Satan Desires Death but God Gives Life
The story of the wild man of Gerasenes holds so many valuable lessons and insights. It is more than simply a story of a man whose life was miserably ruined until he met his Savior. Though, if that were the only bit of information a person gleamed from these passages, it would be enough. Let us start at the beginning and look at three of the lessons contained in today’s reading.
From the beginning of today’s passage, we see that Jesus and his disciples purposefully sailed to the country of the Gerasenes. Why is this important? This was a Gentile region. While the gospel was to be preached to the Jews first (Romans 1:16), Jesus did not shy away from inviting and seeking out the Gentile. Everything about Jesus’ ministry would have irritated and offended the mainstream religious people of his day. He invited women to follow him, broke away from the rigid rules by challenging the established traditions, and purposefully traveled into Gentile land to seek out the lost. None of these things would have been done by any of his contemporaries. The example he set challenges us to follow truth rather than tradition. It demands a universally loving heart from his followers. However, we must not confuse his love for the lost with an acceptance of sin. Remember that Jesus warned of hell more than he spoke of heaven. He called out the unrepentant sins of the Pharisees with boldness and a truth that cared not for political correctness. Jesus stood out from the crowd because his focus was not on gaining popularity or power but on speaking the truth which sets prisoners free. It is this example which we must all follow today.
The next important truth we find in today’s reading is paramount to how we view the spiritual war raging around us. Verses 27-36 show us the difference between the goals of hell and the gifts of heaven. First, let us look at the result of hell’s control. Verse 27 tells us, “When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs.” The man’s physical protection was gone. There was nothing to shield his skin from the bite of thorns or rocks, nor did he have any protection against the raging of the sun or the chill of night. Hell wants to leave you vulnerable and weak. Let us compare that to a beautiful description of God’s care for His bride – you and I. Ezekiel 16:8-13 says, “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine. Then I bathed you with water and washed off your blood from you and anointed you with oil. I clothed you also with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather. I wrapped you in fine linen and covered you with silk. And I adorned you with ornaments and put bracelets on your wrists and a chain on your neck. And I put a ring on your nose and earrings in your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. Thus you were adorned with gold and silver, and your clothing was of fine linen and silk and embroidered cloth. You ate fine flour and honey and oil. You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty.” Satan desires death and destruction (remember, the man lived among the dead and rotting). God brings life and restoration.
While there are more than three great lessons contained in today’s reading, I want to skip to the last one, verses 37-39. These verses speak to us of the Lord’s desire for us to tell of His mercy. In this section we read, “The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’” It is not enough that we are saved. Yes, that is glorious and wonderful, but if we keep quiet about it, we are not fulfilling Jesus’ commands. I understand why the man wanted to stay at the feet of his Savior. There is no better place to be. However, we have an important role to play in this life. There are others who are bound in the same chains we were set free from. Heaven and Hell clash in a war for man’s soul. Christianity is not a spectator sport. We are called to join the fight. We are asked to set the prisoners free through the word of our testimony and the blood of the Lamb. May you and I follow in the footsteps of the once wild man of Gerasenes, “And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.” (verse 39)
(Written by Keegan Harkins.)
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