Healing the Demoniac
Matthew 8:28-34 NLT
“When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area.”- Matthew 8:28
There are a few things that can be said to give some cultural significance to this miracle. The Gadarene region is found SE of the Sea of Galilee. Gadara was a part of the Decapolis* or the Ten Cities. They had independent governments and were inhabited by Gentiles. Because of this they were greatly influenced by Greek culture. This would account for the herd of pigs in the story. Pigs were considered unclean and wouldn’t have even been touched by the Jews, let alone eaten by them.
Demon possessed people were under the control of one or more demons, who were the fallen angels that were cast out of heaven along with Lucifer [Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-17]. Demons can be very destructive but lose all power when confronted by Jesus. Demons knew what their fate was, thus explaining their question in the latter part of verse 29: “Have you come to torture us before God’s appointed time?”
The men Jesus healed were unclean in three ways according to Jewish ceremonial law. 1) They were Gentiles or non-Jews, 2) they were demon possessed & 3) they were living in a cemetery. Jesus act of compassion by healing these men shows us that regardless of their being unclean or repulsive to the human eye, all Jesus saw was men in need of healing and so he acted out of mercy.
Matthew makes a point of saying there were two demon-possessed men, while Mark & Luke only spoke of one...possibly because it was only the one who spoke. The miracle of Jesus commanding the demons to enter into a nearby herd of pigs once again revealed the power he had over his own creation, however, the townspeople, never having seen such supernatural power displayed, were afraid and asked him to leave.
How does this apply to us today? We should never turn our backs on people who violate our own moral standards or religious beliefs. We must come to the realization that all individuals are a unique part of God’s creation that are in need of God’s love, mercy & forgiveness. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.
In his name & for his glory,
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
Resource: Verse Notes from Life Application Study Bible, p. 2020.
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