Blessings and Merry Christmas
These following verses show us the WRONG attitude and Jesus response.
Two Demon-Possessed Men Healed
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.”
And 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.”
I find these reactions, especially since it was the whole town overwhelmingly awful. How is it that these people can hear of such a miracle and see the demon possessed men healed, being in their right minds, and respond as such? What were they doing to want Christ to leave? They obviously felt threated by Christ, and maybe felt guilty raising pigs. Something that was outlawed in the Jewish culture; or was it solely economic loss as well as losing their food source? If so that was more important to them than the miracle of these men and the threat of their safety that they represented. I’m sure Christ would have stayed, but they chose pigs over Christ. His power to rebuke Legion and restore these men or man ( depending upon which gospel account you read) to their right mind was not reason enough for them to have Christ stay or to seek a new life by repenting of their sins and welcome Christ. The economic loss and the potential fear of more loss was more important to them.
These demon possessed men, who cried in the night as they tortured themselves were supernaturally strong that they could not be bound. How could they as a community, at the very least not be appreciative of this miracle? How do we respond when we are faced with a lose?Do we ask Jesus to leave, or do we allow Him to replace the lose with His love and comfort and trust Him for the rest?
John 3:19-21
And this is the condemnation ( or judgement, as in ruling) , that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Within each of us is either a God consciousness that we need the Lord, or we believe we can do life just fine on our own. According to scripture most people believe they are fine. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14
The Narrow Way
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
And most of these people entering via the wide gate are just everyday people. Neighbors, friends, good Samaritans etc., however, goodness has yet to save anyone, only holiness; and holiness is supernatural, it is imparted as a gift via faith in Christ. Therefore scripture often convicts us, revealing grey areas in our hearts and minds. If God did not make it clear it would be so very easy to deceive ourselves. As it is their are many who believe they are right with God, but are they? Again scripture is very clear, in John 3 we have Christ commenting on Nicodemus words;
John 3:3-7
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel ( or be surprised) that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
And Romans 3:23-24
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ”
As goes the saying, the road to perdition is filled with good intentions. Unfortunately good intentions never redeemed a man or woman from their sin. God does not want ambiguity regarding man’s salvation, He paid way too much to lose us through ignorance. Again, Christ is continuing to speak to Nicodemus, clarifying truth that he, Nicodemus, as a teacher, should have known.
John 3:9-10
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?
Throughout the Old Testament, as early as Genesis, are references to the coming Savior. In
**Genesis 3:14-15 we have these verses;
So Lord God said to the serpent:“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
A woman does not have a “seed,” she has an egg, man has the sperm or seed. So this verse is referencing the virgin birth where the Holy Spirit supernaturally impregnates Mary with Christ. “ He shall bruise ( crush your head) is in reference to Christ defeating sin and death (Satan’s grip on man) at the Cross by taking man’s sin upon himself. And “you shall bruise his heel” references the beatings and torture Christ went through for us. We have the prophecy of Christ’s terrible beating in Isaiah 52:14
“Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men;”
Basically Christ was unrecognizable as a man when the Romans were done, all that for us. That is why being just a good person is not good enough, being “Born Again” is what gives us eternal life and ushers in a relationship with the Eternal God.
Now back to Jesus conversation with Nicodemus. The Savior is spoken of in the Old Testament, but as most Pharisees Nicodemus missed it. So Christ spoke plainly to him giving him a type or an action that foreshadowed the work of the coming Redeemer.
John 3:14-18
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God ( we condemn ourselves by our lack of faith).
To believe is literally is a change of ownership, as in selling a car. The person who buys a car has the pink slip and can drive the car according to his or her will. To truly believe in Christ means that He now has the pink slip of our life. It is no longer about my will or my wants, but it’s all about His will and His wants for my life. The change starts with new ownership, then moves outward to my thoughts, beliefs and actions. Sadly many of us never get past competing for ownership. We give it to Him and then take it back and as the Israelites spent years in the desert wrestling with God and complaining many of us do the same. We lack a desire or hunger to grow closer to the Lord. If this is your struggle I would encourage you to spend time alone with the Lord and settle this yo-yo Christianity once and for all. A great prayer is found in Psalms. This prayer prayed from a sincere heart always receives an answer.
Psalms 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my thoughts; And see if there be any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
I pity the pastors who water down the teaching of scripture, reducing it to a feel good message to not offend because they are seeking a big church – valuing his desires over the stewardship and call that God has placed on him. This is not to say that all big churches water down the gospel though. I grew up in a very large church that became large because the pastor taught the truth, he did not vary from the scriptures nor water them down. Spiritually healthy people are witnesses of Christ and the love of Christ in us attracts people and that’s how churches are to grow. The church is like an infirmary where spiritually sick people become well and our lives give them reason to go to church. That’s God’s way, instead of all kinds of programs and watered down feel good messages.
Ephesians 5:8-17 speaks of this transformation.
Walk in Light
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:
“Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light.” Walk in Wisdom
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
So I think it is easy to surmise that the Gergesenes, based on their unified response were practicing “unfruitful works of darkness” a choice that they had made. A choice that unless they changed, later would set their course on eternal condemnation. We must pray and ask the Lord to give us hearts that love and want the truth despite how it may affect us in the short term. Living the Truth is not easy, it was never meant to be. It comes at a high price, death to self, however… the reward is uncategorically the best decision anyone can make.
Father God,
Let me be willing to make those hard choices, choices that cause me to turn my back on worldly influences and desires and open my heart to You alone. Thank you and Amen
Move Forward in His Grace – Arthur