Luke 8:37-39 (ESV)
[37] Then all the people of the
surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they
were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. [38] The man
from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent
him away, saying, [39] “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done
for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much
Jesus had done for him.
The theme of hearing and doing is
continued in these last two paragraphs of Luke 8. A legion of demons who had
driven a man mad heard Jesus, feared him, and did what he commanded. The man delivered
from the demons heard Jesus tell him to “return to your home, and declare how
much God has done for you.” That is exactly what he did. But the people of the
region, while fearing him, failed to hear him. Rather they begged him to leave.
In this case Jesus heard them and complied with their desires. God did not
force them to listen, but the consequence of not listening was that Jesus left.
We have two choices. Listen and obey
or live without God. I’m not talking here about how to be saved. The demons
heard and obeyed, but they certainly weren’t saved. For unbelievers, they need
to hear the gospel and obey by believing. For believers, we need to hear the
word of God and obey as well. That is what Jesus called building on a rock. For
some of us, we hear but we fail to obey.
For many, however, the problem
lies not with obeying, but with hearing. We already know what we want to hear
from God. Therefore, we cannot hear what he is actually saying. I wonder how
often we attempt to live out the Christian life, carry on ministry, and attempt
to reach the world with the gospel without listening to the Word and the Spirit.
When we do that, Jesus is not in it. Today, may we be like the man delivered
from a legion of demons. May we hear and obey.
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