Power over the Demons
Matthew 8:28-34
We are studying Matthew 8-9, where the Gospel writer displays the authority and power of Jesus. Matthew shows that Jesus has authority like none other. His authority and power are not at all like other religious teachers (Matt. 7:29). In Matthew 8, we have seen that Jesus performed three healing miracles, showing His power over disease. Last time, we looked at Jesus’ calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee, showing His power over nature. Today, we will look at Jesus’ power over the supernatural, specifically Jesus’ power over evil spirits or demons. In Matthew 4, we saw how Jesus overcame the devil’s temptations in the wilderness. Twice already Matthew has mentioned that Jesus cast spirits out of those who were demon-possessed (Matt. 4:24; 8:16). Now in Matthew 8:28-34 we see a specific occasion when Jesus did this, casting demons out of two men in the area of Gadara.
All three of the synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—record this event after Jesus stilled the storm on the sea and they arrived on the other side of the lake (cf. Mark 5:1–20, Luke 8:26–39). Matthew’s account shows two men, while Mark and Luke only mention the more prominent of the two. Matthew’s account is also shorter. He does not refer to the demons saying their name is “Legion,” or to the desire of the liberated man to follow Jesus.[1] Matthew calls this place on the other side of the sea “the country of the Gadarenes” (Matt. 8:28, NASB). Mark calls it “the region of the Gerasenes” (Mark 5:1) and some later manuscripts call it “Gergesenes”. It is all the same place.
In our modern western culture, there are many who doubt the existence of demons or that they could control a man. This passage presents just the opposite: demons are real and sometimes they can control the actions of people. The Scriptures present varying degrees of demonic influence and/or control. Demons are spirits but they can manifest their activity in the physical world. The word here is literally “demonized.” Demons cannot “possess” a person in the sense of “own,” but they can influence, and to the degree they influence, they control. Demon possession is rare, if it ever occurs, in the Old Testament and there are very few examples of it after the Gospel accounts. It seems that when Christ came in the time of His incarnation, the kingdom of Satan rose up to resist, so there was a great upsurge of evil and demonization.[2]
The scripture doesn’t say how these men came to be demonized. However, the scripture does indicate a connection between sin, idolatry, and demon activity. Deuteronomy 32:17, Psalm 106:37, and 1 Corinthians 10:18-21 all point out that demons are the power behind false religions and idolatry. Paul warns in 1 Timothy 4:1-3 about demonic influence in the church itself through false teachers who pay attention to “deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”
Demons can also influence to cause both mental and physical harm. In Matthew 17:15-18 we find a boy often harmed himself by falling into the fire or the water. Matthew says the men in our text this morning were “extremely violent” (Matt. 8:28), and Mark reports that one of them was constantly screaming and cutting himself with stones (Mark 5:5). In Matthew 12:22 there is a man who was made both dumb and blind by a demon. In Luke 13:11,12 there is a woman who was physically deformed by a “spirit.” I do not believe all disease and mental illness is caused by demonic activity, but in these cases, the demonic activity presented itself this way.[3]
Demons can sometimes manifest themselves supernaturally through humans. In Acts 16, Paul cast a “spirit of divination” out of a girl who pestered him for many days. In Acts 19 we are told of a demonized man who overpowered seven Jewish exorcists leaving them bruised, battered, and naked. Mark reports that one of the men in our story today “had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces; and no one was strong enough to subdue him” (Mark 5:4). Demons are real, they are powerful, they are dangerous, but as we shall see, they are no match for the authority and power of Jesus.
We are going to look at this miracle in three parts this morning. First, we will look at Matthew 8:28-29 where Jesus confronts two demonized men. Then we will look at verses Matthew 8:30-32 where Jesus overpowers the demons, casting them out of the men. And then finally we will look at verses Matthew 8:33-34 where we see the reaction of the people of that area and learn that men are still deceived by evil in the world today.[4]
1. Jesus confronts Evil Spirits (Matthew 8:28-29)
So, first of all, we see Jesus confronts the demonized men. Look at Matthew 8:28-29. “28 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. 29 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?””
When Jesus and his disciples arrive at the other of the lake, they are confronted by these two demon-possessed men. There are a number of things we learn from Jesus’ confrontation of evil in these verses. Notice first, that they are coming from the tombs. These men were literally living in death. Can you imagine a worse place to live than in the tombs of the dead? What a picture of the effects of evil in a life. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” The devil certainly has done that here.
Evil has made a wreck of these two men’s lives. The devil has stolen them from their homes and families. He has stolen their peace and their sanity. He has driven them to violence. He has cut them off from the community and doomed them to isolation among the dead.
This is Satan’s strategy. This is what the world would look like if Satan had complete charge instead of God.
Secondly, notice that these demons know that Jesus is the Son of God. When the two demonized men come up to Jesus and his disciples, the demons scream at Jesus, “What business do You have with us, Son of God?” (Matt. 8:29). We know from Matthew 1 that Jesus truly is the Son of God, born of the virgin. But Jesus usually referred to Himself as the Son of Man, an explicit reference to His humanity and a veiled reference to His deity. But the demons immediately acknowledged Jesus as more than just a man. He is the Son of God.
Ironically, just before this, the disciples were in the boat with Jesus after He calmed the storm asking, “What kind of a man is this?” “While the men in the boat are doubting what manner of man this is, that even the winds and the sea obey him, the demons come to tell them.” (Theophylact, cited in Broadus).[5] The demons know the answer. What the disciples debated, the demons proclaim. James writes in James 2:19: “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” The demons believe there is one God. They knew Jesus was the Son of God. But they were still evil. They believe in God, they know Jesus, but they do not love Him or worship Him. They hate Him and oppose Him.
The third thing we learn is that the demons know there is a judgment day and Jesus is the judge. After the demons address Jesus as the Son of God, they shout at him: “Have You come here to torment us before the time?” (Matt. 8:29). There will be a time for the devil and all the demonic hosts to be tortured and rejected forever. Revelation 20:10 says, “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (cf. Jude 6). They recognized that Jesus is the one Who will discharge that judicial function at the appointed time. That Jesus was confronting their activity before the appointed time shows that Jesus’ casting out of demons was a sign that the kingdom was dawning and that Jesus is the King and the Judge (cf. Mt 12:28).[6]
The demons know why Jesus is here. 1 John 3:8 says: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” That’s why Jesus came to earth. He came save us by destroying the work of Satan. As Jesus approached the time of His death on the cross, He said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.” (John 12:31). Paul writes that at the cross, Jesus “…disarmed principalities and powers” and “made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Col. 2:15).
“Because the King of the future age arrived in the first century, His kingdom also invaded this world in a way hidden to people but recognized by the evil one and his forces. The demons here, believing they are free to torment people until the final day and expecting eternal torment in the day of judgment, recognize that their judge has just shown up, before the appointed time.” God’s ultimate intervention is yet to come, but this does not prevent us from depending on His power over the evil one in the present.[7]
That’s what we learn from Jesus’ confrontation with evil in these verses. Satan comes to steal and destroy. The devils know that Jesus is the Son of God who will judge. And they know their time is short.
2. Jesus overpowers evil (Matthew 8:30-32)
Next, we move from Jesus confronting evil spirits to Jesus them. Look at Matthew 8:30-32:
30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” 32 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. (Matt. 8:30-32).
These verses teach us several things about Jesus’ power over evil. First, devils have no power over Christ. Did you notice how the demons are literally begging Jesus in this passage? They don’t even put up a fight, because they know they are no match for Christ.
Remember in the Old Testament when Satan approached God about Job? Satan couldn’t do anything to Job without first asking permission from God. Satan has a lot of power in this world, but he has no power except that which God allows him. And he certainly has no power over Christ. Jesus told his disciples in John 14 right before going to the cross: “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.” (John 14:30-31). Jesus went to the cross not because Satan had any power over Christ, but because Jesus loves the Father and does exactly what the Father commands Him. The cross was God’s idea, not Satan’s. In the contest between Jesus and Satan, there is no contest. Satan has no power over Christ.
Secondly, devils must obey Jesus’ commands. The demons begged Jesus to send them into the pigs. And as soon as Jesus said, “Go!” they went. They had no choice in the matter. Jesus just says the word and they go.
People sometimes wonder why Jesus allowed the demons to go into the pigs. They think, “That wasn’t very nice to those poor pigs. Somebody call PETA!” Well, remember those pigs were going to get slaughtered and eaten anyway! Someone said this was the first case of “deviled ham”. So why did Jesus allow the demons to go into the pigs? I believe it was meant as a visual demonstration of His power. Mark tells us there were about two thousand pigs in the herd (Mark 5:13). The death of all these pigs shows it is true what Mark and Luke both report the demonized man said when Jesus asked his name, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” (Mark 5:9; Luke 8:30). A Roman legion was at least 5000 men. There was a great number of demons that were driven out of these men. It’s one thing to drive out one demon but to drive out thousands of demons with a simple command is an amazing display of power. Make no mistake—Jesus defeated an army of demons from hell. Evil is no match for Jesus.
What do we learn from this section on Jesus overpowering evil? Devils have no power over Christ. They must obey Jesus’ commands. And their doom is sure. Isn’t it becoming obvious that Jesus is the Messiah-King? You would think all would run to Him and believe in Him. But not all do because…
3. Men are still deceived by evil (Matt. 8:33-34)
We have seen Jesus, confronting evil in the demonized men. We have seen Jesus, overpowering evil in casting out the demons and sending them into the swine to their death. And now the last two verses of this passage teach us that men are still deceived by evil. Look at Matthew 8:33-34:
33 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. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region. (Matt. 8:33-34).
So, those who had been tending the pigs ran off and told the town what happened, and especially what happened to the demon-possessed men. The whole town came out to meet Jesus, but instead of welcoming Him and embracing Him with faith, they asked Him to leave. Satan may no longer possess the two men of the tombs, but he continues to deceive the whole town about Jesus. And just as the demons “begged” Jesus to send them into the pigs, so the people from the town “begged” Jesus to leave their region.
Jesus had just cast thousands of demons out of these two men and restored them to their right minds. And yet the people were so upset about losing the pigs and so fearful of Jesus’ power, that they wanted Him to leave. Surely everyone in that town knew Jesus had demonstrated who He was.
D.A. Carson writes: “the loss of the herd became a way of exposing the real values of the people in the vicinity. They preferred pigs to persons, swine to the Savior.”[8] Frank Stagg comments, “Matthew’s interest is in the overcoming of the demons and the failure of the townsmen to accept a salvation which had drawn near, choosing to live in the tyranny of fear rather than in the freedom of faith.”[9]
Especially for those of us who know Christ, it baffles us why they wanted Him to leave. But honestly, it makes me wonder why people reject Him today too. When we see who Jesus is, and what He desires for our lives, I can’t figure out why instead of pleading with men to come to the Savior, we don’t have a line of people waiting to get in. Why don’t people just flock to Jesus?
There is really only one explanation. The Bible teaches us that Satan’s future doom is sure, but in the present, the whole world is under Satan’s control. We read in 1 John 5:19: “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” The devil continues to deceive people about Jesus. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4 about those who are perishing, “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (2 Cor. 4:4).
It is obvious that the people from the town were also under the influence of the evil one. They were just as much controlled by their sin and blinded to the truth. They asked Jesus to leave, and He left. We don’t know that He ever returned. Be careful what you ask, especially when you ask Jesus to leave you alone. If you make anything in your life more important than Jesus, you are being deceived by Satan and living in the oppression of fear.
Satan still works to deceive in this world, but Jesus has come and given us understanding. We heard 1 John 5:19 a minute ago which said that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. Now listen to the next verse: “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:20).
Yes, Satan still deceives, but Jesus has come and has given us understanding. He reveals the truth so we may know Him who is true. He opens the eyes of those who have been blinded by the god of this age so that they may see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. Mark tells us that after Jesus cast out the legion of demons, “the man who had been demon-possessed” was with Jesus “sitting down, clothed and in his right mind.” (Mark 5:15). And Mark says that he begged Jesus that he might go with Him (Mark 5:18). The demonized men went away from their encounter with Jesus saved; the others chose to remain lost in their sin.
The point is clear. There is no doubt who Jesus is. He is the Christ, the Son of God. There is no doubt what Jesus can do. He destroys the works of the wicked one. He sets free those oppressed by evil.
If you have never given your life to Jesus let me ask you, “Why?” If you have never publicly confessed Him, “Why?” If you have never obeyed in baptism, “Why?” Your rejection of Christ is just as baffling as the rejection of this town.
So, this morning let me ask you to do what these would not. Open your eyes to see that Jesus is the One who can save you. And instead of asking Him to leave, why don’t you ask to go with Him. Surrender your life to Christ. He has power over demons, the devil, and all evil. He offered Himself on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins. He defeated all evil at the cross. He rose from the grave and lives today to give eternal life to all who believe in Him. He is the Savior of the world. Would you trust Him as your Savior today?
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[1] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 217.
[2] Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew & 2, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2008), 357.
[3] Scott L. Harris, Jesus’ Authority Over The Supernatural – Matthew 8:28-34. https://www.gracebibleny.org/jesus_authority_over_the_supernatural_matthew_8_28_34
[4] Ray Fowler, Power over Satan. https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/power-over-satan/. I adapted Fowler’s outline and drew from some of his points.
[5] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 218.
[6] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 218.
[7] Craig S. Keener, Matthew, vol. 1, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Mt 8:29.
[8] D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1984), 219.
[9] Frank Stagg, “Matthew,” in Matthew–Mark, ed. Clifton J. Allen, Broadman Bible Commentary (Broadman Press, 1969), 128.
