Power Over the Natural and Supernatural

Matthew 8:23-34

Immanuel – 4/7/24

As you know, we took a break from Matthew during Easter Sunday to consider our God’s immeasurably great power towards those who believe. This week, as we return to Matthew, we get to see Jesus demonstrating some of that immeasurably great power – power over the natural and power over the supernatural.

But before we dive into that, let’s remember the very last section of Matthew we were studying.

Read Matthew 8:18-22

From this passage we saw that following Jesus is a total commitment; it is being so committed to Jesus that you would be willing to leave your home and your family to follow Jesus into the unknown. All the securities and comforts that you now enjoy, the network, the support systems, the roots, you would count them all as loss for the sake of following Jesus; because Jesus is life, and none of those other things are.

These thoughts must be held in our minds as Jesus gets into the boat with His disciples and sails into the unknown.

Read vs 23

The Natural Storm

See the priority Matthew is giving to Jesus. The boat does not belong to Jesus. Very likely it is Peter’s, or James and John’s. But Jesus gets in and then the disciples follow Him into it. And this is because of what Jesus had said back in verse 18, when He gave orders to go over to the other side. When He gave those orders, there was no direction attached to it other than the other side.

If you were in the disciples’ shoes, you might be prone to wonder, “Those are Gentile lands, why are we going over there?” “What are we going to do over there that we can’t do here?” “Where exactly are we going – the eastern shore of the lake is some 16 miles long?”

But no questions are asked and Jesus offers no specificity. And in between Jesus’ orders to go to the other side (verse 18), and the disciples following Jesus onto the boat (vs 23), is a lesson on the cost of following Jesus. His disciples must be willing to leave everything behind to go where He is going. That’s exactly what we see the true disciples doing in verse 23.

And they do not follow Jesus into a situation that is easy.

The Sea of Galilee is notorious for sudden and violent windstorms. Galilee sits almost 700 feet below sea level, earth’s lowest freshwater lake. Its banks are hilly and steep especially along the north shore; even forming cliffs in some areas.

Thirty miles northeast, Mount Hermon rises 9,200 feet above sea level; an almost 10,000-foot differential. Under certain conditions, warm air can rise rapidly off the warm lake and, to fill the void left by the rising air, cold air rushes down from the slopes of Mount Hermon. Such are the ingredients for a high wind situation.

Additionally, the Sea of Galilee is a relatively shallow lake. So when strong winds sweep across the surface, they can kick up violent waves. All of this can happen suddenly and without warning. Locals have dubbed these storms “Sharkia” – shark. An especially severe “sharkia” can create waves 10 feet and taller.

For a small, first century fishing boat, it’s a deadly situation. It’s very likely that the disciples have followed Jesus right into the middle of a terrible “sharkia.”

Read vs 24-25

We know that Peter, James, and John were experienced fishermen, well acquainted with the various moods of the lake. But this time Galilee presents a dark mood they have never seen before, and they are utterly terrified.

When the disciples cry out to Jesus, they speak in the present tense, “Save us, Lord, we are perishing”: meaning, they were in the process of drowning, on the very precipice of death. In any other situation, under any other circumstances, nothing could deliver them from the inevitability of their plight.

But this time is different, for there in the stern of the boat (which we know from Mark) sleeps Jesus. Imagine this: the boat is violently rising and falling with waves 10 feet high or higher, everyone is absolutely drenched, they are pelted with fierce winds; and there lies Jesus, peacefully sleeping. The only account we have of Jesus sleeping is right here in the middle of this deadly storm.

Remember when He said, “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head”?

The disciples’ only hope lies in the One who is totally peaceful in the midst of the storm. “Save us, Lord, we are perishing!”

Read vs 26

The disciples wake Jesus and, presumably, He immediately takes in His tumultuous surroundings. Then, before He even gets up, He says, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Well, isn’t it a little obvious why they are afraid? Isn’t the source of their terror a bit hard to miss? They’re going to die; why does it seem like Jesus is slapping them on the wrist?

Because though the disciples understand that Jesus is unlike anyone they have met, they still do not understand who He truly is. Jesus has already presented them with enough evidence, He has made statements that should have clarified things; even still, the disciples do not yet see and believe.

Do you ever fear? Are you ever filled with anxiety? Remember what Jesus said to anxious hearts in the Sermon on the Mount? The same words He says to the disciples in the midst of the storm: “O you of little faith.” It’s because though we see Jesus, we don’t yet see Him clearly enough. We believe in Him, and yet our faith is still so small.

Praise God that whether our faith is small or whether it is large, Jesus still saves! For despite their small faith, and full of grace and mercy, surging with unseen power, Jesus rebukes the “sharkia.” Mark tells us that Jesus shouted the rebuke, “Peace! Be Still!” (Mark 4:39)

Immediately, everything went completely still. Silent. It’s not like the storm blew itself out. Jesus exercised His total authority over the natural order and it obeyed Him instantly. The disciples did not die. Instead, that which would claim their lives died.

Read vs 27

When Matthew refers to the disciples as “the men,” he’s drawing our attention to something. They are men, ordinary, natural, human beings. But there is something altogether different about the man from Nazareth. “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?”

They should already know. Scripture has given them the answer.

TURN TO PSALM 107:25-31

God is the one who hushes the waves and stills the storm. Who is this man that even the wind and waves obey Him? We’ll hear the answer from the most unlikely source.

Read vs 28-29

The Supernatural Storm

In the Gospel of Matthew, these demons – speaking through the mouths of possessed men – are the first to call Jesus the Son of God. The disciples asked the question, demons provide the answer. Jesus is God the Son.

(Parenthesis)

Many skeptics say that there is a biblical contradiction here. This story has parallel accounts in both Mark and Luke, and in both there is only one demoniac. Matthew has two. Matthew has this sort of double vision a number of times throughout his gospel. Where Mark and/or Luke have one, Matthew may have two: In chapter 9 Jesus heals two blind men, but in Mark and Luke there is only one blind man.

There is much debate as to why this apparent contradiction happens, so I want to share a rationale that makes a lot of sense to me. Mark and Luke both focus on one possessed man and the transformation that man goes through. It’s an account of how a person was transformed through an encounter with Jesus.

Matthew, on the other hand, takes a less personal approach. He is far more focused on Jesus’ demonstration of power and how that power authenticates His divinity, rather than personal transformation. Thus, casting demons out of two men, rather than one, doubles the magnitude of Jesus’ power.

And truly, there could have been two demoniacs. Let’s say Dave and Eric both come up to me to talk, but the conversation ends up being far more significant with Dave, and Eric – though present – somewhat fades into the conversational background. If I were to recount the event to someone else, I may only mention that I had this meaningful conversation with Dave, rather than Dave and Eric. I would be correct, though I might not be precise.

I think that’s where we see the discrepancy between the different Gospels. There’s a different focus, Matthew focuses on Christ’s power rather than personal transformation. And Mark and Luke are true with one demoniac – that one had the greater transformation – but they are not as precise as Matthew’s two demoniacs.

(Close Parenthesis)

The demons have turned these two men into terrorists. The people of Gadarenes dare not go near them in all their violence. They are outcasts, homeless, living among the tombs.

It is interesting to note that everything about this setting screams unclean. As I said in a past sermon, this is Gentile land, and for a boat full of Jews, it is unclean territory. According to Mosaic Law dead bodies were unclean, thus tombs were unclean. Pigs are unclean animals, and there is an enormous herd nearby. And then there are the unclean spirits that possess the men. From a 1st century Jewish perspective, this is the very heart of darkness.

Undaunted, Jesus passes through the deadly tempest to arrive in the heart of darkness. Immediately the violent and unclean spirits confront Him. “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come to torment us before the time?” I want to point out three things about these words.

First, as I have already said, the demons know Jesus is the Son of God. They have a supernatural recognition of the supernatural nature of Jesus.

Second, they are afraid of Jesus and clearly understand that Jesus has more power than they, “What have you to do with us? Have you come to torment us?” The forces of darkness fear the Son of God.

Third, they recognize they are already judged and defeated. These demons understand there is a time when they will be tormented. Paul writes about this:

Then comes the end, when [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

-1 Corinthians 15:24

As we saw last week, Scripture often refers to demons as rulers, authorities, and powers. They will be destroyed, or cast into hell, at the end – meaning the end of history, at the final judgment. Notice how Jesus is the one who will do this, who will destroy all demonic powers. This first appearance of the Son of God is not the end, but it is the beginning of the end.

For after the cross and resurrection, Jesus will ascend to heaven’s throne and initiate a process that will subjugate all the forces of evil.

For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

-1 Corinthians 15:25

Verses 28-34 are just a preview of Christ’s final victory.

Read vs 30-32

Scripture does not give us a detailed understanding of what demon possession means, or how it works, but we can understand at least this much: Demons are like parasites. They enjoy tormenting their hosts mentally and physically; and if the host is not delivered, the host will eventually be destroyed.

It’s a little ironic that the men possessed by demons were driven to homelessness, but the demons cannot tolerate the idea of being homeless. For their host is their home. And is there a more fitting home for unclean spirits than a herd of unclean pigs?

What happens next does not seem to accord with the demonic plan. As soon as the demons enter the pigs (and Mark indicates that there were as many demons as there were pigs), the whole herd throws itself into the water and drowns. Apparently, when demons possess pigs, the pigs self-destruct much faster than men.

(To Matthew’s 1st century Jewish audience, the destruction of a herd of pigs would be no loss, but something of a victory. Thus, Matthew provides no context to help our 21st century perplexity over suicidal pigs.)

Notice, again, Jesus’ power over the demons. The demons ask Jesus if they are allowed to go into the pigs. They need His permission. Jesus’ total control over the entire situation is powerfully emphasized with a single word: “Go.” A single word, the demons are controlled, the men are delivered.

At this point, Mark and Luke turn their attention to one of the restored men. Matthew, on the other hand, turns his attention to the nearby villagers.

Read vs 33-34

The pig herders run off and tell everyone of the strange supernatural events and the terrible economic loss they have suffered. Evidently, they tell the story in such a way that blames Jesus for everything that happened. They too recognize that Jesus was the one in control.

They begin to beg Jesus. In verse 31, it was the demons begging Jesus. Now all the villagers are begging Him. Just as they cast out the demoniacs from their village, now they want to cast Jesus away. In their unbelief they were unable to distinguish from men possessed with demons and the Son of God possessing all authority in heaven and on earth.

Perhaps these villagers were gripped by the same sort of unbelief as the Pharisees: The Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.” (Matthew 9:34)

Not knowing what to make of Jesus, they are scared. They are terrified; so, they beg Jesus to leave. They wanted the pigs more than they want Jesus. Even if Jesus just saved the men from an inevitable destruction, the villagers preferred to live in the status quo, with the things they understood, the things that were comfortable. They did not want this Jewish man with strange powers to shake up their world!

What have you done when Jesus has come to shake up your status quo? Truly, He doesn’t let anyone stay in status quo.

It's an unflattering ending. After powerful displays over the natural and supernatural realms, Jesus is exiled from the region of Gadarenes. It forces the reader to ask the question, why had Jesus gone there if He was just going to get kicked out?

That means each section leaves us with a question. The first question is asked directly: Who is this man? The second question is drawn from us: Why did He go to the other side?

I believe that the answers to these questions come colliding directly into the gospel.

Jesus left His homeland to go to the unclean other side, knowing He would be rejected. Does this sound familiar? Jesus stepped down from glory to enter our humility and be surrounded by our selfish and proud filth. He did this knowing that He would be rejected by men and afflicted. He knew He was sailing right into the mightiest of all storms: where He would face the full wrath of God for the sins of mankind. There, hanging on the cross, rejected by men and forsaken by the Father, He lay His head and died – He slept.

He did this because we were already dying, drowning in our sins, with no possible way to save ourselves. Hell would swallow us if the Prince of Peace did not rise and declare, “Peace, Be Still!”

Christ has stilled our storm, defeated our death, and delivered us from the evil one. So let our fears be stilled.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” -John 14:27

With such abounding peace given to us by the very Prince of Peace, know that your enemy is defeated. Just as the demons were shamed when the pigs cast themselves to the water, so has Christ shamed all our spiritual foes.

[God] disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in [Christ]. -Colossians 2:15

Who is this man? He is the one who quiets the storm and casts aside Satan. He is the one who wields all authority in heaven and on earth. He is the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, Jesus of Nazareth!

Let us follow Him even if we have to leave everything behind, even if He takes us right into the midst of the storm! Let us never cling to our comfortable status quo!