Extended household: which includes your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.  The relationships that God has strategically placed in your life that you naturally connect with on a regular basis.  

Before Jesus encounter the daemon possessed man they were on the other side of the sea of Galilee. After teaching the people on that side of the lake, Jesus says “Let’s go over to the other side.” That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 

The “other side” was gentile territory.  The “other side” was not their side. They were on the “good” side. Jesus says “Let us go over to the other side.”  

Jesus seeks out this man and Jesus is seeking you out.  It didn’t matter that it was a long distance, it didn’t matter that it was in hostile territory. He went after him anyway.  He is coming after you to capture your heart.

It may not feel like it but Jesus is seeking you out, because he wants you to be a part of his kingdom. He is seeking others out too. Others that are in our oikos. 2 Peter 3:9 says he does not anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.  

Just earlier that morning this man was running around screaming and cutting himself.  It says that no one was strong enough to subdue him.  He would tear chains apart so that he could not be restrained.  Now he runs up to Jesus and falls on his knees before Him, because Jesus is always in control.

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 

The man begged to go with Jesus, “take me with you! I want to be where you are, please don’t leave me.” Jesus says no but gives him these instructions instead.  “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.” What Greek word is there in the manuscripts? Oikos.  John Mark tells us that Jesus looked at this man and told him to go home to his oikos and tell them what God has done in your life. He doesn’t tell him to start a church, he doesn’t tell him to become a pastor, he doesn’t tell him to lead a crusade. Jesus simply says Go home and tell.

What happens the next time Jesus visits this area?

Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel. 

They had heard of Jesus and they brought their sick to him and he healed them and they, the people from the “other side” praised the God of Israel. How did they hear about this Man? Why did they come to him?  One guy.  One guy decided to follow Jesus’ simple instructions to go home and tell his family and neighbors.