HEAL - God's Heart for Healing in MatthewSample

Demons and Pigs

Jesus encountered two demon-possessed men who were living in tombs. In other gospel accounts of this story, one of the men was so violent, he broke free from iron chains meant to contain him. People living in the area knew to stay away due to these men.  

When Jesus spoke to the men, it was the demons that answered. Notice that the demons were actually scared of Jesus. They understood His power and authority as the Son of God. With one word, Jesus could send them to Hell, a place the demons didn’t want to go. The legion of demons begged Jesus not to torture them before their appointed time.  

So Jesus commanded the demons to leave the men. And the demons immediately fled finding their next target to torture, a herd of pigs. What a shock it must have been to the townspeople to see these formerly crazy and violent men now in their right minds. They were at peace and free from the internal prisons that had kept them in bondage for so long.

Questions:

1. How did the demon-possessed man act before Jesus healed him?

2. Did you notice the demons kept speaking for the man? What does that tell you about the possessed man’s mind?

3. What did you learn about Jesus’ authority to heal in this passage?