The past couple of days we read about Jesus teaching through parables in Capernaum. The crowds around him got so big he had to get into a boat out on the lake to teach them. At the end of the day he asked his disciples to take him across the lake, so several boats of his followers took off together. They got caught in a squall and were nearly sunk, but Jesus stopped the storm and they sailed on through the night to the region of the Gerasenes.

This was mostly Gentile country. The Greeks and Romans had settled there and the people worshiped pagan gods. Until now Jesus had been ministering on the western side of the Sea of Galilee. Now he turned and went east with his small flotilla of disciples. It’s possible that most of them had never visited that region before.

It was going to be a memorable experience!

Jesus Confronts a Legion of Demons

No sooner had Jesus gotten out of the boat than a man – or two men – came to meet him. Why did Mark and Luke say “a man” while Matthew refers to “two men”?

Dr. Allen Ross of Bible.org points out that among these three Gospel writers only Matthew was an eyewitness to this story. Mark and Luke heard about the conversation one of the men had with Jesus, and that’s what they recorded.  But Matthew saw two men come to meet Jesus.

Demons are angels who went with Satan when he was cast out of heaven. They are morally corrupt, deceitful, and wicked. Like Satan, they kill, steal and destroy God’s creation because God is their enemy and they hate what he loves.

Demons have great strength and intelligence and they have been at their work since Adam and Eve first sinned, so there is nothing they haven’t already seen or done among people. Wherever we see murder and mayhem, Satan and his demons are at work. They know how to trick and deceive people into doing all kinds of despicable things.

People can’t beat demons, but Jesus can stop them with a word.

Deliverance

The three accounts vividly describe the men possessed by a legion of demons. The demons gave them almost superhuman strength so they couldn’t be kept in chains or controlled by a guard. They scared people because they were violent, crying out day and night and cutting themselves. They lived among tombs, a place no one else wanted to go. The disciples must have wanted to sail back across the lake when they saw what greeted Jesus on that shore.

“‘What do you want with us, Son of God?’ they shouted. ‘Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?’” Matthew 8:29

Demons know prophecy and these demons knew that someday God was going to judge them and cast them away forever. They didn’t think this was the appointed time, but they knew they had to do whatever Jesus told them to do anyway, so they negotiated with him.

“The demons begged Jesus, ‘If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.’

“He said to them, ‘Go!’ So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down a steep bank into the lake and died in the water.” Matthew 8:31-32

A Tough Audience

The people tending the pigs ran and told everyone what had happened. They all rushed out to see for themselves and when they saw the men who had been delivered from demons clothed and in their right minds, they were afraid. They had never seen a power like Jesus had. They asked him to leave them.

“The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:38-39

The man among the tombs became a missionary and later, when Jesus traveled through that region again, there were people eagerly waiting to meet him.

Jesus Heals Two Women

Jesus sailed back to Capernaum and a crowd was there to welcome him. He hadn’t been gone very long, but they could hardly wait for his return. Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, begging him to come and heal his twelve-year-old daughter.

As Jesus was on his way to do that, a woman who had been suffering from continuous bleeding for twelve years crept through the crowd and touched the hem of his cloak. She believed that if she could just touch him she would be healed.

Jesus realized that power had gone out from him and he wanted to know who had touched him. The woman saw she couldn’t hide from Jesus so she told him her whole story.

“Then he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.’” Luke 8:48

Meanwhile, Jairus’s daughter had died and his servants told him not to bother about bringing Jesus to her anymore.

“Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.’” Luke 8:50

They went on to the house where people made fun of Jesus for saying the girl was not dead, only asleep. Jesus took her parents and Peter, James and John, and went in to see the girl. When he took her by the hand and spoke to her she came back to life and stood up.

Symmetry and Balance

There is a lovely symmetry between these two stories. The woman had suffered for twelve years; the same amount of time the girl had been alive. The girl’s whole life was ahead of her; the woman felt her productive life was over. The woman was healed by faith of her own; the girl needed the faith of others to heal her. The tender heart of Jesus cared about both of them. He made time for them and tended to their needs.

The One and Only Jesus

In all three of these stories Jesus did what only God could do. He sent thousands of demons away with just the word “Go!” Just touching his cloak healed a woman from an incurable condition. A young girl who was dead came back to life at his gentle command.

Jesus didn’t profit from any of this and he didn’t seek worldly prestige. Pouring out immense spiritual energy didn’t diminish him and he was always ready for the next challenge. He never got tired of people and their needs. He loved them and always wanted to help them.

Jesus doesn’t seem to have made very many plans beyond going to the next place and he didn’t need to know in advance what was going to happen. He didn’t set up meetings or arrange special events, nor did he develop any programs. His only agenda was to do whatever he saw the Father doing.

Jesus kept things simple and it must have been wonderful to walk with him from village to village in Galilee. Every day was full of meaning and miracles.

The amazing thing is that we can still walk with him today. If we live the way he did and keep things simple, we are more likely to see what he is doing — and then we too can join him!