The Gadarene (4) - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2025

[The Gadarene] was not living in a house, but in the tombs.

They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind.
Luke 8:27; Mark 5:15

The Gadarene (4)
The Gadarene demoniac "was not living in a house," but in complete restlessness he was running around and living in tombs. One feature of the unregenerate man is his inward and sometimes outward restlessness. In this world, real rest cannot be found. But when this man met the Lord Jesus, things in his life changed completely. The first thing that people noticed was that he was sitting, being at rest. The people went out and "found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus" (Lk. 8:35). At the feet of Jesus is the only place where we can find true peace and rest of soul.

The second thing people noticed about the man was that he was clothed. This was true in the literal sense. If a person gets to know the Lord Jesus, certain things in our way of life and even our outward appearance will probably have to change. Perhaps our wardrobe will be cleansed and look different after we find the Lord Jesus. But it is also true in a spiritual sense. He was clothed with "the garments of salvation." He could say with the words of Isaiah, "He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10). That is something that is the consequence of the rest found at the feet of Jesus: the assurance of salvation and all the blessings that relate to it.

A third thing that could be noticed was that he was "in his right mind" ("sensible" jnd). Before he had acted quite irrationally in many ways, but now he was in his right mind. Wonderful grace of God!

Michael Vogelsang