Living Among the Dead

Luke 8:39
³⁹ “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

If God told you to tell your story, would you do it? The man referred to was one who was demon-possessed. The possession was so bad that nothing and no one could contain him. He lived among the tombs. The man's situation gave true meaning of "living among the dead." But when Jesus delivered him from the legion of demons, he was a completely different man. He was so grateful that he was willing to go to the ends of the earth to follow Jesus. But Jesus instructed him to do something different. The man was to tell everyone he knew. In most of the scripture during the early part of Jesus' ministry he asked those he helped to keep quiet. But why was this man instructed to do something different? For one, Jesus was in a predominately Gentile territory called Decapolis. Jesus didn't have to be concerned about the danger to his ministry because he wasn't in an area that the Pharisees occupied. Remember, Jews and Gentiles during this period didn't associate. But he was in a Gentile community. Jesus was already setting the stage for making his presence known among the Gentiles. So actually, the man's assignment was extremely important.

If the Lord told you to tell your story, even if it was as drastic or unflattering as the man that lived among the dead, would you? What if he was using you as preparation to expose himself to a group of people who had no knowledge of him prior? Would you complete the assignment? Do you know it could mean others being set free like he set you free? Believe it or not, many of us were like that man. We either are or have lived among the dead. Living among the spiritually dead that is. Those who seem to have no hope and kill themselves a little bit at a time each day with the lack of knowledge or destroying themselves via unhealthy vices as a way to deaden their pain of living. Would you tell your story to show how he can save a life?