Matthew 8:28-34
28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
Reflection
Wherever Jesus goes, he brings God’s powerful reign, and where God reigns, the invisible evil powers of the universe cannot ultimately destroy anyone (see also Matt. 4:23–24; 12:28). Even the demons themselves understand that they will someday be completely destroyed. In the lives of these two men, Jesus brings that victory ahead of schedule (8:29, 32).
Demons still exist and continue to promote evil and create hardship (Eph. 2:2; 6:12, 16; Rev. 12:7–17). However, God has already conquered and restrained them through Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven (Luke 10:18; Eph. 1:20–22; Col. 2:15; 1 Pet. 3:18–22; Rev. 12:1–11). Since believers are connected to Christ, they have nothing to fear from Satan and the demonic powers he controls. God has equipped his people to withstand the Enemy by giving us spiritual armor (Eph. 6:10–17) and the ability to pray (Eph. 6:18–20).
Romans 7:1-6
7: Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.
4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
Reflection
The law of God brings sinners face-to-face with the demands of God’s perfect standards, promising life to those who obey (Rom. 7:10) and death to those who rebel (4:15; 6:23). The sobering result is that God’s law exposes our true colors, revealing our sinfulness and haunting us with the threat of certain death (7:5). If God had not come to our rescue, we would have every reason to despair. However, because of Christ’s death and resurrection, Christians can rejoice because we have been released from our bondage to this hopeless arrangement.
Paul explains our rescue using the illustration of a married couple. While the wife and husband both live, their marriage vows are binding (v. 1). But at death, the surviving spouse is released from that relationship (v. 2). In the same way, through the death of our representative, Jesus, we have been released from our “marriage” to God’s law. It was a condemning relationship that constantly magnified our sin and held us “captive” with the ever-present threat of judgment (v. 6). But now, through the death of Christ, we “belong to another” (v. 4). We are united to the One who rose from the dead, and rather than condemning us, he graciously strengthens us with the power of his Spirit (v. 6) so that we can “bear fruit for God” (v. 4). This is the Christ whom the gospel proclaims. He releases us from our condemning captivity to the law and sin, and introduces us to a life-long and life-changing journey that is empowered by the Holy Spirit (v. 6). We are now free to live for him.
Psalm 95:3-5
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. 5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
There are no powers, visible or invisible, that compare with the power of our God. Take courage in your battle against sin, and strengthen yourself through prayer by declaring to God his supremacy over all his enemies.