Verse 26 Now that we are on the other side of that storm, we are about to see why the winds and waves were working to prevent Jesus and his disciples from crossing the lake. Jesus’ miracle in this man with demons. We will encounter many storms by the prince of the air, the devil, trying to turn us back around from the miracle that’s waiting for us on the other side of our faith.

Verses 27-29 This man with demons living in him was found naked and living in a graveyard. Sometimes the man would be tied up with chains but the demons would break out of them. When Jesus commands the demon to come out, this man falls to the ground and the demon cries out in terror thinking that Jesus will torment him.

The devil is a tormenter. His demons only know torment. An abused person lives in fear that everyone around will hurt them. Satan’s demons live in constant torment and so they live in constant terror. Whatever power the devil gives his demons, it is not more than what Jesus holds. The demons know this and bow to the authority of Jesus. They fall to the ground before Jesus. Notice also that this demon knows who Jesus is and calls him the “Son of the Most High God.” Isn’t it interesting that the devil is not clueless? He and all of hell know exactly who Jesus is and yet… and yet the people witnessing Jesus’ miracles, watching him work, listening to him teach are struggling to accept Jesus for who he is. Even those religious teachers who know the scriptures and what the Old Testament forecasts our Messiah to be like, even these leaders are struggling to accept Jesus for who he is. But not the devil.

People today are still struggling with this idea that Jesus is the One who came to take away their burdens, their anxieties, their worries and fears, their hurt and pain. Jesus is the answer and all our solutions. Every liberty and freedom is found in the kingdom of Jesus.

Verses 30-33 Many demons had entered this man. And the demons were afraid that Jesus would get rid of them so they begged for Jesus to let them enter nearby pigs. The demons wanted nothing to do with Jesus. They knew who He was and what He was capable of. Demons dread His power and wrath. Isn’t it interesting that these demons didn’t ask to be saved? Demons have no interest in heavenly things. The demons asked only not to be tormented. Hell is that place of torment.

Demons prey on humans. It’s easy to build an allegiance from an army of ignorance. If we don’t accept Jesus and don’t live by the belief that the power that raised Christ from the dead is flowing through us, we fall into this category of ignorance or not knowing what is available and ours as a kingdom ambassador. All the powers of darkness are under the control of Jesus. And He gave us authority over the darkness when Jesus sent His Spirit to live inside us upon our belief. He tells us that his spirit in us, the Holy Spirit, can do even greater things through us after He left this earth.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” John‬ ‭14:12-14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This poor man who had clearly never met Jesus was putting on quite the production and it was easy to distract others and gain attention with his antics. The devil loves attention. If he can shift our eyes to his antics, if he can get our focus, he can sway our emotions and lead us down some dangerous paths that feel powerless and hopeless.

The demons jumped into pigs. Demons can jump from person to animal (I’m convinced they take up residency in cats for sure!😆) to things. Once there was a television in our house that started to sporadically turn itself on in the middle of the night at a high volume. My husband and I prayed over the t.v. and stuck post-its up on the doorframes and windows around our house with Jesus’ name and scriptures to rebuke any demons from returning. If there is heaviness or darkness in any of our homes, we need to pray over it. Look for items that may have been brought into the home around the time of the shift in the atmosphere of our home. I’ve even thrown out things that were given to me or bought at garage sales that seemed to change the atmosphere in my home. Decorations like dream catchers, games like ouija boards, and horoscopes are all items that call on other spirits and beg for our trust to be put in them. These need to be tossed!

Jesus sent these demons into the pigs to show onlookers what the devil does with his prey. The demons drive their prey crazy and run them off a ledge. The pigs essentially committed suicide. It is a miracle of mercy if those whom Satan consumes don’t end their lives or destroy it. The devil wants to devour his prey. He wants them to suffer in hell on earth and in the eternal pit forever.

Verses 34-37 This is a pretty amazing miracle! The poor man is healed and sitting at the feet of Jesus. A man who sat in suffering is now free from the bondage and captivity of Satan! But the people from this town are now even madder. They didn’t care about the man as much as the fact that their pigs, their source of income and food, were now gone. This was their economy, their revenue, and Jesus basically allowed the devil to run it all into the lake. The townspeople cared more about the destruction of their pigs than the deliverance of the poor man.

There’s a chance that the townspeople were afraid this revenue was taken as judgment for their sins? But we do not need to be afraid of Jesus’ work in our lives if we’re willing to give up our sinful life and give ourselves over to Him.

Ultimately, the devil loves to get us sidetracked with selfishness by placing our things above people. “If Jesus were to stay a little longer and heal some more, what else might we lose?!” Sadly, the townspeople told Jesus to leave; they loved their stuff more than any sort of Savior. It’s easy to fall into the trap of this thinking. Following Jesus often requires sacrifice on our part. The sacrifice of our time, resources, or money to display the light of Christ to others. If we cling to our time and resources and keep it to ourselves or are afraid of ‘losing’ them to help someone and being the light of Christ, we dismiss Jesus and his work like the townspeople. And here’s the irony, Jesus IS all of our resources and our time. He is the source of all resources and He is the author of time. He cannot lose when we choose Him. Jesus will supply all our needs and He will make up the time. When we choose His agenda in faith, we cannot lose. But it’s funny how our eyesight can get in the way of faith. We might be tempted to fear a loss in front of our eyes when we lose our focus on Jesus, the source of our faith.

Verses 38-39 The poor man experienced Jesus’ healing and freedom and now prefers to be with Jesus wherever He goes. And I can imagine this poor man wants nothing to do with those who want nothing to do with Jesus. Jesus instead sends the poor man home to show and tell others about what Jesus had done. I believe this man who was once a burden to the community was now a blessing to his hometown because of the work of Jesus in him. Maybe after the sting of loss subsided a little, the people could consider the miracle in this man still with them.

Prayer: Jesus, you are the author and creator of all that exists. You fill my life with an endless supply. Help me to see past the losses and recognize You, my Provider, always faithful, always supplying what I need. Give me eyes of faith, Jesus. Help my heart let go of money. I don’t want money’s hold on my life. I don’t want to be bound by what money can and cannot do. You are greater, Jesus. When I’m going through the storm, help me, Jesus, to keep my focus on the miracle, which is You, on the other side of it. In the middle of my circumstances even now, You see the struggles and the cries of my heart for healing and breakthrough, Jesus. I pray for a release of your mercy and love on my life, Jesus. A release of healing and perspective. A release of faith and renewed focus. Anything not of You, Jesus, must bow to your authority. I declare that over every wind and wave of worry, anxiety, and fear that has me living in captivity must submit to Your Word, Jesus, and flee from me. Begone, Satan. You have no dominion or residency here in my life. The blood of the lamb has covered me. The spirit of Jesus lives in me. Jesus is my salvation and freedom. To Him, I give my trust and allegiance. In Him, I move and breathe. Jesus, help me stay focused on You and not get distracted by the devil’s antics. I don’t want to be sidetracked with my own perceived losses and miss the miracle You are doing in someone else’s life. Deliver me from this selfish mindset that keeps me chained to stuff and self, Jesus. I want to celebrate with those who have been set free and be less concerned with myself.