Matthew continued his gospel with the words, “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. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with you, Jesus, you Son of God? Are you come here to torment us before the time?And there was a good way off from them a herd of many swine feeding, So the devils besought him, saying, If you cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 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”, and in chapter eight and verse thirty-three of his book, Matthew shared how those who, “kept” the swine “fled” where we read:
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.
The verse reads, “And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, ...” Matthew began with the words, “and they that kept them” or “and the people who fed and watched over the hogs as they grazed” “fled” which means “sought safety by flight to escape safely out of danger and vanished”, “and went their ways” or “and departed, left from where they were” “into the city” which refers to “into their dwelling place, abode and habitation”. Matthew shared how the men who “watched over and cared for” the “swine” ran to their “city” from their grazing fields.
The verse continues, “... and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.” Matthew added the words, “and told every thing” or “and proclaimed, reported, declared and made known openly”, “and what was befallen” which means “what happened” “to the possessed” which means “the men who were vexed and under the power” “of the devils” or “of demons or evil spirits”. Matthew shared how the men who were keeping the “swine” told people within their “city” what happened to the two men who were “possessed” with demons.
When
we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how the
keepers of the “hogs” became reporters to their city. We can
imagine how amazed these men were when they saw the “deliverance”
of the two men who were “possessed” by demons never-mind what
happened to their “pigs”. Jesus demonstrated His awesome power
over “evil spirits”, and when those “hogs” “ran
violently down” the
“steep place” and into the
water, it must have been an alarming and noisy site. God created
those “swine”, and although the “kosher” Jewish people
were not supposed to be raising “pigs”, their entire investment
vanished in a few moments time. God wants people to have a
relationship with Him through His powerful Son Jesus, and those who
are wise shall not only consider how much authority He has, but also
yield their lives to Him through whom the “demons” have to flee.
Next time Matthew shares how the people of the city desired that Jesus, “would depart out of their coasts”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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