Demons are malevolent spirits created by Lucifer. They are created from corrupted human souls that have endured extensive torture in Hell by Alastair and other demons. We continue now in this section of Matthew with a passage that shows that Jesus had authority over the spiritual world, or to be more precise, the world of spirits. God's angels and demons are real! Angels and demons are spirit beings among us. The angels in the Bible are VERY POWERFUL spirit beings! When a young girl takes her own life, Archie and the other Suicide Kids decide to follow her lead and form a pact. But as the group begin to die one by one. The Demons And The Pigs (Matthew 8: 2. We continue now in this section of Matthew with a passage that shows that Jesus had authority over the spiritual world, or to be more precise, the world of spirits. Matthew has already recorded the account of the temptation in which Jesus overcame Satan, the prince of demons. But now in His public ministry Jesus encountered humans who had been so controlled by evil forces that they were completely out of control. We use the expression “demon- possessed” to describe these folks, because the demons took control of their faculties and tormented and twisted their lives out of control. But when Jesus came to their area, He brought deliverance for them from the powers of darkness. Reading the Text. 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?”3.
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.”3. 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 Synoptic Parallels. Never Say Die Records; Founded: 2009: Founder: Tommy Dash, Nick Sadler: Genre: Dubstep, drumstep, electro house, drum and bass, trap: Country of origin: United Kingdom. The so- called “synoptic gospels,” Matthew, Mark and Luke, often record the same events but slightly differently. Besides our passage in Matthew, this account is reported in Mark 5: 1- 2. Luke 8: 2. 6- 3. 9, both of which are longer than Matthew’s account. It is important for the Bible Study to compare the passages when studying in one of them for several reasons: 1) to see if there are possible discrepancies that need to be addressed, 2) to gather more information about the event to safeguard the interpretation, and 3) to be able to understand why one gospel writer used only the bits that he did. First, then, are there apparent discrepancies between the accounts? There are two matters that need to be dealt with. One is the fact that Matthew says that two men met Jesus and the other accounts say one met Him. Some interpreters rather quickly conclude that Matthew simply got it wrong, or invented the second man. Others think that it must be a different event, only remarkably similar. But neither of these explanations is necessary or helpful. The better solution is that Matthew, who was there, had full and separate knowledge of a second man. There were two demon possessed men. But one of them spoke to Jesus; and the other two gospel writers simply report what they had been told—the conversation between Jesus and the demon- possessed man. Their focus on one man was sufficient for their purpose. Matthew will do the same thing in Matthew 2. Jesus. Besides, where one person is more remarkable, it is not uncommon to mention that one alone. One could say, “I met John downtown today,” and later add that his family was with him. This would not be considered poor reporting. The second difficulty is the name of the place. Matthew says it was in the region of the Gadarenes. Mark and Luke say it was in the area of Gerasa. Some of the older Bibles had Gergesa, but that was based on a later manuscript tradition. Gadara is most likely Um Qeis, about five miles to the southeast of the lake. Josephus, the Jewish historian from the first century, says that Gadara had village settlements on the border of the lake. Remember too that these men lived in the tombs, and they would most likely be outside the city area. This is why Matthew says it was “in the region” of the Gadarenes, not in Gadara. Mark and Luke say it was in the area of Gerasa. Some have suggested that this would be the city of Jerash. But that is thirty miles to the east, and would not fit the circumstances of the story which took place on the shore of the lake. Most likely Gerasa is a reference to the village settlement of Koursi, or Kersi, located on the eastern side of the lake. The location in Matthew overlaps with this location; the two names in the gospels simply identify it differently, Matthew with reference to the main town, and the other two with reference to the local village. The area where the miracle took place was in the tomb area outside cities and villages, and could be located either way. So what looks like some mistakes on a superficial reading really are not such at all. They can be explained easily enough by considering the perspective of the different reporters. But this passage makes us aware of something very important about studying the Bible. If you go into it with the idea that the Bible is filled with irreconcilable errors and falsifications, you can find things like this that you could explain to make your point. But if you go into the study with the idea that these are careful recorders and interpreters of history and with the intent of harmonizing difficulties, you can find reasonable explanations for what appear to be discrepancies. Too many people do not put forth the effort to see if these things can be harmonized. A fundamental rule of literary criticism is that if you find an apparent error in a good author, you assume yourself ignorant until you have exhausted all possible explanations. Too many modern “scholars” do not want to assume themselves ignorant; rather, they assume they know more than the writers. The second purpose of comparing the accounts is to ask what additional material the other accounts give us. Since both Mark and Luke are longer, there will be a lot more information. All three accounts put this event at the same time in the sequence of events, and all three have the basic facts about the miracle and the pigs and the people from town. Matthew does not give the name “Legion,” which refers to the number of demons, nor the number of the pigs. Matthew does not give the details of the torment of the demon- possessed in the tombs. And Matthew does not record how the demon- possessed sat, clean and healed and sane, wanting to follow Jesus. So with all accounts the whole picture emerges of the nature of demon possession and the dramatic change as a result of the exorcism. When we interpret Matthew, we work with the material Matthew gives us, but knowing the details from the other accounts we may be precise in what we say about what Matthew actually gives us. Third, why does Matthew not include these extra details? I think it is one of the evidences of the integrity of Scripture that these writers could simply include what they wanted to include for their purposes, rather than get their material together to make sure it was all the same. In that case, there would be no reason for the different gospels. But each was writing to a different audience to present a specific perspective. Matthew wants to present Jesus as the Son of God, the King of the Jews, in full authority over all the powers in the world, both physical and spiritual. This he did with the material he used. Mark and Luke are interested in this too, but they also have an interest in Jesus as the perfect man, the Son of Man, who meets all the needs of mankind. For them the descriptions of the wretchedness of a demon possessed person contrasted with his saneness after being healed are important to their audiences. Besides, since this miracle takes place in Gentile territory and not Jewish, they have added interest. Theological Background. You will have to do a little bit of reading in dictionaries and theologies, whatever you have available, on this whole issue of demon- possession. To the modern skeptics of the Bible, some who claim to be Christian, demon- possession is rubbish. They might say that it was just a primitive way people had to describe psychic or social disorders. But the Scriptures are not so accommodating to popular superstitions; if they were false or fanciful, they would correct them. Rather, they clearly affirm that there is a spirit world all around us that cannot be ignored. The revelation of this began for Matthew with the account of the temptation. Satan, or the Devil, according to the biblical tradition, was an archangel who was cast out of heaven when he rebelled against God. Apparently, he took a sizeable number of the angels with him. These fallen angels are what are referred to as demons. It is interesting in our passage that the demons instantly recognize who Jesus is and know that His presence could mean judgment on them. They remember Him from glory; they knew His mission on earth; and they know that all judgment has been given over to Him. I will not list all the passages of Scripture on this subject because there are so many of them. But certainly the account in Genesis 3 introduces the conflict between the seed of the woman (humans, and ultimately Jesus) and the seed of the serpent, demons. Revelation 1. 2: 7- 9 gives us further identification of this Serpent and his angels. Jude 8- 1. 0 gives us another window on the spiritual struggle in the spirit world, as indeed Daniel 1. Persia. Ezekiel 2. Tyre, very quickly begins to speak of the spirit power behind him, and is one of the biblical hints to the history of Satan. And 1 Peter 3: 1. Genesis 6: 1- 4. It was to these that Jesus while ascending to heaven to declare His great victory over them. Well, there is enough material on this subject to keep you busy for some time. But what the Bible indicates is that some of these spirits can become aggressively active in dark areas of disobedience and corruption—where people make it easy for them to function. But where righteousness and purity exist, the demons have no desire to remain. Apparently they liked this region of the Gadarenes, and did not want to leave.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2016
Categories |