Luke 8:22 Now on one of those days, he entered into a boat, himself and his disciples, and he said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out. 23 But as they sailed, he fell asleep. A windstorm came down on the lake, and they were taking on dangerous amounts of water. 24 They came to him, and awoke him, saying, “Master, master, we are dying!” He awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and it was calm. Psalm 107:29 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” Being afraid they marveled, saying to one another, “Who is this then, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”
Christ calmed the raging storm in fulfillment of the ancient prophecy of David, He makes the storm a calm, so that its waves are still, Psalm 107:29 The disciples had witnessed Christ healing the sick, casting out demons, and even raising the death, but seeing that Jesus had authority over the uncontrollable movements of both wind and waves caused them to both marvel and fear.
As self-centered, self-assured humans we tend to think that, overall, we pretty much have things under control. However, the Creator, Jesus has absolute control over every aspect of creation. This should bring us all great comfort. But understanding the unmatched power of God should also teach us both humility and the fear our God.
‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the Lord.
‘Do you not tremble in My presence?
For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea,
An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it.
Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail;
Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.
Jeremiah 5:22
As I have pointed out previously, today’s modern evangelical church has frequently been willing to abandon the Biblical teaching: fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 9:10 Many times today because the church does not fear the Lord the church displays a lack of wisdom. Rather, many churches prefer instead to be missional, winsome, and accommodating to the culture, in a sincere but misguided attempt to attract unbelievers. When the whole counsel of God, Acts 20:27, is diluted, our fear, awe, and reverence for God is lost.
For those who find the preaching of “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21) too simple a remedy to be effective against the ills of the world, Christ insists that, like the mustard seed, such preaching will produce a result far out of proportion to the means employed. It will work in the world, in the church, and in the believer as a potent spiritual force, just as hidden leaven works in meal or flour.
(Joel Beeke, How the Kingdom Comes, ligonier.org, 6/14/20)
Rather than fearing the Lord and worshipping him with awe and reverence as the Scriptures teach,Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire, Hebrews 12:28-29, the modern church has been transformed by the culture rather than transforming the culture.
God’s Word will never pass away, but looking back to the Old Testament and since the time of Christ, with tears we must say that because of a lack of fortitude and faithfulness on the part of God’s people, God’s Word has many times been allowed to be bent, to conform to the surrounding, passing, changing culture of that moment rather than to stand as the inerrant Word of God judging the form of the world spirit and the surrounding culture of that moment.
(Francis Schaefer, The Great Evangelical Disaster, Crossway, 1984)
Luke 8:26 Then they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man out of the city who had demons for a long time met him. He wore no clothes, and didn’t live in a house, but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torment me!” 29 For Jesus was commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For the unclean spirit had often seized the man. He was kept under guard, and bound with chains and fetters. Breaking the bonds apart, he was driven by the demon into the desert.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
He said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered into him. 31 They begged him that he would not command them to go into the abyss. 32 Now there was there a herd of many pigs feeding on the mountain, and they begged him that he would allow them to enter into those. Then he allowed them. 33 The demons came out of the man, and entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned. 34 When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.
35 People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who saw it told them how he who had been possessed by demons was healed. 37 All the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them, for they were very much afraid. Then he entered into the boat and returned. 38 But the man from whom the demons had gone out begged him that he might go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your house, and declare what great things God has done for you.” He went his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
When Jesus arrived in Gadarenes a man who was possessed by demons met him. Compared to many today who deny the existence of God or minimize the power of God, Satan and his demons are very orthodox theologians. They know God. They are not atheists. They believe that God is real and fear him. In fact, they know the Scriptures from cover to cover and even quote the Bible when it can be used to their advantage. Luke 4:9-11 Upon seeing Jesus, the demons who were possessing the chained man begged Jesus not to torment them, knowing that he was the true Lord of creation.
In John 14:30 Christ referred to Satan as the prince of this world, because before Christ’s arrival Satan and his demons had done their best to usurp God’s rule by bringing all manner of destruction and death to God’s creation. However, with Christ’s arrival the demons knew that their time was short and their judgment sure.
After the demons were cast out, the town’s people, seeing the man unchained and calmly sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind asked Jesus to leave. Why? They were afraid. The demoniac was dangerous but they had been able to contain him with chains. Jesus was dangerous not only because he overcame the demons but with the death of their pigs the people saw Jesus as a threat to their livelihood. He posed a threat they could not so easily contain. They valued the bottom line of their finances much more than they feared the demons and much more than they valued the life of the man they had chained.
We frequently find the same attitude among our contemporaries today. They will put up with and even value all manner of wickedness and violence so long as their investments are prospering or they can hold onto their power. Many societies demand that Jesus and his followers be silenced, excluded, and expelled from the public square. Every philosophy and every religion may have a chair at the table but if Christians speak up with the truth they are silenced or, as is currently popular, accused of being Christian nationalists, as if Christ did not instruct his followers to disciple the nations. Matthew 28:19
Christian education is the method by which a “disciple” is introduced to a comprehensive, distinctly Christian, worldview…There are no neutral “facts” in the world. Scientific facts are not neutral. Mathematical facts are not neutral. The “facts” of history are not neutral. The same can be said for all the disciplines including… music, art, rhetoric, dance… At the heart of humanism is the notion that religion is a private affair and has no business crossing over into “that which is common to man.” In Colossians 1:16, Paul tells us that “all things were created through Him (Christ) and unto Him.” All things are in this world because our Christ has ordained them or created them directly. The laws of math are present throughout our universe and the study of math is unto the end of worship.
(Pastor Arch VanDevender, 8-4-22, Liberty PCA Church newsletter)
As followers of the Creator of reality, Christians have much to offer those who have been deceived by Satan. But that is another lesson for another time. For more on this I would simply recommend: Os Guinness, The Magna Carta of Humanity, IVP, 2021
Luke 8:40 When Jesus returned, the multitude welcomed him, for they were all waiting for him. 41 Behold, a man named Jairus came. He was a ruler of the synagogue. He fell down at Jesus’ feet, and begged him to come into his house, 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as he went, the multitudes pressed against him. 43 A woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her living on physicians and could not be healed by any 44 came behind him, and touched the fringe of his cloak. Immediately the flow of her blood stopped. 45 Jesus said, “Who touched me?”
When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes press and jostle you, and you say, ‘Who touched me?’”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, for I perceived that power has gone out of me.” 47 When the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. 48 He said to her, “Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
As Jesus was walking through town with the multitudes pressed against him, Jesus felt power go out from him. He had been touched by a desperate woman who had sought medical help for twelve years to no avail. Upon touching Jesus she was immediately healed.
Why had the power gone out from him?
Jesus explains; Daughter… your faith has made you well. Jesus uses this incident to teach that faith is the key. The woman had placed all of her faith in Jesus. He was her Lord. She came trembling and falling down before him declared to him in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched him and how she was healed immediately.
This woman had done, as Paul later would teach the Romans: If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
Are you willing, in the presence of all the people, to declare your faith in Jesus as your Lord?
Why would you be hesitant to do this?
Luke 8:49 While he still spoke, one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house came, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t trouble the Teacher.”
50 But Jesus hearing it, answered him, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be healed.”
51 When he came to the house, he didn’t allow anyone to enter in, except Peter, John, James, the father of the child, and her mother. 52 All were weeping and mourning her, but he said, “Don’t weep. She isn’t dead, but sleeping.”
53 They were ridiculing him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he put them all outside, and taking her by the hand, he called, saying, “Child, arise!” 55 Her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately. He commanded that something be given to her to eat. 56 Her parents were amazed, but he commanded them to tell no one what had been done.
Jairus, the ruler of the Synagogue’s twelve year old daughter had died. Although Jesus had arrived too late to save her life, he told the gathered crowd that she was only sleeping. Sleep is frequently used in the Bible to describe the state of men after the spirit leaves the body. 1 Corinthians 15:6&18, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15
Jesus was ridiculed for believing that he could bring the girl back to life, however when he called for the child to arise, her spirit returned to her; she rose up immediately.
Jesus then commanded the parents to tell no one what he had been done. Again, Jesus carefully guarded his identity as the promised Messiah until the final week of his life.