Luke 8: 26-39
Jesus’ Authority Part 2

by Gary DeLashmutt

Introduction

Reiterate the theme of 8:22-56. These four miracles reveal the authority of Jesus over forces that overwhelm humans.

Read 8:26. See MAP of Sea of Galilee, where disciples departed, the storm, and where they land in Gentile area. Read 8:27-33. Here Jesus meets a demon-possessed man and reveals his authority over spirits.

Before we look closely at this miracle, we need to reflect on the views contemporary Americans have concerning spirits.

Different views concerning spirits

NATURALISM: Until very recently, most Americans denied the existence of spirits. This was because of the dominance of naturalism—the belief that there is no supernatural realm, or that everything that happens in nature can be explained by the “laws” of science. All claims or accounts of supernatural events are therefore simply primitive people resorting to superstition because they don’t understand science.

This view was so dominant that as recently as 1959, Gerald Gardner, an occult practitioner, said “I do not think that anyone . . . dared hint that there might be anything in witchcraft today without being laughed at.”[1] In 1965, Pennethorne Hughes, British authority, could say that “(Witchcraft is) dying rapidly before the popular press, popular education . . . and the American way of life . . . Witchcraft, as a cult belief in Europe, is dead. As a degenerate form of a primitive fertility belief . . . the practice is over.”[2]

Unfortunately, the church was heavily influenced by this view, and became embarrassed by the supernatural elements in the Bible, including the existence of spirits. Thus, the move to “demythologize” the Bible was very popular in mainline churches until very recently, and is still influential to this day. 

“We must try to visualize what happened. The man was shouting and shrieking . . . We must remember that the man was completely convinced that he was occupied by demons.  Now it was normal and orthodox belief, shared by everyone, that when the Messiah came and the time of judgment came, the demons would be destroyed and annihilated. This is what the man meant when he asked Jesus why he had come to torture him before the proper time. He was so convinced that he was possessed by demons that nothing in this world could have rid him of this conviction other than ocular and visible demonstration that the demons had gone out of him. Something had to be done which to him would be unanswerable proof. Almost certainly what happened was that his shouting and shrieking alarmed the herd of pigs; and in their terror the pigs took flight and plunged into the lake.  Water was fatal to demons. Thereupon Jesus seized the chance which had come to him. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘Look at those swine; they are gone into the depths of the lake and your demons are gone with them forever.’ Jesus knew that in no other way could he ever convince this man that he was in fact cured. If that be so, Jesus did not deliberately destroy the herd of swine; he used their stampede to help this poor sufferer to believe in his cure.”[3]

The “Jesus Seminar” is a group of naturalistic scholars who insist that virtually all supernatural events in the gospels are myths that were inserted into the text by later Christians.

SPIRITISM: An amazing thing has happened in America within the last 35 years. Many people have gone from rejecting the existence of spirits to embracing a spiritistic/animistic belief in spirits. Spiritism, animism, and witchcraft all subscribe to the view that the universe is alive with spirits and that they control or influence most of human existence. There are many reasons for this shift—the failure of modern science to create a utopia, the spiritual dimension of humans, the influence of Eastern religions, the anemic state of the church, etc.

EXAMPLES: Best-selling books on angels; TV shows featuring angels; NEW AGE spirit-guides; popularity of Native American spirituality; Gaia the earth goddess;  PSYCHIC HOTLINES; etc. NOTE: Much of this is pure charlatanism and superstition, but not all of it.

Of course, much of the church has jumped on this bandwagon, with many of the same churches that rejected the supernatural 30 years ago now featuring all kinds of angel workshops, getting in touch with spirit-guides, etc.

BIBLICAL: The biblical view is different from both naturalism and spiritism. 

It acknowledges the existence of spirits who interact with the seen world, but denies that everything is ultimately caused by them. 

See the gospels’ distinction between illness and demonic possession (Matt. 4:24; 8:16; Lk. 4:40,41). Luke, as a physician, knew the difference!

It also emphasizes learning about God and his moral will instead of fascination with spirits. Most ancient Near Eastern “scriptures” contain vast tracts on spirits, spells, etc. (See Ancient Near-Eastern Texts and G. Ernest Wright’s The Old Testament Against Its Environment), while the Old Testament says hardly anything about angels and demons. Likewise, the New Testament acknowledges angels and demons (as in this passage), but is devoid of all magical practices and emphasizes God’s truth versus Satan’s lies as the most important front in spiritual warfare.

The most concerning thing about the spiritist movement from a biblical perspective is the naive assumption that spirits are good, or at least controllable. The Bible acknowledges the existence of spirits, but tells us they are more powerful than humans, and that many are evil and dangerous. They hate humans and desire to destroy us. Therefore, it warns us against all dabbling with spirits (Deut. 18:9-12 and MODERN EQUIVALENTS). 

You wouldn’t think of employing a baby-sitter without checking him/her out (just because you had a good feeling about him/her), would you? A bad baby-sitter could mess your children up! Why would you seek a spirit-guide without checking it out (just because you have a good feeling about it)? They can mess you up far worse! Seeking a spirit-guide is like playing spiritual Russian roulette—you may contact a good spirit, but it is much more likely that you will contact an evil spirit!  You may even receive a favor from it (accurate prediction; healing; telepathic power, etc.), but these favors don't come for free. By accepting this gift, you have indebted yourself and there will be the recompense of increasing demonic influence in your life!

This is probably why this man was so controlled by demons. In a group this size, it is likely that some/many of you have experienced harmful effects of demonic influence (EXAMPLES). If you have, you need to know that Jesus Christ has authority over evil spirits and can liberate you from their harmful influence.  There is no more dramatic example of this teaching than this event . . . 

Demon-possession

Here is a man who exhibits all of the classic symptoms of demon-possession mentioned by other biblical passages and by other reputable Christian workers. When we include Mark’s account (Mark 5:1-13), we see the following:

Abnormal strength (8:29)

Paroxysms (8:29 - “seized him many times”)

Self-destructive activity (Mark 5:5 - “gashing himself with stones”)

Hyper-aesthesia (8:28 - he knows who Jesus is) >> INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR SINS, ANCESTORS, THE FUTURE, etc.

Spiritual resistance (8:28 - man’s prostration followed by “What have I to do with you?;” saying Jesus’ name may be occultic attempt to gain control over him) >> FALL ASLEEP DURING BIBLE TEACHING; SHOUT OBSCENITIES DURING PRAYER, etc.

Voices, tongues, and multiple personalities (8:30 - in this case, evidently over 1000 [see Mark 5:13 - 2000 pigs]) >> DOCUMENTED ACCOUNTS

Transference (8:33 - “demons came out and entered the swine”) >> KINETIC PHENOMENA; SEVERE ATTACK ON THOSE WHO DELIVER

NOTE: Many of these symptoms are present in people who are not demonized (abnormal strength; paroxysms; self-destructive activity; tongues and MPD). Others, however, are unique to demonization (hyper-aesthesia; spiritual resistance; transference).

NOTE: Demon-possession is the most severe and dramatic form of demonic influence. Lesser forms (oppression and subjection) are sometimes experienced by those who have been involved in occultic practices or families, and by Christian workers.

This is a tragic situation. For whatever reasons, this man has lost control of his life to malignant spiritual beings, who are disintegrating his personality and wreaking havoc on others through him. And people are powerless to do anything about it.

Jesus’ authority over evil spirits

Re-read 8:31-33. There some aspects of this event that are unfamiliar to most of us.

The “abyss” evidently refers to the final judgment of evil spirits, which is described in Rev. 20:10. The demons knew Messiah would send them there at the end of the age.

We do not know why Jesus permitted them to enter the herd of swine. Some say it was to demonstrate to the herdsmen that the man had been delivered, but the man’s subsequent behavior demonstrated this. Some say it manifested the demon’s destructive intent, but they had already manifested this by their effect on the man. Whatever the reason, the demons were responsible for the swine’s deaths.

But don’t miss the forest for the trees! Jesus has authority over evil spirits.  Jesus uttered no incantations, used no ritual, paraphernalia, etc. He “commanded,” “gave permission,” and the evil spirits had to obey him. His Word carried the authority of God. In this and many other passages, the Bible declares that we may be delivered from the harmful effects of evil spirits through Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. In light of this, we should all take the following steps:

Come to Jesus Christ, who alone has power over the forces of evil (1 Jn. 4:4). This is because he is God who created them (Col. 1:15ff.). Demons only counterfeit God’s intent for humans—to indwell us personally.

Separate yourself from all occultic practices (Acts 19:18-19).  Confess and renounce all known involvement. We have seen many delivered from spiritual oppression and subjection when they do this.

Discern and reject religious teachings that fail to distinguish between God and other spiritual beings (1 Jn. 4:1-3). 

EPILOGUE: Two reactions

The aftermath of this deliverance portrays two common responses to Jesus’ delivering power:

Read 8:34-37. The townspeople receive convincing evidence that Jesus has delivered the man, yet they react to all this with fear and ask Jesus to depart. Why? Probably because their pigs were gone! A man who has posed a threat to them for years (not to mention his own suffering) is now totally transformed. Yet all they can see is their loss of pork revenue!

The decision to believe in Jesus is not based solely on proof or evidence that he is the Truth. It is also tied very much to our values and priorities. If Jesus appears to threaten what we value, we will reject him in spite of the evidence. I have had friends agree that Christ has changed my life for the better, yet refuse to check him out because they realize he will challenge their sexual behavior. I have had parents thank me for leading their children to Christ to get off drugs, yet reject my invitation to investigate Christianity and say now it’s time for their kids to get on with the important things in life—career and money-making.

What’s the real reason for your reluctance to get involved with Christ? Is it really lack of evidence—or the gut realization that he wants to change your life? Make no mistake about it—he does want to change your life! But he wants to change it for your good, not at your expense . . . 

Read 8:38-39. The man is so grateful for what Jesus has done that he naturally wants to stay with him and tell others about him. Jesus refuses to take him with him because his ministry to Jewish people would have made the man’s discipleship unhelpful. Instead, he tells the man to go back to his own people and share what God has done for him. (Notice that the man shares what “Jesus” did for him.)

The most natural responses of those who experience the liberating love and power of Jesus Christ are to want to stay with him and to tell others about him. Now that the Holy Spirit has come, we never have to leave Jesus’ presence, and his Spirit empowers us in our witness to others.

NEXT: Jesus’ authority over sickness and death

Footnotes