Louise Gevers

“As Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a man from the town who had demons in him. For a long time this man had gone without clothes and would not stay at home, but spent his time in the burial caves. When he saw Jesus he gave a loud cry, threw himself at his feet and shouted, ‘Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? I beg you, don’t punish me!’ He said this because Jesus had ordered the evil spirit to go out of him.” Luke 8: 27-29

It wasn’t long after Jesus had calmed the storm on the lake, which had terrified his disciples, that He was met on the other side by a storm of a different nature. A man with an evil spirit met Him as He arrived, recognised Him as ‘Son of the Most High God’ and begged Him not to punish him by sending away the evil spirit that was in him. This man was clearly not in control of his senses - who would consider getting rid of an evil spirit as punishment?

Perhaps it was compassion that prompted Jesus to help this individual who had stopped wearing clothes, no longer lived in a house and roamed around the graveyard; or perhaps His motivation was to take divine authority because, significantly, he had identified who Jesus was. The man had also had to be bound hand and foot many times, but each time the evil spirit would throw him to the ground with such force that it broke the chains.

These outer signs were easily recognizable, but Jesus also discerned the spiritual battle raging within him that he could not win on his own. The man was actually being tormented by more than one evil spirit and once again Jesus authoritatively calms the storm raging in the man this time, liberating him and driving out the demons into a herd of pigs. 

The happy ending comes in this verse: “People went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind ...” (Luke 8:35) What a beautiful description; what relief that man must have felt, sitting in Jesus’ company and what significance that holds for us. A person in his right mind is reasonable, coherent and mentally healthy - able to live life to the full. He doesn’t necessarily have to be mentally deranged or physically naked to be unwell. Sometimes behind the smiling façade is a troubled spirit.

Jesus is on our side. He wants to remove anything in us that destroys our peace and prevents us from being in our right minds so that we can enjoy the abundant life He came to bring (John 10:10) He wants us to be clothed in His righteousness so that we reach salvation. Isaiah writes:  “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness …” Isaiah 61:10 (NIV) Are we clothed in His righteousness and delighting in him?

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, I bring You everything that troubles my mind for You to change in Your mercy. Thank You for bringing peace into every situation. Amen