Luke 8:36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured.
Again, I am baffled by so many things in this section. The people are afraid because Jesus cured the demon-possessed man?!? Why? They have no problem with the now-cured man, but they ask Jesus to leave?!? Again, why? What were they afraid of?
Luke 8:37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
Jesus “got into the boat and left” when asked to leave?!? I’ll tell you….That to me seems like Jesus was on a very specific mission–to rid the man of his demons. He came. He saw. He conquered. So when he was asked to leave by those afraid…of His power? Of His ability? Of His sovereignty?…He did. He came for one, healed for one, and departed when the frightened crowd asked.
Luke 8:38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,
Precious Savior, Sometimes it is so hard to believe that You will leave the 99 to find the one, that You value *every* life, *every* soul, that ALL are loved fiercely by You. Thank You for showing that again and again and again. Thank You that You give us free will to make our own choices. Forgive me when I choose poorly. Stay with me. Help me. Amen.
Luke 8:39 “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.
Have a blessed day.