Daily Devotional For Sunday, October 5, 2025
Good morning and time to rise and shine and go worship the Lord with other believers. We are picking up where we left off yesterday in Matthew’s Gospel. We are going to take the next section of Matthew 8 and break it into 2 parts. So, here is part 1. We are at the end of chapter 8 and here is what we read in Matthew 8:28-34:
“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. (29) They began screaming at Him, ‘Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?’ (30) There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance. (31) So the demons begged, ‘If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.’ (32) ‘All right, go!’ Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. (33) The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to the demon-possessed men. (34) Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged Him to go away and leave them alone” (NLT).
Quite a story isn’t it? The Gadarenes is located on the southeast side of the Sea of Galilee near a town called Gadara. Here is a link to a map to show you: Gadara. Translators struggle to choose which word to use to refer to this region. Depending on your translation you might see “Gerasenes,” “Gergesenes,” or “Gadarenes.” Gadara was part of what was called the Decapolis – the Ten cities. These were 10 independent cities with their own government populated mainly by Gentiles.
Mark’s Gospel gives a more graphic picture of what these demons had done to these two men. Look at Mark 5:4-5, “Whenever he was put into chains and shackles—as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. (5) Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones” (NLT).
The violence done by these demons to these 2 men is hard to believe in our scientific and sophisticated world. Demons are mentioned rarely in the Bible because it seems they prefer to be unseen and operate in a kind of clandestine fashion. Later in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus gives His disciples the power and authority over demons (Luke 9:1). Later the disciples discovered how challenging it was to cast out demons in Matthew 17:14-18.
When the 7 sons of Sceva tried to cast out demons in the book of Acts, these demons rebuked these 7 sons and possessed them, causing them to wound themselves and flee the house naked (Acts 19:13-16). And because Jesus had authority over all and could cast out demons with such ease, some thought Jesus was demon possessed Himself so that He could work with the devil to do this (See Luke 11:15). Scholars do not know exclusively how a person becomes demon possessed. Some speculate that dabbling in the dark arts, astrology, tarot cards, seeing psychics, getting involved in witchcraft and magic are just a few possible ways. Much of what people believe about demon possession has been influenced more by Hollywood, books, social media, and the Internet rather than the Bible.
We know from the Scriptures that demons are fallen angels who rebelled against God with the devil some time in the past. God cast them out of heaven to this earth. Here, they tempt us to not trust God, but to trust in ourselves. They tempt us to be self-reliant and not God-reliant. They tempt us to sin to satisfy the lusts of the flesh rather than being filled with the Fruit of the Spirit. They tempt us to think as they did with Adam and Eve that we are a better god for ourselves than God Himself. I wonder if the cumulative effect of years of people choosing to live without God is one reason they become possessed?
Mark tells us these 2 demon-possessed men came out of the tombs. In those days, the wealthy had tombs carved into the limestone hills for burial of themselves and future family members. These tombs often had several chambers for these future family members. It was no easy task to break into these tombs because they were covered with a huge round stone over the entrance. These stones could weigh several hundred and even thousand pounds. It would take some strength to move them. It seems this is where these 2 men found shelter, inside the tombs of decaying corpses. Can you imagine the stench? Cemeteries and tombs were considered unclean by Jews and were only for the dead, lepers and demon-possessed people.
It seems odd to me that these demons would force these 2 men to go confront Jesus knowing who He was. Maybe it was to scare His disciples into fear and doubt after questioning who Jesus was after He calmed the sea. Doubt is always a great weapon of the devil and his demons. So, according to Jewish cultural law, these 2 men were “unclean” in 3 ways: (1) First, they were Gentiles; (2) Second, they were demon-possessed and (3) Third, they were living in a cemetery inside tombs.
Assignment: Who is it you consider to be “unclean?” or “repulsive” to you because they violate your moral standards and Christian beliefs? Who is it that when you hear about them or read about them and what they do, your blood boils and all you can feel towards them is hatred and in some cases, a desire to be judge, jury and executioner? Since every single person is created in God’s image, including these, that image may be distorted due to demon-possession. Jesus showed He loved such people and He showed them mercy by freeing them from their possession. What can you do to be like Jesus towards the very same people?
Scripture To Meditate On: Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, when I look at the evil that people do today, love towards them is not what I normally feel. Please forgive me for thinking I am their judge, jury and executioner. Please open a door for me to be a witness to them and watch You set them free. I love You Lord! In Jesus name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly