March 9, 2025 - Luke 8:35 - True Deliverance

Luke 8:35

"Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid."

This passage of Scripture stands as a testimony of God's work in the life of a sinner who was truly delivered by the LORD Jesus Christ. But what is true deliverance? Today, many speak of being delivered from poverty, sickness, or life's challenges. The message often is: "Whatever your struggles, just come believing, and you will be delivered." This message promises temporal relief, but how many realize that our greatest need is not physical, mental, or material, but spiritual? (Isaiah 1:2-9).

The problem in this passage is possession by Satan, a condition all of fallen humanity faces until or unless God reveals Christ in them. When Christ is revealed, a sinner sees their lost state, cries out for mercy, and acknowledges their desperate need for salvation. In this narrative, Christ does not wait for the sinner to come to Him; He seeks the sinner out. The demoniac was desperate, bound by evil, unable to free himself, and could not be tamed by anyone around him. But when the LORD Jesus passed by, He delivered the man. By the end of the passage, we find the demoniac “sitting fully clothed and in his right mind” (Luke 8:35). This is the deliverance of Christ.

First, we see the man sitting. This is a picture of rest. Matthew 1:21 tells us that the LORD Jesus came to "save His people from their sins." Before Christ met him, the man was tormented and restless, living in bondage. But after Christ's intervention, he rests. This resting symbolizes the peace and rest found in Christ's salvation. The sinner, drawn by the Spirit, comes to the LORD Jesus, sits at His feet, and rests in His grace. True submission to Christ is not a negotiation but a surrender, saying, "If I perish, I will perish here at Your feet." Christ’s work is complete—He lived in obedience to the Father, died sacrificially, and paid the sin debt, giving rest to all that He draws to Him by His Spirit of Grace.

Second, the man is fully clothed. This is a picture of righteousness. Before, he was naked, symbolizing his sin and inability to stand before God. But when Christ finished His work, the man was clothed. This righteousness is not our own; it is given by Christ. Outside of Christ, we have no righteousness. But through His life, death, and resurrection, Christ’s perfect righteousness is imputed to us. Here was a demoniac for whom the LORD would lay down His life.

As Paul writes in Philippians 3:9, “Not having mine own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.” The man’s clothing symbolizes the robe of righteousness that all believers received from God in Christ at the cross. As Isaiah 61:10 says, “He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

Third, the man was in his right mind. This shows the renewing work of Christ. When the prodigal son “came to himself,” it was the Spirit working in him to bring him back to the father (Luke 15:17). Likewise, the demoniac was made sensible of his sin and desperate need where no man could restrain him or change him (Mark 5:4). When he cried out to Jesus, it was the LORD Jesus drawing him and causing him to see that this was the Christ who had the power to either save or destroy him. He ran to the LORD Jesus and bowed and worshipped Him,  "But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit" (Mark 5:6-8).

A renewed mind by the Spirit of God will always acknowledge Christ's authority and the necessity of repentance. The man’s restoration was a spiritual awakening. He recognized his lost state and his need for Christ. Titus 3:5-6 explains, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” This renewal is the work of Christ, bringing the sinner to Christ in repentance because of the salvation that He came to accomplish on behalf of His people.

True deliverance is spiritual—being saved from sin, clothed in righteousness, and given a renewed mind through Christ. It is Christ’s work, not ours, and it results in rest, righteousness, and renewal (the 3 R's of salvation). The demoniac’s deliverance is a picture of what Christ does for all that He came to save, and that He draws to Himself in repentance and faith. The LORD Jesus said, ""All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).