Demons or pigs

Matthew 8 : 28 - 34

In this episode, we are shown Jesus' authority over the spirit world. This should give us confidence that indeed the invasion and conquest of Satan's strongholds has begun with the coming of the kingdom...even though the time of final judgment awaits Jesus' coming in glory. The demons recognize Jesus' true identity as the 'Son of God' and knew quite well an appointed time would come when the forces of Satan will be judged.

There was a cost to this exorcism. A herd of pigs was destroyed. The people of the town asked Jesus to leave. Their values were such that they preferred to live with their fear of the two demoniacs roaming the tombs (they were so violent that no one could pass that way) than to lose something of economic value. Isn't this common even in our world today? People do not mind living in bondage as long as they are assured of security, especially in the material sense. When Jesus comes into our lives he will assault the powers of this world (whether literal demons or our just our own inner 'demons') that hold us captive. Jesus' coming will seem to be a threat if we want to cling on to the status quo. If we allow him to take residence in our personal world, we have to be prepared to have our world turned upside down. We may have to lose something that we value, but we are assured that what he gives in return will have eternal worth.

Often, people are willing to receive prayer for deliverance from 'spirits' that are negatively affecting their lives. With proper spiritual discernment, the evil spirits can be identified and cast out in Jesus' name and with his authority. However, the same people are often not willing to take responsibility to ensure that the evil spirits do not readily take up residence again! I remember a vivid description given by Charles Kraft in his book 'Defeating dark angels'. He writes that the demons are like rats. They feed on garbage ('Inside a human being, emotional or spiritual garbage provides just such a congenial setting for demonic rats'). So after the demons are removed, we have to make sure that the garbage in our lives is dealt with. Otherwise, they will just come back to feed on the garbage. There is a cost to being set free by Jesus. It may mean the loss of all that has become 'garbage' in our lives. Jesus requires our cooperation as he leads us to freedom. The Israelites had to leave behind the many alluring attractions of Egypt in order to be led out of bondage into the desert. Can we accept the loss of our 'pigs' and trust that our Lord will grant us much more....that as we welcome him fully into our lives we receive the deepest desire of our hearts?