Luke 8:35-37
35 Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36 They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. 37 Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.
In this story, Jesus healed a demon-possessed man named Legion by transferring the demons within him to a herd of pigs nearby. The pigs ran down a cliff into the sea and were drowned. This was an awesome display of the Lord’s power over demons which showed how He can heal people. Jesus had crossed the Sea of Galilee to the pagan side looking to bring healing to the people there. He only got to heal one man before the people put him out of town. Jesus brought incredible power to this town but the people were not ready to accept His grace. They were afraid of the power. They asked Jesus to leave them.
Many times, people are not ready to accept blessings because they don’t think they are worthy. In Matthew 8:8 (NKJV) 8 The Centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. The Lord was willing to go and heal the Centurion’s servant but the Centurion said he was not worthy of having Jesus in his home. What about you? Are you worthy? Why or why not? God says you are worthy by the blood of the Lamb. You are His masterpiece. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. It is because of God’s grace that we are worthy. It is because He says so!
That one man, Legion, was important. Jesus only got to heal one person on this journey but each person matters. Legion, remained behind at Jesus request and told the people of that region all that Jesus had done for him. He gave his personal testimony and the people listened. When you have the greatest news in the world, people will eventually listen and accept. It takes time but God’s plan cannot be thwarted. Be encouraged! The Good News will prevail.
Lord, thank You that, by Your grace, we are worthy because You say so! By Your stripes, we are healed. You gave us Your righteousness. Help us to accept the gift of Your grace. In Your name we pray!