One of Jesus’ most memorable miracles has to be the healing of the demon-oppressed man from the region of the Gerasenes. Luke tells us the dramatic story in Luke 8:26-39. Coming right on the heels of another miracle (calming the sea), this healing of a man with a demon took place on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. There Jesus encountered a man who for a long time had had many demons. The terrible effects of the demons were evident in this poor man’s life: he did not wear clothes and lived among tombs; when others tried to restrain him with chains and shackles he would break his bonds and escape into the desert again (Luke 8:27, 29).

Jesus commanded the demons to leave this man, and at their request, granted them permission to enter a nearby herd of pigs. The demons destroyed the pigs by drowning them in water, and the story of this naturally spread like wildfire in the nearby town. “Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid” (Luke 8:35). Fearful as they were and not knowing what to do with Jesus, the people of the region asked him to leave. Jesus complied and began to leave by boat, and the healed man begged to be allowed to go with Jesus. He understandably wanted to stay with Jesus who had done so much to heal and restore him. But “…Jesus sent him away, saying ‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him” (Luke 8:38-39).

We rightly cross ocean and continent to win souls to Christ, but may we never do so to the neglect of those closest to us: our immediate and extended family, our neighbors, our coworkers. At times it can certainly be awkward and uncomfortable to talk to our family and closest associates about spiritual things, but Jesus says the same words to us that he said to that man so long ago: “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” You don’t have to have specialized training to share your faith. You just have to look for and take opportunities to tell people how much God has done for you. This man who was healed didn’t get to travel with Jesus, but he did become a part of Jesus’ very mission. By telling others how much Jesus did for him, he was spreading the good news about Jesus and pointing people to their Savior. Now it is our turn to participate in Jesus’ mission and to point people to their Savior by going home to our family and friends and telling them how much God has done for us.