given us is the very same thing that He gave the cured lunatic in Gerasa that we read about earlier in Luke 8. Do you remember what the last gift that Jesus gave that man?
THE GIFT OF A JOB TO DO! He was to go back home and tell everyone what God had done for him! Now .... we, too, have been given a similar job, my friends. You are I are NOT missionaries to the Sudan, or the Congo, or the Islands of the South Pacific! God has called US to go all the way to the Bluefields ... right here, right around us, right where God has placed us! Our work is here. We don't have to fear being called to far off places. We aren't even called to go to Monroe County or Russell County or Bland County! Our mission field is Tazewell County and Mercer County.
Our job is to tell folks what Jesus has done for us and in us and so often, despite us! Our final hymn is supposed to be our answer to our call ....Amen!
**** personal note**** If I have wrongfully appropriated anyone else's material, please bring it to my attention, and I will rectify it!
