Light of the World: Powerful and Good

Author: Joseph

Date: March 22, 2020

Yeshua purposefully crossed the Sea of Galilee with a mission. The disciples were unaware that when Yeshua would bring them to shore, two demonized men and a town full of fear awaited them.

When Yeshua arrived on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, they arrived near a burial site with tombs. Two men, were among those tombs, oppressed and driven to madness from demons that tormented them. It is written that they were extremely violent, even so that no one could pass by the burial site. One of the two men was often bound with shackles and chains by the people of the city, but he would break them and no one could control him (Mark 5:3-4). The man was naked and would scream among the tombs during the night as he mutilated himself with stones (Mark 5:5; Luke 8:27). Both men came out from their dwelling among the tombs and approached Yeshua and His disciples.

The men were desperate for help and the demons, unclean spirits full of darkness, that tormented them were afraid as they came face-to-face with Yeshua, the Light of the world. The demons cried out, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29). The demons feared Yeshua, God in the flesh, for they knew what authority and power He held. The demons begged and pleaded for any chance to escape from immediate punishment, so Yeshua sent them away into a herd of pigs, which subsequently drowned themselves by falling from a cliff into water.

The men who were previously oppressed by these demons were then in their right mind and free from their spiritual bondage. The men who were endlessly tormented day and night were now free. No longer would they gash themselves with stones and scream among the tombs at night. No longer would they suffer from isolation away from their people, among the tombs of the dead. The men no longer suffered the torment of their demonic oppressors, having had the darkness driven away from them by the Light of the world.

The herdsmen who owned the pigs ran away in fear and reported to the city people what had happened. The people were filled with fear and instead of recognizing the power of God and rejoicing in the miracle Yeshua performed, they “implored Him to leave their region” (Matthew 8:34). The city had once feared the demoniacs, but then they feared Yeshua. Instead of embracing the Light of the world, they were distressed that Yeshua held such authority and power. They feared the darkness of the demons yet they also were reluctant to embrace the Light (who was able to free them from such oppression and violence). They feared Yeshua because they did not trust that He was not only powerful, but also good.

One of the men who was demonized asked Yeshua if he could join Him and His disciples, but Yeshua only asked him to go and tell others about what Yeshua did for him and bring glory to God (Mark 5:18-19). The man went away and did just as Yeshua asked, proclaiming the work of God and His mercy (Mark 5:20; Luke 8:39). The man embraced the Light, he was willing to go with Him, and he acted faithfully in what he was told to do, having experienced the goodness of God.

The people of the city and the man who was demonized had completely opposite reactions to the Light of the world. The first group rejected Yeshua and instead of seeing the goodness of God and His mercy only proceeded to react in fear, yet again as they did with the demons. The unhealthy fear was caused by them fearing the ability of an almighty God and not trusting that He was good. They were not willing to trust God, Who was even more powerful than the darkness of the demons. The people of the city could not control the demons, none of their efforts or works of skilled craftsmen could restrain the power of darkness. How much more afraid were they of God, Who could simply command the demons to leave and set the men back into their right minds.

The man who was demonized, on the other hand, was ready to fully embrace Yeshua and follow Him as a disciple. He had been relieved from great oppression and given even greater mercy. He knew that God, Who held such great authority and power, was worth receiving because He was also good (the Light among a world full of darkness).

"Trust in His goodness and do not let unhealthy fear poison your view of God..."

Do you trust that God, the Light of this world, is also inherently good? Although He is far beyond our control, knowing that He is also good should bring us great comfort. Trust in His goodness and do not let unhealthy fear poison your view of God and cause you to reject Him. The man who was demonized recognized God’s goodness and testified of His mercy, having experienced it himself. Believe in his testimony and use it to build your faith in God’s goodness and mercy.

Matthew 8:28-34

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB). www.lockman.org

(For your meditation on what you read today: "Set Me Free" by Casting Crowns, © 2005 Beach Street Records, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_WNDIybIXs&list=OLAK5uy_mirWOVdudn3xov3aLk-_i5cAVM10n445A&index=6 ).