You now understand that through Jesus' death and resurrection all the sins you ever did are eternally forgiven; not only forgiven, but forgiven by God, whom we all have offended and sinned against. Amazingly our sins are forgiven but also our guilt. In American culture we are very good at second chances, forgiving people, however we always want the offender to readily know that what he did was wrong and that every knows this about the individual; God is not like us in that regard. How wonderful! How mind blowing and illogically delightful! God does NOT say, 'I forgive you but I still remember what you did.' The Bible says that God purposefully and intentionally FORGETS our sins once we have come to him for forgiveness. As one song states clearly, 'No guilt in life, no fear in death.' We have no need as the minister in the book The Scarlet Letter thinks to literally or emotionally or mentally beat ourselves for our sins that have been brought to Jesus. No more guilt! Rarely is it the actual crime that leads people to a suicidal state, rather the guilt of the crime and this God, in his great kindness towards us, says is gone too.
There was a man possessed by demons. It was not some illness or mental dysfunction but actual, real demons which were making the man something unhuman, undignified. First he was in the city he grew up in and the people, due to his state, chained him up for fear of what he might inflict on others; he broke out of these chains and fled to caves, fled to a place where he was alone. In this solitude he discarded his clothing and cut himself: he was tormented by the demons. People, no doubt, could hear his screams of torment at night, people who he was childhood friends with, his own parents.
Jesus came to this man and set him free from the demons, the evil spirits which tormented him. The man who was minutes ago in torment was instantly freed from those who brought him the pain and suffering, the solitude and scorn. The man immediately wanted to follow Jesus, be where this powerful man was, to walk with him, to learn from him; this was not uncommon, for Jesus had the Twelve whom he especially taught but there was almost always a large crowd of others learning from Jesus as well. Oddly though Jesus tells him no: 'Jesus did not permit him but said, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."'
What is Jesus doing?! Clearly this man wants more, he wants to be taught, he was to be trained, he wants to be discipled? Is this one of Jesus' rare ministry mistakes? How could Jesus be so cruel; didn't he know that this man might have a hard time coming back to society? The people of the city, it is said in the passage, were freaked out by what transpired. I thought Jesus was compassionate, let alone wise!
In our eager and earnest desire to do we often forget to live. When one comes to God for forgiveness, for healing that person is free from guilt and shame. Jesus conveys the idea that for many, we have already experienced the living and one true God, now go and live the life you were made to live. Go back to your job as a forgiven person; go back to your friends as a healed individual; go back to your old shoes with new feet. The heart of the Gospel is and has never been some gnostic journey or a search for experiences. The Gospel is forgiveness which Jesus says is freedom. You can live now because you are forgiven. You can love now because YOU are loved.
Sometimes it is easier to go evangelize or read your bible or go to Church or seminary or whatever thing it is you feel you should be doing than it is to live and live simply the way God wired your redeemed soul to do. Let's not make the Gospel less by trying to make it about doing more.
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