Matthew 8:28-34
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Sit comfortably and breathe deeply for a few seconds before you begin. As you breathe in, say the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
In our last meditation, the disciples witnessed Jesus taking dominion over nature and wondered, “Who is this man…?” In today’s passage the forces of evil recognize who Jesus is immediately. Read Matthew 8:28-34 as if you were watching the scene unfold in front of you.
Mark and Luke write about this same incident in their Gospels, but each of them mentions only one man possessed by demons. Though there could be a number of explanations for this discrepancy, it’s important to remember that the Gospel writers were more concerned about presenting a clear and compelling picture of Jesus than with getting their stories aligned.
This story plays out in the Decapolis (Ten Towns), an area inhabited by both Jews and Gentiles, and though we aren’t told about the ethnicity of the men in question, it is highly possible that the men are not Jews. But Jesus is not concerned about the men’s origins; his compassion and power are free to anyone in need. And these men are in desperate need.
The demons know immediately who Jesus is and exactly what Jesus will do to rescue the tortured men. There is no doubt on their part - only the human spectators misunderstand.
Get quiet for a moment and invite Jesus to speak to you through this story. What would your reaction be if you witnessed the miraculous restoration of the mind and heart of someone you consider beyond hope?
Read Matthew 8:28-34 again noticing anything new that stands out as you read.
The reaction of the “entire town” is straightforward - they unanimously reject Jesus. When faced with the reality of who Jesus is, we are really only left with two options. We either recognize him as the Son of God and yield our lives to him so he can restore us to be and do all that God intends, or we reject him and continue building our own lives and livelihoods. The first option requires us to die to ourselves and our own ways of navigating the world, but the reward is the freedom to become the people God created us to be.
The second option may seem reasonable, but in reality the life we build apart from Jesus is a house of cards.
Take a few minutes to consider your own commitment to Jesus. Have you fully embraced “Option 1” or are you attempting to follow Jesus on some sort of middle ground? Take this question to Jesus and then listen in silence.
What do you believe Jesus may be saying to you today?
What do you plan to do about that?
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