You Can Go Home Again

And Declare How Much God Has Done For You

Jun 25, 2025

Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. -- Luke 8:26-39

“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” What must that homecoming have been like? How long had he been gone, living naked among the tombs? Now that he’s healed, he’s ready to hit the road with Jesus. But Jesus has a different plan in mind.

I find it interesting to see who Jesus grants a platform to witness about God’s grace and forgiveness. I’d likely pick people who were less encumbered by personal baggage. But Jesus seems to gravitate to the folks dragging the biggest suitcases. A friend recently sent me a sermon by Pastor Robert Madu. His key point was, “You don’t get to choose who God will use, because God will use whoever he wants.” That’s the truth.

Take the Samaritan woman at the well. She had a checkered past – and present. Yet her encounter with Jesus led other Samaritans to seek him out. As a result, others believed not just because of her story but because they experienced Jesus themselves.

Jesus’ encounter with Zaccheus, a tax collector, shows no one is beyond his reach: “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:9-10) The crowd disapproved. How could Jesus associate with a “sinner.”

Sometimes others will try to define you – to yoke you to their character sketch so that they can minimize you. They did this to Jesus when he went back home to Nazareth. Even though the people were astonished at his teaching, they took offense at him. “Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” (Matthew 13:55-56).

I encourage you to remember that the only yoke you should wear is the one Jesus lays upon you – and His is a yoke of grace, not shame. You are the redeemed and sanctified sons and daughters of the King. Please don’t forget that.

The title of Thomas Wolfe’s book “You Can’t Go Home Again” has become a common expression meaning that if you return to a place of your past, it won’t be the same as when you left it. You likely aren’t the same either. I wonder how the formerly demon-possessed man found his home upon his return? And how did his encounter with Jesus impact those who lived there? We who encounter Jesus through prayer, scripture and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit have an opportunity to impact those within our spheres of influence, our homes. In spite of our shortcomings and sin, God can use us.

Robin Domeier

Discussion about this post