HEALTH, HEALING, AND MIRACLES – PART TWELVE
Sunday – May 27, 2018, Sivan 13, 5778
Greetings and welcome back to this encouraging, enlightening, and faith building study. We are examining the health, healing, and miracles in the life, and earthly ministry of Christ Jesus, all done as a man. We have no record of Jesus ever being sick nor any of the disciples. Faith is at the core of all success whether it be in our natural life or our spiritual life. If we want success in both our spiritual and physical lives we must develop and walk by faith just like Jesus. When we think, talk, and walk like Him we will have His success. Now, get that religious baloney out of your thinking, we are commanded to be like Him, we choose, but in the mind of God that is not optional. Anything less is a lack of faith and all that is done without faith in God is sin. I am going to be talking about Jesus casting out demons today and we are to do the same and the same way that He did it. Let’s read the following Scripture text carefully and aloud.
Matthew 8:28-34 (KJV)
28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.
29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.
32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.
33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
34 And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts.
Notice, these devils (demons, evil spirits) knew the jig was up and that Jesus would cast them out of the two men who met Him possessed of these devils. Notice the men met Jesus, they did not attack Him or approach Him in some way to run Him off or scare Him. The men in this account by Matthew are silent with the devils doing all the talking. These devils knew that Jesus was the Son of God, the first of many to come, but unique and one of a kind then and now (thus the term ‘only begotten’). Jesus cast these demons out freeing the men with a single word. We know that the men were submitted to Jesus and wanting to be free by the way in which they presented to Him. Perhaps you have been involved with, witnessed, or heard about times when saints of God have labored for hours to cast one or more demons out of a person and out of their lives. That is not a Bible model. Let’s look at the account of this in the Gospel according to Mark (Mark 5:1-20).
Mark 5:1-5 (KJV)
1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
In Marks’ account of what appears to be the very same occasion we see one man. That does not mean another man was not involved but this man is central to the account. As soon as Jesus is come off the ship He is met by this man and we are told that he is possessed by an unclean spirit (singular). This man lived in the graveyard. He was disruptive in this whole area, they had tried to take him captive and tame him but to no avail. This gives us insight into the potential of a natural man, the only power a devil has is what we give him of ours. Let’s continue with this narrative.
Mark 5:6-10 (KJV)
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
We get much more detail in this account by Mark than we did from Matthew. We might first get the impression that the man ran and worshipped Jesus but that is not the case and we know that by what is said in verse seven. Both here and in Matthew we see that the devils know full well there is a day coming when they will be subjected to everlasting torment in hell. Every knee must bow before Jesus and at the name of Jesus spoken in faith, then, now, and forever. As in the Matthew account the devils are cast into the swine and are drowned in the sea. Notice only one devil is speaking and he was called Legion for he was in charge of many devils (apparently about 2000, the number of pigs drowned). This is analogous to the term centurion for a Roman Commander of 100 soldiers. This man was gloriously rescued and converted and did marvelous things for the Kingdom.
Mark 5:18-20 (KJV)
18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.
20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
The Apostle Luke also records this episode in the Gospel of Luke, Luke 8:26-39 (for the sake of space I will only show this in part). We find a little more detail in this account as well.
Luke 8:26-30 (KJV)
26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.
27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.
28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.
29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)
30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
The man’s name is not legion, we actually never learn the name of the man. We do find out here that he is naked and that many, perhaps all 2000 devils have entered him. As we look at all three accounts what the devils say, or what Legion says, does not change, they are well aware of who Jesus is and they are well aware of their future, and well aware that in the presence of Jesus they are not in control at all. They prostrated themselves at Jesus’ feet and they will do the same at your feet. I hope that you have received this and allowed even commanded your faith to grow into great faith.
Until our next publication, I speak this Scriptural prayer for your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
3 John 1:2 (HCSB)
2 Dear friend, I pray that you may prosper in every way and be in good health physically just as you are spiritually.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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