Encountering Jesus will challenge us to make following Jesus our first priority...

This week, we are looking at a series of encounters that people who were following Jesus as part of a crowd had with Jesus. We looked on as Jesus responded to a scribes request to follow Him by explaining that following Jesus was to take priority over the things of this world.

We looked on Jesus then sought out another person in the crowd and invited that person to follow Him as a disciple. Upon being asked by Jesus to follow Him, Luke tells us that this person in the crowd responded to Jesus request with a request of his own: "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." We looked on as Jesus wanted this man to clearly understand that following Jesus was to take priority over delaying for the sake of one’s family. Jesus wanted this man to clearly understand that following Jesus was to take priority over putting Jesus off until a time when Jesus would better fit into his family’s schedule.

Now if you find Jesus words hitting a little too close to home, today we are going to jump back in and look at what happened next, beginning in Luke 9:61:

 Another also said, "I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home."

Luke tells us that after approaching a man in the crowd and inviting him to follow Him, Jesus was approached by another man from the crowd. This man approached Jesus with a proposition when it came to following Jesus: "I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home."

Now this request, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, probably sounded like this: Lord, I want to follow You but first allow me to go home and say farewell to my family”. Now, once again, that sounds like a reasonable request doesn’t it? I mean, wouldn’t you want to say goodbye to your family before you left to follow Jesus? Luke reveals for us how Jesus responded to this man’s request in verse 62:

  But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Luke tells us that Jesus responded to this man’s request by looking him in the eyes and saying "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." To which we say “huh? What?” Now can you imagine how the disciples responded to Jesus answer to this man? I mean, imagine yourself as a disciple at this point? The disciples were probably looking at each other and saying “why does He always have to talk like that? John, what is He talking about?”

Doesn’t Jesus response here seem weird? Doesn’t Jesus response leave you scratching your head? So what is going on here? To understand what Jesus is communicating here, I want you to imagine that you were given the responsibility to paint the yard lines on the football field at University of Phoenix stadium for the Super Bowl. If you were given that responsibility, how would you make sure that the yard lines that you painted were straight? How would you make sure that your yard lines remained on the right track?

In order to make sure that your yard lines were straight, you would first use a string that you would attach to two fixed points on each sideline that marked where the yard line should be. You would then place your paint machine at one sideline over the string. Then you would look forward at the string and follow the string across the field toward the other sideline as you painted the sideline.

You would never look back at where you had already painted. The reason why you would never look back at where you had already painted is because as soon as you looked back, you would lose sight of where you were supposed to be going. And as a result of losing sight of where you were supposed to be going, within five yards you would begin to get off track from where you would supposed to be going. And you would end up with a winding and wobbly yard line instead of a straight yard line.

In the same way, in order to a farmer to plow a straight furrow in the ground by which to plant seed, the farmer would have to look straight ahead. To look back while plowing would result in the farmer getting off track and produces a furrow that was winding and wobbly instead of straight. And a wobbly and winding furrow would make farming that piece of land much more difficult.

Jesus point to this man was that while he may want to follow Him initially, only to later long for the life that he had before they began to follow Jesus. However, to be effective and usable as a follower of Jesus is to follow Jesus and not look back and long for the past. You see, Jesus wanted this man to clearly understand that following Jesus was to take priority over his former life.

Jesus wanted this man to clearly understand that following Jesus was to take priority over a life that longed for the good old days before following Jesus. Jesus wanted this man to clearly understand that to live a life that reveals and reflects Jesus to others effectively and that did not get off track required that Jesus be his first priority. 

And in the same way, encountering Jesus calls us to understand that to follow Jesus is to take priority over our former life. And encountering Jesus calls us to understand that to live a life that reveals and reflects Jesus to others effectively and that does not get off track requires that Jesus be our first priority.  Jesus invites us to place Him first in our lives so that we are able to live a life that reveals and reflects Jesus to others effectively and that does not get off track.

And it here, in this series of encounters with Jesus, that we discover a timeless truth that occurs when we encounter Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: Encountering Jesus will challenge us to make following Jesus our first priority. Just as it was with the scribe; just as it was with the man who requested to “bury his father”, just as it was for the man who requested to say farewell to his family, encountering Jesus will challenge us to make following Jesus our first priority.

Just as it was for the scribe, encountering Jesus calls us to understand that to follow Jesus results in us living as a stranger in a strange world that requires us to place our confident trust in Jesus instead of the things of this world. And encountering Jesus calls us to understand that following Jesus is to take priority over the things of this world.

Just as it was with the man who requested to “bury his father”, encountering Jesus calls us to understand that following Jesus is to take priority over following our family. And encountering Jesus calls us to understand that following Jesus is to take priority over putting Jesus off until a time when following Jesus fits better into our family schedule.

Just as it was for the man who requested to say farewell to his family, encountering Jesus calls us to understand that to follow Jesus is to take priority over our former life. And encountering Jesus calls us to understand that to live a life that reveals and reflects Jesus to others effectively and that does not get off track requires that Jesus be our first priority. 

So here is a question to consider: What is your first priority in your life? Is your first priority in your life the stability and security that comes from the things of this world? Is your first priority in life your family?

In other words, are you delaying dealing with Jesus to instead place your family before Jesus? Do you fit Jesus in, whether it is time at church or time with Jesus, when there is nothing better to do?

Is your first priority living in your former life? Do you find yourselves always looking back at the good old days? Are you finding that your life is consistently getting off track because you are living in the past?

Because, as we discovered here, encountering Jesus will challenge us to make following Jesus our first priority.

Two Encounters That Leave One Scratching One's Head...

At the church where I serve, we have been spending our time together looking at various encounters that people had with Jesus that are recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. And as we look at these encounters with Jesus, we are going to discover several timeless truths that will have the potential to powerfully impact our lives today.

This week I would like for us to spend our time together looking at another encounter that Jesus had while here on earth. And as we jump back into an account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Luke, we are going to discover another timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in Luke 9:57:

As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, "I will follow You wherever You go."

Luke begins this section of his account of Jesus life by explaining that as Jesus and His disciples traveled along a road, they were followed by large crowds. Luke then explains that as they headed down the road someone in the crowd cried out to Jesus “I will follow you wherever you go.”

In another account of this event from history that is in a letter in the New Testament of the Bible called the gospel of Matthew, we discover that this man was a scribe. This scribe, who was considered an expert on the Law, which are the first five books that are recorded for us in our Bibles today, was proclaiming his desire to follow Jesus as one of His disciples.

This scribe was basically saying to Jesus “I am willing to leave my home here in Capernaum and follow you wherever you go. Jesus wherever you go I want to go because I want to follow You and learn from You”.

You see, this scribe viewed following Jesus as an opportunity to learn from Jesus. This scribe viewed following Jesus as a disciple as being an exercise in gaining knowledge from Jesus. However, this scribe was probably not prepared for the answer that he would receive as a result of his encounter with Jesus. An answer that Luke records for us in verse 58:

 And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

Luke tells us that Jesus responded to this scribes request to follow Him wherever He went by stating "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Now, I don’t know about you, but isn’t that a weird way to respond to this scribes request? Why didn’t Jesus just say “yes you can follow Me” or “no you can’t follow Me?”

I mean doesn’t Jesus response here leave you scratching your head? So what is Jesus doing here? Why would Jesus respond this way? You see, Jesus wanted the scribe to clearly understand what he was getting into if he wanted to follow Jesus. Jesus wanted this scribe to clearly understand that following Him was not simply an academic exercise to gain knowledge. Jesus wanted this to clearly understand that he would be leaving behind any sense of home and stability or security to follow Him.

You see, at this point in His public life, Jesus was basically a homeless itinerant preacher who went from town to town proclaiming His message and teachings. So Jesus wanted this scribe to clearly understand that to follow Jesus would result in the loss a residence, the loss of roots, and a lack of routine that this scribe was so familiar with. Jesus wanted this scribe to clearly understand that by following Him, he would be living as a stranger in a strange world that required placing his confident trust in Jesus instead of the things of this world. Jesus wanted this scribe to clearly understand that following Jesus was to take priority over the things of this world.

And, in the same way, encountering Jesus calls us to understand that to follow Jesus results in us living as a stranger in a strange world that requires us to place our confident trust in Jesus instead of the things of this world. And encountering Jesus calls us to understand that following Jesus is to take priority over the things of this world. Now if you are here this morning and find yourself scratching your head after this first encounter with Jesus, just look at what happens next, beginning in Luke 9:59:

 And He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father."

After engaging a person who has sought out Jesus to express his desire to follow Jesus, Luke tells us that Jesus then sought out another person in the crowd and invited that person to follow Him as a disciple. Upon being asked by Jesus to follow Him, Luke tells us that this person in the crowd responded to Jesus request with a request of his own: "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father."

Now this request, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, probably sounded like this: Lord, I want to follow You but first allow me to wait long enough to first bury my Father”. Now this morning that sounds like a reasonable request doesn’t it? We see how Jesus responded to this man’s request in verse 60:

But He said to him, "Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God."

Now a natural reaction that occurs at this point is “Really? Did Jesus really say that to this man? I though Jesus was about grace; I thought Jesus was about love and compassion. Well, Jesus doesn’t seem to be very compassionate and caring here. Instead, Jesus seems to be acting like a jerk here.” So, is Jesus being a jerk here? Is Jesus lacking compassion and concern here? Or is there something else going on here?

To understand Jesus response here, we first need to understand what the phrase “permit me first to go and bury my father" meant in the first century. You see, the phrase “to bury one’s father” was a standard idiom in the culture of the first century for fulfilling one’s family responsibilities for the remainder of the father’s lifetime, even when there was no prospect of his imminent death. Think of it this way: If this man’s father had already died, why would he by outside in the crowd hanging around and following Jesus? Even if this man’s father was near death, wouldn’t he be with his father and not with Jesus? In the culture of the day, this man would be responsible for keeping vigil over his father.

You see, Jesus responded to this man’s request the way that he did because this man’s priority was his family over following Jesus. This man wanted to put following Jesus off until later in His life while he placed following his family first in his life.

Now when Jesus says "allow the dead to bury their own dead” this phrase, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today would have sounded something like this: “Let those who are so spiritually stubborn and insensitive to the things of God that they are separated from God bury their own when they die.” Jesus then calls the man who wanted to postpone following Him to follow his family to go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.

So Jesus is basically saying to this man who He invited to follow Him “Allow those who are far from God and have rejected me take care of themselves. Instead you follow Me and engage those who are far from God but are open to me with My message and teachings so that they can experience the relationship with Me that they were created for”. You see, Jesus wanted this man to clearly understand that following Jesus was to take priority over delaying for the sake of one’s family. Jesus wanted this man to clearly understand that following Jesus was to take priority over putting Jesus off until a time when Jesus would better fit into his family’s schedule.

And in the same way, encountering Jesus calls us to understand that to follow Jesus is to take priority over following our family. Jesus invites us to follow Him not only when we do not have anything better to do as a family. And encountering Jesus calls us to understand that following Jesus is to take priority over putting Jesus off until a time when following Jesus fits better into our family schedule. Jesus invites us to place Him first in our lives and not simply give Him the leftovers of the time that is not taken up by other activities.

Now, if you find Jesus words hitting a little too close to home, Friday we will see what happens next…

Encountering Jesus results in either rejecting Jesus in unbelieving fear or joining Jesus mission to influence those in our area of influence toward Him.

This week, we are looking at an encounter between a man who had been taken hold of and control of by demons and Jesus that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Wednesday, we looked on as Jesus responded to a group of demons request to enter into a herd of pigs by granting their request. As the demons left the man that they had taken hold of and control of; as the demons proceeded to take hold of and control of this herd of pigs, Luke tells us that the demons drove the herd of pigs straight down the steep bank of the mountainside and into the lake, killing all 2,000 pigs.

We talked about the reality that the destruction of these pigs served to provide the evidence of two very important things from this event from history. First, the destruction of these pigs served as visual evidence in order to demonstrate that this man had been rescued and restored. Second, the destruction of these pigs served as visual evidence of the reality that the removal of evil is costly. Just as it was for the owners of those pigs, the removal of evil often comes at great cost. Today, we see Luke reveal for us how those who witnessed what happened responded to what happened in verse 34:

 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well.

Luke tells us that those who were responsible for the herd of swine responded to what had happened by heading straight to town to report what had happened. And just as it is today, the people of the town and the surrounding region responded to the news of what had happened by heading out to see the scene first hand. And when they arrived, all those arrived saw two powerful images. All those who arrived saw 2,000 pigs bobbing in the water of the Sea of Galilee. And all those who arrived saw the man who previously ran around butt naked living in a cemetery clothed and in his right mind.

In other words the man who was once considered insane was now sane. The man who was once isolated from people was now in a place where he could connect with people as he was connecting with Jesus. The man who was once unable to be controlled by people was now in total control of himself. And as people continued to arrive at the scene, those who witnessed the scene recounted the story of how Jesus had rescued this man. Luke then explains that as people saw and hear what had happened, they responded to what happened by becoming frightened.

Now, that seems like a strange response, doesn’t it? I mean, I could see people being angry at the death of the pigs. I could see PETA having a protest. I mean, I could see people being happy and excited about the person what had been buck naked and insane now fully clothed and sane. I could see people feeling a sense of relief over not having to worry about running into the butt naked man who lived in the cemetery. But Luke tells us that the crowds experienced none of those emotions. Instead the crowd was afraid. And if you think that was weird, just look at what happens next in verse 37:

  And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned.

Luke tells us that those who lived in the region, responded to all that they had seen and heard by being gripped by fear. In other words, those who lived in the region were gripped with great distress and were overcome with fear. And in their distress and fear, the people asked Jesus to leave. Now a natural question that arises here is “why would they be so overcome by fear that they would ask Jesus to leave? I mean, were they not at least thankful that he had rescued and restored the man who had been taken hold of and controlled by demons?”

The residents of the region were not focused on the miraculous rescue of the man who had been taken hold of and controlled by demons. The residents of the region were focused on the loss of their pigs. The residents of the regions believed that pigs were more important than people. The residents of the regions believed that their possessions were more important than people. And the residents of the region responded to the loss of their possessions with fear and asked Jesus to leave for fear that Jesus would destroy more of their possessions.

You see, their fear was not driven by a fear of God that resulted from an encounter with Jesus who is God in a bod. Their fear did not lead to faith. And as it has been throughout history, fear that is driven by unbelief results in people fleeing from an encounter with Jesus. However, while the residents of the region responded to their encounter with Jesus by asking Him to leave, the man who had been rescued and restored by Jesus had a much different response. We see his response in verse 38:

 But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Luke tells us that the man who had been rescued and restored by Jesus responded to his encounter with Jesus by begging to join Jesus. Jesus however, responded to His pleas by rejecting his plea. Instead, Jesus sent him away saying, "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you."

Now Jesus statement here, if communicated in the language that we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Instead of coming with Me I want you to return to your friends and your family and describe in great detail what happened to you. I want you to return to your family and friends and proclaim to them all the great things that God has done for you.”

Instead of allowing this man to join Him in where he was going, Jesus sent this man to go to those in his area of influence. Instead of spending his time just hanging out with God, Jesus sent this man to tell those in his area of influence about God. Now notice what Jesus does not tell this man. Notice that Jesus does not tell this man that he was to describe to those in his area of influence his doctrinal convictions. Notice that Jesus does not tell this man that he was to proclaim to those in his area of influence all the things that he knew about God. Notice that Jesus does not tell this man that he was to remain at home studying his Bible until he could answer every possible question that could be asked about the Bible before he was to start engaging those in his area of influence who were far from God.

Instead, Jesus tells this man, who has been a follower of His for five minutes, to start engaging those in his area of influence who were far from God with all that God had done in his life. Jesus simply tells this man to share the story of His activity in his life that rescued and restored his life.

Luke tells us that the man responded to Jesus request by fulfilling that request. This man responded to the mission that he had been given by Jesus by engaging in the mission that He had been given by Jesus. Luke tells us that this man proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. Now did you catch that? Jesus sent the man to proclaim what great things God has done for you. And this man responded by proclaiming what great things that Jesus had done for him.

You see, just like the demons, this man was fully aware of who Jesus was. However, unlike the demons, this man responded to his encounter with Jesus with a totally different response. This man became the first missionary to the Gentiles. This man became the first missionary to share the claims of Christ with those who were irreligious people that were considered outsiders that were far from God. Instead of fleeing Jesus in unbelief, this man joined Jesus in His mission to be the vehicle that would reveal and reflect Jesus to those in his area of influence.

And it is here, in this event from history from the life of Jesus involving the rescue of a butt naked man who lived in a cemetery, that we see revealed for us a timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. And that timeless truth is this: Encountering Jesus results in either rejecting Jesus in unbelieving fear or joining Jesus mission to influence those in our area of influence toward Him.

 Just as it was for the demons, just as it was for this man who had been taken hold of and controlled by demons, just as it has been throughout history, encountering Jesus results in either rejecting Jesus in unbelieving fear or joining Jesus mission to influence those in our area of influence toward Him. You see, just like the demons, we can find ourselves in a place in our lives where, despite all of the awareness of who Jesus is, we can respond to an encounter with Jesus by rejecting Jesus in unbelieving fear. And just like the man who had been taken hold of and controlled by demons, we can find ourselves in a place in our lives where we respond to an encounter with Jesus by joining His mission to influence those in our area of influence toward Him.

So here is a question for us to consider: If you were to find yourself in this event from history as a character in this event from history, which character would you be? Would you find yourself in this event from history as one of the demons? Are you rejecting Jesus despite all of the evidence that you have seen when it comes to who Jesus is? As a man named Andy Bannister recently posted on twitter, “Ultimately, the problem for most people is not the absence of evidence, but the suppression of it.”  

Would you find yourself in this event from history as one of the residents of the region? Are you rejecting Jesus because your possessions are what you ultimately worship and to follow Jesus provokes within you a fear that Jesus would want you to place Him over those possessions?

Or would you find yourself in this event from history as the man who had been rescued and restored by Jesus? Are you responding to what great things that Jesus has done for you by proclaiming those great things to those around you in your area of influence who are far from God? If you were to find yourself in this event from history as a character in this event from history, which character would you be?

Because, as we see this morning, encountering Jesus results in either rejecting Jesus in unbelieving fear or joining Jesus mission to influence those in our area of influence toward Him.

A Strange Decision by Jesus that Raises Questions about Jesus...

This week we are looking at an encounter that an individual had with Jesus that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the bible called the gospel of Luke. Yesterday, we looked on, to see that as Jesus and the disciples stepped out of the boat and onto dry land, they were met by a man from a local town who was possessed by demons. In other words, this man was no longer in control of his life. Instead, his life had been taken hold of and was controlled by demons.

As a result of being taken hold of and controlled by this multitude of demons, this man had not put on any clothing in a long time and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. In other words, this man ran around butt naked and lived in a cemetery. This man was isolated from people and was unable to be controlled by people.

 This man’s family and friends would attempt to regain control of this man’s life in an attempt to rescue this man’s life. However, time after time of reaching out to their relative and their friend, they ended up without success. Even after being bound and placed under guard, the man would simply break his bonds and return back to the cemetery outside of town, driven there by the demons who had taken hold of and controlled his life.

The demons gave this man supernatural power that prevented him from being restrained for his protection. And these demons would drive him into the desert and into a life of isolation and destruction. Upon encountering Jesus, the demons drove the man to fall at the feet of Jesus and proclaim with a loud voice "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me."

We talked about the reality that demons are fully aware of who Jesus is. And demons recognize that Jesus has authority and power over them. However, demons reject and rebel against Jesus. And in their rebellion and rejection, these demons attempt to manipulate Jesus through the man that they had taken hold of and control of. Notice that the demons say do not torment me, not do not torment us. The demons were attempting to deceive Jesus when it came to their numbers and who was actually in control of this man. Today, Luke reveals how Jesus responded to the demons attempts at manipulation in Luke 8:30:

 And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.

Jesus responds to the attempted manipulation of these demons by asking their name. Luke tells us that the demons responded to Jesus question with an answer and a plea. Now when the demons say that there name was legion, this word was used to describe a large unit of soldiers, which could range from 1,000 to 6,000 in number.

So instead of answering Jesus question with a name, the demons attempt to evade Jesus in hopes of escaping any punishment from Jesus. We see that reality revealed by the demons imploring Jesus not to send them to the Abyss. Now when the demons refer to the Abyss here, they are referring to the place where demons and disobedient spirits are kept in confinement.

You see, the demons feared losing their freedom; the demons feared being confined. And the demons knew that Jesus had the authority and the power to throw them into the abyss. And because of that reality the demons begged Jesus not to confine them in the abyss. We see the demons continued pleas and Jesus response to their pleas recorded for us in verse 32:

 Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

As the demons pleaded with Jesus to escape and evade punishment from Jesus, they requested that Jesus allow them to enter into a herd of pigs that were feeding on a nearby mountain. We know from another account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Mark that there was around 2,000 swine in that area at that time.

Now a natural question that arises here is “why would the demons ask permission to go into pigs?” You see, knowing Jesus authority over them, these demons would go anywhere to avoid confinement and the loss of their freedom. Luke then explains that Jesus responded to the demons request by granting their request. And as the demons left the man that they had taken hold of and control of; as the demons proceeded to take hold of and control of this herd of pigs, Luke tells us that the demons drove the herd of pigs straight down the steep bank of the mountainside and into the lake, killing all 2,000 pigs.

 

Can you imagine what that looked like? Can you imagine the scene as 2,000 pigs ran headlong off a cliff and into the lake to their death? Now, I don’t know about you, but there are several questions that come to mind here, aren’t there? I mean, first off, why would Jesus give them permission to go into the pigs in the first place? Why would Jesus allow the demons to take hold of and control of the pigs?

 

Second, why would Jesus allow the demons to destroy the pigs? I mean, the owners of those pigs lost all of their business. Doesn’t the responsibility for that fall on Jesus for that? Isn’t the death of these pigs Jesus fault? So let’s take a minute and tackle these questions one at a time.

First, the reason why Jesus gave permission for the demons to take hold of and control of the pigs instead of the man is because people are more important than pigs. People, not pigs, are created in God’s relational image. And Jesus came to reveal and explain God to people, not pigs. While we should take care to not abuse or neglect animals, animals are not of equal value and worth in God’s sight to human beings. 

Second, while Jesus allowed the demons to enter into the pigs, Jesus is not responsible for the actions of the demons. Instead the demons are responsible for the destruction of the pigs. Here is something to consider: how would those around the demon possessed man know that he had been rescued from the demons? What evidence would you need to see to believe that this man would have been rescued and restored?

You see, the destruction of these pigs served to provide the evidence of two very important things from this event from history. First, the destruction of these pigs served as visual evidence in order to demonstrate that this man had been rescued and restored. Second, the destruction of these pigs served as visual evidence of the reality that the removal of evil is costly. Just as it was for the owners of those pigs, the removal of evil often comes at great cost.

Friday, we will see how those who witnessed what happened responded to what happened and discover a timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus…

Taken Hold Of And Control Of...

At the church where I serve, we have been looking at various encounters that people had with Jesus that are recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. T

This week, I would like for us to look at another encounter that an individual had with Jesus that is recorded for us in the gospel of Luke. And as we look at this encounter that this individual had with Jesus, we are going to discover another timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. So let’s discover that timeless truth together, beginning in Luke 8:26:

Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

Luke begins this section of his account of Jesus life by providing for us the context for the encounter with Jesus that we are going to look at this morning. After miraculously telling a storm to stop sinking the boat that they were traveling in, Jesus and His disciples continued across the Sea of Galilee to a region that was referred to as the country of the Gerasenes.

The country of the Gerasenes was located on the southeastern shores of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum, which was located in the region of Israel know as Galilee, was located here on the map. This is why Luke states that Gerasenes was opposite Galilee. This region of the Sea of Galilee was largely Gentile in population. Now when the Bible refers to the Gentiles, these were people who were not Jewish ethnically or culturally. So if you are not Jewish you would be considered a Gentile.

And in the culture of the first century, Jewish people viewed themselves as being religious people, while viewing the Gentiles as being irreligious people. In the culture of the first century, Jewish people viewed themselves as being insiders when it came to having a relationship with God, while Gentiles were viewed as being outsiders who were far from God. After providing us the context for this encounter with Jesus, Luke then gives us a front row seat to this encounter with Jesus. So let’s take that front row seat together, beginning in Luke 8:27:

 And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me." For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.

Luke tells us that as Jesus and the disciples stepped out of the boat and onto dry land, they were met by a man from a local town who was possessed by demons. In other words, this man was no longer in control of his life. Instead, his life had been taken hold of and was controlled by demons.

Now both Jesus and Paul teach us that demons are a group of supernatural beings who are under the leadership of the devil, or Satan. We also know that demons have superhuman, but limited knowledge and power. Demons are angels that were created by the Lord before the creation of the universe, who rebelled against God sometime before the fall of humans that is recorded for us in the very first letter in the Bible in Genesis 3.

And at some point, this man ended up in a place in his life where demons took possession and control of his life. Notice that Luke says demons, not demon. So this man was under the control of a multitude of demons. Luke then reveals for us the reality that as a result of being taken hold of and controlled by this multitude of demons, this man had not put on any clothing in a long time and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. In other words, this man ran around butt naked and lived in a cemetery. This man was isolated from people and was unable to be controlled by people.

Can you imagine what that scene must have looked like? Can you imagine stepping off a boat to be confronted by a butt naked man who lived in a cemetery? Now it wasn’t that people hadn’t tried to control this man. Luke explains that this man was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard on several occasions. This man’s family and friends would attempt to regain control of this man’s life in an attempt to rescue this man’s life.

However, time after time of reaching out to their relative and their friend, they ended up without success. Even after being bound and placed under guard, the man would simply break his bonds and return back to the cemetery outside of town, driven there by the demons who had taken hold of and controlled his life. You see, the demons gave this man supernatural power that prevented him from being restrained for his protection. And these demons would drive him into the desert and into a life of isolation and destruction. Because that is what demons do: Demons desire to destroy God’s kingdom and destroy God’s people.

Luke then explains that upon encountering Jesus, the demons drove the man to fall at the feet of Jesus and proclaim with a loud voice "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me." Now this phrase, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “What is there between us, that You have come here? We know who You are; You are God, so why are you here now? We plead with you do not mess with us but leave us alone”?

You see, demons are fully aware of who Jesus is. And demons recognize that Jesus has authority and power over them. However, demons reject and rebel against Jesus. And in their rebellion and rejection, these demons attempt to manipulate Jesus through the man that they had taken hold of and control of. Notice that the demons say do not torment me, not do not torment us. The demons were attempting to deceive Jesus when it came to their numbers and who was actually in control of this man.

Tomorrow, we will see how Jesus responded to the demons attempts at manipulation…

Encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that the depth of our love for Jesus is related to the extent that we recognize that we have been forgiven by Jesus...

This week we are looking at an encounter that Jesus had with a man named Simon, which is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Wednesday, we looked on as Simon unlovingly judged a sinful woman who had crashed a dinner party that he and his Pharisee friends were having for Jesus.

We looked on as Jesus began to engage Simon the Pharisee with a parable that was in the form of a question. Now a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. Jesus parable to Simon, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Simon, I have a question for you. A credit card company had two clients: one client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of 1 ¾ years salary, while the other client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of two months’ salary. However neither client was able to pay their bill. When the owner of the credit card company heard about their situation, he decided to cancel the debts that they owed so that they would not have to pay the bill. So, which one of the credit cards clients will love the credit card company more?”

We looked on as Simon the Pharisee answered Jesus by basically saying “Well I suppose the client who had the greater debt cancelled.” Jesus then explained to Simon the Pharisee that he had provided the right answer to his question. However, Simon the Pharisees right answer to Jesus question revealed what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee. We see Jesus expose what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee in Luke 7:44:

 Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. "You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. "You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.

Here we see Jesus expose three specific things that Simon the Pharisee did not do for Jesus that revealed what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee. However, to fully understand why what Simon the Pharisee did not do that was wrong, we also need to understand some things about the culture of Jesus day.

First, in the culture of the day, as we talked about earlier, a person’s feet would be covered in dirt, sweat, and whatever else they stepped in as they traveled. And because of that reality, upon arriving at a destination, it was customary for a host to have a servant available and a place available for people to have their feet washed in order to remove any dirt, sweat, urine, or feces that they had stepped in on their journey. Oil would often also be placed on the feet to provide a soothing smell. Simon the Pharisee, however, did not show the courtesy to wash Jesus feet. Instead, it was the sinful woman who showed the courtesy to wash His feet with water and oil.

In addition, in the culture of the day, it was customary to greet a guest with a kiss on the cheek that served as a sign of welcome and respect. And in many cultures today, this is still a common custom. Simon the Pharisee, however, did not show any respect or friendship to Jesus by giving Him a kiss on the cheek. Instead, it was the sinful woman who was the one who showed nothing but respect for Jesus by kissing His feet.

You see, Simon the Pharisee arrogantly treated Jesus without love as though Jesus was an outsider. By contrast, the sinful woman humbled herself and treated Jesus with love as though He was an insider. Simon the Pharisee arrogantly believed that he was better than this woman because he had less sin than this woman. By contrast, the sinful woman humbly recognized that she was in desperate need of Jesus because of her sin.

However, just because Simon the Pharisee had less sin, that did not mean that he had no sin. Just because Simon the Pharisee had less sin, that does not mean that he did not need to be forgiven of sin. And because of that reality, we see Jesus, after setting the trap for Simon the Pharisee, spring the trap with a statement that reveals for us a timeless truth for us today in verse 47:

 "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." Then He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven." Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this man who even forgives sins?" And He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

Now notice what Jesus does not do here. Notice that Jesus does not ignore this woman’s selfishness and rebellion. Notice that Jesus does not minimize this woman’s selfishness and rebellion. Instead Jesus does the opposite: “her sins, which are many”. You see, the issue for Jesus was not the extent of her selfishness and rebellion. The issue for Jesus was her response to her selfishness and rebellion. The issue for Jesus was her recognizing her need for forgiveness of her selfishness and rebellion. The issue for Jesus was her love for Jesus that flowed from her recognition that Jesus could provide her the forgiveness and the relationship with God that she was created for.

While Simon the Pharisee viewed himself as an insider who was right with God because of his performance for God, this sinful woman recognized that she was an outsider who desperately needed Jesus because of her performance. While Simon the Pharisee placed his confident trust in the fact that he was better than this sinful women because of his performance for God, this sinful woman placed her confident trust in Jesus, because of her performance.

And as a result, Simon the Pharisee was unloving toward Jesus because he thought that he was better than Jesus and others, while this sinful woman was loving toward Jesus because she recognized the extent that she needed to be forgiven by Jesus. And because this woman recognized the extent that she need to be forgiven by Jesus, because she placed her confident trust in Jesus to be forgiven, her love for Jesus was such that it drove her to demonstrate her love despite the risk and despite the cost.

And it is here, in this event from history from the life of Jesus involving a self righteous man and a sinful woman that we see revealed for us a timeless truth that can occur when we encounter Jesus. And that timeless truth is that encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that the depth of our love for Jesus is related to the extent that we recognize that we have been forgiven by Jesus. Just as it was for Simon the Pharisee, just as it was for this sinful woman, just as it has been for followers of Jesus throughout history, encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that the depth of our love for Jesus is related to the extent that we recognize that we have been forgiven by Jesus.

You see, the reason why the Simon the Pharisee was unloving toward Jesus was due to the fact that he did not recognize the extent that he needed to be forgiven by Jesus. The reason why this sinful woman was loving toward Jesus was due to the fact that she did recognize the extent that she had been forgiven by Jesus.

So here is a question for us to consider: If you were to find yourself in this event from history as a character in this event from history, which character would you be? Or better yet, if those who knew you best were to put you into this event from history, who would they so you would be?

Would you find yourself in this event from history as Simon the Pharisee? Do you arrogantly believe that you are an insider with God because of your performance for God? Do you arrogantly believe that you are better than others because you have less sin than others? Because just because you have less sin, that does not mean that you do not need forgiveness for any sin, does it? Would those closest to you view you as being unloving, judgmental?

Would you find yourself in this event from history as this sinful woman? Do you feel like you are an outsider who is far from God because of the things that you have done in your life that have hurt God and others? Do you humbly recognize your need for forgiveness for your selfishness and rebellion? Does the recognition of the extent of the forgiveness that you have received from Jesus result in a growing love for Jesus? Would those closest to you view you as being loving and gracious to others? If you were to find yourself in this event from history as a character in this event from history, which character would you be?

Because, as we see from Simon the Pharisee’s encounter with Jesus, encountering Jesus will challenge us to see that the depth of our love for Jesus is related to the extent that we recognize that we have been forgiven by Jesus. You see, Jesus came to earth on a mission to bring back to God those who were outsiders that were far from God as a result of their selfishness and rebellion. And Jesus came to earth on a mission to bring back to God those who arrogantly considered themselves insiders but in reality are really outsiders.

Jesus came on a mission to provide all humanity the opportunity to experience the forgiveness and the relationship with God that they were created for, but had been separated from as a result of their selfishness and rebellion, through His life, death, and resurrection by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

An Unloving Response to an Outsider...

This week we are looking at an encounter that an individual had with Jesus that is recorded for us in an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. Yesterday, we looked on as a woman who was far from God and who is viewed as being an outsider by others crashed a dinner party that Jesus was attending with the self righteous religious leaders of the day.

We imagined looking on as this woman who had a story and a reputation walked into a room filled with self righteous religious men who clearly viewed her as an outsider as every conversation stopped and every stare was directed at her. We imagined the murmurs and the grumbling. We talked about the courage that this woman would have had to have to go to Simon the Pharisees house and walk into a room full of men with her story and your reputation.

We talked about the reality that it is not as though this woman did not know that she was far from God and was viewed as an outsider when it came to having a relationship with God. It was not as though this woman did not know how the men in the room viewed her. However, all this woman knew was that she was fallen, flawed and broken. All this woman knew is that she needed to be with Jesus, whatever the risk and whatever the cost.

Today we see Luke record how the owner of the house responded to this woman who was far from God and who was viewed as an outsider crashing his dinner party in Luke 7:39:

Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner."

Now Simon the Pharisee’s response, if it was communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Can you believe that Jesus is even letting this woman near him? After all, if this man was really was a spokesperson for God who is inspired by God to proclaim the word of God to us; if this man was really an important insider like us, he would know that this woman is an outsider who is far from God.”

You see, Simon the Pharisee, as a self righteous religious person, unlovingly judged this woman because he believed that he was better than her. Because that is what self righteous religious people do. Self righteous religious people unlovingly judge others as being outsiders, while considering themselves to be insiders who are better than anyone else.

But did you notice that Luke tells us that Simon the Pharisee said this to himself? In other words, this was a conversation that Simon was having with himself that was unknown to anyone else. At least that was what Simon thought. However, whether it was something about the body language that Simon displayed to this woman that was far from God and was viewed as an outsider; or whether it was Jesus knowing what was running through Simon’s mind, Simon’s conversation with himself was clear to Jesus. And as a result, we see Jesus begin to engage Simon in verse 40:

 And Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he replied, "Say it, Teacher." "A moneylender had two debtors: one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. "When they were unable to repay, he graciously forgave them both. So which of them will love him more?"

Luke tells us that Jesus began to engage Simon the Pharisee with a parable that was in the form of a question. Now a parable is an earthly story that reveals a deeper spiritual truth. Jesus parable to Simon, if communicated in the language we use in our culture today, would have sounded something like this: “Simon, I have a question for you. A credit card company had two clients: one client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of 1 ¾ years salary, while the other client’s credit card bill was the equivalent of two months’ salary. However neither client was able to pay their bill. When the owner of the credit card company heard about their situation, he decided to cancel the debts that they owed so that they would not have to pay the bill. So which one of the credit cards clients will love the credit card company more?” Luke records for us how Simon answered Jesus in verse 43:

 Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have judged correctly."

Luke tells us that Simon the Pharisee answered Jesus by basically saying “Well I suppose the client who had the greater debt cancelled.” Jesus then explained to Simon the Pharisee that he had provided the right answer to his question.

However, Simon the Pharisees right answer to Jesus question revealed what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee. Friday, we will see Jesus expose what was wrong with the heart of Simon the Pharisee...