With Jesus there is Nothing to Fear

Luke 8:1-39

So what are you fearful of?  It’s been said that fear is one of our most common emotions. Some say our most widespread fears are of snakes and public speaking. Fear of the unknown can sometimes be even more unnerving.  That’s why so many are afraid of the dark.  You go down the basement steps ever so cautiously when it’s dark and you have yet to turn on a light.  It’s silly when you think about it.  It’s just the basement.  You go down there all the time, but something changes in our mind when the lights have yet to be turned on. More seriously, many of us are at least semi-crippled by our phobias, anxieties and a whole list of other fears—of ourselves, commitment, rejection, failure, death, the future, and the list goes on.  It was Franklin D. Roosevelt who in his 1933 Inaugural speech said “we have nothing to fear but fear itself.”  I don’t know how biblical he knew those words to be, but today’s text is much about the same.  When we put our faith and trust in Jesus we don’t have to fear. 

Our reading today ends with two separate terrifying situations; the storm on the sea and the demon possessed man.  I would like to focus on the latter.  It almost seems like it’s straight out of a Hollywood movie.  You have this possessed man with super human demonic strength.  – He must have been legendary!  - Can you imagine the moms in the area telling the children to stay away from the tombs where the evil strong man has broken chains and retreated to?  And then if it’s anything like the movies you know the kids are going to go there anyway, and you’re yelling at the screen “don’t go in there you idiots!”  But this is real.  This demon possessed man called himself Legion which is a military term, representing about 6000 soldiers.  So did this man have 6000 demons in him?  I suppose that’s possible.  We don’t really know.  Let’s just say he had a lot.  Enough to have them all sent into a large herd of pigs.  However many there were, in the end they were no match for Jesus.  So the news spreads and people come to check it out and here’s the formerly possessed man sitting at Jesus feet, clothed, and in his right mind.  People had to be blown away.  Mark Driscoll has put it this way.  "Can’t you just see them saying 'Remember that wild naked guy with the ZZ top beard running around the tombs?  That’s him I tell ya it’s him!'  Now he’s like a Bible college student or something, sitting there at Jesus’ feet.  He probably had a pen and a note pad, listening to every word Jesus says wanting to be His disciple." 

It’s safe to say this was a pretty dramatic instance, but this is the kind of thing Jesus does.  He changes lives.  If you profess Jesus as your Lord and Savior than you have a story about how He changed your life.  Visibly speaking that change can look more dramatic in some than in others, depending on our past lives, but He has changed us all.  Let me get back to this whole issue of fear again for a moment.  You know what’s sad?  When the people saw the formerly possessed man sitting there at Jesus feet, it’s almost like they were more afraid of Jesus than they had been of the possessed man.  It says in verse 37 “they asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear.”  Why is that?  It’s like they just weren’t ready to deal with this Jesus guy yet.  Maybe it’s because they weren’t ready to deal with their sin yet.  Maybe they were saying “it’s all well and good that Jesus cast out those demons, but that man is changed.  I don’t know if I’m ready for that kind of change yet.”  People can get pretty comfortable with their sin and rebellion, to the point where Jesus is changing lives all around them, and they’re still saying, “you know that’s good for you, but I’ll do my own thing still.”  They may not be literally possessed, but Satan’s sure got a hold of em.  I believe these people feared the inevitable change that would come with Jesus in their midst.  And so Jesus respects their wishes and he leaves.  How sad is that?  But they weren’t ready for him and so he honors their request and leaves.  The obvious application is that if you don’t currently have a relationship with Jesus, don’t make the mistake of thinking you will have unlimited opportunities to give your life to him.  Not necessarily.  Looks like these guys only had one.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you that with You I have nothing to fear.  Help me not to be fearful of changes you may have in store for me, but like the formerly possessed man help me to be excited about following you and sharing Your life changing story with all.  Amen.