Matthew 8:28-34 Jesus Heals Two Men with Demons

Jesus decides to pass by Gadara, a Gentile town near the sea of Galilee. He chooses a path that seemed to have been guarded by two demon-possessed men for quite some time. They were so fierce that no one dared to go that way. When they meet Jesus, they are able to identify that he is the Son of God who will send them to be tormented on the day of judgment (Rev.20:10) and wonder if his presence on earth is to torment them before their time. The demons begged to be sent into a herd of pigs that was nearby and Jesus casts them out of the two men and into the herd of pigs. Unfortunately, the herd rushed into the sea and drowned. The herdsmen fled to the city and told everything. The people came out to meet Jesus, but they asked him to leave their region.

Jesus is the Son of God. He is sovereign over diseases. He is in control of nature. He rules over the spirit world as well. These demons give testimony to the reality of a future judgment and hell. During his temptation, Jesus overcame the devil. Such event represented his victory over sin and evil in the world. Now again, he confronts the powers of darkness to demonstrate his sovereign control of the spirit world. The drowning of the herd of pigs gives us a picture of the reality of the spirit world. Many of us have fallen into the belief that evil is simply bad choices devoid of the reality of personal, spiritual entities who roam upon the earth to oppress us even possess us if possible. While Jesus is the Son of God who has sovereign control over the spirit world, he is rejected by the very people he came to save.

Father, may I always welcome Jesus, your Son, into my life and believe that he has sovereign control over the spirit world. Instill in me that I have nothing to fear today or on the day of judgment if I continue to follow him.

Matthew 17:14-20 Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon

A man kneels before Jesus pleading for his epileptic son who often falls in water and fire because the disciples were not able to heal him. Jesus is disappointed with the disciples and asks the man to bring the child to him. Jesus rebuked the demon and when it came out, the boy was healed. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by loss of consciousness and convulsions due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The boy was demonized making his condition even worse and the Lord heals him by exorcizing the demon.

It is important that we understand that there are physiological issues that could be caused by spiritual oppression, even possession. But we should not tag every epilepsy or mental illness with demon possession. Mental illness is tabu in the Church to this day and it shouldn't be. It is my conviction that physical illnesses that weaken the mind create an open door for the enemy to come in and wreak havoc. But a Christian, even with a mental illness, cannot be demon possessed if his/her faith is in Christ and his soul is sealed with the Holy Spirit.

The obvious question from the disciples is: Why couldn't we do it? Jesus' answer is because of your little faith. It is important to distinguish between saving faith and faith to work miracles. It is possible to have one and not the other. I can trust Christ for the salvation of my soul and have a hard time believing that I can be used to pray for someone's healing. Faith of this kind is a gift of the Spirit. Moving a mountain is a common Jewish metaphor for the impossible. Faith is not going to move a mountain, but it will accomplish many impossible things. Christ says that just a little faith (like the grain of a mustard seed) can go a long way.

I find myself battling prejudice against mental illness sufferers. At times, I think everything is  caused by a demon. I have to be wise and ask for discernment to know how to minister to those who suffer it. Ultimately, it comes down to my faith - not the saving kind, but the kind needed to believe that the Lord is compassionate upon those who suffer and can heal them. I must confess that a mustard seed is a mountain next to my faith. 

Lord, help my unbelief. Fill me with your Holy Spirit to be able to discern how to minister to people suffering of mental illness. Grow my faith through your word to believe that you can heal the worst of cases. I need you; without you I can do nothing.