Luke 8:39 “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.
Our reactions to miracles tells us a lot about ourselves. For some, this is a mute question, since in their hearts and mind, miracles simply don’t happen. Everything must happen and be confirmed in the test tube of science.
But science can’t test its own theory concerning the existence of the universe. There is no way to either go back and observe the creation, or create in the present moment the events of the start of the universe. These observations and tests simply are not possible.
So the foundation of the science which rejects the presence of miracles, especially the founding miracle of creation, simply can’t be proven. Their hypothesis can’t be tested, so the scientific method can’t be applied. So the whole house falls.
For those who reject miracles, reject everything that doesn’t fit in their nice neat little boxes. They have taken the place of God, thinking they possess ultimate knowledge and understanding. They reject earlier wisdom and experience as that of a backward, less educated time. Of course those people back then thought it was a miracle, but we know better. We can explain it away, and thus not have to deal with the implications of the miracle.
The man in our text was possessed by many demons. There I go again, talking about something, demons, that can’t be put in a test-tube. The demons had tormented this man, subjecting him to a life in opposition to the very One who had created Him for a purpose.
This man, and those who live apart from the loving care of the LORD, was living a life based on a lie. The demon’s only weapon was power and death. This man was driven to live among the tombs. Not the best place for a homeless encampment!
But then Jesus comes and delivers him from the chains of death, both figuratively and actually. And Jesus’ instruction to him as this man wants to continue to be in Jesus’ presence are enlightening.
Jesus tells the man to return to his home. There is a place for him, not the tombs. This man no longer exhibits the life of death that came to characterize him. He now has life. So returning home is the perfect thing for him to do.
Of course this would shake things up as he walked back into the neighborhood. “Isn’t that the naked guy who lives in the graveyard,” the kids would say. And then the adults would echo their assessment as they shuffled the kids to safety.
But this man makes a connection that they don’t. Jesus tells him to say how much God has done, and this man tells how much Jesus has done! For this man, Jesus is acting on God’s behalf. It was God’s power that had made the difference. Nothing short of a miracle, I would say.
The simplest and usually the most effect testimony we can give is to talk about what Jesus has done in our lives. But this requires that we are close enough to Jesus that He has touched us, changing the trajectory of our life. This man went from graveyard to home. Now that is a change in trajectory.
What has changed in the trajectory of your life since you began walking with Jesus. If nothing has changed, perhaps you aren’t walking with the person you think you are walking. Jesus always changes people’s trajectory.
The Arnold Journey 