Ian Barclay's Thought For The Day

A CHRISTIAN LOOKS AT MATTHEW’S GOSPEL
Lord of all (ii)
Reading: Matthew 8:28-34 Click to view passage

We continue to look at the authority of Jesus. We have seen him as Lord over Nature dealing with the storm, now we will see him as Lord over the world of demons.

Master of demons
After Jesus crossed the lake he came to the country of the Gadarenes and was met by two fierce, demon-possessed men. Both are homicidal maniacs who emerge from the tombs to accost him. In New Testament times demons inflicted men with mental and physical diseases and these two men illustrate the condition. In the bible “demon” can denote an “inferior pagan deity” (Acts 17:18) but more often it is an “evil spirit.” Supernatural powers have supernatural insight so these men instantly recognise Jesus. Demon possession is seen in the blasphemous cry of the men. Jesus is as authoritative over demons and he was with the storm, a simple “Go” and the demons depart (v32).

Without question the world seems less bothered by evil spirits in the 21st century than it was in the 1st. However, plenty of stories from the mission field suggest that in some areas of the world it is still a problem. All we need to note today is that Jesus is Master of demons.

Meditation: How do I view this subject today?

Prayer pointer: I need to see clearly that Jesus has power over the dark areas of this world and universe.