Who then is this?

Luke 8:22-39 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. ²³ But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. ²⁴ They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. ²⁵ And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

²⁶ Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. ²⁸ Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” ²⁹ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. ³⁰ And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. ³¹ They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

³² Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. ³³ And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

³⁴ When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. ³⁵ The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. ³⁶ Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. ³⁷ And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. ³⁸ But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Today’s text begins saying:  Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”   Even after all the miracles they had seen and witnessed Jesus do, the disciples were fearful and amazed. They still questioned, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”   Like the disciples, we cannot expect that we can fully know or comprehend who Jesus is with our finite minds. We understand time. He is eternal. We understand what is finite. He is infinite. We understand what is natural. He is supernatural. One of my favorite lyrics from a song is when we’ve been there 10,000 years bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less day to sing His praise than when we’d first begun.  In eternity we will forever be gaining new understanding of who He is. We will never tire of praising Him because His magnificence, His splendor, His majesty and His power will be continually revealed to us.

Today’s text continues:  Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.  Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.  When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.  

Unlike the disciples, the unclean spirits knew exactly who Jesus was, saying:  “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” The demons knew His power and authority; that they would have to obey Him.  James 2:19 says:  You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.  Then we see the people of the region. They didn’t fully understand who Jesus was, but unlike the disciples, they responded by asking Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear.  For them though, it was not fear of who Jesus was or what He was capable of doing, they feared the change He would bring to their lives. It is impossible to abide with Christ and remain unchanged. The one who has encountered Christ and continues as they were, is like the people of Gerasenes, they have asked Jesus to leave them. He will not force Himself on anyone.  

Finally, we also see the man who was delivered. Having experienced the miraculous power of Jesus, he begged to accompany Him. Jesus instead charged him with a commission. He said:  “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you,” and So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.  We are to be like the disciples. We may not fully understand who Jesus is or all that He is capable of, but we are to remain with Him. Like the one who was delivered, we too know the power of His deliverance. We too, like him, have been given a charge and commission. We are to describe to others the great things God has done for us.   In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus says:  “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”   If we truly desire to accompany Jesus, then we need to do what he has charged us to do. If we will make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that He commanded us; then He will be with us always, even to the end of the age.”

Then, When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun.  Amen.