Part 30 | Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons

Matthew 8:28–34 (ESV)

And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Introduction

Matthew, through his gospel account, has been showing—through stories about Jesus’ lineage, His life, His teaching, and His miracle—that He is Israel’s Messiah—the Anointed One who came to bring God’s Kingdom to the earth.

Last week, I unpacked the familiar story where Jesus calmed a storm by the power of His word.

The story closes with a question posed by the disciples, namely, “What kind of man is this?”. In other words, “Who is Jesus?”.

Now, we inferred the text—that Jesus is the Son of God—being that God alone has the power to control the natural world.

But Jesus does not directly answer His disciples as to who He is. The question just kind of hangs there.

But in today’s text, it is answered, when Jesus and His disciples arrive on the other side of the sea; and the answer comes from a surprising source—namely, from evil spirits, speaking through two men.

Matthew 8:29 (ESV)

And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

These evil beings—though they hate Jesus—are right about His identity.

Why does Matthew include this story in His Gospel Account?

He is continuing to show the power and authority of Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God. Not only does He have the power to to teach, the power over sickness, and the power of the natural world—but Jesus has the power over the supernatural world as well.

I want to break the passage down into three points: namely, (1) the state of the two men, (2) the power and authority of Jesus, and (3) the response of the city.

Main Points

I. The State of the Two Men

Matthew 8:28 (ESV)

And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.

When Jesus gets out of the boat he is approached by two men.

Mark and Luke give record this same story—yet each of them only mention one man. Why?

Matthew is giving a broad-brush account of the story, while Mark and Luke give more detail on the more dominant of the two men.

The Devil & Demons

The devil is real (though he is not a red person with horns). Demons are real. Those teachings in the Bible are not metaphors.

You may think that evil exists only because of human choice. But throughout the Bible we see sinful human choices intertwined with a mysterious power of darkness that transcends us.

Think of the story of Judas, who betrayed Jesus. It is clear that Judas was accountable for his wicked choice. But the Bible also teaches that there was more to his decision than meets they eye.

John 13:2 (ESV)

During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him (Jesus),

You may have a hard time accepting this reality. But just sit with that idea for a second.

Can you think of a time that you did something wrong—and you knew it was wrong—but you did it anyway. And after you did it, you thought, “why in the world did I do that?” Why would I even consider such a thing? And you immediately regretted the decision.

Well, I am not suggesting that you were possessed—but the devil is also referred to as “the tempter.” And he tempts human beings—as he did in the Garden of Eden—to go against God’s word and plan for humanity.

He tempts humans to bring more darkness and chaos upon humanity and the created world. And he is pretty good at his job.

We shouldn’t read this story as a parable—but as a historical event.

So, what are demons? Where does these forces of evil come from?

In the beginning of the Bible, God created order out of chaos and darkness, creating the heavens and the earth. Seven times God calls His creation good.

The pinnacle of God’s creation is human beings, who are created in His image.

Genesis 1:26 (ESV)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

God gave humans the distinct privilege of governing and harnessing His good creation under His sovereign rule.

But Adam and Eve—our first parents—wanted to usurp God’s authority and rule the world by their own wisdom.

And so they sinned—they disobeyed God.

And Genesis 3 tells us the result of that decision: God’s good creation was tainted and darkness and chaos began to infiltrate and corrupt the world.

Now, Adam and Eve made a decision that resulted in destruction and death. But there was something else going on.

Genesis 3 tells us that a serpent showed up on the scene and deceived Adam and Eve.

This being, tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God, wishing to use them as a tool to destroy them and the created world.

In Rev. chapter 12 and chapter 20—the serpent is identified with the Satan—a title given to the prince of evil and darkness.

So—throughout the Bible—we see that humans decisions are intertwined with another reality that transcends our five senses.

There is this reality of the devil and his demons who are working behind the scenes to destroy God’s good creation.

Ezekiel 28 references the devils rebellion (what we might call is fall from heaven) and Jude 6 tells us that many angels rebelled and fell with him.

So, demons are spiritual beings that have rebelled against God and seek to bring chaos and destruction upon God’s good creation.

Possession

While the devil and his demons tempt and try to destroy every human being, there are times when people are completely and totally under the control of spiritual forces of evil—in which the demons take over their bodies and even speak through them. This is called demon possession.

(Shortened version of demon possession in Greeley)

This is precisely what is going on with the two men in our text:

They are demon possessed

Matthew’s account tells us that these men were strong and fierce… that no-one could pass by them. It seems these demons gave the men supernatural strength.

Mark’s account expounds on their tormented state of one of the men:

Mark 5:3–5 (ESV)

He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

Let’s consider the state of these men

They are bound

They are hated by the people

They are tormented by the demons

They are miserable:

Mark says that one of the men was crying out and cutting himself night and day.

II. The Power & Authority of Jesus

Jesus Interaction with the Demons

Matthew 8:29 (ESV)

And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

The demons not only know who Jesus is, but they also know their impending judgement.

Matthew 25:40–42 (ESV)

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

These demons know that their fate is sealed. They don’t ask—not for mercy—but for delay.

Matthew 8:30–32 (ESV)

Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.

These demons did not want to be without a host, so they request to be sent into a herd of pigs.

Jesus grants their request. There is some mystery here.

After the demons enter the pigs, they go off the bank and drown in the waters.

Who Killed the Pigs?

It wasn’t Jesus; it was the demons (so don’t call PETA)

There is lots of mystery surrounding these events.

But, what we see is the destructive work of the devil.

His goal is to destroy God’s good creation.

BUT JESUS:>>> Jesus came—to destroy these forces of evil and to reverse the curse—to redeem humans and He is coming back to restore creation itself.

1 John 3:8 (ESV)

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

Jesus came—not just to bring forgiveness to human beings—but to deal with spiritual darkness, evil, and the devil himself.

This story is a foretaste of what Jesus would accomplish on the cross.

Jesus’ Transformation of the Men

Mark 5 tells us that the man with the legion of demons is now clothed and in his right mind.

Jesus does not condemn the men because they were demon possessed. We don’t know how they got to that state.

What we do know, is that Jesus has compassion on them. And he heals them. He transforms them.

All those who are apart from God are tormented—though maybe not to the level of these two men.

But Jesus came to us free… to break the bondage of sin and to free us from the devil’s grip.

These men were transformed after encountering Jesus—and the Lord transforms all who come to Him in faith.

III. The Response of the City

Matthew 8:33 (ESV)

The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.

After witnessing Jesus’ power, the people of the city were in awe.

After they considered the transformation of these men, they wanted Jesus to leave.

We are told exactly why. Maybe it fear. Maybe they thought their sins would be exposed.

One possible explanation is that they were upset that this herd of pigs was destroyed… and it would have been their livelihood. That’s a lot of bacon cast into the sea.

If that is the case, how tragic is it that they would choose pigs over Jesus. Money and possessions over Christ. Tragic… but a common story.

Regardless of the reason, the point that is clear is: the people did’t want Jesus.

When you really get a glimpse of Jesus, you can love Him (like the two demon possessed men) or you can reject Him (like the people of the city).

What you can’t be is indifferent towards Jesus.

He is the Son of God. This demands a response.

Closing:

The Cross:

Jesus dealt decidedly with the devil and his demons at the cross. Jesus longed to redeem us and to restore His world—so much—that He was willing to give His life.

If you haven’t been a victim of demonic malevolence, the enemy would love for you to blame God.

Don’t give into that temptation. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil at the cost of his own life.

He suffered more demonic malevolence than we could ever imagine. It he suffered willingly, that we could be free.

Jesus, therefore, is able to sympathize with us in our pain. And when he returns, the wicked will be judged for their injustice, and the devil and his demons will be dispelled and tormented for all eternity.

If you have been around me at all, you likely know how much I love to read. But, I will admit, I am NOT normally a fast reader.

But this past week, I came across a book that was referenced in another book I am reading. And I read the entire book in one sitting.

Now, lest you think I am bragging, I will tell you that it was a kids book that might have been a total of a couple of hundred words.

It is called— ‘There is no Such Things as a Dragon.”

Here is the plot…spoiler alert:

Billie Bixbee woke up one morning, shocked to find a small dragon sitting on the end of his bed.

Billy went down to tell his mother of his finding, to which she exclaimed, “There is no such thing as a dragon!”.

He went back upstairs to get dressed, and he saw the dragon was still there. It wanted Billie to pet it, but he refused, because he found it silly, considering “there is no such thing as a dragon.”

He went back downstairs for breakfast and the dragon followed, and—by this time—it had grown from a size of a small kitten to about the size of a dog.

Billie’s mom had fixed him pancakes, but the dragon ate them all.

He went back upstairs to brush his teeth, and when he returned, the dragon had grown so much that it filled the hallway.

He told his mother, to which she replied, “there is no such thing as a dragon.”

By midday, the dragon had grown so much, that it filled the entire house.

After awaking from a nap, the dragon saw a bakery truck go by; he was hungry and the smell was more then he could resist… so he followed the truck, wearing the house on his back like the shell of a snail.

When Mr. Bixbee came home for lunch, he discovered the house was gone. Luckily, a neighbor was able to tell him which way it went.

Upon finding the house, he discovered that Billy and his mother were hanging out the upstairs window.

He proceeded to climb up the dragon, and asked how this happened.

Billy answered that it was a dragon, to which the mother replied, “there is no such thing as a…” and Billie cut her off, “THERE IS SUCH THING AS A DRAGON.”

Billy then pet the dragon on the head and the dragon shrunk back down to kitten size.

Billy’s mom said, I don’t mind dragons this size, but why did it have to grow so big? Billy replied, “I don’t know… but I think it just wanted to be noticed.

To ignore the reality of demons would be to allow the dragon to grow and overtake us.

We are told to watchful and to resist the devil (1 Peter 4:7)

But we aren’t to be overtaken with fear either.

We acknowledge the mystery of evil, but we also realize that Christ—through his death and resurrection—has dealt decidedly with the devil and spiritual darkness. We are no longer bound by them.

And we are reminded that Jesus is returning to completely and finally to banish all evil.

C. We Don’t Have to Defeat Satan; we just have to resist him. How?

Ephesians 6: Put on the Whole Armor of God: Summarization:

Know Live by the Truth in God’s Word. Resist Temptation!

Be in Right Relationship with God and People

The Gospel - Keep our Eyes on What Christ Has Done

Faith - In Christ who has defeated the enemy

Prayer

There is such thing as a dragon. We need to be aware of that fact. And then—as we turn to Christ—we are able to resist the dragon and his angels.

May we all abide in Jesus.