We read about Jesus to learn about God’s love for us. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus’ mission statement is borrowed from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. It is quoted in Luke 4:18-19, and it says this:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
 He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
 to set the oppressed free,
 19     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And, sure enough, that is what he does. He preaches and teachers about how the kingdom of God has come near. He blesses the poor, treats them with dignity, gives them food to eat and living water. He gives sight to the blind and raises the dead. His own eventual death and resurrection is understood as his ultimate victory over sin and death: “for us, and for our salvation.” We read about Jesus to learn about God’s love for us.

Please open your Bible to Luke 8, verse 26, and we will read about a man possessed by fallen spirits, and how Jesus sets him free. We’ll take a closer look at the story, and how it applies to our life today. And I’ll leave you with four takeaways. I was thinking about calling this sermon “The Bay of Pigs,” but instead I’ll call it: “Set Free, Part One.” This story has Jesus and his disciples in a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. They just survived a midnight squall and were apparently out on the water all night.

Luke 8:26-39

 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 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. 28 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!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure 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.

30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 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.