Luke 8:26-29

Luke 8:26-29 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

After the storm's power was broken, Jesus steps ashore and immediately a man possessed with demons confronts him. Jesus had just quelled a maelstrom in nature; now He is faced with a maelstrom in a man's life. “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” But Jesus did not come to aggravate the situation, He came to calm the storm. Jesus is the conveyor of peace, not of tumult.

We also should be conveyors of peace not of tumult. When we see ourselves contributing to a stormy situation, we should reevaluate our actions. When Jesus stepped ashore, He met turmoil; however, He did not add to it. He calmed the scene, even to the point that He allowed the demons to go into a herd of pigs rather than into the abyss. Jesus came to calm the situation, not to make it worse. How many times do we Christians make things worse, bring conflict rather than peace? Sometimes, I see Christians stirring up the waters rather than acting as a calming influence. I see Christians expressing hatred towards those who oppose them rather than expressing love and kindness towards them. I see Christians functioning as lions rather than lambs, being protestors rather than peacemakers. I see Christians ruling as dictators rather than taking a servant role.

The Bible calls us the "peculiar people," those who bring "good news," not those who bring news of conflict. We are the light of the world, those who reflect Jesus Christ, the one who calms the storm and brings peace to the demon possessed. Do we do that or are we like humans from the beginning of time who try to prove their own lordship by attacking other people? Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” (Genesis 4:9) We need to answer this question, "Where is your brother?" Should we kill him, should we hate him, should we destroy him? Jesus said the barbarian loves those who love him, but He asked us to love our enemies. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. (Luke 6:32)

As Christians we step ashore, facing difficult situations. What are we to do? Should we retaliate or do we bring peace and deliverance? Obstacles challenge all of us, for evil must be confronted. But we must confront tumult with peace, with the Master's voice. When we find ourselves angry and red faced, we should step back, asking ourselves, Is this Christ's voice or is it mine? Am I expressing God's concern or my own? Is hatred filling my heart or does love for the antagonist occupy my soul? Am I escalating the turmoil or bringing peace to the scene? As Christians, we are called as servants to the world, called to bring peace to the unlovely. The world naturally fears the storm and pushes the demoniac into solitary places. But Jesus calms the storm and delivers the oppressed from their demons. The power of God transforms any situation, not our intellect, not our rationality, not our good intentions. Therefore, we step ashore, praying, "Jesus, calm the storm and deliver people from their oppressions."