Those Poor Pigs

Terry Turner

Journey through Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 4 months ago • Presented 4 months ago

Matthew 8:28–34

0 ratings

· 1 view

Notes

Transcript

Welcome

Offering

Ways to Give and Pass the Bucket

Announcements

21 Days of Prayer

Let’s Jump into today’s message.

If you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.

What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.

We are currently walking through the NT book of Matthew.

So as we back up to Matthews Main Theme for this section of the Story.

He is establishing Jesus’ Power as the Promised King.

He will demonstrate Jesus’ ability.

Jesus’ Ability To Heal the Body

Jesus’ Power over Creation

This Week Matthew is going to show us......

Jesus’ Authority over the Spirit Realm

If you have your Bibles turn with me to Matthew 8:28-34

Matthew 8:28–34 CSB

28 When he had come to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 Suddenly they shouted, “What do you have to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 A long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 “If you drive us out,” the demons begged him, “send us into the herd of pigs.” 32 “Go!” he told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. 33 Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to those who were demon-possessed. 34 At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

As I have surveyed this section of scripture there are a lot of things that stick out to me so let’s begin to break things out.

Jesus and his disciples have crossed over the Sea of Galilee a fresh water lake that is about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide with a depth of 150 feet.

The Sea of Galilee is the second lowest lake in elevation at 680 feet below Sea Level. Second to only the dead sea.

Jesus has taken his Disciples into an area inhabited by Gentiles what Matthew calls the Gadarenes’ Territory.

Mark and Luke both call this area the Country of the Gerasenes. This has given room for critics to say the Bible contradicts itself.

However both Mark and Luke are describing a City in the Gadara Region while Matthew is describing the whole region.

Also you may note that Mark and Luke only speak of one man being possessed and Matthew speaks of two. This is believed to be because only one of the men who were possessed was probably the one who spoke.

Not contradictions just three different testimonies from three different perspectives.

Now let’s look at what is happening here.

Jesus Shows up on this side of the lake and is appoached by two possessed men.

Matthew 8:28 CSB

28 When he had come to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.

Mark gives us a deeper look at these man’s situation

Mark 5:1–5 CSB

1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him. 3 He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain— 4 because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

Immediately these men recognize Jesus.

Matthew 8:29 CSB

29 Suddenly they shouted, “What do you have to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

The demon is referring to Revelation 20:1-3

Revelation 20:1–3 CSB

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the abyss, closed it, and put a seal on it so that he would no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years were completed. After that, he must be released for a short time.

Here’s the deal when it comes to fallen angels. They know what’s coming and until that time their goal is to steal as many of us from God as they can. There is no hope for redemption for them so they choose to try to keep the redeemable from redemption.

Mark tells us

Mark 5:6–9 CSB

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!” 8 For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 “What is your name?” he asked him. “My name is Legion,” he answered him, “because we are many.”

A Legion consists of 6,000 men.

What is funny about this whole situation is that the Officials and leaders had been accusing Jesus of being from Satan.

What he is about to do demonstrates how much more powerful the Son of God is over the Enemy.

The demons’ knew this too. The minute Jesus stepped on that boat enemy knew what was coming.

As I studied this I began to notice something about this story that I had not seen in a commentary.

This entire story has so many similarities to the story of Jonah.....Boat, Storm, Sleeping Prophet, Salvation of Gentiles.......

I believe that freak storm was Satan’s attempt to stop Jesus from getting to the other side..........

Matthew 8:29–32 CSB

29 Suddenly they shouted, “What do you have to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 A long way off from them, a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 “If you drive us out,” the demons begged him, “send us into the herd of pigs.” 32 “Go!” he told them. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water.

I could not find mush on the theory of why Jesus let those poor pigs be inhabited by the demons....

Pigs are unclean therefore they had no value to a Jew......

Maybe these pigs were being traded and therefore eaten by disobedient Jews....

We really don’t know all we know is that the men were free and there were witnesses.

Matthew 8:33–34 CSB

33 Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to those who were demon-possessed. 34 At that, the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Not everyone who experiences God will choose to turn to him......

Prayer this week........

Our hearts should ache for the lost.......

But this is not the end of this story.

Mark tells us.......

Mark 5:18–20 CSB

18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him earnestly that he might remain with him. 19 Jesus did not let him but told him, “Go home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.

It was not yet time for Jesus’ ministry to be to the Gentiles so he did not let this man go with him. Instead he gave him a mission.