I remember as a child watching the old western television shows. It was always easy to identify the evil side of the story because they wore black. In contrast to the evil characters were the good guys, and they always wore white. Today it is not that easy. Part of Satan’s tactics is to blur the lines, he has taught us to think in terms of “it’s not so bad” instead of it is right or wrong. He has taught us to think there are little and big sins, that there are white lies and big lies, he has taught us to accept sin, and we have bought into his plan. In God’s eyes, sin is sin and there are no big and little sins. He hates all sin. While the consequences for some sins have a greater impact on our lives here, the consequences for sin in eternity are all the same for everyone that has not accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We need to view sin as Jesus does and realize we don’t have to feel defeated because we serve the one, Jesus who has power over sin.
In Matthew 8:28-32, we have an account of Jesus coming face to face with two men who were possessed with demons. Luke tells us in his account in Luke 8:28, that he was a man of the city, meaning at one time he had been a citizen of the nearby city. Scholars believed this man to be educated and born in the city. Now, because he was possessed by demons he was no longer welcome in his home and had resorted to living in caves. The demons had caused both men to go insane. The evil that was within them had caused them to become mentally insane. In verse 28 Matthew says they would come out of the tombs so fierce that no one could pass by. Yet, when Jesus passed by the demons knew who He was, and they spoke to Him.
The demons also knew the power of Jesus over them. In verse 29 they cry out to Him. They called Him by name, not just Jesus as others knew Him, but “Jesus, thou Son of God.” They ask Jesus if He had come there to torment them “before the time.” This was referring to the time of judgment when they would be bound and thrown into hell for all eternity. They ask Jesus to not pass final judgment on them but to send them into a herd of swine that was feeding nearby. Jesus did as they ask, but even the pigs couldn’t stand the demons and they ran and jumped off a cliff into the water killing themselves.
Matthew 8:28-32 “And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them a herd of many swine feeding. So, the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters”
In Luke 8:38-39, we are given a little more insight into this miracle where Jesus shows us His power over evil. When the demons left the men, they were in their right minds. One that Luke speaks about is wanting to spend time with Jesus. This is a show of His gratitude for Jesus freeing Him from the demons. Jesus tells him to go back to his home. The man obeys and spreads this great testimony of how Jesus had power over the demons. Luke tells us he published it throughout the entire city. Wow, what a testimony. This man who was so overcome by the demons was now free of the demons and spreading the word about Jesus, the Son of God.
Luke 8:38-39 “Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.”
For those of us who have been saved, we have experienced Jesus’s power over evil. He has freed us from the guilt of sin and from the power of sin. Satan no longer has full access to us. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to guide us and help us to overcome the temptations Satan brings our way. We have Jesus as our advocate, who sits at the right hand of the Father and pleads our case to the Father. We have the one on our side who defeated the evil one forevermore.
