The Madman of Gadara: You Are Not Beyond God's Reach
It is a shame to see the enemy touch a person's life and change what they have been called to be. Their life becomes wasted. But no life is ever wasted before God. He can change a person whom society thinks is useless into one of the most important people. Many who saw them in their darkest moments will be the very same people who come to witness what the Lord has made of them. But this only happens when the Lord steps in.
Today, we'll look at the story of the madman of Gadara.
In Luke 8:26–39, we come across the story of Jesus and His disciples travelling to the region of the Gerasenes, which was across the lake from Galilee. As Jesus stepped out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet Him. For a long time, he had been homeless and naked, living among the tombs outside the town. As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of Him. Then he screamed, "Why are You interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg You, don't torture me!" For Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed into the wilderness, completely under the demon's power.
The demons begged Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit, so Jesus permitted them to enter a nearby herd of pigs. The pigs immediately rushed into the lake and drowned. The people rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus' feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. Then those who had witnessed what had happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. As Jesus was leaving, the man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with Him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, "No, go back to your family and tell them everything God has done for you." So he went throughout the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.
There is so much in this Bible story that we can focus on. We can focus on the fact that before Jesus, the man was naked and homeless, and after encountering Jesus, he was clothed and restored. We can focus on the fact that one human being was able to carry many demons and yet remained alive. However, when those same demons entered a herd of pigs, they could not withstand them and rushed to their death. Don't get me started, there is so much in this passage! But my focus today is on the evangelist whose life was driven off course by the enemy, yet through the mercy and power of Jesus, he was restored and sent back to fulfil what he had been called to do in the first place. I began to wonder, how did this man end up in such a situation? The Bible lets us know in verse 39 that he had a family because Jesus said, "Go back to your family and tell them everything God has done for you." So my question is, what happened? The Bible doesn't tell us, making this one of the many questions we may never have the answer to. However, what we do know is that when the devil gets an opportunity to destroy a person's life, he takes it without showing any mercy. This is why we must remain so close to God.
Today, we are returning to Jesus with a posture of openness and readiness for change. The Bible says that when the people arrived, they found the former madman sitting at the feet of Jesus. We also see people like Mary of Bethany sitting at the feet of Jesus (Luke 10:38-39), which demonstrated an eagerness to learn. Through my research, I came to understand that in ancient times, students and disciples sat at the feet of their teachers to receive instruction. That was the true posture of discipleship. This man was given the opportunity to be transformed and discipled by Jesus. And so are we. Many of us have been called to greatness, but through bad company or poor decisions, we end up in places that hinder the fulfilment of that calling. But there is no such thing as "too late" with God. When we call upon Him, He will always come and transform us. It is not too late.
If a man who was possessed by demons could come out to meet Jesus, then nothing should stop you from coming to Him. Come and meet Him. You have been called to impact this generation. But until you are transformed and reinstated, there is little you can do. It is time to take your stand. Come and be renewed, refreshed, and reassigned to your God-given destiny. May God bless you in this season, and may you prosper in all that you do in Jesus' name, Amen.
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