I didn't have time to do much reflection or study this week, but there is something that has caught my attention every time I've read through these passages.
In Luke 9:49, we read:
"Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."
This was a rare person, who early in Jesus' ministry, saw the truth of Jesus' divine identity and purpose of coming to live among men and through his faith in Jesus had the power of casting out demons.
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The second thing was the demoniac in Gadarenes. We've previously read where Jesus healed people and told them not to tell anyone. Many times the people spread the word of their healing by Jesus. In effect this somewhat hindered Jesus' ministry because people then began to throng to him. This time, the man was told to go proclaim his release from the demon possession. Why? The people had already told Jesus to leave their land out of fear. They feared Jesus for casting out the demons more than they feared the man who had been possessed by the demons.
Just as that man had been sent out to witness of God's salvation in Jesus' 'absence', so we too are commanded to spread His gospel.
Anyway, those are just two of the people I want to meet when I get to heaven, and we don't even know their names.
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