Luke the beloved physician wrote how Jesus and His disciples, “arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. 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. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of God most high? I beseech you, torment me not. (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.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is your name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep”, and in chapter eight and verse thirty-two of his book Luke shared how, “there was there an herd of swine feeding” where we read:
And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain:
and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.
The verse reads, “And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain:” Luke began with the words, “and there was there” or “and there existed at that place” “and herd of many swine feeding” which means “a large drove of hogs or pigs that were eating” “on the mountain” or “upon the rising above the plain”. Luke shared how there was a large drove of pigs “feeding” upon the “mountain” where the demon possessed man was located.
The verse continues, “and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.” Luke added the words “and they besought him” which means “and the unclean spirits within the man asked, begged and desired Jesus” “that he would suffer them” or “that Jesus would allow and permit the demons” “to enter into them” which means “to arise, make entrance and go in to the swine”. “And he suffered them” or “and Jesus allowed and permitted the demons to do so”. Luke shared how the “evil spirits” named “Legion” begged Jesus to allow them to “enter into” the drove of “pigs”, and Jesus allowed them to do so.
When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we see clearly how these “demons” were terrified of Jesus. They “begged” Him to allow them to enter into a “herd of swine” that were upon the mountain where the “demon possessed” man was dwelling. God is “omnipotent”, and Jesus demonstrated His power as these “unclean spirits” begged Him to allow them to go into a “herd of pigs”. Jewish people were not to be raising “swine”, and these “hogs” should not have even been in this place. The “demons” did not want to be cast into the “abyss”, but they did not want to be uninhabited spirits as well. They preferred to be cast into “pigs” rather than roam about without a host. Jesus allowed them to do so, and when a person examines Jesus' power thoroughly, they do best to submit themselves to the only One who has power over “demons” to make them go wherever He desires.
Next time Luke shares, “then went the devils out of the man”, 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.
All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
No comments:
Post a Comment