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Luke 8:26-39

Sunday Morning Bible Study

September 27, 2015

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid to die?  Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Regular:  2900 words    Communion: 2500 words  Video=75wpm

Manuel’s Mexico Slides (14 slides)

Luke was a doctor and a travelling companion of the apostle Paul.

He wrote this book while Paul was in prison.

In writing his book, Luke made use of other older documents like the Gospel of Mark, as well as extensive eyewitness accounts.

Jesus’ ministry has begun, and the people have been amazed not just at the things He’s been teaching, but the things He’s been doing.

8:26-39 Legion

:26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.

:26 sailed to the country of the Gadarenes

they sailed – katapleo – to sail down from the deep sea to the land; to put in

country – chora – the space lying between two places or limits; a region or country i.e. a tract of land; the (rural) region surrounding a city or village, the country; the region with towns and villages which surround a metropolis

Gadarenes – Gadarenos – “reward at the end”; the area around the city of Gadara. About five miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee.  About 11 miles straight across the lake from Capernaum.

Video:  Capernaum to Gadara

Jesus and His disciples have sailed from Capernaum and after surviving a storm at sea, have arrived on the eastern shore of Galilee, on their way towards the city of Gadara.
The ancient city of Gadara was one of the ten Gentile cities of the larger region known as the “Decapolis” (“Ten Cities”), which included other significant cities like Beit She’an.  This is all taking place in the northern area of Israel.

Today, the ruins of Gadara lie within the border of the nation of Jordan.

When you visit Israel, one of the highlights of any trip is a visit to another of the cities of the Decapolis, the city of Beit She’an.

Luke records that they only went so far as the “country” of the Gadarenes, so they are going to land somewhere along the eastern shore of Galilee.

They have sailed perhaps 10 miles across the Sea of Galilee from the city of Capernaum.

Last week we introduced the concept of the “other side” when Jesus told His disciples,

(Luke 8:22b NKJV) …“Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.”
The western side of Galilee was the Jewish side, while the eastern side was inhabited primarily by those pagan, pig-dog heathen Gentiles.
The eastern side was called the “other” side.

:27 And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.

:27 there met Him

met – hupantao – to go to meet; in military reference, of a hostile meeting

This is a scary man, and he’s coming out for a fight.

:27 a certain man from the city

Matthew records there were actually two demon possessed men, but Luke is only focusing on one of them. (Mat. 8:28)

(Matthew 8:28 NKJV) —28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.

We aren’t told what this man’s actual name was, though we will learn what people called him.

He was from the city (perhaps Gadara) but wasn’t currently living in the city.

I’d like to suggest that this man is most likely a Jewish man, since Jesus had made it clear that His primary ministry was to the house of Israel. (Mat. 15:24)

(Matthew 15:24 NKJV) But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Lesson

Go to them

We will see that there is only going to be one person that Jesus is going to minister to this time on the “other” side.
Jesus took His disciples across Galilee to minister to one man.
Some people aren’t going to be helped unless we get out of our comfort and go out to them.
Go visit the “other side” every once in a while.
Sometimes it might mean getting through a storm to get there.
Last week we read about how Jesus’ boat almost sank because of a sudden storm hitting the lake.
Jesus got the disciples through the storm.
Many turn back when the storm hits.
Are you willing to “go” to help others?

:27 who had demons for a long time

demons – daimonion – the divine power, deity, divinity; a spirit, a being inferior to God, superior to men; evil spirits or the messengers and ministers of the devil

This man was demon possessed.

He wasn’t just possessed by a single demon, but by many demons.

long time – hikanos – sufficient; many enough, enough

He had been possessed “long enough”.
He had been under this bondage for quite some time.

Lesson

Christians and demons

Can a Christian be demon possessed? No.
I do not believe that a Christian can be indwelt and controlled by a fallen-angel, a demon.
The Bible says,
(1 John 4:4 NKJV) You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

That doesn’t mean that a Christian can’t be hassled or oppressed by demonic entities.

I do think that some churches give Satan too much credit by blaming everything on demons.
I don’t think overcoming your weight problem is as easy as casting out the “demon of gluttony”.
I do not think overcoming your porn addiction is as easy as casting out the “demon of lust”.
These are problems of your flesh.  Satan might take advantage of your flesh, but you aren’t going to be able to “cast out” your flesh.

:27 no clothes … in the tombs

tombs – mnema – a monument or memorial to perpetuate the memory of any person or thing; a sepulchral monument; a sepulchre or tomb

:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!”

:28 he cried out – anakrazo – to raise a cry from the depth of the throat

I have an actual recording…

Play Borg.mp3

:28 fell down before – prospipto – to fall forwards, fall down, prostrate one’s self before, in homage or supplication: at one’s feet

Mark records:

(Mark 5:6 NKJV) When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.
worshipped – proskuneo – to kiss the hand to (towards) one, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence

:28 loud – megas – great; in particular, of space and its dimensions, as respects; used of intensity and its degrees: with great effort, of the affections and emotions of the mind, of natural events powerfully affecting the senses: violent, mighty, strong

:28 most high – hupsistos – highest, most high; of place: the highest regions; of rank: the most high God

:28 I beg – deomai – to want, lack; to desire, long for; to ask, beg; the thing asked for; to pray, make supplications

This is a word used often of praying.

:28 I beg You, do not torment me

torment – basanizo – to test (metals) with a touchstone, a black fine grained stone used to test the purity of gold or silver by rubbing the metal against it; to question by applying torture; to be harassed, distressed

Kind of like fingernails on a blackboard.

:29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

:29 He had commanded – paraggello – to transmit a message along from one to another, to declare, announce; to command, order, charge; is used esp. of the order of a military commander to his troops.  The verb is an imperfect tense, continuous action in the past.

:29 unclean – akathartos – not cleansed, unclean; in a ceremonial sense: that which must be abstained from according to the levitical law; in a moral sense: unclean in thought and life

:29 often – polus – many, much, large

:29 seized – sunarpazo – to seize by force; to catch or lay hold of (one so that he is no longer his own master); to seize by force and carry away

:29 bound – desmeo – to bind, tie

:29 chains – halusis – a chain, bond by which the body or any part of it (hands, feet) is bound

:29 shackles – pede – a fetter, shackle for the feet

:29 guard – phulasso – to guard; to watch, keep watch

“bound with chains and fetters he was guarded”.  Apparently someone in the city felt it necessary to have this guy chained up for the good of everyone.

:29 broke – diarrhesso – to break asunder, burst through, rend asunder; to rend, which was done by the Jews to their clothes in cases of extreme indignation or in deep grief

:29 bonds – desmon – a band or bond

:29 was driven – elauno – to drive; of the wind driving ships or clouds; of sailors propelling a vessel by oars, to row; to be carried in a ship, to sail; of demons driving to some place the men whom they possess

:29 wilderness – eremos – solitary, lonely, desolate, uninhabited; a desert, wilderness; deserted places, lonely regions

:29 bound with chains and shackles

Someone in the city had determined it was necessary to have this guy chained up for the safety of everyone.

But he had super human strength and was stronger than the shackles they put on him.

The demon drove him into the wilderness, causing him to run around naked, and living in a very, very dark place, surrounded by death.

Lesson

Living in the dark

There are many things that cause us to live in dark places.
Demons
This man was being driven by multiple demonic spirits.
Shame
Definition:  The intensely painful feeling that we are unworthy of love and belonging.
It can occur after some sort of painful incident.
It can come from the kinds of things we say to ourselves throughout our lives.
It’s something that thrives in dark places and drives us to dark places.
Shame cannot survive when the light is turned on and love and acceptance is found.
Pain
Mark also records,

(Mark 5:5 NKJV) And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

There is a hidden problem in our society that affects quite a few people, mostly teens.  It happens when people are trying to cope with the pain of strong emotions, intense pressure, or upsetting relationship problems.  The person feels that the situation is too difficult to bear and they begin to harm themselves.  It’s a way to feel something other than the pain that’s going on in the inside.
Video:  Why Do People Cut Themselves?
Addiction
Addictions are a part of the cycle of pain and shame.
Addictions arise from the unhealthy ways we deal with our pain and our shame.

I try to make the pain feel better with my addiction, but in the end I only feel more shame and pain.

It might be addiction to alcohol, drugs, or sex.
Mental Illness
Mental illness is not an easy subject to discuss in thirty seconds.
For some, there seems to be a real physical, medical cause for their mental illness that might not be resolved without medication.
For others, there is a cycle of unhealthy thoughts that lead a person down dark paths and living in the tombs.
There are many living on the streets that struggle with these kinds of things.

What do you do if you are living in the tombs, living in a dark place?

:30 Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.

:30 asked – eperotao – to accost one with an enquiry, put a question to, enquiry of, ask, interrogate; to address one with a request or demand; to ask of or demand of one

:30 Legion – legeon – the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army.

In the time of Augustus, a legion consisted of 6826 men

(i.e. 6100 foot soldiers, and 726 horsemen)

:30 demons – daimonion – the divine power, deity, divinity; a spirit, a being inferior to God, superior to men; evil spirits or the messengers and ministers of the devil

:30 many – polus – many, much, large

:30 entered him – eiserchomai – to go out or come in: to enter; of men or animals, as into a house or a city; of Satan taking possession of the body of a person; of things: as food, that enters into the eater’s mouth

:31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.

:31 begged – parakaleo – to call to one’s side, call for, summon; to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.; to admonish, exhort; to beg, entreat, beseech

:31 command – epitasso – to enjoin upon, order, command, charge

The demons know that when Jesus gives a command, they have to obey.

:31 to go out – aperchomai – to go away, depart

:31 to go out into the abyss

The “abyss” or “bottomless pit” is thought to be a place where demons are imprisoned.

You can read about it in Revelation 9, 20.

:31 the abyss – abussos (“not” + “bottom”) – bottomless; unbounded; the abyss; the pit; the immeasurable depth; a very deep gulf or chasm in the lowest parts of the earth

The Abyss – here’s what we know:

There are locust like demons currently being held there who will be released during the Tribulation to torment mankind. (Rev. 9:1-11)
(Revelation 9:1–3 NKJV) —1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. 3 Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

These demons are the creepiest things ever described in the Bible.

In a sense, the antichrist comes from this place. 
Perhaps he is possessed by a demon from the abyss. (Rev. 11:7; 17:8)

(Revelation 11:7 NKJV) When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them.

Satan will be temporarily imprisoned in the abyss during the Millennium, when Christ rules for a thousand years on earth.
(Revelation 20:1–3 NKJV) —1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
Is this a real, physical place located in the center of the earth?  Maybe.  It might be in a different dimension, in the realm of the spirit.

:31 they begged Him

Demons are afraid of Jesus

:32 Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them.

:32 swine – choiros – a swine; pig

:32 many – hikanos – sufficient; many enough, enough; sufficient in ability, i.e. meet, fit

:32 feeding – bosko – to feed

:32 begged – parakaleo – to call to one’s side, call for, summon; to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.; to admonish, exhort; to beg, entreat, beseech

:32 permit – epitrepo – to turn to, transfer, commit, instruct; to permit, allow, give leave

:32 a herd of many swine

Mark records that there were 2,000 pigs in the herd (Mark 5:13).

(Mark 5:13 NKJV) And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

Swine – pork is the “other” white meat for the “other” people who live on the “other” side of the lake.

Pork is considered an “unclean” food. (Lev. 11:7-8)

(Leviticus 11:7–8 NKJV) —7 and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. 8 Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you.
Jews are forbidden to eat pork.
It is ironic that these “unclean spirits” end up in “unclean” animals.

It may be that the people who owned the pigs were disobedient Jews, but since this is on the “other” side, it’s very likely that the herd was owned by Gentiles.

:32 permit them to enter them

Demons apparently prefer to inhabit a warm body.

(Luke 11:24–26 NKJV) —24 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

These demons see the herd of swine and ask to be allowed to inhabit them.

:33 Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.

:33 went … out – exerchomai – to go or come forth of; of those who are expelled or cast out

:33 ran violently – hormao – to set in rapid motion, stir up, incite, urge on; to start forward impetuously, to rush

:33 steep place – kremnos – a steep place, a precipice.  It sounds like they went over a cliff.

:33 drowned – apopnigo – to choke; to suffocate with water, drown

:33 the herd ran violently … and drowned

If the demons had gone into a flock of chickens, it might have resulted in “deviled eggs”, but instead it resulted in “deviled ham”.

Lesson

Self-destructive behavior

Demons seem to be bent on destroying the ones they inhabit.
We become like the fellow in the commercial who is in the middle of all sorts of bad behavior…

Video:  Mayhem – Large Espresso

Jesus cast a demon out of a boy who would at times throw himself into the fire or into the water.  (Mat. 17:14-18)
(Matthew 17:14–18 NKJV) —14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” 17 Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
Legion was cutting himself with stones (Mark 5:5)
(Mark 5:5 NKJV) And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He was told by Satan to throw himself from the top of the Temple. (Luke 4:9)
(Luke 4:9 NKJV) —9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.
Peter wrote,
(1 Peter 5:8 NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Satan wants to kill us.

Jesus said,
(John 10:10 NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

So who do you want to follow?  Satan or Jesus?

:33 the demons went out of the man

Lesson

Deliverance from demons

If the problem is with demons, the answer is simple –
Jesus’ authority
He has given us His authority over demons.

(Matthew 10:1 NKJV) And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out…

(“power” is exousia – “authority”)

Paul put this authority to practice in Philippi when he was being followed around by a demon possessed girl.

(Acts 16:18 NKJV) …But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.

Sometimes the battle requires extra prayer and fasting.  One time the disciples had trouble casting out a demon, and Jesus told them,

(Matthew 17:21 NKJV) However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Lesson

Deliverance from darkness

Sometimes it’s not the fallen-angel demons that are causing us to live among the tombs.
Sometimes it’s our sinful habits, our addictions that keep us stuck in darkness.
But again, the answer is still the same: Jesus.
For some, all they need is to know they need to cling to Jesus, and they find freedom from their addictions.
Some of us are a little thick headed and don’t know what to do once we’ve asked Jesus to be a part of our life.
Some of us need things spelled out.  S-P-E-L-L-E-D   O-U-T
We need some guidance as to what it means to walk with Jesus and be free from our darkness.
Twelve step programs are one of the ways it can be spelled out for us.
Please forgive me for oversimplifying the twelve steps, but it all boils down to something like this:

You need help

Jesus is the help you need

You don’t need “God as we understand Him”, whatever that means.

Video:  Esurance – Buster Posey

Sorta Jesus isn’t Jesus.

Ask God to help you

Confess your sins to God, yourself, and to another person

Make things right with others

It’s called making amends

Help others

Sometimes you don’t even have to speak to help others, but to just be there with them.

Video:  Mourning Booth

You will find that when you help others, you are also helping yourself.

My bigger point is that you can learn to deal with the things that are keeping you in a dark place.
You are not the first person to ever have to deal with the problems you are struggling with.
You’re not the last either.
You are not alone.
There is help.

What are the twelve steps?  Here’s an oversimplified version of the steps…

1.  Admit you need help
Admit you are powerless over sin and your life has become unmanageable
2. You need Jesus
Believe Jesus is the help you need
3. Give your life to Jesus
Turn your life and will over to Him
4. List your sins
Make an inventory of your sins
5. Confess your sins
Confess your sin to God, self, and another person
Sometimes that other person ought to be a counselor or doctor.  Some mental illness needs professional help.  Seeking professional help doesn’t mean you aren’t trusting Jesus.
6. Get ready
Be ready to have God remove your sinful habits
7. Ask Jesus to help
Humbly ask God to remove your sinful habits
8. List those you’ve offended
Make a list of those you’ve harmed
9.  Make things right
Make amends to those you’ve harmed
10. Keep up to date
Keep your sin inventory of up to date and deal with it each time you sin.
11. Keep growing
Grow in your relationship with God
12. Help others
Learn to help others

The following are the original twelve steps as published by Alcoholics Anonymous:[10]

3.Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

6.Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

8.Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

11.Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

:34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.

:34 fled – pheugo – to flee away, seek safety by flight; metaph. to flee (to shun or avoid by flight) something abhorrent, esp. vices; to be saved by flight, to escape safely out of danger; poetically, to flee away, vanish

:34 went – aperchomai – to go away, depart

:34 told – apaggello – to bring tidings (from a person or a thing), bring word, report; to proclaim, to make known openly, declare

:34 country – agros – land; the field, the country; a piece of land, bit of tillage; the farms, country seats, neighbouring hamlets

They told it in the city and out in the fields.

:34 they fled

It might be that the pig-herders were terrified at Jesus’ display of power, but it’s more likely they were simply afraid for their jobs since they lost the entire herd of 2,000 pigs.

:35 Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

:35 they went out – exerchomai – to go or come forth of; of those who are expelled or cast out

:35 sitting – kathemai – to sit down, seat one’s self; to sit, be seated, of a place occupied

:35 were departed – exerchomai – to go or come forth of; of those who are expelled or cast out.  The verb is a “pluperfect”, past-past tense.  The situation with the demons is all over.

:35 clothed – himatizo – to clothe

:35 they were afraid – phobeo – to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away); to fear, be afraid; to be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm; of those startled by strange sights or occurrences

:35 clothed and in his right mind

When word reaches the city of what has happened, the people come out to see for themselves.

They find the wild man of Gadara sitting at the feet of Jesus, wearing clothes, and completely sane.

Lesson

Jesus brings sanity

Albert Einstein once said,
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

That’s what an addict does, the same thing over and over again without ever changing.

Jesus brings “sanity”.  He gives you the power to see a different result.
right mind – sophroneo – to be of sound mind; to be in one’s right mind; to exercise self-control
It’s a word often translated “sober” or “sober-minded”.  I’ve learned to call it “sane”.
Paul wrote to Titus,
(Titus 2:6 NKJV) Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,

In other words, sanity can be “taught” or “encouraged”.

Paul tells Titus that God’s grace is …
(Titus 2:12 NKJV) teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

Sanity involves denying ungodly and worldly lusts. 

If you don’t deny those lusts, could it be that they will drive you insane?  I think it possible.  Just ask an addict.

Knowing that Jesus is coming soon also teaches us to be “sane” –
(1 Peter 4:7 NKJV) But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

“Serious” is literally “sober-minded” or “sane”.

I think if you look at the news of what’s going on in the world today, you can make a pretty good case that it looks like Jesus will be coming back soon.
A year ago last January (Jan. 26, 2014) we were studying Joel 2:28-32, and looked into this “blood moon tetrad” phenomena.  If you want more information on this, look up our study online.
Let me just say this … God uses things like lunar eclipses to get the attention of the world.

Tonight around 7pm will be the fourth and final total lunar eclipse of the “tetrad”, and in addition it is a “super moon” tonight as well, meaning it’s going to be extra large because the moon is closer than usual.

“Blood moon” is another name for a lunar eclipse, when the moon passes into the earth’s shadow and turns a shade of red as a result.

A “tetrad” is when four lunar eclipses in a row are all total lunar eclipses.  This is an extremely rare phenomenon that has only occurred 142 times over the last 5,000 years.  The last time it happened was in 1967, two months before the Six Day War.

It has been suggested that significant occurrences like these are “signs” to the world to pay attention to God.  Especially when the lunar eclipses fall on major Jewish holidays.

We are about to see the end of one of these tetrads, which started on April 15, 2014 (Passover), and ends tonight (Sept. 28, 2015) when Tabernacles begins.

And just in case the world wasn’t paying attention, God made this last lunar eclipse to be a “Super Moon” eclipse, meaning the moon is at it’s closest in its orbit and will appear 14% larger than normal.

It starts around 7:00pm tonight (our time).

Am I saying something is going to happen tonight?  No I am not.  I think these things are meant to be a warning for the world, but when God causes something to happen or not happen is up to Him.
The big question is, are you ready?  Are you “sane”?

:36 They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.

:36 healed – sozo – to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction

The crowd heard that it wasn’t a freak accident. 

The witnesses told that they had seen Jesus cast the demons out of Legion and then watch as the pigs went wild.

:37 Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.

:37 asked – erotao – to question; to ask; to request, entreat, beg, beseech

:37 whole – hapas – quite, all, the whole, all together, all

:37 multitude – plethos – a multitude; a great number, of men or things; the whole number, the whole multitude, the assemblage; the multitude of the people

:37 to depart – aperchomai – to go away, depart

:37 fear – phobos – fear, dread, terror

:37 great – megas – great

:37 were seized with – sunecho – to hold together; to hold together with constraint, to compress; to press on every side; to hold completely; to be held with, afflicted with, suffering from

:37 returned – hupostrepho – to turn back; to turn about; to return

:37 asked Him to depart

They were more concerned about their economic welfare than the sanity of one man.

:38 Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,

:38 begged – deomai – to want, lack; to desire, long for; to ask, beg; the thing asked for; to pray, make supplications

:38 sent him away – apoluo – to set free; to let go, dismiss, (to detain no longer); a petitioner to whom liberty to depart is given by a decisive answer; to let go free, release; to release a debtor, i.e. not to press one’s claim against him, to remit his debt

: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.

:39 return – hupostrepho – to turn back; to turn about; to return

Jesus was returning home, now this man needed to return home too.

:39 house – oikos – a house; an inhabited house, home; the people of a house, all the persons forming one family, a household

:39 proclaimed – kerusso – to be a herald, to officiate as a herald; always with the suggestion of formality, gravity and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed; to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done

:39 Return to your own house

Jesus is releasing this man from feeling obligated to follow Him on His trip back to Capernaum.

Jesus sends him home.

Note:  The opposite happens in a cult.  A cult will often try to separate you from your own family, since they are the people who know you best.
Jesus, on the other hand, will often send you right back home, to show the people who know you best that Jesus has really made a difference in you.

:39 what great things God has done for you

tell – diegeomai – to lead or carry a narration through to the end; relate in full, describe

The old King James says, “show how great things God hath done unto thee”
His family wasn’t just supposed to read the tracts he brought home, or listen to him quoting Bible verses.
They were to take a close look at what had actually happened, that his life had been changed.

what great things – hosos – as great as, as far as, how much

The emphasis here is not on the word “GREAT”. 
Don’t think that you don’t have anything to share because you don’t have something “great” to tell. 
Just tell them what God has done.

Lesson

Help others

When we’ve learned a thing or two in life, we need to learn to pass it on to others …
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The folks in AA get it.  Step twelve in the Alcoholics Anonymous program says
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs
Jesus was sending this guy back to his family.
That’s where people are going to see if it’s really real or not.
It’s so that others that need help will know where to find it.
You don’t have to have “great things” to tell others, just Jesus. 
If Jesus has done anything for you, you have something to say.