The Supernatural Power Of The King, Part 2 (Matthew 8:23-34)

Matthew 8: 23-27: The Winds and Waves Obey Jesus

After discussing the cost of true discipleship with the men who wanted to follow Him, Jesus then got into a boat with His disciples to head to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. By this time, the Lord was physically exhausted and fell asleep in the boat. Storms frequently occur upon this body of water because of the mountains which surround it. It was during one of these violent storms that the disciples found themselves bailing out the water that was threatening to swamp the boat and sink. They called on Jesus to save them from what would be death by drowning. Awakened by their desperate cries, He asked why was this so and chided them for their lack of faith.He then rebuked the wind and waves and they immediately became still. The men, now relieved from the terror of the storm now marveled at what they had just seen Jesus done. They had witnessed His power over sickness, demonic spirits, and now the elements of nature. They were coming to the realization that Jesus was no ordinary man, but was God in the flesh.

8:28-34: The Powers of Darkness Submit to Jesus

The boat in which Jesus and His disciples had reached the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, landing in the area of the Gadarenes, the western border of the Decapolis (Ten cities), a region where the population was Gentle, or non-Jewish. Pigs were raised there, which were unclean animals according to the Law of Moses and would have been an anathema to any God-fearing Jew. One wonders what the disciples were thinking as they went with the Lord into a place where pigs were herded and where the tombs of the Gadarenes was located. These were all unclean and detestable to any God-fearing Jew. Jesus brought them here to show once again that His ministry wasn’t to be set by either cultural nor physical boundaries . Matthew writes that two demon-possessed men, violent and frightening, approached Jesus. Both Mark and Luke recorded this encounter, but wrote that it was one man. One man may have been the predominant character and therefore received the attention.

The demons began to cry out, addressing Jesus as the “Son of God”. Mark and Luke wrote that they referred to the Lord as “ Son of the Most High God” (Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28). This is a title of both respect and fear. These malevolent beings knew perfectly well who He is and what He could do to them. They knew that they were eternally condemned and that Jesus as God Incarnate had the authority to do as He desired. The evil spirits begged Jesus to send them into the nearby herd of pigs, unclean spirits desiring to reside in unclean animals. At one time they had praised the Lord in the glory of heaven until, allying themselves with Lucifer (Isaiah 14:7-12; Ezekiel 28:11-15), rebelled against God’s authority and cast out. Now these fallen beings were content to live in a herd of swine. Such is the downward progression of sin.

After entering the pigs, they ran over the cliffs and drowned in the Sea of Galilee. The two men were now free from the hold of the evil spirits. The citizens of the nearby towns heard from the pig herders what had happened. Instead of rejoicing with the men, the people begged Jesus to leave, showing that they placed a higher priority on pigs over people. It is an example of people who prefer darkness over the light of God (John 3:19-20). What the Gospel writers tell us is that there is no power, either human or unholy, that can deter or overwhelm the Lord Jesus. If you surrender your life to Him today ( Romans 10:9-10), He will deliver you from all sin and give you eternal freedom and life. All you need to do is ask Him.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

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