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 you ever wanted to just tell part of the story in order to keep the embarrassing parts a secret? This is the conclusion of what could have been an embarrassing story. The man in question was possessed by demons and everyone knew he had serious problems. When Jesus enters the picture and casts out the demons, the local pig farmers get their whole herd of pigs destroyed. No BBQ this weekend! The whole town shows up and finds the man totally changed. The man wants to go with Jesus who has just given him back his life. He doesn’t want to stay with the crowd who have alienated him for years. I don’t blame him. When someone has pushed me aside, I don’t really want to continue to hang out with them either. But Jesus has a different plan. Jesus tells the man to stay and give a full accounting of what Jesus did, not just the summary statement. Jesus want him to go into the details of his life and share those details with everyone in that area so that God gets the glory. It is important to give the details to demonstrate the fullness of God’s work. When we share our testimony with someone in an effort to give glory to God, it is important to not just gloss over our sin. We must be willing to share some of those horrible details that demonstrate just how much we needed Jesus. Some call it confession. But we must be sure the emphasis is on what God has done, not what we did in our sin. We all have a hidden history. This man could have gone on to a new life and never mentioned again that he had been demon possessed. He could move to a different city and get a fresh start, but Jesus wants him to stay in touch with God’s miracle by sharing that history and what God did on his behalf.
The Arnold Journey 