What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?

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. 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. So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine" 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. 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. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

- Matthew 8:28-34

In yesterday's reading, Jesus gives a command that He and His disciples will depart for the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They are in Capernaum and headed to Gentile territory across the Sea. A scribe tells Him that he will follow Jesus wherever He goes. But Jesus tells Him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Another disciple says, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead." As they set off over the sea, great waves and a tempest come up, so that the disciples fear they are drowning. But Jesus is asleep in the boat. Jesus 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. So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"

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. This story is presented in a more detailed way in other Gospels (see My Name is Legion). But there are a few details that are different in Matthew's Gospel. Here, there are two demon-possessed men. They are mentally deranged to the point of violence and cannot live among the community. Instead, they live in the tombs, among the dead. This is Gentile territory, a new mission for the disciples, across the Sea. These frightening, wild demoniacs live even further out of community, possessed by that which is ultimately outside of community. It is a kind of picture of the absolutely forlorn, the wild and chaotic, without any sense of rule -- simply a meaningless, purposeless violence, a frightening forsakenness.

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?" These are the words of the demons. "Before the time" refers to the time of Judgment. They recognize who Jesus is. My study bible says, referring to the demons, "They know they have nothing in common with Him, for Jesus seeks man's salvation. . . . They are surprised their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment." Jesus' authority is immediate and full. This is something surprising to the demons who torment the two men and pull them from all community, into a violent self-destructive life.

Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine" And He said to them, "Go." The demons have possessed these men, driving them out from community into the wilderness and among the tombs, caves carved out of rock, far away from the village. Now it is Jesus who will drive them from these men. The herd of swine is a kind of important symbol in the context of the Jewish audience of the Gospel. They are unclean animals in Jewish law, and another sign that we are in Gentile territory. My study bible says that the demons' entrance into the herd of swine is a sign of the reality of the demoniacs' healing. We observe Jesus' authority and power over the demons; without His permission even they can do nothing. His presence expels them.

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. 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. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region. My study bible notes here: "Jesus' sovereign power is not only over physical infirmity, but over mental illness as well. It shows us the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation is worth every sacrifice." The people of the town beg Jesus to leave because they have lost their swine. But the swine throwing themselves into the water is a sign of the destructive power of these demons, who formerly occupied the men, making them crazy with violence, and self-destructive. This Gentile community fails to realize the value of the healing, and can only look to the material value of the swine who are destroyed. The healing of the human beings is not "worth every sacrifice to them" and they want Jesus to leave. It's another sign of "lawlessness" - a lack of regard for God's law. In Mark's Gospel, the healed demoniac wishes to follow Jesus and get in the boat with the disciples. But Jesus tells him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he has had compassion on you." Then, Mark's Gospel tells us, he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled. Here in Matthew, we are not told what becomes of the healed men, only the power of Christ even here in Gentile territory. The two demoniacs, as opposed to one, symbolize to me both Jew and Gentile, and in Matthew's Gospel we will find this sort of "doubling" happening. Christ's power is for the whole world; the light of the nations will come from Israel, and will be for both Jew and Gentile.

Christ's authority is complete. It is there in Jewish territory and among Jews; it is also so in this forsaken territory of demons, among people who prize their "unclean" animals above the healing of the demon-possessed human beings. I think this must have been a terribly frightening and powerful experience for Christ's disciples, especially coming after they nearly drown. There is no exception to the places that this power is at work. Even before Resurrection, my study bible points out, "Jesus rescues people from the devil's control." So, the Gospel is telling us, the power of Christ is over all things and all people, and in all places. There are no exceptions. In Revelation, we read, "Behold, I am making all things new." And this is the real power of Christ. He makes all things new. He renews these men, He brings a new order out of chaos, and His priorities are clear: the salvation of human beings is worth every price. He is here to restore us all, to bring order out of chaos, health out of self-destruction. What does that mean to you? Are there places in your life that feel out of control, without rule, forsaken in some sense? Are there things for which you need a resolution, a kind of restoring hand to distinguish what is good and healthy from what is not? Do you at times feel that you are in a true wilderness, far from life and community? We seem, at times, to live in a time of chaos and violence, fear and anxiety. My study bible says that "even the demoniacs had enjoyed God's providential care." We don't know how God's power will work in our lives, we only know that it does. We call Him into places where we fear, where there is chaos, and we ask for His law in our hearts, the Logos that restores us and all things into right-relatedness. Call on the Paraclete, the one who comes by your side, when you need a restoring hand, the one who helps you to see your way through chaos and destructive power.