O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need: We humbly beseech thee to behold, visit, and relieve thy sick servants for whom our prayers are desired. Look upon them with the eyes of thy mercy; ((Gaby P, Vicky O, Nancy R, Tere G, Liz N, Stevie A, Socrates D, Sara's mom H, Margarita G, Fega G, Rosy Ch, Patricia L. Lina J. Manuel D.C) comfort them with a sense of thy goodness; preserve them from the temptations of the enemy; and give them patience under his affliction. In thy good time, restore them to health, and enable them to lead the residue of their life in thy fear, and to thy glory; and grant that finally they may dwell with thee in life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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God the Father, we thank you for your answer to our prayers with
The good news, with the recovery of health for some
Strengthen them so that they may regain their faith in you
And that they may be witnesses that you love them and
that you respond when we trust and believe in you
Thank you Father God in the name
of Jesus our Lord of Lords and King of Kings
Praise be to your name
always and forever, AMEN.
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INTRODUCTION
How do you handle a crisis? I heard a story recently of a woman from the deep south of the United States who is a strong advocate of the 2nd amendment. She carries with her a handgun known as a Beretta Jet Fire. Listen to her story: “One day while walking along the edge of a bayou just below Houma, Louisiana with my soon to be ex husband, arguing over property settlement & other divorce issues, we were suddenly surprised by a huge 12 foot alligator emerging from the murky water & charging at us with its large jaws wide open. She must have been protecting her nest because she became extremely aggressive. If I had not had my Beretta Jet Fire 25 caliber pistol with me, I would not be here today! Just one shot to my husband’s kneecap was all it took. The gator got him easily & I was able to escape by just walking away at a brisk pace. It’s one of the best pistols in my collection! Plus, the amount I saved in lawyer’s fees was more than worth the purchase price of the gun.”
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How do you respond when faced with a crisis?
As we come to the events of Luke 8 we discover the important role that fear plays from 8:22 onward. We’re going to consider 2 scenes that breathe fear into those involved. Come with me now to Luke 8:22.
(Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20)
It was early evening & we read that the disciples are in a boat, making their way from west to east across the Sea of Galilee. A sudden squall appears & we discover the impact this sudden storm has upon the disciple. Even though at least 4 experienced sailors were onboard, gale force winds swept down on the lake, causing the men to go into panic mode thinking they were about to forfeit their lives. They tried to deal with it on their own, but fear got the better of them.
Finally, the disciples were at their wit’s end. They wake up Jesus & yell at Him, “Teacher don’t you care if we drown!” Observe Christ’s response. He calms the waters, then looks at His disciples & says, “Why are you so afraid, do you have no faith?” The disciples are flabbergasted that Jesus even has power over nature. They must’ve talked privately about that moment for a long time afterward. The waters calm & in less than an hour they are on the eastern shoreline, relieved to be back on land. The terrain at this part of the shoreline goes up rather steeply. Many caves are located in the limestone rock & many of these caves were used as tombs in which the dead were laid to rest. The are in Gentile territory now. Jews do not inhabit this part of the Galilean region.
At the best of times it was an eerie place, but as the sun dipped into the west it must’ve been the ideal location for the back drop of a sinister movie. Observe what occurs in 8:27[MF3] . Just as Jesus gets out of the boat He is met by a deranged man who comes running from out of nowhere, stark naked, yelling at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” I beg you, don’t torture me!” Can you imagine this happening to you, some guy, stark naked with hair like Charles Manson’s on a good day, yelling at you. What a crazy scene.
Mark’s gospel tells us his body is cut & scarred from self inflicted wounds. No doubt dried blood covers his body. I’m sure the disciples must have just been freaked. Weary & emotionally exhausted from their harrowing voyage on the lake & now this scene before them…I’m sure they must’ve felt like saying, “Jesus, get us out of here!”
Fear…we’re all subject to it. Had we been in these two situations the disciples faced I’m sure we would have reacted no differently. I don’t know that there’s an individual in this room today who hasn’t dealt with fear at some point in their lifetime. Fear comes in many forms. Fear of the future. “What if I don’t find someone to marry”? “Now that that I’m widowed who will take care of me when I’m old”? Some fear past mistakes. “If only I’d done this. If only I hadn’t done that life would have been so much better”. “If only I hadn’t married him”? “If only my father wasn’t such a loser”. Perhaps your fear is monetary. Every month is a strain wondering if there’ll be enough to pay the bills. Some fear rejection, a friendship that’s gone awry or a relative that’s giving you the cold shoulder at present. From 2020 to 2022 COVID 19 held the world hostage & left many people fearful about a lot of things that persist even today.
The recent wildfires in greater Los Angeles reveal just how quickly life can be turned upside down. For the past several years we have been inundated with the threat of climate change. Every natural disaster that comes along now is associated with climate change. It creates an uneasy fear as we contemplate what the future may look like, especially for our children & grandchildren. Numerous cyber attacks recently have held large corporations hostage, until a ransom was paid. One becomes anxious as they think about how all of our individual banking information is transacted online these days. Recently, I was scammed, simply by responding to a text that looked like it was coming from my bank.
As we grow older there is the tendency to fear change. I hear senior lament the change in their neighbourhood or the change at church in terms of worship.
Chuck Swindoll, a favourite preacher & writer of mine back in the 1980’s once wrote a book entitled, “Strengthening Your Grip.” He had this to say about ageing. “You know you’re growing older when most of your dreams are reruns, the airline steward offers you coffee, tea or Pepto-Bismol, you sit down in a rocking chair & can’t get it going, you sink your teeth into a nice juicy steak & they just stay there.”
Fears…contaminated water, tainted food, MSG, the air we breathe, spiders, snakes, bullies…fears, we all have them. Let’s examine this passage carefully & consider four different characters in the story & their response to fear.
1. DISCIPLES
There’s not a whole lot we can say about the disciples. The day had taken its toll of fear on them, from a raging storm & then a demon possessed man running around naked on foreign soil in the midst of dead people’s tombs where all sorts of legends surfaced over the years about the people who lived on the other side of the lake. “Jesus, let’s get out of here & return to something that fits our comfort zone.
2. DEMONS
Observe 8:27-29. [MF6] Notice the intensity of the situation that confronts Jesus. I don’t know if you have ever had occasion to witness demon possession firsthand, but it is not a pretty sight. Do you see what happens immediately…the demons recognize Jesus & they are terrified. They know they are confronted by one far greater, their time is up, they are the enemy, but they beg Jesus for mercy. Why are they afraid? “Don’t send us into the abyss!” What is the abyss? (pause) Hell…if the demons are that afraid of hell is it not contingent that we warn our generation of what lies ahead for those who refuse to bow the knee to Christ. ....
What an emotion packed moment Do you get the picture? 13 men get out of a boat after a major storm scares the wits out of all, but one of them & just as they do this naked guy out of his mind runs right up to Jesus & multiple voices begin to speak. They fear Jesus, that is a good thing & they know Jesus is about to lay a beat down on them. So they play let’s make a deal & ask Jesus for an alternative to the abyss. “Send us into the pigs,” thinking somehow they will survive & be ok. As I thought of the pathos in this scene, I also saw a little humour in the moment. “Send us into the pigs” …Jesus must’ve smiled as He grants their request only to have the pigs rush off a nearby bluff into the lake.
3. PIG HERDERS
Observe 8:34 The pig herders are aghast. They’re minding their own business, watching the swine. Mark’s gospel tells us there were 2000 pigs under their care when all of a sudden there’s a stampede over the embankment. Can you imagine trying to explain this scene to the boss! “Uh boss, about those pigs, but it’s not our fault.” They, too were afraid fearing their heads were on the chopping block for losing the pigs. They saw no merit in the miracle. They only saw their predicament. Not only were they minus 2000 pigs, they were out of a job.
What fears are you struggling with at the present time? (pause) Perhaps your employment is precarious? You’ve been laid off or there are cutbacks at work. Some of us fear for our adult children. They’re making some poor choices. We wonder if they’re doing drugs or hanging out with the wrong crowd, why they’ve dropped out of church, spending way too much time playing video games. Someone here today may have significant health issues. You wonder about the future…will you be able to manage, will you need to have surgery & how long will I have to wait? Will I even make it through 2025 or is cancer going to get me first?
4. LOCAL COMMUNITY
Observe 8:35-37 Well the local community hears about what has just happened & comes to see if the rumours are true. They can’t find their pigs. Instead, they find Jesus, the disciples & a man they knew as deranged, now clothed & in his right mind it seems. “But the pigs, where are our pigs. Something isn’t quite right here. A crazy man in his right mind & 13 Jewish men hanging around the tombs with this wild guy dressed for the first time in a long while. But the pigs. This is weird! They’re Jewish & they don’t eat pork, but that doesn’t mean they have to mess with our livelihood. What sinister activity might these strangers be up to if we don’t run them off our land!” ….
Friends, do you see what’s happening? Fear takes over & when it does we don’t think straight because our emotions take precedence. Our goal becomes getting rid of the object of our fears. The community response to Jesus is, “leave,” no hospitality, no friendship, no offer of food or lodging. The One who would have been a great blessing in their neighbourhood is told to leave. (woman at the well story where community welcomed them) it didn’t occur to them to stop & rejoice over the demon possessed man who had just been healed. The miracle took a back seat to their fear of Jesus. He had upset their nice little community. “Thanks for healing Joe, but if it cost us our pigs I’m not sure that was a good deal.”
The disciples are unhinged, the demons are terrified & the town is afraid. Who is the only beneficiary in this story?
The disciples want to go back to their comfort zone on the other side of the lake, the pig herders are worried about whether they qualify for E.I., the community is afraid of this Jesus guy, the sorcerer. He has upset their community. He has undermined our livelihood. This kind of person can’t be trusted. Rather than embracing Jesus & welcoming Him into the neighbourhood they got all twisted up with fear. They see Jesus as a threat rather than a blessing. The beneficiary of course is the guy who was healed. Observe what occurs in Luke 8:38. He begged to go with Jesus. Surprisingly, Jesus said, “no.” Seems odd doesn’t when throughout the gospels Jesus was consistently challenging people to follow Him.
Jesus had another assignment for him. Note closely what Jesus commanded him to do. Go home & tell his family what happened to him. However, this guy goes much further than what Jesus asked of him. Look at Mark’s rendition of this same story chapter 5:20. The healed man went to the Decapolis. Any Greek scholars here? (parse the word) it literally menas 10 cities. Ten cities in that region heard all about Jesus because this one demon possessed victim was healed & believed in Jesus. A man who begins in this story as tormented by spiritual warfare, becomes a man of faith & great witness, living in the power of the Holy Spirit. I really want to meet this guy someday.
Christian are you being controlled by your fears?
Recently, I’ve noted both Christians & others becoming anxious, fearful & even angered by the election of Donald Trump to the White House, especially when we hear talk about pressuring Canada to become the 51st state & now possibly installing tariffs against our nation. We fear what this will mean in the future. Friends, if this is you then I suggest you are spending way too much time on social media allowing the “what if’s,” the “maybe’s,” the “if only’s,” to overwhelm your minds with the negative & the fatalistic. Turn off the cable news & some of the alarmist podcasts you may be listening to & remind yourself of what’s in here. (Our Bible)
There have been a lot more tyrannical, imperialist regimes in the world in previous centuries than what a Trump presidency may bring. You know what, none of them managed to derail God’s sovereign blueprint in history. (not the Assyrians, Babylonians, Medes, Persians or Romans).
Christian, Jesus has entered your life, He is in the business of change, planting faith, granting you the Holy Spirit to daily guide your life. He has promised to never leave you or forsake you. He has said, “do not worry about your life, do not worry about tomorrow…I’ve got it covered. Let me be in charge. Christian, let go of fear, step into each day by faith, risk letting Jesus be sovereign & live each day, running the race He has charted for your life story.
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