The man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But He sent him away, saying,
Parallel translations
- WEB But the man from whom the demons had gone out begged him that he might go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,
- KJV Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,
- NKJV Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,
- NASB But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but Jesus sent him away, saying,
- NLT The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The freed man begs to go with Jesus, but Jesus sends him home instead. Christ gives him a different calling.
Overview
Out of gratitude and devotion, the delivered man wants to accompany Jesus, but Jesus has another purpose for him. His request reflects genuine love for his deliverer. Jesus redirects that love into mission among the man's own people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 22
- Acts 9:13–16But Ananias answered, “Lord, many people have told me about this man and all the harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.
- Mark 5:18–20As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by the demons begged to go with Him.
- Ps 145:3–12Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable.
- Deut 10:20–21You are to fear the LORD your God and serve Him. Hold fast to Him and take your oaths in His name.
- Isa 63:7–13I will make known the LORD’s loving devotion and His praiseworthy acts, because of all that the LORD has done for us—the many good things for the house of Israel according to His great compassion and loving devotion.
- Luke 8:28When the man saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him, shouting in a loud voice, “What do You want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You not to torture me!”
- Luke 8:37Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.
- Gal 1:23–24They only heard the account: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
- Phil 1:23I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.
- 1 Tim 1:13–16I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.
- Ps 27:4One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.
- Ps 116:12How can I repay the LORD for all His goodness to me?
- Ps 107:31–32Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
- Ps 32:7You are my hiding place. You protect me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah
- Ps 78:3–6that we have heard and known and our fathers have relayed to us.
- Ps 107:21–22Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
- Ps 111:2–4Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
- Ps 116:16Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.
- Exod 12:25–27When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, you are to keep this service.
- Ps 71:17–18O God, You have taught me from my youth, and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous deeds.
- Exod 13:8–9And on that day you are to explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’
- Exod 13:14–16In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 8:38 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.