Three Petitions

In the incident of the converted and delivered demoniac (see Luke 8: 26-39) three petitions were presented to the Lord, two of which were granted, and the third refused.

   The first is found in vs. 28-33, where the man himself cried out, “I beseech thee torment me not” (v28), the demons themselves besought the Lord “that he would not command them to go away into the bottomless pit” (v31) and, finally, as “there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain … they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into those” (v32). This petition was granted, but what a difference in the results! The demons destroyed the swine (see v33); the Lord’s work produced a man “clothed and sensible” (v35) as His feet.

   The second petition is found in vs. 34-37. With the swine destroyed, their keepers then fled and reported what had taken place. As a result, the Gadarenes “went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting, clothed and sensible, at the feet of Jesus.” (v35). What effect did this have on them? “They were afraid” (v35) and “asked him to depart from them, for they were possessed with great fear” (v37). To this petition the Lord assented for He “entering into the ship, returned” (v37) to Galilee.

   The third petition is contained in vs. 38, 39. The delivered man was happy in the Lord’s presence and wished to accompany his deliverer: “But the man out of whom the demons had gone out besought him that he might be with him” (v38). Two petitions were granted—to demons, and to the unbelieving. The third petition was refused: the Lord “sent him away, saying, Return to thine house and relate how great things God has done for thee” (v39). What a lesson is contained for us here! No doubt the man was disappointed to not accompany the Lord, but he is obedient to the Master’s will and (as Mark records it), “he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him; and all wondered” (Mark 5: 20). The people wanted the Lord out of their presence, but He left behind an obedient worker—and we can only wonder if this lay behind the welcome reception the Lord received when he visited the Decapolis in Mark 7: 31-37. His ways are not our ways.