Daily Devotional
"And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.""
Mark 5:19
Step back and look at the whole scene. Evil is real, and it destroys. Evil knows exactly who Jesus is, and it still wants nothing to do with him. One word from Jesus is enough to break its hold. And a town that watched him do it asked him to leave. Matthew 8 has spent the whole chapter answering the question, “What sort of man is this?” He is the King who is willing to touch the leper, the King who sets the table for the nations, the King who never stops serving, the King who sets the terms, the King the storm obeys. Now we hear the fullest answer: he is the Son of God, the King demons fear.
But Matthew 8 is not only about who Jesus is. It is about how people respond to him. The leper came. The centurion trusted. Peter’s mother-in-law rose and served. The disciples got in the boat. The demons knew him and recoiled. The town looked right at him and said, “Please go.” At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Pilate will ask the crowd, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” and they will cry, “Let him be crucified!” (Matthew 27:22). The Gadarenes sent Jesus away across the sea. Jerusalem would send him away to a cross.
And here is the gospel: he went. If the loss of the pigs troubles you, consider the far greater cost. The final price for defeating evil was not paid by a herd of animals but by the one perfect man. The herdsmen lost their pigs; Jesus lost his life. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). On the cross he disarmed the rulers and authorities and triumphed over them (Colossians 2:15).
Notice one last thing. The two men never asked for grace. They did not repent first. They came out screaming, “Leave us alone!” and Jesus set them free anyway. That is grace: Christ giving us what we need before we know to ask for it (Romans 5:8). Afterward one of them sat at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, and Jesus sent him home to tell how much the Lord had done for him. If you belong to Christ, that is your story too. You were in chains you could not break, and he crossed a storm and went to a cross to reach you. He has had mercy on you. Do not ask him to leave. Ask him to stay, and then go tell someone what he has done.
Today's Challenge
Looking back over this week, which response in Matthew 8 most resembles your response to Jesus right now: the leper, the centurion, the disciples, the demons, or the town? Who in your life needs to hear "how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you"? When will you tell them?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the Son of God, the King who rules storms and demons, and the Savior who went to the cross for me. I was in chains I could not break, and you came for me before I ever asked. Thank you for your mercy. I welcome you into every part of my life. Stay with me, rule over me, and send me out to tell others what you have done. In Jesus' name, Amen.
