Jesus Denied Me

Each time I heard the Gospel account of the rich young man I cringed.

He pleads with Jesus, “What must I do to gain eternal life?”
Jesus responds, “Go sell all your possessions. Give the money to the poor. Then come and follow me.”

To follow Jesus presupposes that I sell my possessions?
To renounce house, money, furniture would sabotage my wife and children, damaging, if not destroying their lives.

I was vexed by the notion that I like the rich young man chose the world over Jesus.
Years transpired before a divine inspiration brought relief.

I recall reflecting on the scriptural account wherein Jesus delivers a man possessed by Legion —
many demons.

This liberated man begs Jesus that he may follow Him. But…

“[Jesus] admitted him not, and said to him, ‘Go to thy house and to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had mercy on thee.’”

This man

“began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him, and all wondered.”

This is one of the rare occasions wherein:

Jesus would not allow someone to follow Him.
Jesus commanded a person He healed to tell others about the miracle.

Almost always, Jesus sternly commanded that the person He healed not tell anyone of the miracle.

Jesus leaves Gennesaret and returns to Jewish territory.
Sometime later, Jesus and His disciples return to this Greek region.

Here, Jesus miraculously multiplies seven loaves to feed approximately 4000 men.

Why did these Greeks, who knew nothing of a Messiah, come out to listen to Jesus?
Because the man, who Jesus delivered from Legion, returned to his home to proclaim God’s mercy.

His example changed not only his family, but the Greek citizens of the Decapolis.

This man is me.

Jesus has delivered me from my demons.
I desperately wanted to be one of Jesus’ disciples.

He denied me.

Instead, He commissioned me to return home to my family.
To tell them all God had done for me.

Now others are heeding the message and returning home to bring Jesus to their families.

The family, and our fatherhood, is the epicenter of the Kingdom of God.