Matthew 8:28-34 NIV
When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.
Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The demon possessed men in the tombs of Gadarenes is a creepy story. There's not enough detail for it to be horrifying, but there's enough to let my imagination fill in the blanks. These men were living among the dead. That's creepy. Cemeteries and graveyards are often used to frighten us in ghost and zombie movies, but imagine caves carved out of the hillsides outside of your town, as places to lay your dead. Apparently these tombs were on the way to the village, but it became a route that no one could pass through because of these demon possessed men. They were much too violent. Imagine Jesus and His disciples, having just crossed the Sea of Galilee, weary from healing all those sick and demon possessed in Capernaum, looking for a bit of time away by themselves to rest, suddenly confronted by shrieking, growling, violent men rushing up to attack them from these holes in the hillsides! Goosebumps!
I imagine they had attacked many others, so for the locals this had become a well known dangerous place to avoid. It had to be situated on a road between the seashore and the village, rural enough for farming, for there was a herd of pigs nearby. The presence of pigs ought to give us a clue as to the kind of place Jesus was visiting. This was Gentile country. No Jew kept filthy pigs. Pork is restricted from the Jewish diet. The other side of the Sea of Galilee from Capernaum was not Jewish settled, but Gentile infiltrated.
Why do you suppose Jesus decided to go there? I think it was because He wanted to go somewhere where no one knew who He was, that He might relax and be alone with His disciples for some quality time. He was after all coaching them, developing leadership for His church.
Matthew 8:18 NIV
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.
Jesus and His disciples had just spent hours healing the sick and demon possessed in Capernaum. Their lives were threatened by a sudden storm on the sea as they attempted a crossing. They had to be exhausted. And now they are confronted by these frightening men.
They wanted to go where no one knew Jesus, so there would be no crowds clamoring for His attention, but the plan was interrupted by entities who did know Him. In fact the demons knew who He was better than Jesus' own disciples. You may remember what the disciples said to one another after Jesus commanded the storm to silence.
Matthew 8:27 NIV
“What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Compare that to what the demons within the men from the tombs said when they confronted Jesus.
Matthew 8:29 NIV
“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
The demons know the identity of Jesus. He is the Son of God. The disciples and much of Israel do not know this about Jesus. It's ironic that forces that oppose God and life are so quick to witness to Jesus' identity and His power, when Jesus' closest companions do not. Perhaps that is part of the reason this story follows the story of the storm on the sea. It prefigures what happens in church history. The Jews remain blind to who Jesus is. They do not recognize the coming of their own God and messiah. Some do and become His church. But it is the Gentile world, beset with demonic influence, that eventually embraces the gospel and grows the church.
The demons want to knew if Jesus intends to torture them before the appointed time. What appointed time? We can only guess. I assume the demons mean the end of days, the final judgement, what we've come to call The Apocalypse. The biblical worldview states that this world we now live in is coming to nothing. It will be replaced with a new creation without demons, disease, discord or death. The end of this current order means the end of these demons. They know what's coming and they fear the power of the Son of God. They beg Him to send to them away into the pigs, rather that torture them. What sort of torture did they fear? Again I can only guess. In Luke's version the demons beg not to be cast into the Abyss, which is the deep or the bottomless boundless pit from which the demons came to the earth. In Greek mythology the Abyss was where the dead lie and the place where demons live. Basically the demons did not wish to be banished from their earthly dwelling, wreaking havoc on these poor gentiles. Jesus gave them what they asked for. Shocking! Why did Jesus give them what the demons wanted, a furlough from their appointed destiny in the burning lake of sulfur?
Revelation 20:10, 15 NIV
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
The reason that Jesus does not cast the demons into the Abyss is that it's not the appointed time. Jesus doesn't know the appointed time, nor do the demons. They only know it's coming in the Father's time of choosing. But when the demons possess the herd of pigs the pigs run to their deaths into the sea. In essence we witness a mini apocalypse. The Sea of Galilee represents an abyss of sorts, the watery depths of primordial chaos from which the earth was formed.
Genesis 1:2 NIV
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
The Greek translation of "the deep" in Genesis 1:2 is the same word used in Luke 8:31 to describe the Abyss.
The pigs represent those who do not adhere to the holy commands of God. Thus in the end of all things the devil and those who follow him will be cast into the Abyss where they will no longer torment the children of God.
Let's return to the story. The people of the village learn of the exorcism of the two men and they come from the village and ask Jesus to leave the area. Why would they do that? Didn't Jesus rid them of a terrible hazard? The demon possessed men were extremely violent and made passage by that route impossible, not to mention rendering the tombs out of commission for any further use. Wouldn't they be grateful? Instead they plead with Jesus just like the demons. What does this say about the Gentiles? They are frightened of Jesus just like the demons were. It says to me that the Gentile population had become so accustomed to living with demonic influence that they are afraid of experiencing life free of them. It's sort of like a battered woman who chooses her abuser instead of freedom. She's afraid to live on her own. Her self esteem is so low she doesn't believe that she can. Better to be a captive in a bad relationship than to be alone and homeless, she may think. I know I felt that way about sobriety. I was afraid to think of living without alcohol. I had become so accustomed to numbing my senses I didn't want to think of life without it.
The New Testament refers to idol worshippers as worshipping demons.
1 Corinthians 10:20 NIV
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.
Gentiles worshipped idols which represented their gods. But there is only one God therefore who or what entities were responding to their prayers and sacrifices. In the Jewish mind it is demons who manifest their power in response to pagan idolatry. Can you imagine growing up an idol worshipper and suddenly find yourself confronted with the fact that your gods are no gods at all? Wouldn't it be frightening and perhaps even too difficult to comprehend? The gentiles when confronted with the greater power of the Son of God do not know how to handle it. In fear and disbelief they ask Jesus to leave so that they can go on with life as it is.
This mini apocalypse presents us with a personal question. Are you ready to be set free from bondage by the Son of God or are you so comfortable with your captors you're to afraid to live anyway else? Think of those habits that keep you from the fullest life. Jesus can and will set you free if you seek His help. But are you too afraid to change? Would you rather Jesus left you alone and take your chances on judgement day?
Matthew's telling of this story is remarkably different from Mark and Luke's versions. There are two men rather than one. The focus is on the townsfolk and their response to Jesus and not so much what happens to the formerly possessed men. I think this is by design. Matthew wants his readers to choose Jesus and avoid the fate of the demons or the idol worshippers. In Matthew's world there are three types. The church who follows Jesus, the Jews who reject Jesus, and the gentiles who are afraid of Jesus. I think the two demon possessed men represent the Jews and gentiles who refuse Christ. To which of the three group do you think you belong? What will you decide when your life is confronted with the presence of the Son of God? You can be free, but that means coming to serve a new master, the Lord of heaven and earth. Are you ready to be free or does that frighten you? Will you come to Jesus or ask Him to leave you alone?
When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”
He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.
Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The demon possessed men in the tombs of Gadarenes is a creepy story. There's not enough detail for it to be horrifying, but there's enough to let my imagination fill in the blanks. These men were living among the dead. That's creepy. Cemeteries and graveyards are often used to frighten us in ghost and zombie movies, but imagine caves carved out of the hillsides outside of your town, as places to lay your dead. Apparently these tombs were on the way to the village, but it became a route that no one could pass through because of these demon possessed men. They were much too violent. Imagine Jesus and His disciples, having just crossed the Sea of Galilee, weary from healing all those sick and demon possessed in Capernaum, looking for a bit of time away by themselves to rest, suddenly confronted by shrieking, growling, violent men rushing up to attack them from these holes in the hillsides! Goosebumps!
I imagine they had attacked many others, so for the locals this had become a well known dangerous place to avoid. It had to be situated on a road between the seashore and the village, rural enough for farming, for there was a herd of pigs nearby. The presence of pigs ought to give us a clue as to the kind of place Jesus was visiting. This was Gentile country. No Jew kept filthy pigs. Pork is restricted from the Jewish diet. The other side of the Sea of Galilee from Capernaum was not Jewish settled, but Gentile infiltrated.
Why do you suppose Jesus decided to go there? I think it was because He wanted to go somewhere where no one knew who He was, that He might relax and be alone with His disciples for some quality time. He was after all coaching them, developing leadership for His church.
Matthew 8:18 NIV
When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.
Jesus and His disciples had just spent hours healing the sick and demon possessed in Capernaum. Their lives were threatened by a sudden storm on the sea as they attempted a crossing. They had to be exhausted. And now they are confronted by these frightening men.
They wanted to go where no one knew Jesus, so there would be no crowds clamoring for His attention, but the plan was interrupted by entities who did know Him. In fact the demons knew who He was better than Jesus' own disciples. You may remember what the disciples said to one another after Jesus commanded the storm to silence.
Matthew 8:27 NIV
“What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Compare that to what the demons within the men from the tombs said when they confronted Jesus.
Matthew 8:29 NIV
“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
The demons know the identity of Jesus. He is the Son of God. The disciples and much of Israel do not know this about Jesus. It's ironic that forces that oppose God and life are so quick to witness to Jesus' identity and His power, when Jesus' closest companions do not. Perhaps that is part of the reason this story follows the story of the storm on the sea. It prefigures what happens in church history. The Jews remain blind to who Jesus is. They do not recognize the coming of their own God and messiah. Some do and become His church. But it is the Gentile world, beset with demonic influence, that eventually embraces the gospel and grows the church.
The demons want to knew if Jesus intends to torture them before the appointed time. What appointed time? We can only guess. I assume the demons mean the end of days, the final judgement, what we've come to call The Apocalypse. The biblical worldview states that this world we now live in is coming to nothing. It will be replaced with a new creation without demons, disease, discord or death. The end of this current order means the end of these demons. They know what's coming and they fear the power of the Son of God. They beg Him to send to them away into the pigs, rather that torture them. What sort of torture did they fear? Again I can only guess. In Luke's version the demons beg not to be cast into the Abyss, which is the deep or the bottomless boundless pit from which the demons came to the earth. In Greek mythology the Abyss was where the dead lie and the place where demons live. Basically the demons did not wish to be banished from their earthly dwelling, wreaking havoc on these poor gentiles. Jesus gave them what they asked for. Shocking! Why did Jesus give them what the demons wanted, a furlough from their appointed destiny in the burning lake of sulfur?
Revelation 20:10, 15 NIV
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
The reason that Jesus does not cast the demons into the Abyss is that it's not the appointed time. Jesus doesn't know the appointed time, nor do the demons. They only know it's coming in the Father's time of choosing. But when the demons possess the herd of pigs the pigs run to their deaths into the sea. In essence we witness a mini apocalypse. The Sea of Galilee represents an abyss of sorts, the watery depths of primordial chaos from which the earth was formed.
Genesis 1:2 NIV
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
The Greek translation of "the deep" in Genesis 1:2 is the same word used in Luke 8:31 to describe the Abyss.
The pigs represent those who do not adhere to the holy commands of God. Thus in the end of all things the devil and those who follow him will be cast into the Abyss where they will no longer torment the children of God.
Let's return to the story. The people of the village learn of the exorcism of the two men and they come from the village and ask Jesus to leave the area. Why would they do that? Didn't Jesus rid them of a terrible hazard? The demon possessed men were extremely violent and made passage by that route impossible, not to mention rendering the tombs out of commission for any further use. Wouldn't they be grateful? Instead they plead with Jesus just like the demons. What does this say about the Gentiles? They are frightened of Jesus just like the demons were. It says to me that the Gentile population had become so accustomed to living with demonic influence that they are afraid of experiencing life free of them. It's sort of like a battered woman who chooses her abuser instead of freedom. She's afraid to live on her own. Her self esteem is so low she doesn't believe that she can. Better to be a captive in a bad relationship than to be alone and homeless, she may think. I know I felt that way about sobriety. I was afraid to think of living without alcohol. I had become so accustomed to numbing my senses I didn't want to think of life without it.
The New Testament refers to idol worshippers as worshipping demons.
1 Corinthians 10:20 NIV
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.
Gentiles worshipped idols which represented their gods. But there is only one God therefore who or what entities were responding to their prayers and sacrifices. In the Jewish mind it is demons who manifest their power in response to pagan idolatry. Can you imagine growing up an idol worshipper and suddenly find yourself confronted with the fact that your gods are no gods at all? Wouldn't it be frightening and perhaps even too difficult to comprehend? The gentiles when confronted with the greater power of the Son of God do not know how to handle it. In fear and disbelief they ask Jesus to leave so that they can go on with life as it is.
This mini apocalypse presents us with a personal question. Are you ready to be set free from bondage by the Son of God or are you so comfortable with your captors you're to afraid to live anyway else? Think of those habits that keep you from the fullest life. Jesus can and will set you free if you seek His help. But are you too afraid to change? Would you rather Jesus left you alone and take your chances on judgement day?
Matthew's telling of this story is remarkably different from Mark and Luke's versions. There are two men rather than one. The focus is on the townsfolk and their response to Jesus and not so much what happens to the formerly possessed men. I think this is by design. Matthew wants his readers to choose Jesus and avoid the fate of the demons or the idol worshippers. In Matthew's world there are three types. The church who follows Jesus, the Jews who reject Jesus, and the gentiles who are afraid of Jesus. I think the two demon possessed men represent the Jews and gentiles who refuse Christ. To which of the three group do you think you belong? What will you decide when your life is confronted with the presence of the Son of God? You can be free, but that means coming to serve a new master, the Lord of heaven and earth. Are you ready to be free or does that frighten you? Will you come to Jesus or ask Him to leave you alone?
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