Luke 8:38 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Luke 8:38

Comments

It was natural that, just as the man now sat at the feet of Jesus – the one who had delivered him from such great torment, and who understood and had authority over the demonic world which had swallowed him – so he would wish to continue being with Jesus and learning from him. This was a wholesome and spiritual desire on the part of the man. But in his case, it was not the will of God, and he must accept the assignment given to him which sent him away from Christ’s physical presence right at the start of his life as a disciple. This was undoubtedly connected to the rejection of Christ by the people of Gadara. It was a further act of mercy on the part of the Lord, for although the people deserved no further light from heaven, they were going to receive the gospel in a form that divine wisdom knew would be acceptable to them. Though they would not receive Christ himself, they would receive this infamous man in his newly cleansed state. They knew him well enough, and no one could doubt the work of God that had taken place in his life. They could testify to the trouble he had caused them in his possessed state, and of their inability to do anything about it. So now they wanted to hear what he had to say of his deliverance. And he was ready for such an assignment. The remarkable nature of his deliverance gave him a strength, and a powerful testimony that would sustain him in this difficult work. The people receive him as one of their own, but one who they knew had been transformed beyond all recognition. So he went back to his home, and he went to the city where he was known, and the people could look upon the embodiment of one in whom such a great miracle had been performed. It was undeniable, and therefore they must listen to what he had to say. So Christ departed and left the man to represent him. Luke’s narrative is consecutive, and we are told that on the return journey from Gadara, he comes back to where he departed, and to those who had seen him go, and knew he was due to return. The waited for him, say Luke. They waited to hear more of his teaching, and the needy waited for him to work with healing power among them.

Application

How meek is the Lord to allow a disciple to take his place, and to suffer personal rejection, and yet still find a way of reaching the people with the message! The disciple was sent in place of the Master; the God blessed the disciple’s witness in spite of the people’s refusal to hear his own beloved Son. Grace does not give up with the elect, no matter how hard their hearts are initially.

Some are given an assignment by God right at the start of their Christian lives. But God never calls us without giving us the ability to carry out his calling. He arms us with a powerful testimony, as he did this man. How powerful is the testimony of one who has been newly converted! The wonder of what God has done for us carries us forward, for we know that we have something powerful to tell to others, something which they desperately need to hear, and so we are able to overcome all opposition. They reality of what God has done for us transforms our inner life, and it is, in a way, easy to speak of what we are so familiar with. To those who hear, the testimony comes as something undeniably real, even if they struggle against it. That testimony is, by the Spirit of God, sufficient to bring others into the kingdom.

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Luke 8:38 Commentary and Bible Study