Today, I realized a connection between Luke 8:16–18 and Luke 8:26–39 that I have never noticed before. I’ve copied the passages out of timeline order to help explain the connection. The first passage is about Jesus casting demons out of a man who had been plagued for years. The second passage contains Jesus’ analogy of revelation light as a lamp.
Luke 8:26–39 TPT
“26–29 As soon as they stepped ashore on the eastern side of the lake in the land of the Gerasenes, the disciples were confronted by a demon-possessed madman from a nearby town. Many times he had been put under guard and bound with chains, but repeatedly the many demons inside him had thrown him into convulsions, breaking his shackles and driving him out of the town into the countryside. He had been demonized for a long time and was living naked in a cemetery among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet and screamed out, “What are you doing here? You are Jesus, the Son of the Most High God!”
Jesus commanded the demons to come out of him, and they shouted, “We beg you, don’t torture us!”
30 Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?”
“Mob,” the demons answered. “We are a mob, for there are many of us here in this man. 31 We beg you, don’t banish us to the bottomless pit of the Abyss!”
32 On the hillside nearby, there was a large herd of pigs, and the demons pled with Jesus, “Let us enter into the pigs.” 33 So Jesus ordered all the “mob” of demons to come out of the man and enter the pigs. The crazed herd of swine stampeded over the cliff into the lake and all of them drowned.
34 When the herders tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off in fear and reported it to the nearby town and throughout the countryside. 35 Then the people of the region came out to see for themselves what had happened. When they came to where Jesus was, they discovered the notorious madman totally set free. He was clothed, speaking intelligently, and sitting at the feet of Jesus. They were shocked! 36 Then eyewitnesses to the miracle reported all that they had seen and how the demonized man was completely delivered from his torment.
After hearing about such amazing power, the townspeople became frightened. 37 Soon all the people of the region of the Gerasenes and the surrounding country begged Jesus to leave them, for they were gripped with fear. So Jesus got into the boat, intending to return to Galilee. 38 But the man who had been set free begged Jesus over and over not to leave, saying, “Let me be with you!”
Jesus sent him away with these instructions: 39 “Return to your home and your family, and tell them all the wonderful things God has done for you.” So the man went away and preached to everyone who would listen about the amazing miracle Jesus had worked in his life.
Luke 8:16–18
Verse 16: “No one lights a lamp and then hides it, covering it over or putting it where its light won’t be seen. No, the lamp is placed on a lamp stand so others are able to benefit from its brightness.”
Verse 17: “Because this revelation lamp now shines within you, nothing will be hidden from you — it will all be revealed. Every secret of the kingdom will be unveiled and out in the open, made known by the revelation-light.”
Verse 18: “So pay careful attention to your hearts as you hear my teaching, for to those who have open hearts, even more revelation will be given to them until it overflows.”
When Jesus Isn’t Welcomed, Revelation Light Does The Work
Imagine the scene when Jesus showed up on the beach of this lake and a crazed, naked man confronted him. The people at the lake were working or vacationing while commenting about how the craziness of this man, and hoping he would not come near. Maybe they even feared having an uncomfortable, even disgusting, encounter with him until he returned to his cemetery home. While all of this was not enjoyable, I’m sure, it was part of the norm — this man showing up at the beach was not the surprise in the story.
In the middle of the normal chaos, a seemingly normal looking guy responds to the man’s confrontation, when demons leave the man and enter into the pigs grazing nearby. If that wasn’t crazy enough, the pigs run headfirst into the lake and drown. Those at the lake drop everything to run and to tell others what they’d witnessed. When they returned, the same man they once knew as a wild outcast was sitting and talking intelligently with Jesus.
It wasn’t the man who raged with demons for years and years that caused the greatest fear in this story — it was the authority and power of Jesus when it gave freedom to the man. The people were so terrified that they begged Jesus to leave, and he did. Think about this! Someone came to their town, set a man free who once caused destruction, fear, and chaos, and they ask the guy with the power to change their lives to leave! It’s easy to criticize these townspeople for their misplaced fear, but when I take a minute to think about it, I’ve done the same. Even though I’ve known situations were chaotic, I have been more comfortable sitting in the mess than receiving Jesus’ love in accepting change and the unknown.
I think the next part of the story is beautiful and clever. They kick Jesus out of town, and he graciously leaves. Then instead of letting the changed man join Jesus and the disciples, Jesus asks him to stay and to tell his family and friends what God has done for him. Despite Jesus leaving, his truth and love didn’t; it was carried on by one who had received revelation light.
Where Jesus was not welcome, the revelation light continued his work.
The Connection
Today in reading this passage, I remembered a visual I had as a teenager. When ministers would preach about being unashamed and sharing the Gospel, I would picture someone standing up in the lunchroom yelling/preaching and students rolling their eyes and maybe throwing PB&Js at her. Ha! Needless to say, I never preached in the lunchroom. But then, I would feel so guilty that I was not willing to go through that torture for the Gospel.
Reading this passage today, I was able to release this horrid visual of preaching the Gospel and replace it with the one Jesus describes in these verses. “[T]he lamp is placed on a lamp stand so others are able to benefit from its brightness.” There is nothing forced or obnoxious about this lamp. It is simply lit and provides light for others as they are going about their lives.
Then I love the next two verses: “Because this revelation lamp now shines within you, nothing will be hidden from you — it will all be revealed. Every secret of the kingdom will be unveiled and out in the open…So pay careful attention to your hearts as you hear my teaching, for to those who have open hearts, even more revelation will be given to them until it overflows.”
Obviously, when we’ve been given a gift of revelation and freedom, like the man in the story, we don’t want to hide it. Believe me, in areas of freedom in my own life, I have to tell people afterwards. Every time I’ve shared my story, it was organic, natural, and brought encouragement. There was no forceful “turn or burn” or lunchroom yelling or preaching. I believe this process of receiving revelation light, or freedom, sharing with others, and then receiving more revelation, et cetera keeps going and going which results in an overflowing of the light — not just in my life but in the lives of those who also receive the revelation light from the overflowing light of another.
This process leads to an exciting adventure as part of the journey in walking with Jesus.
