EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/29/2026
7:14 PM
My
Worship Time Focus: “The
Daming Power of Sin”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference:
Luke
8:36-39
Message of the verses: “36Those who had seen everything
reported to them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been made well. 37And all the people of the
territory of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Him to leave them,
because they were overwhelmed by great fear; and He got into a boat and
returned. 38But the man from
whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might [s]accompany Him; but Jesus
sent him away, saying, 39“Return
to your home and describe what great things God has done for you.” So he went
away, proclaiming throughout the city what great things Jesus had done for him.”
I will continue to do what I have been doing for the
last few months, and that is copy most of MacArthur’s commentary and add any
verse references that he has to help us better understand the passage.
“In stark contrast to the delivered
maniac, the response of the sane people tragically illustrates sin’s power over
the lost. It blinds them to the truth and
causes them to hate it and reject all evidence of it. They obstinately cling to their false
illusion of well-being because love of iniquity dominates them. Jesus had performed an undeniable miracle
that clearly manifested His absolute power over the supernatural realm and to
deliver people from the force of hell.
“The herdsmen, as noted above, who
had seen Jesus cast the demons out of him and into the pings, reported
to the people how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well (or
delivered). They heard the complete
story in all its details. Some argue
that sinners will be convinced if they see a powerful enough miracle, but here
is proof that that is not necessarily the case.
Before them was undeniable evidence of the saving power of the Lord
Jesus Christ. It is hard to envision
more dramatic, compelling proof than His casting thousands of demons out of the
two maniacs. But so powerful was sin’s
hold on them that instead of believing in Jesus, all the people of the
country of the Gerasenes and the surround district asked Him to leave them. Their
hearts were like the hard-packed roadside soil in the parable of the sowers
(cf. chap. 20 of this volume), which the seed of the gospel cannot penetrate.
“Luke reiterates that the reason the
people wanted Jesus to leave was that they were gripped with great
fear. Knowing that they were in the
presence of God, loving their sin (John 3:19) and blinded by Satan (2 Cor.
4:4), they wanted only to rid of the one whose presence intimidated and
terrified them.”
(John 3:19)
“19 And this is the judgment: the light has come
into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because
their works were evil.”
(2 Cor. 4:4)
“4 In their case the god of this world has
blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the
gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
“There was
not a word of thanks for delivering them from the danger the man had posed;
astonishingly, they saw Jesus as an even greater threat of their sinful
lifestyle. Thus they preferred a maniac
to the Son of God; to be terrified by Satan rather than offer reverence to God;
to endure the presence of demonic danger rather than the presence of divine
deliverance; the unholy to the holy; a tomb dweller to the Lord of life. David Gooding writes,
What a sad
comment on man’s fallen and unregenerate state it is, that man should feel more
at home with demons, than with the Christ who has power to cast out demons.
Yet it is
often so. Men who would try to help a
criminal or a drunkard, or, if they should prove incorrigible, would want the
one imprisoned and the other put into hospital, find it embarrassing and
somewhat frightening if the criminal is saved by Christ and turned into a sane,
wholesome, regenerate disciple. (According
to Luke [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987], 146)
In tragic
reflection of their missed opportunity, Jesus got into a boat and returned to
Capernaum. There is no record that He
ever returned to their region.
“But the story, mercifully, does not
end there. The man from whom the
demons had gone out was begging Jesus that he might accompany Him. His willingness to forsake all and follow Christ
shows that he had been delivered from his sin as well as from the demons. Jesus was his Lord, Savior, and deliverer,
and he naturally wanted to go with Him and learn from Him. But Jesus had a different plan and sent
him away, saying, ‘Return to your house and describe what great things God has
done for you.’ Since he knew enough
to be saved, he knew enough to be a missionary.
The priority for him was not further training, since he was the lone
witness to the gospel in that region.
Though they had rejected Him, Jesus had not totally rejected them. In obedience to the Lord’s command, the man went
away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done
for him. Jesus had commanded him to
tell others what God had done, and he told them what Jesus had done, since
Jesus is God. As a result of his testimony
to Jesus’ power, everyone who heard him was amazed (Mark 5:20).”+
(Mark 5:20)
“20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the
Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.”
“This remarkable story teaches
several important truths. First and
foremost, it reveals Christ’s absolute authority over the demonic realm. It also illustrates the truth that the good
news of the gospel is for Gentiles, as well as Jews (cf. Matt. 12:18, 21).”
(cf. Matt. 12:18, 21)
“18 "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.’
“21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope."
“The
passage also demonstrates that God graciously reaches out to those who reject
Him. Finally, the story of the maniac
who became a missionary illustrates that it is the responsibility of all
Christians to tell others of how Jesus delivered them from the power of sin
(Matt. 28:19-20).”
(Matt. 28:19-20)
“19 Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe
all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of
the age."
9/29/2026
7:59 PM
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