Matt 8:18-34 Who Can This Be? - by Jeff Byerley
Study on Matt 8:18-34 Who Can This Be?
Outline of Passage
8:18-22 The Cost of Discipleship.
8:23-27 Wind and Wave Obey Jesus.
8:28-34 Jesus Heals Two Demoniacs.
Our Reflections
1. Why did Jesus give such harsh answers to these would-be followers (v.18-22)?
2. How could such a tempest arise out of nowhere (v.23-25)?
3. Why did Jesus answer "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"(v.26-27)?
4. Is it Gergasenes or Gadarenes, one or two demon-possessed men (v.28-29)?
5. Why did Jesus allow 2,000 swine to die"? (v.30-34)?
Our study noted how Jesus' miracles were answering the question "Who can this be?".
In the end we observed how the very titles given to Jesus, were also giving the answer!
• "Teacher" (v.19);
• "Son of Man" (v.20 - cf. Daniel 7:3);
• "Son of God" (v.29) &
• "before the time" (v.29 - Judgment Day when Jesus comes as Judge).
Our Conclusions
8:18-22 Why did Jesus give such harsh answers to these would be followers?
In this chapter of miracles, it seems another miracle that a scribe would be prepared to abandon the traditional path of scribes to become Jesus' follower. It was normal for a scribe to chose a particular rabbi to advance himself in society. There would have been an expectation of prestige, power and wealth to follow. No doubt after this scribe saw the crowds following Jesus' teaching, miracles and healings, he envisaged a great worldly profit for himself by becoming Jesus' student. But Jesus made the cost of discipleship clear, that such worldly expectations would hit a brick wall. The scribe had been too hasty in making his rash claim of devotion. The second man however, had been to slow in making a commitment to Jesus. His words may have meant that he wished to serve his father until his fathers' death some time in the future. Either way, the call to follow Jesus must take priority over all other family duties (Luke 14:26), even over those that Jesus himself highly valued as godly (cf. 15:1-9). Indeed, when James and John were called by Jesus, they immediately left their fishing nets and their father Zebedee (4:21-22). Jesus evidently knew that this man's family would remain dead to the gospel and that is why he said “Let the dead bury the dead.” We are called to leave the world to the worldly and follow Jesus, whatever the cost. Pilgrim's Progress depicted this also.
8:23-25 How could such a tempest suddenly arise out of nowhere?
Michael Wilkins explains: “The Sea of Galilee was … surrounded by mountain ranges to the east and west that rise over 2,650 feet from the level of the lake; especially infamous was an east wind that blew in over the mountains, particularly during the spring and fall (cf 14:19, 24; John 6:1-4). The lake's low-lying setting resulted in sudden violent downdrafts and storms (cf. Mark 4:37, Luke 8:23; John 6:18) that produced waves seven feet tall and … easily able to swamp a boat”.
8:26-27 Why did Jesus answer “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”
Jesus calls on the disciples to understand more clearly who he is and then act on it. True faith will enable them to trust in God,s care, even when the circumstances do not look promising.
8:28-29 Is it Gergesenes or Gadarenes, 1 or 2 demon-possessed men? (Cf Luke 8:26-39 and Mark 5:1-20).
Various commentaries give explanations, but a good comprehensive one is found in “The New Bible Commentary”, which states: “Gergesenes (28); a better reading is Gadarenes as in rv. Gergesa was a town on the eastern shore of the sea of Galilee, whose site is said to be that of some modern ruins known as Kersa. The town was included in the area known as the district of Gadara which took its name from that of a town of the same name, one of the cities of the Decapolis. The whole area was included in the larger administrative district of Gerasa, ; whose centre was the town of Gerasa in Gilead.” Only Matthew mentions that there were actually two demoniacs. Matthew did not become a follower until later, (Matt. 9), but he may have been given a more detailed account of this event compared to Luke & Mark.
8:30-34 Why did Jesus allow 2,000 swine to die?
Elsewhere Jesus' applauds those who would “break” the Sabbath rule to save a donkey fallen into a ditch (Luke 14:5). But here it struck us rather strange that he allows 2,000 swine to seemingly perish needlessly? Yet how does this compare with the saving of two demoniacs? Who are we to judge? The swine would have probably been used for human consumption anyway. Let the person who has never eaten bacon or pork, throw the first stone! If Job could say about his lost children, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21), so we must certainly also say the same for these swine! It is very sad that the herd owners and townsfolk did not say this after these supernatural events.