Daily Writing

Sunday, 30 March 2025

And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region. Matthew 8:34

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen). To read the Matthew Chapter 8 translation on Rumble, click here. To read the Matthew 8 translation on YouTube, click here.

“And, you behold! All the city, it went out to the Jesus meeting. And having seen Him, they begged that He might depart from their borders” (CG).

In the previous verse, Matthew noted that those who had kept the pigs went into the city and conveyed all the details of what happened to the demon-possessed men. He next continues with, “And, you behold! All the city.”

Like every car slowing down on the highway to see an accident, people are attracted to interesting events that enter into the normal daily activities of life. With news of what had happened, the people gathered together to participate in the matter which had been told to them.

Saying “all the city,” however, is a superlative that means “a great portion of the city.” As seen elsewhere, not every “every” means every and not all “alls” mean all. Despite that, the majority of the people would have been curious about the events and willing to take time off from whatever they were doing to check things out. And so, the population of the city, “it went out to the Jesus meeting.”

Almost all translations make this a verb, such as, “they went out to meet Jesus.” However, it is a new noun, hupantésis. It signifies an encounter or a meeting. They had been told what He had done and they formed together intent on a meeting with Him. Next, it says, “And having seen Him, they begged that He might depart from their borders.”

Matthew’s account doesn’t fill in the details like Mark and Luke do. Mark 5 says –

“Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ¹⁶ And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. ¹⁷ Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.” Mark 5:15-17

The comments of scholars concerning why they asked Jesus to depart are all over the place –

“It was characteristic of the wild, half-heathen population that they were led to look on the Prophet who had wrought so great a work as a Destroyer rather than a Saviour.” Ellicott

“The motive for the request was fear lest a greater disaster should follow.” Meyer

“These Gerasenes, vexed at the loss of wealth, felt, like the demoniacs, that there was nothing in common between themselves and Jesus, but, unlike them, showed no consciousness of sin. Without this he could do nothing for them, so he granted their request.” Pulpit Commentary

Albert Barnes says –

This shows:

1. That the design of Satan is to prejudice people against the Saviour, and even to make what Christ does an occasion why they should desire him to leave them.
2. The power of avarice. These people preferred their property to the Saviour. They loved it so much that they were blind to the evidence of the miracle, and to the good he had done to the miserable people whom he had healed.

Meyer is the only one who is close. Mark and Luke both say they were afraid. All the other commentary is nonsense. If the demon-possessed men were so powerful that they could scare people so badly that they wouldn’t even pass by that way, and if Jesus was able to cast out the demons that made the men so powerful, then Jesus obviously possessed power that was greater than the demons.

Further, by casting them into the pigs, it demonstrated that He had control over the demons to cause this to occur. He not only could cast out demons, but He could direct them once cast out. If He could do these things, what more could He do? This caused them to fear. Without further information to go on, everything else is speculation and presupposition.

Life application: Luke 5 says –

“But Simon answered and said to Him, ‘Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.’ ⁶ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. ⁷ So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!’” Luke 5:5-8

When Peter saw the miracle of Jesus, He asked Him to depart. His explanation was that he was a sinful man. Peter understood the position and power of Jesus and he measured his sin against what he saw and it affected him.

The people in the city saw the capability and power of Jesus, and it affected them. When we read the Bible, we should see the glory, power, authority, and capability of God and it should affect us. If we are left unaffected by the law when we read the law, we are not grasping the magnitude of our sin before God.

When we read about the cross of Jesus, we should understand our precarious state before God without a suitable Substitute to cover our sins. We should appreciate the grace that is displayed in what occurred there. We should feel the love of God for us as we contemplate the length He went to in order to restore us to Himself.

The Bible is a book that asks us to interact with the events in our hearts and minds, considering the majesty of what God has done for the people of the world.

Heavenly Father, how can we not be moved when we read the pages of the Bible. Each book is set forth to instruct us concerning our relationship with You. Help us to consider this as we enter into its pages each day. Amen.

Saturday, 29 March 2025

Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Matthew 8:33

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And those feeding [the pigs], they fled. And having gone into the city, they reported all – even the ‘of those demon-possessings’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus gave direction to the demons to go into the sounder of pigs. Having done so, they went into them and the entire sounder dashed down the precipice and perished in the water. Having seen this, it now says, “And those feeding [the pigs], they fled.”

There were people tending to the pigs as they went about rooting and eating whatever they found. When the pigs went berserk and headed over the cliff, the men were probably aghast. From the surrounding words, it appears that they heard the exchange between Jesus and the demon-possessed men. Therefore, it next says, “And having gone into the city, they reported all.”

Unless they had been aware of what happened between Jesus and the demon-possessed men, these words would not apply. Therefore, even if the pigs were off in the distance, as indicated in verse 30, the men tending to them were nearer. It may be that they too were at a distance, but when they heard the commotion of the demon-possessed men, they drew near as people tend to do when something like that comes about.

In whatever way they knew what transpired, they went and told those in the city everything, “even the ‘of those demon-possessings.’”

The brevity of the wording in the Greek means that words must be inferred. The intent is, “even the matter concerning those who were demon possessed.” Whether they knew of the healing of the man, or if they just saw the pigs go ballistic and jump over the cliff and then ran away terrified at that time, they at least knew that there was an encounter between Jesus and the two men.

This is what they conveyed to the people in the city. In Mark’s account, it says of the people in the city, “Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ¹⁶ And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.” Mark 5:15, 16

Therefore, it appears they were not sure about the healing of the man until they came back with the people of the city. Either way, the ejecting of the demons took place according to the word of the Lord.

Life application: Jesus, even during the time of His earthly ministry, had power over the spiritual world of Satan and his demons. They feared Him and knew who He was at the time. Since the completion of His work, the world has steadily followed the path that Scripture laid out two thousand years ago.

The life and Person of Jesus is there in the pages of Scripture for any and all to see and believe. It is the only way to overcome the dark forces of this world, including our own wicked hearts. And yet, how many of us are willing to share this life-changing message with others?

Unless someone just chances upon a website, video, or Bible, without us opening our mouths and speaking, there will not be any way for others to come to a saving knowledge of Him.

The people of the city were told of the exciting events that happened that day when Jesus cast out the demons. What Jesus has done for us is way more exciting than that. Let us tell others! We need to get the word about Him out. May we do so to the glory of God.

Lord God, help us to faithfully use our time in getting the word about Jesus out to others. We have received the good news. How can we keep it to ourselves? Give us the desire, the opportunity, and the wisdom to do what we should be doing in this regard. Amen.

Friday, 28 March 2025

And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water. Matthew 8:32

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And He said to them, ‘You withdraw!’ And having gone out, they went into the sounder of pigs. And, you behold! They dashed, all the sounder of pigs, down the precipice into the sea, and they died in the waters” (CG).

In the previous verse, the demon possessed men begged Jesus to be cast out into the sounder of swine. Now, Matthew continues with, “And He said to them, ‘You withdraw!’”

The command is given without any further words, implying that their request, as stated, has been granted. They must leave the men and they are to go into the sounder of swine. With that, it next says, “And having gone out, they went into the sounder of pigs.”

There is a clear distinction between the men and the demons now. They have left the men and they have entered the pigs. It is at this moment that he is free of the demon possession. That would give the men eyewitness evidence that they were truly freed from the demons when the next events take place. Of those events, Matthew excitedly pens, “And, you behold! They dashed, all the sounder of pigs.”

The verb hormaó, is introduced. It signifies to rush or set in motion. In this case, it is used reflexively. The pigs dashed themselves. As such, it is their action that is being described, even if it is the demons causing it.

This is no different than saying that the men who were demon possessed troubled those who attempted to pass by. The demons were the efficient cause, but it is still the men who are the material cause. As for the actions which make it evident to them that they are completely free of the demons and that they will not be returning, it next says that the pigs dashed “down the precipice.”

It is another new word, krémnos. It will be used only three times. The other two are in the comparable passages in Mark and Luke. Strong’s says it signifies an overhanging. Vincent’s Word Studies disagrees and says –

“Much better the steep (Rev.). Not an overhanging precipice, but a steep, almost perpendicular declivity, between the base of which and the water was a narrow margin of ground, in which there was not room for the swine to recover from their headlong rush. Dr. Thomson (‘Land and Book’) says: ‘Farther south the plain becomes so broad that the herd might have recovered and recoiled from the lake.’ The article localizes the steep as in the vicinity of the pasture.”

Either way, it is evident that the swine were heading in a bad way without pig parachutes (pigachutes?) to save them. They went down the precipice and “into the sea.”

This means the Sea of Galilee. The area where this is located is a very steep drop and there would have been no way to avoid plunging into the waters. Upon arrival there, Mathew finishes the thought with, “and they died in the waters.”

This is now a third new word, apothnéskó. It comes from two words, apo, away from and thnéskó, to die. It thus intensifies the thought of dying. They, in essence, died away. Scholars argue as to the purpose of this scene, trying to determine why the events occurred as they did.

Further, the question arises as to how Jesus could send the demons into someone else’s property, allowing it to be destroyed. As for that, it wasn’t Jesus who destroyed the pigs. The demons did. The purpose of this is merely speculation, but if being demon possessed is enough to drive a human crazy, how much more a pig with a brain about the size of an orange.

For all we know, the pigs went absolutely bonkers and followed one another right off the edge. What would become of the demons enclosed in dead pig bodies isn’t stated. Were they freed to go do more demon stuff around the area? Were they consigned to a demon-prison when the death occurred? The narrative doesn’t say, and surely outside of Hollywood movies, there is probably no record of a demon named Legion infecting other people.

The main thing to know is that the demons were ejected and the men would have seen the results of the ejection. Seeing how it affects an entire sounder of pigs, they would have every reason to be thankful, to not feel responsible for their past actions, and to want to serve the Lord with every fiber of their being.

Life application: It appears that demons can still possess people today. We see people that are so seemingly possessed that it seems to be the only explanation. It could be chemical imbalances or other things as well, but if we suppose it could also be demon possession, we should attempt to share the gospel with such a person anyway. If it is a demon, and the person accepts Christ, it would logically follow that the person will be free from the demon.

Christ is here to save people. If He saves them, the demon no longer has power to rule in that person’s life. This doesn’t mean demons cannot afflict people. If they are out there, it is their job to make the lives of humans miserable. If they can do that while possessing someone else, we shouldn’t suppose they won’t attempt to do so.

Ephesians 6 gives instructions on how to deal with spiritual battles. Take time to read up on that chapter and remember what we should be doing to remain strong in the Lord as we continue our walk in this life.

We are so grateful to You, O God, for being with us as we walk in this world. This is especially true when we follow You, apply Your word to our lives, and remain close in our hearts and minds to You through prayer and fellowship with others. Thank You for Your glorious presence among us and in us. Amen.

Thursday, 27 March 2025

So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” Matthew 8:31

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And the demons, they invoked Him, saying, ‘If You eject us, You permit us to go into the sounder, the pigs’” (CG).

The previous verse noted the sounder of pigs that was feeding in the distance. Now, Matthew continues with, “And the demons, they invoked Him.”

The words are straightforward and continue the same understanding previously displayed, which is that Jesus has total authority over them. It is the same word, parakaleó, used already three times in Matthew which has been translated twice as comforted. In Matthew 8:5 and here, it is active rather than passive. Therefore, it signifies to invoke.

They are looking for a type of comfort by invoking Jesus to withhold His hand of judgment until the set time. In this state of begging Him, they were “saying, ‘If You eject us, You permit us to go into the sounder, the pigs.’”

In Mark’s account, it says Jesus was invoked to not send them out of the country. In Luke’s account, it says Jesus was invoked to not send them into the abyss. Each account is focusing on what the writer thought was the key point for his gospel. There is no contradiction then.

Rather, the conversation may have been something like this:

Jesus: “What is your name?”
Demon guy: “Legion.”
Legion: “Please don’t send us out of the country.”
Jesus: “Eventually you will have to go.”
Legion: “Yes, but please don’t send us to the abyss. It isn’t the set time.”
Jesus: “You must leave this man.”
Legion: “We accept that. Instead of sending us to the abyss, please permit us to go into the sounder of pigs.”

Of course, this is speculation, but a simple example like this shows how each of the gospel narratives could be true at the same time. Matthew, being a Jew, focused on the unclean pigs. Mark, being told the matter from Peter, focused on the demons not wanting to be removed from the surrounding country. But with Jesus there, how could they continue in the country? Luke, being a Gentile doctor, focused on the final destination for their condition, the abyss.

Matthew, above all else, knew pigs were unclean and remembered that these demons would accept being in unclean animals. This would have had all the more impact on him after the law was fulfilled and annulled. He would then come to understand how the Holy Spirit could even descend on unclean Gentiles.

We are being schooled in the workings of God in Christ, and how He is able to make something clean out of something unclean and how He can bring near those who were far away.

Life application: The words of Matthew are perfectly in line with the words in Mark and Luke. What seems contradictory at first fits harmoniously with what could be when thought through. John, as he completed his gospel, said –

“And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen” (John 21:25).

As this is so, John is giving a reason for the brevity of the gospels. Matthew could have meticulously recorded every single word of every conversation that occurred in the presence of the Lord. And Matthew’s gospel would go on and on. It would be a giant, cumbersome, and difficult book to get through.

This would be the case with each gospel. But then each gospel would be identical to the other and they would be superfluous. However, each is an acceptable length to allow an understanding of what God in Christ has done so that we can then accept, by faith, that they are sufficiently presented in order to harmoniously weave together with the other gospels without being burdensomely long.

The things that were not necessary to know have been omitted entirely from the four gospels, such as conversations around the dinner table with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.

Though such accounts may be interesting, they have no bearing on Jesus’ work and fulfillment of the law. Hence, they are not included in the word. What we have is fully sufficient to allow us, by faith, to accept what God has done in the stream of redemptive history. Therefore, let us have faith and believe.

Lord God, may we be people of faith by accepting Your word for what it is, a reliable and accurate account of what You have done in and through Jesus to restore us to Yourself. Thank You for this precious word that tells us of our wonderful Savior, Jesus! Amen.

Wednesday, 26 March 2025

Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. Matthew 8:30

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen)

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And it is, far from them, a sounder of many pigs feeding” (CG).

In the previous verse, the demon-possessed men called out to Jesus, acknowledging Him as the Son of God and asking if He had come before the set torment time. Matthew now continues with, “And it is, far from them.”

Here is a new word, makran. It signifies a distance, meaning something far away. Paul uses it in Ephesians 2 when speaking of Gentiles once being far off from God but who are now brought near to Him through Christ.

Returning to the words of Matthew, he next says what was far off, a sounder.” This is another new word, agelé. It signifies a drove, as in a herd or flock. The appropriate name for a herd of pigs in English is a sounder. Matthew specifically tells us it is pigs with the next words. It is a herd “of many pigs feeding.”

A third new word is introduced, boskó. The word signifies to pasture. By extension, it includes foddering, grazing (when used reflexively), feeding, keeping, etc. The number of them, according to Mark’s narrative, was about two thousand swine.

As for there being swine there, nothing is said of who owned them. The dietary restrictions of the law forbade the Jews from eating pigs, but nothing is said about owning them. Jews owned horses and donkeys, animals that could not be eaten. People single out the pig as if it couldn’t be touched, something completely false.

If Jews owned them, they could hire foreigners to take care of processing them for selling to the Romans. Or these pigs could have been owned by Gentiles. It is unreasonable to somehow equate the fact that there are lots of pigs to some type of violation of the law. If that were the case, then owning horses would be exactly the same type of violation.

Life application: To this day, the pig is singled out as almost an unspeakable animal by many, even by Christians. The thought of touching one sends terror shivers down the backs of people as if they will get some type of supercharged penalty at the judgment for doing so.

So ridiculous is this that having pictures of them is offensive to some. Muslims have this same attitude. But many Jews or legalistic Christians, who wouldn’t think of having a pig around, own dogs. The Bible is replete with Jews riding horses and donkeys. In fact, the greatest Jew of all is said to have ridden a donkey –

“Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:
¹⁵ ‘Fear not, daughter of Zion;
Behold, your King is coming,
Sitting on a donkey’s colt.’” John 12:14,15

How can it be that people don’t understand what God is telling us in Scripture? This is so much the case that even normal Christian commentators make wholly erroneous statements about events like this one recorded in Matthew.

Meyer’s NT Commentary says, “Seeing the Jews were forbidden (Lightfoot) to keep swine, as being unclean animals, the herd must either have been the property of Gentile owners, or been the subject of Jewish trade.”

Benson says, “a herd of many swine — Which it was not lawful for the Jews to keep much less to eat.”

Bengel says, “The owners of the swine were either heathens dwelling among the Jews, or Jews greedy of gain.”

There is no hint of such accusations in Scripture. Again, if keeping pigs was against the precepts of the law, it would be true with the horse, mule, and donkey as well.

Saying that the Jews who would do this were “greedy of gain” is preposterous. Rather, it would demonstrate their business acumen, just as if they were raising and selling donkeys.

Be careful about what you believe in commentaries. Once you have learned and accepted something, it is much harder to unlearn or admit you were wrong.

God was giving Israel information about what He would do in Christ when He gave the dietary restrictions to Israel. Now, with the law annulled in Christ, it is unthinkable that professing Christians continue to impose upon themselves precepts that they were never bound to in the first place.

Lord God, help us to carefully consider Your word, keeping it in context and not mishandling the precepts You have laid forth in it for us to learn by. Thank You for this word. It tells us about Jesus and what He has done to free us from bondage. Praise You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.