Mar 31, 2007 - Why Can't I Go?

Mar 31, 2007

Luk 8:38-39 VW
(38) Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,
(39) Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you. And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.


I have often wondered why Jesus told this man to stay home and tell everyone about what Jesus had done for him. I mean, he told many others not to tell about how they were healed. He was always telling people to come and follow Him. So why tell this man to stay home?

A little background. This was a crazy man who ran around naked and they could not keep him chained. Jesus cast the demons out of them and they went into the pigs in the area. The pigs being smarter than the people in the area ran into the water and drowned, and the people came up and told Jesus to leave. I guess they wanted pigs more than salvation. This is where we pick up, the man wants to go with Jesus, but Jesus tells him to stay.

These people did not want Jesus. But Jesus wanted to get the message to these people. The best thing He could do was leave behind someone who, when they looked at him, would say Jesus was here and He healed me. This man was to be a walking billboard for Jesus. The people were never going to be able to get away from him.

Sometimes God puts us in places that we do not want to be so that we can be witnesses to those who need him. We need to be more like this man and be a witness for Him where ever we are.

Scripture verses from
VW-Edition 2006

A Voice in the Wilderness
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