Fully Clothed and Perfectly Sane

Scripture: Luke 8:26-39

26 So they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. 27 As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in the tombs outside the town…29 Jesus…commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power. (Luke 8:26-27, 29 NLT)

After a short but memorable trip across the lake, Jesus and his disciples landed in the region of the Gerasenes, a small province left over from the era of the Greek Empire. The people here were not Jews or Samaritans but Gentiles who lived by a completely different set of religious rules and practices – hence they raised pigs.

As Jesus got out of the boat, a demon-possessed man came out to meet him. Jesus commanded the demon to come out of the man. Then ensued one of the strangest conversations and interactions in the Bible. The demons protested Jesus’ interference but recognized his power. The demons knew Jesus’ identity and his power and began to negotiate eviction terms. He allowed them to enter a herd of pigs, the pigs rushed down the hill into the lake, and drowned. (vs 28-33).

35 People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. (Luke 8:35 NLT)

The man had been under the control of evil. The evil was so strong that external restraints didn’t work to control him. To free him required a change on the inside by someone who had greater power than the evil within. When Jesus broke the power of the evil and evicted it, the man regained his sanity and was free.

We sometimes struggle with things on the inside of us that resist all our efforts at changing our behavior with rules and restraints. Let’s identify those things and ask Jesus to break their power in our lives. Whether dramatically or quietly, Jesus has the power to make us free.

Prayer:

Father, Thank you that Jesus’ power is stronger than all our un-Christ-like attitudes, habits, and behaviors. Give us the honesty and courage to yield to Jesus’ power and be completely cleansed and healed and perfectly sane! Amen!