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Return in your Bibles to Matthew 
chapter 8. Matthew chapter 8, we find ourselves 
in a larger section, beginning in chapter 8 verse 1, continuing 
to chapter 9 verse 34, where the Lord Jesus is manifesting 
His authority and power in His actions, in His ability to heal. 
And specifically in the immediate context, there are three further 
demonstrations of Christ's authority, beginning in chapter 8 at verse 
23, continuing to chapter 9 at verse 8. Last week we saw Christ 
and the storm, where he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there 
was a great calm. This morning we'll take up Christ 
and the demoniacs, and then, God willing, next time we'll 
look at Christ and the paralytic in chapter 9. I'll just go ahead 
and begin reading in chapter 8 at verse 23. Now when he got 
into a boat, his disciples followed him. And suddenly a great tempest 
arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. 
But he was asleep. Then his disciples came to him 
and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us, we are perishing. But 
he said to them, why are you fearful, O you of little faith? 
Then he arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there 
was a great calm. So the men marveled, saying, 
who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey him? When 
he had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, 
there met him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs 
exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And 
suddenly they cried out, saying, what have we to do with you, 
Jesus, you son of God? Have you come here to torment 
us before the time? Now a good way off from them, 
there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged him, saying, 
if you cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine. Then he said to them, go. So 
when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. 
And suddenly, the whole herd of swine ran violently down the 
steep place into the sea and perished in the water. Then those 
who kept them fled. And they went away into the city 
and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed 
men. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when 
they saw him, they begged him to depart from their region. 
So he got into a boat, crossed over, and came to his own city. 
Then behold, they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed. 
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, be 
of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven you. And 
at once some of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemes. But Jesus, knowing their thought, 
said, Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, 
to say your sins are forgiven you, or to say arise and walk? But that you may know that the 
Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins." Then he said 
to the paralytic, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. 
Then he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitude 
saw it, they marveled and glorified God who had given such power 
to men. Amen. Let us pray. Father, thank 
you for your written word. We pray for the Spirit to guide 
us now. We pray again, forgive us for our sins and transgressions 
and grant us grace to take every thought captive to the obedience 
of Jesus Christ. And thank you for this Christ. 
Thank you for this Master. Thank you for the one who can 
speak to the wind and the sea. for this one who can cast out 
a legion of demons from men, and this one who saves, who forgives 
sins, and who gives this paralytic walk, the ability to walk. How 
we thank you that this Jesus is our Savior, He's our Lord, 
He's our Master, and we pray that we would love Him more as 
we continue to study the life of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew. 
And we pray in Jesus' name, Amen. Well, as I said, we're focusing 
this morning on verses 28 to 34, Jesus and the demoniacs. Jesus casts out demons from these 
two particular men. Now, exorcism is the technical 
term that is used by people to speak about that act of casting 
out demons. There are five specific exorcisms 
in Matthew's gospel conducted by our Lord Jesus. As well, Jesus 
instructs his disciples when he sends them out in Matthew 
chapter 10 to cast out demons. We'll see an account later in 
Matthew chapter 17 where a man comes to Jesus. He says, I came 
to your disciples, but they were not able to cast out this demon. 
So there are instances of this going on in the gospel account. 
Now Matthew writes, and there is a parallel passage in Mark 
chapter 5 and in Luke chapter 8. The big difference, or the 
significant difference, is that Mark and Luke deal with one demoniac. Matthew deals with two demoniacs. So I've tried to mention before, 
this is not contradictory. It would be a contradiction if 
Mark and Luke said there was only one. But they say there's 
one, probably referring to the more notorious one of the two. I imagine if I was walking around 
the streets of Chilliwack with Prime Minister Harper, somebody 
would see us and go home and tell their wives, hey, I saw 
the Prime Minister. That doesn't mean he was solitary. It doesn't mean he's all alone. 
It's just that he's the more popular of the two. I doubt anybody 
would say, hey, I saw Jim Butler and there was the Prime Minister 
with him. I just don't think that would happen. You see, when 
Mark and Luke report on the one demoniac, they're not contradicting 
what Matthew states here. They are simply shining the spotlight 
on one of the particular individuals. So no contradiction. As well, when you compare passages, 
Matthew, Mark, and Luke, you will see that Matthew is significantly 
shorter. Some scholars believe that Matthew 
likes to condense what is found in Mark and Luke. I'm actually 
adopting the position that Matthew was primary. He's the first gospel 
author. As an eyewitness, Mark and Luke 
then tend to amplify the narrative, not so that they can embellish 
it, but rather there's theological purposes that they have in view. As France says concerning Matthew, 
he says, as usual, he's less concerned with providing an entertaining 
story and includes only what will serve as purpose of underlining 
the unique authority of the one whom the demons instinctively 
recognize as the Son of God. So again, that's the overarching 
concern between chapter 8 verse 1 and chapter 9 verse 34. It 
is the authority, it is the power, it is the magnificence of this 
Lord Jesus Christ. And Matthew conveys that beautifully 
in this particular context. So we'll notice four things about 
this interaction this morning. First, the description of the 
men, and we'll borrow from Mark as well when we try to look at 
these particular men. Secondly, the confrontation with 
Jesus. Thirdly, the exorcism of the 
demons. And fourthly, the response of 
the city. So those are the four portions 
of the narrative that we find here in verses 28 to 34. The 
description, the confrontation, the exorcism, and the response 
of the city. First of all, note the description 
of the men. Now there's what's called a textual 
variant. That means that men weren't exactly 
sure, was it garrisons, garrisons, or gatherings. Any of those three 
that I mentioned, I'm referring to the same place. It's on the 
east side of the Sea of Galilee, just about opposite to Tiberias, 
which is on the west side. I was going to say the left side. 
It's the way my mind functions. When people give me directions 
north and south, I prefer right and left. I'm just one of those 
dimwits. But if you look at the map, you'll 
see Gadara, or the region of the Gadarenes or the Gergesenes, 
on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. Remember, they've 
taken the boat from that area in the northern part of the sea, 
and they are over here. Jesus takes his disciples to 
that portion of the region, and then they are met by these demon-possessed 
men. Notice in verse 28, When he had 
come to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, there 
met him two demon-possessed men coming out of the tombs, exceedingly 
fierce, so that no one could pass that way." As I've mentioned, 
there are several instances of demon possession in the Gospel 
accounts. And I'm going to appeal to a 
man by the name of Frederick Leahy, whose book I can commend. It's a responsible and, I believe, 
a reformed treatment of the doctrine of demons that we find in the 
Bible. Because it can get pretty weird 
when we get into demon possession. It can get pretty bizarre when 
you see these guys on TV or on the radio and they're dealing 
with demon-possessed people. I think what we find in Leahy 
is very responsible and it's a very biblical description of 
what demon possession looks like. Literally, it's more demonized. 
He says, one, demon possession may be voluntary or involuntary. In other words, somebody could 
seek out such a thing or involuntary. Secondly, there is no essential 
link between the character of the victim and his possession. 
It's not like we can look at these two men and say, well, 
you know, your life was so miserable, I can see why these demons possessed 
you. There's no essential link. He 
says, thirdly, possession may be permanent or spasmodic. The former case being illustrated 
in Luke 11.26, where the word translated dwell indicates a 
permanent residence on the part of the person. Fourth, he says, 
body and mind alike are affected. There is either a general suppression 
of the personality or the emergence of a kind of double personality. In Mark's account, when Jesus 
speaks to the demon, we don't hear the man, we hear the demon 
identify himself as legion. He goes on to say, in either 
case, the victim becomes the instrument of the demon. Consequently, 
it is the demon who speaks through the instrumentality of the person 
possessed. Fifth, symptoms vary greatly 
but frequently include, especially in cases of involuntary possession, 
mental abnormality. Now that's not to say that everybody 
who has mental abnormality is demon possessed. He goes on to 
say epilepsy. That does not mean that everybody 
who has seizures is necessarily demon-possessed. We need to make 
sure we understand what Leahy is saying and what he's not saying. 
We don't look at somebody with epilepsy and conclude, based 
on some passage of scripture, that they're necessarily demon-possessed. We don't have that right or prerogative, 
and we may just simply be wrong. I would say more often than not 
we would be. But he says, especially in cases 
of involuntary possession, mental abnormality, epileptic or similar 
fits, superhuman strength, suicidal tendencies, and a malignant attitude 
towards others. Sometimes there is an uncanny 
recognition of the presence of Christ and an acute awareness 
of his person and authority. And then he says, sixthly, deliverance, 
when it comes, is sudden. The name of that book is Satan 
Cast Out, a Study in Biblical Demonology, a little banner of 
truth paperback. Very, very succinct definition 
or summary statement there of what being demonized looks like. 
And then the narrative illustrates for us some of these particulars 
here in Matthew. As I said, we'll borrow from 
Mark as well to just sort to see what kind of manifestation 
this had in the lives of these two particular men. Notice they 
dwell among the tombs. This is a bad thing. Old Testament 
law specified that you are not supposed to have contact with 
dead bodies. Now, I should have mentioned 
that the area of the Gadarenes was a largely Gentile populated 
area, hence the herd of pigs. No Jew would have raised a herd 
of pigs. This is a Gentile or predominantly 
Gentile area. So, you know, in that vein, it's 
still wrong to live and dwell among the tombs. Notice, they 
were violent and territorial and would terrorize anybody that 
tried to pass by that way. It says, there met him two demon-possessed 
men coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no 
one could pass that way. These guys wanted to do harm 
to people. They wanted to protect this portion 
or this particular area that they were in control of. In Mark's account, it indicates 
that they had often been bound with shackles and chains. Often, 
they were bound with shackles and chains, and they were able 
to break these shackles and these chains. It says in Mark's account 
that no one could tame them. They couldn't subdue them. They 
couldn't harness this energy. They couldn't stop this power. 
This violent aggression, this violent behavior was fleshed 
out upon the townspeople, so probably they just all avoided 
this area like the plague. They also cried out and cut themselves 
with stones. I mean, it's a horrific image, 
a horrific picture that we have of these men living among the 
tombs. The narrative also indicates 
that they're naked. In Mark 5.15, after Jesus casts 
out the demons, we find the description. that the man is now clothed and 
he's sitting in his right mind. Luke tells us that he's bowed 
at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are wretched specimens 
of human beings. They're gashing themselves with 
knives or with stones. They're crying out. They're in 
a place that nobody wants to be. They are day and night engaged 
in this kind of activity, this kind of frenzy, this kind of 
situation. They cry, they cut themselves 
with stones, they're naked, they're out of their minds. It is a horrible 
description. There is among some people this 
idea of a romantic demon possession. There's this sort of a fascination 
with the occult. There's this sort of fascination 
with the dark arts, or the dark, or magic arts. What we find in 
this picture of demon possession is anything less than glamorous. It's anything less than romantic. Men dwelling naked among tombs, 
crying out day and night, cutting themselves, bleeding all over 
themselves, superhuman strength, able to break shackles and chains, 
and unable to be subdued by anyone. Young people, if there is an 
incitement or an enticement to dabble in the occult, it's wicked, 
it's vile, it's wretched. There's an old account of a blues 
guitarist by the name of Robert Johnson, who apparently met the 
devil at the crossroads. And there he traded his soul 
for the ability to play guitar like no one had ever played before. 
It's based on the German legend of a man by the name of Faust. 
Same sort of a concept. You make a pact with the devil. 
You give him your soul. You consign yourself to eternal 
perdition for the reward right now, whether it's the ability 
to play guitar, whether it's the ability to engage in rocket 
science or whatever it is, all of that stuff is garbage. It 
is wrong. It is not an accurate depiction 
of what the devil, using his demons, does for people. It is vile, it is wretched, it 
is wicked, it is evil. Living among tombs, dwelling 
nakedly, cutting yourself with stones, bleeding all over the 
place, having a superhuman strength, and terrorizing people is what 
demon possession looks like. It's not cool. It's not the ability 
to play blues guitar. It's not the ability to make 
a pact with the devil at the crossroads. and then live happily 
ever after. It is a bad thing, and the Bible 
presents it as a spiritual authority that is in absolute contradiction 
and confrontation with the spiritual authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that brings us, secondly, 
to that confrontation. Notice first, they desire to 
avoid Him. They desire to avoid Him. Now 
Matthew's already told us twice, in Matthew 4 and then in Matthew 
chapter 8. He's given us a general statement 
that Jesus cast out demons. Now what we're finding is a detailed 
explanation of how that transpires. And what we have here is the 
conflict between two competing authorities. And essentially 
the demons cry out saying, what have we to do with you? The idea 
is simply this. Leave us alone. We don't want 
to come up against you. We're quite content to reside 
in these men, to dwell among the tombs, and to watch these 
madmen cut themselves and terrorize the townsfolk. We don't want 
to have any dealings with the Son of God whatsoever. So that's 
their desire. That's what they express. They 
cry out, what have we to do with you? Now notice, secondly, their 
declaration concerning Him. It's an amazing section of scripture. It's an amazing portion of Holy 
Writ. Jesus calms the sea. Jesus speaks 
to the wind and tells it to stop blowing. And then the disciples 
are marveling with fear. Remember, Mark's account says 
they were exceedingly fearful. Luke combines the two responses. 
He says, marveling with fear, they said. Matthew just records 
for us the marvel. Verse 27, so the men marveled, 
saying, who can this be that even the winds and the sea obey 
him? So here in chapter 8, the disciples 
are kind of stroking their beards, they're kind of perplexed, they're 
wondering, they're concerned. We've never seen a man speak 
to the wind. We've never seen a man calm the 
Sea of Galilee. We've never seen it go from these 
8 to 9 foot waves to glass in that span of a time. We have 
not come in contact with this particular kind of man. They 
would know the Old Testament. They would know the Psalter. 
They would know that Yahweh is the ruler over the waves. And 
so they asked this very appropriate question. The men marveled, saying, 
who can this be that even the winds and the sea obey Him? And 
then Jesus gets out of this boat. He's in the region of the Gadarenes. 
He's with these same twelve disciples. And these two men come to Him, 
and they proclaim that He's the Son of God. What have we to do 
with you, Jesus, you Son of God? Isn't that amazing that the demons 
recognize something that men fight to deny? The demons make 
testimony concerning the person and the nature of Jesus Christ 
that many people in our own day who sit under faithful preaching 
refuse to see. Or having heard and seeing the 
biblical proof, they continue to reject it. You have whole 
religious systems built on the idea that God has no son. Well, the demons accurately, 
rightly, and properly identify that Jesus is, in fact, the Son 
of God. What a rebuke! If you are here 
this morning, these demons know more than you if you are not 
confessing Jesus as the Son of God. They see this. They didn't have to have a Bible 
study. There's certain truth, certain data, certain realities 
that the demons understand. In James chapter 2, the familiar 
passage, you do well that you believe that God is one. Even 
the demons believe that and they tremble. They fear. They understand certain propositional 
truth concerning the nature of God, and it causes them to fear. Well, it's the same sort of thing 
here, and that's indicated by what they then say. What have 
we to do with you, Jesus, you Son of God? Have you come here 
to torment us before the time? Now, Gadara was part of a region 
called the Decapolis. Decapolis means 10 cities. I don't think they meant, why 
have you come here to the Decapolis to torment us? I think the idea 
goes this way. Why have you come on Earth? to 
torment us. See, the demons not only know 
that He's the Son of God, they not only know and confess monotheism, 
but they also know that there is a day coming. The Bible identifies 
it as that day. The Bible identifies it as the 
day of judgment. The Bible tells us there is a 
day coming when men and angels alike, the bad angels, will be 
consigned to the fiery hell. The demons understand that. It's 
as if they have some freedom prior to that time to be able 
to run amok on the earth. I don't understand all of the 
particulars involved in demon possession. I don't understand 
all of the ins and outs involved with demon possession. But based 
on what they say in terms of this question, if you come here 
to the earth to torment us before the time, they recognize not 
only that Jesus is the Son of God, but they recognize that 
Jesus is the judge. They understand that Jesus has 
power to torment, and by torment it means to destroy, it means 
to cast off, it means to send to hell. Remember later in chapter 
25 when Jesus deals with the sheep and the goats, when he 
consigns the goats into everlasting fire, he says that everlasting 
fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. There is a judgment 
to come. The demons want to continue to 
run them up. The demons want to continue to 
have free course in men like these two men. And so they cry 
out to the Son of God, if you come here, to torment us before 
the time, that time, that day of judgment, that ushering into 
the eternal state. Knox Chamberlain says they recognize 
Jesus' authority to torment, i.e. to destroy them, when God's 
kingdom is consummated and final judgment executed. So they are 
concerned about this. They don't want this to happen. 
And that brings us, thirdly, to the exorcism. Notice, in verses 
30 and 31, there is a herd of swine feeding. Now, when we compare 
this with Mark, it's interesting. Mark tells us that the herd of 
swine numbered 2,000. That's a lot of swine. When Jesus asked the demon his 
name, which a lot of people indicate that to confess the name of the 
opponent was to have mastery over the opponent. Some speculate 
that's what the demons are doing when they say, Jesus, you son 
of God, they're trying to gain superiority so that they can 
put him under their power. Again, that stuff is interesting 
to read. I'm just going to preach what 
we have here. But interestingly enough, when the demon answers 
in Mark, he calls himself legion, and he says, for we are many. 
So what are we finding in this passage? What are we seeing in 
this scripture? That Jesus has the authority 
to destroy a whole host of demonic forces. Jesus, this man from 
Nazareth. Jesus, this one who taught in 
Matthew 5-7. Jesus, this one who cleansed 
the leper. Jesus, this one who healed the servant. Jesus, this 
one who heals Peter's mother-in-law. This one who calms the sea, who 
shushes the wind. This man, this Lord, this Son 
of God has authority over the host of hell itself and He is 
able to cast it out. That's what Matthew wants us 
to appreciate here. So we've got a lot of pigs, we've 
got a lot of demons, and we see their particular requests. The 
demons begged him, saying, if you cast us out, permit us to 
go away into the herd of swine. Now, why is it? Do demons not 
just want to float around? They have to possess a person, 
or in this case, an animal. The scripture seems to indicate 
as much. They want something, somebody, 
some animal to wreak havoc upon. Again, all the particulars I 
don't understand, but I do understand Spurgeon. He says devils would 
sooner dwell in swine than be in the presence of Jesus. Devils 
would sooner dwell in swine than be in the presence of Jesus. 
What have we to do with you, Jesus, you son of God? Have you 
come here to torment us before the time? Please spare us. Please send us into this herd 
of swine. Please get rid of us so that 
we are not tormented or destroyed. They do not want to be in the 
presence of, they do not want to dwell near Jesus whatsoever. I've often thought about this. 
And again, this is by experience. I went and saw a man who had 
the ability or so he claimed, to cast out demons. And he put 
on this, you know, several-hour thing. It was a long time. I 
don't know why, in hindsight, I stayed there that long. And 
he sold a lot of product. I mean, he'd talk for 15 minutes, 
and then he'd walk over to his table and say, here's my DVD 
set on this, and here's how you do it with it. And it was all 
so convoluted and so complicated. You've got to identify the demon. 
You've got to address the demon. You've got to, you know, all 
this stuff about the demon. If you ever suspect anybody's 
demon possessed, you know what they need to hear? Believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. It's the gospel. It is the power of God unto salvation 
for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the 
Greek. That's what the demon-possessed 
needs to hear. Notice that Jesus doesn't spend 
an inordinate amount of time with his people. He doesn't have 
a table with DVDs and books. He doesn't have spiral binders 
saying, here's how I worked out this demon situation. No, no, 
no. He doesn't do all that. In fact, the narrative is very, 
very concise and very clear that Jesus isn't a magician. Jesus 
isn't the demon healer. Jesus isn't the demon whisperer. 
There's a reality show for you, The Demon Whisperer. I'm surprised 
someone hasn't done that already. The narrative is brief. All Jesus 
does is say the word, go. Because what's Matthew's point? 
Matthew's point, according to Matthew 7.29, is that when Jesus 
taught the Sermon on the Mount, He wasn't like their scribes. 
He taught as one having authority. Matthew's point in 8.1 to 9.34 
is that Jesus, in His actions, by His powerful Word, carries 
authority. That's the emphasis of the narrative. That's what Matthew wants us 
to get. He doesn't want us to sell DVDs or buy DVDs on how 
to deal with demons. He wants us to marvel at Christ. 
He wants us to stand amazed at the Son of God. He wants that 
to be preeminent. He wants that to be foremost. 
He wants that to be appreciated in this particular narrative. 
So Jesus speaks the word. He says to them, go. Now notice 
the result, the powerful result, a result in verse 32. He said 
to them, go. So when they had come out, they 
went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of 
swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea and 
perished in the water. The demons come out of the man, 
the man, right? Jesus says, go. And what do they 
do? They go. And it sounds like that centurion. 
I, too, am a man under authority. I say to this soldier, go, and 
he goes. I say to this soldier, come, and he comes. I say to 
this soldier, do, and he does. Christ possesses that authority. 
The demons can't resist him. The demons can't rebuff him. 
The demons don't say, well, you know, you just don't have that 
sort of authority over us. Jesus says to them, go. So when they had come out, they 
went into the herd of swine. And then the whole herd runs 
violently down the steep place into the sea and perishes in 
the water. In my reading, apparently swine 
aren't that type of a herd animal. You know, I've told the story 
before. My daughter alerted it to me about the sheep. One of 
them walked off a cliff and every other sheep followed, such that 
by the time the latter sheep fell on the pile, they didn't 
die because there was a pile of sheep. which in a sense would 
be a pile of wool. So when they fall off the cliff, 
they land and they're safe. From what I read, swine aren't 
like that. So for them collectively to take 
off and run down this particular steep grade and jump into the 
water, which swine, as I read, are able to swim also. You see, 
Matthew doesn't deal with all those ins and outs. He wants 
to keep what's important before our eyes and mind. It's Christ. 
We're not to come here for our doctrine of swine. and how they 
perform as herd animals. We're not to come here to elaborate 
on the doctrine of demon possession and how we can sell DVDs and 
market our ability. We're to come and marvel at the 
Son of God. Frantz says, the behavior of 
the pigs caused by the entry of the demons is recorded as 
visible proof that the demons have in fact left the men. That's 
the point. that these swine run down the 
hill and jump into the water and drown, and it's the swine 
that drown. It's not the demons. There's 
some guys that say the demons then were swallowed up into the 
abyss, but the text doesn't specify all that sort of thing. The point 
is that Jesus, in this act, is showing and demonstrating his 
authority over these demons. And these demons inhabit the 
swine. The swine run down the hill, they dive into the water, 
and they die. Spurgeon makes this comment that 
I think is very appropriate as well. He says, swine prefer death 
to devilry. What do the swine do when they're 
filled with demons? They run down this steep grade, 
and they jump in the water. Swine preferred death to devilry. He goes on to say, if men were 
not worse than swine, they would be of the same opinion. That's pretty poignant. Not about 
tweeting that, but I thought about all the recourse that you 
could hear. You're saying we're worse than 
pigs? Yes, we're worse than pigs. When you read that detailed description 
in Romans chapter 1 of what man is, pigs don't do that. Pigs 
do what pigs are made to do. Pigs roll in the mud. Pigs eat 
slop. Pigs do what pigs were created 
to do. It's man who has defected. It's 
man who has rejected. It's man who has rebelled. It 
is man who has exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God 
and has chosen out idols to feed his flesh with. Spurgeon's right. Swine prefer death to devilry, 
and if men were not worse than swine, they would be of the same 
opinion. Notice what else Matthew doesn't 
address. What if Jesus did this today? 
PETA would be out there, right? The People for the Ethical Treatment 
of Animals. The SPCA. The Better Business 
Bureau. You just cost these herdsmen 
and the owners of this herd lots and lots of money. Matthew's 
not in this to debate your ethical position concerning animals. 
I think Matthew's mind is running two different directions. Then 
what about the poor pigs? What about the money wasted? 
What about the ethics of a man sending a herd of swine into 
their watery grave? It was actually Jesus that did 
that. It was the demons that came into the swine and they 
then ran and ended it for their swine lives. As I said, I think Matthew's 
mind, or Matthew wants us to go in two different directions. 
The first is simply this. He who has power to speak to 
the wind. He who has power to stop eight 
and nine foot waves from raging. He who is, as we sing in 129, 
Lord of Nature, is also the owner of the animal kingdom. Probably 
something we ought to appreciate here. Jesus not only has mastery 
over the sea, but he also has ownership over the pigs. But 
secondly, I think that Matthew would want us to appreciate that 
in the grand scheme of things, two demon-possessed men are far 
more valuable than 2,000 pigs. That's something we desperately 
need to remember. The pigs were not created in 
the image of God. The swine are not rational creatures. 
The swine are not redeemed by the Lord of glory, man is. These two image bearers were 
far more important than these 2,000 swine. So while PETA's 
out there, the SPC is out there, do you think these two men would 
have agreed? No, they would have said, praise be to Jesus that 
these demons are gone. See, we value swine more than 
men. And I think this was a problem in the Gadarenes. They valued 
swine more than men. They preferred pigs to people. 
They preferred pigs to Jesus. I think that's another thing 
we ought to appreciate as we leave this narrative, and we 
ought to ask ourselves, am I that way? Do I care more about these 
2,000 pigs than about these two men that were demon-possessed, 
that lived among the tombs, that cut themselves with rocks, that 
bled all over themselves, that had superhuman strength, that 
had violent aggression, that were naked, that were in a miserable, 
wretched condition. You know what these two men got 
to do that night? They got to go home to their 
mothers. That's more important than 2,000 pigs. You see, we 
ask the wrong questions when we come to the Scripture. What's 
more important? What matters to the Lord God 
Most High? Now, that doesn't mean we should 
inordinately kill every pig that we see. That's wrong. That's 
wicked. A righteous man has regard for 
his beast, according to the Proverbs. But with reference to man or 
pig, the choice must always be clear. With reference to infant 
child in the womb and baby seal, the choice must always be clear. 
We mustn't prefer animal life over human life. God doesn't. God prefers human life because 
he made us in his own image. That's the point. That's what 
he wants us to get. And notice, fourthly and finally, 
the response of the city. The herdsmen flee. The herdsmen 
tell the city. Then those who kept them fled, 
and they went away into the city and told everything, including 
what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Now the ESV sort of translates 
this in a way that emphasizes the latter half. The New King 
James translates it that emphasizes the former half. Let's just read 
the text again. And behold, or excuse me, then 
those who kept them fled, and they went away into the city 
and told everything. Yeah, and there were these pigs, 
and then these pigs ran down this steep grade, and then these 
pigs jumped in this water, and they drowned and they died. Oh, 
and there were those two men that were demon-possessed. that 
are OK now. That's kind of how the New King 
James reads it, isn't it? The ESV has, hey, there were 
these pigs, but especially these two men had the demons cast out. 
I'm not sure which way we are to read it. But judging on the 
response of the city, I think the first is preferable. I think 
what really dazzled and really amazed them was this whole scene 
of 2,000 pigs running down a hill, jumping into the water, and drowning 
themselves. Oh, yeah, and there were these 
two guys that the demons got cast out from. That's the incidental portion. 
You see, they're more inclined to think in pig terms than in 
people terms. They're more obsessed with this 
2,000 pigs dying in their watery grave than these two formerly 
demon-possessed men who now get to go home and kiss their moms, 
or kiss their wives, or kiss their kids, or whoever it is. 
Because you know they didn't bring their families to live 
with them at the tombs, right? It's just not a safe place to 
bring up your children, especially when you're naked and you're 
cutting yourself with stone. You see, these men got to go 
home that night, and the city's concerned about pigs. Notice 
the response of the city. Behold, the whole city came out 
to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they begged 
him to depart from their region. Why did they beg him to depart 
from their region? We're coming to a conclusion. 
Follow with me. Why do they beg him? Is it because 
of the loss of the pigs? Are they upset? You've cost us 
money. You've cost us a fortune. We 
just had 2,000 living hunts of bacon drown themselves. Ryle seems to take it this way. 
He says, they had no heart to feel for anything but the loss 
of their swine. He says, they cared not that 
two fellow creatures with immortal souls were freed from Satan's 
bondage. They cared not that there stood 
among them a greater than the devil, Jesus, the Son of God. 
They cared for nothing but that their swine were drowned and 
the hope of their gains gone. They ignorantly regarded Jesus 
as one who stood between them and their prophets, and they 
only wished to be rid of him. Now, I don't doubt that that's 
a part of it. I mean, if I had, you know, a 
big bank account and Jesus came and destroyed it, I'd probably 
be upset. If I had 2,000 pigs that were 
moneymakers, I'd be upset if they were drowned and dead. Mark and Luke, though, help us 
to understand. But even without Mark and Luke, 
Matthew 7, 27 helps us to understand. They were afraid. You see, what do you get when 
a man speaks to the wind and stops it? You get, what manner 
of man is this? What do you get when you have 
someone who's supreme over and stronger than two men who are 
exceedingly fierce? Two men who have tyrannized at 
least a portion of a city. Two men that in anybody's estimation 
were as strong as you ever get. When one greater than them comes, 
what is the response? They begged him to leave. You 
see, the fear of God will always do one of two things. The fear 
of God will cause the one who fears to run to him. Or the fear 
of God will cause man to run from him. That's what I think 
is going on here. And behold, the whole city came 
out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they begged 
him to depart from their region. Mark 5.15 says, and they were 
afraid. Luke 8.37 says, for they were 
seized with great fear. The same response when they stood 
in the presence of the Son of God, and He stops the wind and 
the sea. The people around fear. Now for 
the disciples, because they're disciples, they stay with Him. 
They continue on with Him. They want to be near Him. But 
for these people that were not disciples, for these townsfolk 
that perhaps cared more for pigs, that valued swine over the Savior, 
when the fear of God permeated their hearts, they reject it. 
They send it away. They say, we don't want to have 
anything to do with you. And I think that's typical in 
preaching today. I think it's typical in the preaching 
that we find in the New Testament. Remember that Paul preached to 
Felix. What happened initially to Felix? 
He was afraid. It stirred him up to hear about 
righteousness and self-control and the judgment to come. Under 
Paul's preaching, the Spirit was at work in the heart of Felix 
bringing some conviction. But what does Felix do? He sends 
Paul away and he says, I'll hear you another time on this. And 
I think this happens on the Lord's Day sometimes. You might hear 
preaching. The Spirit might bless that preaching. 
There might be a fear of God. And then you go, and you resist, 
and you try to expel it from your minds and hearts. You know 
what the answer is? If the fear of God has come, 
praise God. Believe on the Lord Jesus. Embrace 
Him as your Savior. Come to Him as your Lord. Confess 
Him as your Master. Don't be like this city who preferred 
pigs. Don't be like this city who wanted 
swine. Be like what we find in the men 
themselves, which we'll look at in just a moment. Do not let 
the fear of God drive you away from God. This was the garden, 
wasn't it? What happens when Adam and Eve 
sin? Do they run to God? No. They run from God. They make 
loincloths, they hide themselves, and they stand among the trees 
as if God who made the trees wouldn't see them. There's the 
irrationality of sinners. Maybe we can hide. Yeah, maybe 
we can hide. You know, people today do that 
very same thing. Maybe we can hide. God won't see me sin. God won't hold me to account. 
You can't hide. You can't run. The best thing 
to do is to run to Him, not away from Him. And this is precisely 
what we find in the Garden. Adam and Eve run from Him. Who 
comes a-seeking? It is God Most High. He comes 
after them. He brings them out in the daylight. 
He then makes a promise of redemption through His Son, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. The Bible always portrays that salvation is of the Lord. 
It is not depend upon him who wills or upon him who runs, but 
on God who shows mercy. It is his initiative, it is his 
power, it is his doing. If fear pervades your heart, 
flee to Christ. Don't be like this city. They 
begged him to depart from the region. Carson says in the light 
of verses 33 and 34, the loss of the herd became a way of exposing 
the real values of the people in the vicinity. They preferred 
pigs to persons, swine to the Savior. That's a terrible place 
to be. What do we learn? First, we learn 
the wretched condition of the men. As you're growing up, or as you 
hear things, people say, hey, this is cool. Demon possession, 
the occult, these games, or these movies, or this whatever it may 
be. This is really fun. Just look 
at these guys. Do you think if you walked into 
the region of the Gadarenes and you got close enough to them 
to ask them if this was fun, do you think they'd say, yes, 
we love this. This is great. Being naked, living among dead 
people, and cutting ourselves with stones. Yeah, that's great. So what happens to people? They 
glamorize sin. They romanticize sin. It looks 
so fun initially. It looks so good initially. It 
looks so pleasant initially. And what happens? You've perhaps 
seen those pictures of the people that use meth. What happens to 
their facial features? I'm sure when they started off, 
they didn't start meth so they could have bad teeth. Or they 
could have gaunt faces. They start off so they could 
get high. So they could have fun. So they could party. So they could enjoy life. Well, 
what's the payment? What's the end game? What's the 
reality? Begging for money to buy another 
hit. That's not fun. So the next time someone says, 
hey, this sin, they don't usually say sin, this activity, this 
thing, this is really cool, man. Ask these guys, is this really 
cool? Secondly, the power of the Son 
of God. Two concepts we've seen repeatedly 
in chapter eight. He is willing, he is able. He 
is willing, he is able. Permit us to go into the swine. 
He is willing. He is able. He sends the demons 
into the swine. He protects, he preserves, he 
saves these two men. John Calvin explains it this 
way, what compassion then was it to rescue from so many deaths 
a man who was more than a thousand times ruined. It was a magnificent 
display of the power of Christ that by his voice not one devil 
but a great multitude of devils were suddenly driven out. You 
ever been guilty of that? You read through a narrative 
like this and you don't stop to think about these men? Praise 
God! These men were healed! Praise 
God! These men could come away from 
the tombs. They could put some clothes on. 
They could stop cutting themselves. Praise God that Jesus has pity. He's full of pity, joined with 
power. He is willing. He is willing. 
He is willing. Doubt no more. is what Matthew 
is displaying in full glory with reference to our beloved Savior. 
Come. Believe. He will save. He will heal. He will cast out. He will redeem. He will pardon. He will give a righteousness 
that avails with God. Please learn that in Matthew's 
gospel. Please learn that he is the all-powerful, 
authoritative Son of God. But please learn as well that 
he is merciful to save all who draw near to him, all who believe 
his gospel. We see the wretched condition 
of the man. We see the power of the Son of God. Thirdly, we 
see the blessed condition of the man. Matthew doesn't record 
that. Again, he's condensing or he's 
keeping his narrative simple. He wants us to understand certain 
truths about Jesus. Praise God, we have four Gospels. 
People say, why would you need four Gospels? Same reason that 
the police would interview four witnesses at a scene. You might see something I didn't 
see. Matthew tells us a detail Mark and Luke don't tell us. 
Mark and Luke tell us something that Matthew doesn't. Mark tells 
us that Jesus laid down on a pillow in the boat. Mark tells us that 
the grass was green that Jesus had the people sit down on when 
he was going to feed the multitudes. That's neat. Green grass. Oh, 
that's contradiction because it's different. No, it isn't. 
It's beautiful. It's a tapestry. It's a mosaic 
presenting to us the son of God and his glory. But what do we 
find in Mark and in Luke when this man is healed? I've already 
mentioned it. Mark 5, 15, then they came to 
Jesus and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had 
the legion sitting and clothed and in his right mind. Isn't 
that a beautiful description of salvation? Isn't that a beautiful 
description of what the grace of God does? Luke 8, 35, he was 
sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. What does this testify? It tells 
us that demon possession and sin in general is to be out of 
your mind. It is to engage in madness. It 
is to pursue that which is folly. Ecclesiastes 9.3. This is an 
evil in all that is done under the sun. that one thing happens 
to all, and then Solomon says, truly the hearts of the sons 
of men are full of evil, madness is in their hearts while they 
live, and after that they go to the dead. So if you're demon-possessed, 
madness is in your hearts. But even if you're not demon-possessed 
and you're outside of faith in Christ, madness is in your hearts. Where do you go to get fixed? 
Where do you go to get help? Is shock treatment the answer? 
Does punishment drive out the madness? No, it's the blood. 
It's Jesus. It's the son of God. It's the 
one who speaks to the wind. It's the one who casts out the 
legion It is him and him alone who is able to take you and close 
you and make you to sit in your right mind These men were happy 
these men wanted to follow Jesus and then one of them says Lord 
Can I follow you wherever you go? Jesus says, go back to your 
city, go back to the region and tell them what great things God 
has done. You know what he does? He goes 
back and he says, what great things Jesus has done. That man understood the deity 
of Christ. You see, it's Jesus that clothes. It's Jesus that heals. It's Jesus 
that washes. It's Jesus that cleanses. Jesus 
casts out the demons. Jesus casts out sin. Jesus alone 
is the one to whom you shall go for forgiveness, for mercy, 
for grace. Believe on him and you will be 
saved and you will know what it is to be clothed and in your 
right mind. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word. We thank you for this account 
concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray that you would just 
bless everyone here, that all of us would have that faith in 
Him, that all of us would be clothed in a righteousness not 
our own, that we would all be in our right minds, that we would 
respond by your grace to the gospel of Christ. and how we 
thank you for this powerful testimony, this powerful demonstration of 
the authority of Jesus Christ over the host of hell itself. 
We just pray that you would go with us now, watch over us. Again, 
we pray for those with physical difficulties and trials. We just 
commit them to you and pray that you would watch over your people. 
And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.