Daily Devotions
Matthew
A Puzzling Development
Text: Matthew 8 : 28 - 34
The two demon-possessed men were beside themselves with worry! Had their time come? Were they going to be judged and condemned forever? They recognized the authority and power of Jesus over them! They may be able to inflict punishment on defenseless and weak human beings, but they had no power over Jesus at all!
Timorously, they pleaded with Jesus to show them mercy! Matthew recorded an important development in this episode.
“Now a good way off from them there was a
herd of many swine feeding. So the demons
begged Him, saying, ‘If you cast us out, permit
us to go away into the herd of swine.’ And He
said to them, ‘Go.’ So when they had come out,
they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly
the whole herd of swine ran violently down the
steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.”
Matthew 8:30-32
How do we understand this text? Let us take time to ponder over this passage prayerfully.
“The demons begged Him…”
Let us note how the demons acknowledged the authority of Jesus! When they spoke to Jesus, they had to “beg”!
“If you cast us out…”
The power of Jesus over man, disease, the elements, and demons could not have been more wondrously expressed! The demons in the two mad men recognized that Jesus had every right to cast them out of their hosts! They would be powerless to defy His authority!
Just one word – “Go”
Jesus needed to speak one word, “Go”. And the demons fled from the two men, never more to return! Just one simple word, and demons trembled!
“Permit us to go away into the herd of swine…”
This is a truly puzzling text. To the Jewish disciples, this was a good thing. Swine was non-kosher! They were forbidden to eat pork! The loss of pig was of trifling importance to the disciples!
However, this problem was not a small matter to the owners of the herd of pigs! Their untimely demise meant a great loss to their pockets! The keepers of the pigs had to run and make a swift report to their masters.
THE REPORT OF THE SWINEHERDS
The disciples were not the only ones who witnessed this incident. The swineherds must have seen the confrontation between Jesus and the two demon-possessed men. Perhaps they shook their heads as Jesus and His men stepped out of their boat! Perhaps they had seen how these mad men had assaulted those who had stepped onto their shores unwittingly. They must have been truly astonished at the turn of events! The wild men of the tombs were terrified of Jesus! Then suddenly their herd of pigs became mad, as if they were possessed and they stampeded to their death over the cliff! There was only one thing to do.
“Then those who kept them fled; and they went
away into the city and told everything, including
what had happened to the demon-possessed men.
And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.
And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.”
Matthew 8:33-34
What lesson were the disciples of Jesus to learn from this strange encounter? Let us ponder the following points.
1. Power is not everything
There was no question as to the fact that this was a power encounter! The disciples had seen Jesus exercised His authority and power time and again!
There was great danger if the disciples were to conclude that the possession of power was all that was needed for a successful ministry! Jesus was asked to leave the region by the citizens of Gergesenes! Power was not everything! The exercise of power from God would not always produce the desired results!
Wasn’t that one of the reasons why Jesus left the thriving ministry in Capernaum? The leper and others who were healed brought others to receive healing from Jesus! The demon-possessed were also brought to Jesus for His attention! Power encounters took place at every turn! The disciples could have deceived themselves if they had concluded that power was everything!
2. Yet, Power was still badly needed
Power wasn’t everything, but it was still needed! Fear had gripped the hearts of the disciples in the storm. Did fear also grip their hearts as the mad men rushed down to confront them? Power was needed to deal with demons! Faith was the means to draw down the power of God! But their faith was found wanting!
3. Many Need to know God
Capernaum wasn’t the only city with needs. Gergesenes and other cities needed to hear the powerful Gospel of the Kingdom! The souls of men were precious everywhere. All need to be won for the Lord! The disciples must learn to sense the needs of the mission field as Jesus comprehended them! There were many lessons to learn indeed!