28 When He arrived at the other side in the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming out of the tombs met Him. They were so extremely fierce and violent that no one could pass by that way. 29 And they screamed out, “What business do we have [in common] with each other, Son of God? Have You come to torment us before the appointed time [of judgment]?” 30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was grazing.
31 The demons began begging Him, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 32 And He said to them, “Go!” So they came out [of the men] and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the water. 33 The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the men under the power of demons. 34 And the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and as soon as they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.
Matthew 8:28-34 (AMP)
Cross the sea
So Jesus and the “core” disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee, having survived a near-death experience through which their faith was built quite a bit. They “just happened” to land at the spot two demon-possessed men are.
Demon-possession
Not only were these men demon-possessed, they were “extremely fierce and violent”. He recently healed a multitude and cast out demons with no record of them behaving like that. Nor did they speak with Jesus (Matthew 8:16-17).
Demon possessed or demon oppressed?
The NASB, ESV and NLT translate the Greek δαιμονίζομαι (daimonizomai) in v28 and v33 (as well as Matthew 4:24 and 8:16) as demon-possessed (or demoniacs) or oppressed. The AMP rendering gives a bit of a definition by using, “the men under the power of demons” (v33). It gives the idea that the demons were controlling the men.
So a big question is, “Can Christians be demonized or demon-possessed”? The simple answer is, since followers of Christ are filled with / baptized with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God is in them. You could say, the Holy Spirit possesses them. But followers can surely be impacted and influenced by demons. Further, through sin and un-confession, we reduce the control of the Spirit on our lives. Here’s more on the topic.
Jesus’ power
The demons do all the talking here. Jesus simply listens and commands them to leave with just one word: “Go” – just like in Matthew 8:16. His Word has power! John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” Genesis 1 tells us God created by speaking. Got the connection?
Afterwards
What’s the end result? The demons are cast out of the men and into the pigs who drown in the sea. The two men are freed. Word gets to town and literally everyone comes out to see this amazing event. My guess is that they feared Jesus so much they wanted nothing to do with Him so asked Him to leave.
Let’s note that there is a definite time of judgment and torment coming (v29) for demons (and those who reject Christ). For now, demons have somewhat free reign (within God’s overall control) on the earth and, mankind has the free will to accept or reject Christ.
RЯeflection
- Have you been taught Christians can be demon-possessed? Please read the article above. Do your own research in the Word as well.
- Do you believe in the power of Jesus’ word? If we pray in His name, with His authority, we have access to that power. He even told the disciples they’d do the same and even greater things even than He did (John 14:12-14) – though it likely means greater in impact – like taking the gospel to the Gentiles.
