December 4, 2012
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 8:28-34
OBSERVATIONS
1. These guys are scary, what we would call raving lunatics, violent and dangerous. The town lived in fear of these crazy men. Jesus does them a favour by healing them. But then the incident with the pigs messes things up. They saw the two men restored, but they also saw their pigs dead. And they were scared again. It seems that Satan will do anything to keep us slaves to fear, and to turn our eyes away from Jesus.
2. I believe that this is Satan’s strategy, that he uses ‘scare tactics’ to keep us from trusting and following God. This is why the demons wanted to go in the pigs. And it worked, for the people they pleaded with Jesus to leave their region. Satan will do something to discourage us from following Jesus. I’ve seen this with new Christians, after making a decision to follow Jesus, everything in their life goes beserk. Their spouse turns on them, they lose their job, they get a difficult diagnosis, one of their kids gets in trouble with the law… and suddenly they lose their focus on following Jesus, they become overwhelmed by their situation. They may even blame God and Jesus. Satan drives a wedge between them and God/Jesus.
3. I was discussing this passage with our youth group, and the question of demons – what they are, how they work – came up. Some were scared of them, some were doubtful, and some were fascinated. There is a danger in both ignoring demons and focusing on them too much. They don’t care how they do it, demons want to get you to take your focus off of Jesus. The best thing to do in regards to demons is shift your focus to Jesus, to His love and purpose and power. Try this, make a commitment today to focus on Jesus… and watch how hard it is, how situations and circumstances will distract and discourage you from following through. Why is this, who is this? It is Satan and his servants (demons) doing what they can to keep you from God and Jesus!
What do you notice in this passage?
APPLICATION
1. Demons are real – invisible, spiritual and dangerous beings. They are no match for God and Jesus, but they are clever and skilled at dealing with us. Where are they scheming and conniving in my life? Where am I being distracted by things that keep me from loving and serving God? Where am I being discouraged by scary or overwhelming circumstances that keep me from seeing what Jesus has done, is doing in my life? I am a fool if I think that my spiritual enemy is not at work to keep me away from God and Jesus. This is warfare, and if I am not armed for battle, I am vulnerable!
2. Jesus is greater than my fear of failure. Jesus is greater than my financial challenges. Jesus is greater than the temptations I face. Jesus is greater than the doubts that plague my mind. When I struggle with challenges and fears relating to my children, Jesus has a greater hold on them than Satan. When Satan whispers his doubts and fears into my mind, I need to resist him. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Every day I need to focus on Jesus and God, and not on my fears and doubts and struggles.
3. “This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:3-4) Anything and anyone that distracts me from Jesus is being used by Satan and his demons, they are against (anti) Christ. My focus needs to stay on Jesus, Who is in/with us, and is greater than anything and anyone in the world.
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
God, thank You for the stability and security that You bring to my life, so that I am able to resist the things that drive me to fear or despair. I will not give in to the devil’s anti-Jesus scare tactics.
I see several things in this story that I had not noticed before. There were two demon possessed men that Jesus came upon. I had always thought there was one. Jesus did not really talk to the men about their condition, but rather directly with the demons. The demons know that they have an allotted time to do their damage to men, after which they will be tortured – at an appointed time.
Even though the Jews did not eat pork, there was a market for pork, and here was a local farmer trying to make a living. Rescuing these two men from the power of the demon would have caused financial hardship for this farmer.
Normally, Jesus is met with crowds of people, and the news of his miracles is spread with gladness, and the crowds grow. Here, the miracle is done in relative seclusion. I wonder what the story of the farmhands was as they interpreted what had just happened to the folks in town. They generate a fear of Jesus, and he is asked to leave the area. This is not a mob driving him out, but a fearful people, trying to protect what they have.
To me this means that Jesus is not afraid to go to places that others avoid. He is able and willing to heal in all kinds of situations. The power of God is an awesome thing, and he set free those two men from something that was bigger than themselves. This was not a long process. Jesus commanded the demons with one word. Go. The crowds came and asked the same of Jesus. Please go. What is my response?
I pray that I can respect the power and awe of God, but also, that I can come near to him. God wants to make me whole, and sometimes that is not all neat and tidy.
Observations:
The demon possessed men were violent, obnoxious, shouting the name of God.
God is in control – ‘if You send us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’
The demons entered the pigs and it was their death. The townspeople feared and asked Him to leave. The townspeople were also those who kept the pigs for the Romans.
Applications:
All in under His control. Nothing happens without the will of my heavenly Father. But all too often, people rush headlong unto their desires and have nothing to do with Him. They insist upon their own way, the way of death and destruction. They give themselves up to their own lusts and fee upon them rather than the Word of God.
But I also see a protective hedge here – like around our ‘brother Job’. Satan could do only so much because God is in control. God’s protective hedge was around him.
When all this happened, there was fear among the ‘herders’ and it spread to the townspeople. Mob rule like the Hosannas turned to Crucify Him. The herders keeping pigs shows that the focus of the people was on their own safety and security and income – their own way rather than Christ’s way. How close can I come to the ‘edge’ before I break the law rather than being immersed in God’s way. All for Jesus. They are outside of His protective hedge by choice.
Prayer:
Once again I start this day with You Lord. You are my God and I will serve You. Thank You for Your protective hand upon my life – You hedge me in giving the freedom to serve – not my will, but Yours be done. My focus is on You and therefore I will not fear for You have promised to be with Your people. Thank You Lord.
Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
Refrain:
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,
Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call,
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.