November 11 He Told

Luke 8:38-39 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “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.
 
SOMETHING is different in this healing miracle. When Jesus healed, he would often command the restored person, “Don’t tell anyone.” (Luke 5:14) The point of that instruction was to prevent massive crowds coming to Jesus for healing. That would disrupt his preaching and teaching ministry. Jesus, the Son of the Most High God, did not want to spend too much time on temporary healings. This would imit his time to preach his eternal soul-healing gospel message.
   But the Lord speaks a different command to this healed man. “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” Jesus said. The reason for this changed instruction is about Jesus’ ministry plans. He has come from Galilee to this region. And in the next Scripture, we will see that Jesus returns to Galilee. When Jesus is gone, who better to tell of God’s saving work than the one healed by God’s Word?
   See now this three-fold view of Jesus healing the man is a microcosm of his gospel ministry. One, Jesus goes to the region of the Gerasenes to display his authority over evil. In a like manner, Jesus has come to earth to confront the evil in all of us. Two, Jesus speaks and removes evil from the man. In the same way with a word, Jesus heals the sins of those who obey his teaching. Three, Jesus leaves the man and commands him to go tell others. As Jesus returned to Heaven, he commanded all he had saved to tell others what God has done in our lives.
   Let’s keep in mind Jesus’ ministry purpose he proclaimed in Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
   In the region of the Gerasenes and then throughout all the world, Jesus’ mission has and is being fulfilled. Through the Holy Trinity, salvation has come to we who confess Christ is Lord over our sins. I pray we all know the wonder of our freedom under God’s favor. In love and worship then, we will gratefully do as the healed man who “went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.”
 
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for healing my soul unto eternityl. I love to tell what you have done for me. In your grace I pray, amen.