The Gospel of Matthew

Self-denial and the power of the King

Chapter 8:18-9: 8

Self-denial necessary to follow Christ (vv. 18-22)

A large crowd was now around the Lord Jesus, some attracted by His teachings, but the vast majority because of the cures that He did (verses 16 and 17).

Also in our days, many people are attracted to churches by the good things they receive from them, like moral assistance, food and even promises of healing.

The Lord Jesus then told His disciples to go to the other side of the lake, away from that crowd.

Two people showed attitudes that bring us lessons:

A scribe told Him he was willing to follow him to wherever He went. We have no elements to doubt his sincerity, but the Lord told him that He did not have proper accommodation for Himself. Other people who loved Him gave him shelter, and we know that several times He climbed a mountain to spend the night in the open. Would the scribe be willing to do the same? We are not told.
A disciple asked the Lord to allow him to stay with his father until he buried him. His father was not necessarily dead already, but he probably felt responsible in taking care of his elderly father. The Lord no doubt knew of his circumstances and did not grant his request but told him to "let the dead bury their dead". "Dead" here means unbelievers.

It is clear that there is a price to follow the Lord Jesus: self-denial. Elsewhere he said, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." (Mark 8:34). Personal comfort and family must not take priority over the Christian walk. The Lord Jesus had a path to go which included a cross of rejection and derision of the world. The believer also has no rest in this world, and carries his own cross of rejection.

Authority over the forces of nature (v. 23-27)

We have here the fifth sign of the deity of the Messiah, when He floated in a boat with his disciples on the sea of Galilee.

He slept while His disciples struggled with a storm so fierce that the waves of the sea covered the boat. In desperation, they thought they were perishing and went to seek help from the right person: the Lord. They used few words, but they echo through the ages: "Lord, save us! We are perishing".

The name Jesus comes from the conjunction of two Hebrew words translating "God" and "is salvation (or saviour)". The disciples believed that He could save them, so they woke Him up. Likewise, He is the only one who can save sinners from eternal condemnation because of their sin.

He first admonished them for the fear they were taken with, and called them "you of little faith." They had faith that the Lord could save them, but it was not enough to stay calm amid the storm through having His presence with them. It was necessary to wake him up.

Then He surprised them with the manner in which He saved them: all it took was for Him to rebuke the wind and the sea, and there followed a great calm. They little imagined that the Creator of all things was with them (John 1:3), having used only His word to do that.

Even now the disciples of the Lord Jesus will find storms in one way or another. Knowing that the Lord is with them, they can face any harm that comes with peace of mind, because, while it may seem that He is sleeping, His mere presence will ensure final victory (Matthew 28:20, 1 Corinthians 15:57).

Healing of two demon-possessed men (verses 28 to 34)

Having crossed the sea, the Lord came to the land of Gadara. It is not certain that the inhabitants were Gentiles but it is possible, because pigs are unclean for the Jews.

There two demon-possessed men approached Him. The Gospels of Mark and Luke tell the same episode but speak only of one of them, from the city of Gerasa and maybe he was the more prominent of the two.

A large number of demons possessed the Gadarenes, so much so that the Gerasene said his name was "Legion" that, at that time, consisted of up to six thousand men, including cavalry.

The demons knew the identity of the Lord Jesus the Son of God perfectly because, according to the two other evangelists, they made the Gerasene prostrate himself before the Lord and worship him. Then they showed their concern about the possibility of the Lord Jesus expelling them from men and "torment them before the time" (verse 29)..

This is the explanation: the demons are spirits, formerly angels of God, but they revolted together with Satan and together with him are destined to be condemned to be thrown into the "Lake of fire and brimstone" with unrepentant humanity, when judged before the White Throne (Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:10-15). Currently they are "in the air" (Ephesians 2: 2) or trapped in a place named "bottomless pit" (Jude 1: 6, Revelation 9-11, 20: 3). Some of them take possession of human beings, as had happened with these two men. The demons in them were afraid of being imprisoned by order of the Lord Jesus in the “bottomless pit” where they would be tormented.

The demons, anticipating that they would be expelled from those men, asked the Lord for permission to enter a great herd of pigs that were grazing nearby. This indicates:

Demons wish to occupy the bodies of men or animals here on Earth. They need permission from God to occupy the bodies of animals.
Although demons can occupy human bodies if allowed to, they never will occupy the body of a believer in Christ, for the Spirit of God inhabits him.

The Lord commanded them to leave and enter the pigs. The demons, as many as there were, infested the whole herd of about two thousand pigs, and these “ran violently down the deep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.” (Mark 5:13). This demonstrates the destructive nature of demons.

Upon learning what had happened, the population of the place begged the Lord Jesus to leave their territory. They rejected Him because of the serious damage He had brought on them, although He saved two men and freed the population from the danger they represented.

The power to forgive sins (Chapter 9 verses 1 to 8)

Rejected by the Gadarenes, the Lord Jesus returned to Capernaum, "His city".

A small group, among whom there was a paralytic carried on a stretcher by four men, sought to get close to Him, but were unable to enter the house where He was, because of the crowd that filled and surrounded his house. Therefore, they uncovered the roof and broke through letting down the bed with the paralyzed man (Mark 2: 1-12).

Seeing the group's faith, the Lord forgave the sins of the paralytic. Some teachers of the law who were present considered within themselves that He was blaspheming, because only God can forgive sins. Really only God can, but now He was proving His divinity.

The Lord Jesus could read their thoughts and so rebuked them for thinking that way, and asked what was easier to say: "your sins are forgiven" or "stand up and walk"? Both are easy to say, but both are humanly impossible to fulfill. The result of the first you cannot see, but the second is evident.

He then proved that He was divine and could do both things, by saying to the paralytic “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house" (Mark 2:11) which he promptly did. Upon this evidence, the people feared and glorified God for giving such authority to men: he was actually not only a man, but was also the Son of God.

R David Jones

18 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.
19 Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."
20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

21 Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.
24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep.
25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"

26 But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

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?"

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.
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.

Gospel of Matthew, chapter 8, verses 18 to 34

1 So He got into a boat, crossed over, and came to His own city.
2 Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you."
3 And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, "This Man blasphemes!"
4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5 For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Arise and walk'?
6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"—then He said to the paralytic, "Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house."
7 And he arose and departed to his house.
8 Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.

Gospel of Matthew, chapter 9 verses 1 to 8)