Matthew 8:28-34
Matthew 2023 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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After the proclamation of the sermon on the mount and after healing and delivering many people, Jesus wanted to travel to the other side of the Sea of Galilee with his disciples - He went from primarily Jewish Capernaum to the primarily Gentile country of the geradenes
This sets up a section in Matthew that stresses the authority of Jesus as the Son of God by detailing three miracles
a miracle that shows his power over nature, a miracle that shows his power over demons, and a miracle that shows his power over bodily illnesses
Last week we studied the first miracle where Jesus calms the storm as they are crossing the sea and this week we are studying the second of the three miracles, where Jesus’ Authority over demonic forces is made abundantly clear.
28 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. 29 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?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 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. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
Outline
Outline
The Two Demoniacs Appear (8:28)
They leave the tombs to meet with Jesus
The imagery of death
The tombs were a natural home for the demon-possessed, lepers, and others driven from their homes because of being in a constant state of uncleanness. The wealthy utilized caves and had several compartments for the dead down through the generations, so the front sections were clear and provided shelter from the elements.
Grant R. Osborne, Matthew, vol. 1, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010), 319.
They came out to meet Jesus
Their fierce violence
Mark points out how the demons torment their hosts - the nature of demons is to torment
It is likely that the demons viewed the road as their territory and kept people from being able to travel through there
Confrontation with Jesus (8:29)
“What have you to do with us?”
“We have Nothing in common, why are you here?”
"O Son of God”
Throughout the Gospels we get some of the clearest understanding of Christology, of who Jesus is, from diabolical spirits!
They know his absolute lordship as the Son of God and recognize His authority over them!
They already know the battle is lost!
“Have you come to torment us before the appointed time?”
The demons are not surprised at the Son of God coming for them, but they are surprised at the timing!
They know there is a time coming when their demise is assured and this isn’t that time!
They apparently thought, like the Jews, that the appearance of the Messiah means that he is immediately initiation of the final battle
But that isn’t true. The first appearance of the Messiah was not as a conquering king, but as a humble, suffering servant
But as the demons well know, there is a time coming when he will come as a conquering king.
“If you cast us out send us into the Herd of Pigs” (8:30–32)
The demons’ request
Matthew (Explanation of the Text)
Rather than being sent away to one of the traditionally understood homes of demons
to the desert areas of Matthew 12:43,
the abyss of Luke 8:31,
or the dungeons of 2 Pet 2:4
the demons plead to be allowed to enter a herd of pigs and to make their home there.
The unclean pigs is a fitting home for what are often called “unclean spirits” and highlights their true nature
The pigs (vv. 30–31)
The presence of a pig farm tells us Jesus is now ministering in a Gentile region
Pigs are unclean to the Jews
Does Jesus ministering to Gentiles contradict his mission to the Jews first?
No!
It continues the great theme of Matthew that shows that Jesus was never only coming for the Jews, even though they were his primary focus during his earthly ministry
Jesus is teaching his disciples through his actions
He is preparing them for when they will be sent out alone
The mission is for all peoples!
So that all who believe can be invited into the family of Abraham!
Romans 9:6–7 (ESV)
not all who are physically descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring
It is an invitation that we who believe on Christ alone in this room have benefitted from! We have been adopted into the family of Abraham, the family of God!
Jesus casts them out and lets them enter the pigs (v. 32a)
With a single word Jesus’ authority is shown!
“Go!” and the demons are gone from the men and allowed to enter the pigs
This is a stark contrast to exorcists throughout history (including our own time!) who use incantations, rituals, and relics to try to cast out demons
Jesus’ authority is so grand that a single word is sufficient!
the pigs, tormented by the demons, stampede over a cliff and drown (v. 32b)
The Men tending the pigs run into the city to tell them what happened
In Mark 5, we are told that the delivered man wanted to follow Jesus
Instead, Jesus sends him home as the first missionary to the Gentiles to prepare the way for many to become children of God
But in Matthew it ends with the Whole City coming out and Begging Jesus to Leave (8:33–34)
They are afraid of him, even though he gave freedom and life to the two men
The threat of Jesus’ authority and the changes implied with it, caused the city to reject Him
Would the Jews, the ones to whom God gave His Word of Life!, respond differently?
That is a question that is asked (and answered) throughout the rest of the book of Matthew
Main Points
Main Points
Jesus is the Son of God
He has all authority over everything, including demons!
He puts His authority behind his followers! Matthew 28:18-19.
We should recognize the tormenting, the dangerous, the deceptive nature of demons, but we should not respond to them in fear!
Jesus is authoritative over them too!
Satan and his Demons are the ones who are behind the great ills of the world!
They are the ones who push for torment on the earth! They are the ones who push for violence! They are the ones who seek our destruction!
In C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters, senior demon Screwtape tells his nephew Wormwood that if he gets his human to think he is not there, he can control everything the person does. That is the case with too many Christians. This could be called pragmatic atheism; that is, we intellectually believe in Satan but act as if he doesn’t exist.
But brothers and sisters, Spiritual warfare is very real, and anyone from a third-world country will attest to the reality of demon-possession.
So , then (as Ephesians 6 states), our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against demonic forces!
What does this mean for us?
It means that when great wars rise up we can have faith that Christ is Lord of All! That he knows and cares about his people!
It means that when great threats rise up against the people of God we can consider it all joy when we are faced with trials of many kinds! James 1:2-4
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
And it means that we can, even in great fear, seek to welcome in those whom Christ has bought with his blood. We can pray even for our enemies and for those who seek to persecute us
Jesus is returning!
The Demons knew it!
The great promise of Revelation, regardless of your interpretation of the end times, is that Jesus will return as a conquering king and all injustice and evil torment will be ended!
The promise is to cast our three great enemies: Sin, Satan, and Death - into the lake of fire forever!
The promise is that people from every tribe, language and nation will stand with us at the throne of God worshipping him forever! That includes those who would believe from Israel and that includes those who would believe from Gaza!
The promise is that God will be present among us, walking with us, wiping away every tear from our eyes, and eliminating all the sorrowful things of this life
This great promise of Jesus’ return is what can lead us to hope and endurance, this great promise of Jesus’ return can lead us to joy in any circumstance, because our faith is in Him and His great power and authority.
NOT on the power of the demons or trials to overcome us. Look to Christ! See that he is good and powerful!
I want to share a bit of my life with you, a time when I faced immense fear
In October of 2017, with very little money and very little experience, Alicia and I uprooted our lives and moved to Houston for the express purpose of living among and serving Muslims.
I want to be clear, what Hamas has done in Israel is horrific. It is a great injustice and we should cry out against it and we should desire justice! We should cry out to God for destruction of Hamas and the demonic lies that are behind it. In a similar fashion, nations have every right and responsibility to crush injustice (Paul lays this out in Romans), so if America chose to enter the battle, that is well within their right.
But if we are Christians, we are first and foremost a citizen of the Nation of Christ. Not of any earthly nation
that means we must be willing to let go of the ways we think it is best and trust our great King’s ways
The world says to hate our enemies and seek the curse of those who stand against us
But our king said that we are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us
our battle as Christians is against demons and their lies and torments, not against people.
If we forget that, we have either forgotten how the power of the Gospel saved us, or we have never actually experienced that saving power
Jesus is the one who fights for us! He is the one who will protect us!
Trust in him and his authority
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.