DAY 280 Read Matthew 8:18 through 9:1, 10-26; Mark 4:35 through chapter 5:; 2:15-22.
Today's reading: A storm on the lake accompanied a storm in the minds of men. Jesus exercised His power to bring peace in both areas.
Memory gem: "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee" (Mark 5:19).
Thought for today:
The story of Christ's victory over the evil powers in control of men's minds is a very significant account. The unseen demons evidently believed the time would come when they would meet punishment; they apparently recognized Christ. They knew Him to be the Son of God and Judge of the universe, and they were concerned; they were frightened. This was an audible message from the spirit world. The demons used the lips, tongues, and voices of human beings to communicate. The men had become, willingly or unwillingly, mediums through which unseen spirits spoke.
The poor men who were thus freed from the control of demons were not merely suffering from a form of insanity or from a naturally caused disease. From the conversation which Christ carried on with the demons, it is plain that the Lord Jesus understood perfectly the intelligence with which He was dealing. They were not the spirits of dead men. They were mighty intelligences of the unseen world. They were of that host of angels who fell from heaven with Lucifer and since that day have carried on unceasing warfare against God and His work on earth. Jesus plainly recognized the presence and agency of these evil spirits, and He dealt with them as such.
After the departure of the demons, the victims were entirely changed. They were calm, subdued, intelligent, gentle. Speaking of one of them, the Scripture says he was "clothed and in his right mind."
NOTE: Matthew says that two demon-possessed men confronted Jesus; Mark and Luke mention only one. We presume that one man was dominant. Matthew, an eyewitness, no doubt saw two men; Mark and Luke, writing what others reported, apparently thought of only the one.
Today's reading: A storm on the lake accompanied a storm in the minds of men. Jesus exercised His power to bring peace in both areas.
Memory gem: "Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee" (Mark 5:19).
Thought for today:
The story of Christ's victory over the evil powers in control of men's minds is a very significant account. The unseen demons evidently believed the time would come when they would meet punishment; they apparently recognized Christ. They knew Him to be the Son of God and Judge of the universe, and they were concerned; they were frightened. This was an audible message from the spirit world. The demons used the lips, tongues, and voices of human beings to communicate. The men had become, willingly or unwillingly, mediums through which unseen spirits spoke.
The poor men who were thus freed from the control of demons were not merely suffering from a form of insanity or from a naturally caused disease. From the conversation which Christ carried on with the demons, it is plain that the Lord Jesus understood perfectly the intelligence with which He was dealing. They were not the spirits of dead men. They were mighty intelligences of the unseen world. They were of that host of angels who fell from heaven with Lucifer and since that day have carried on unceasing warfare against God and His work on earth. Jesus plainly recognized the presence and agency of these evil spirits, and He dealt with them as such.
After the departure of the demons, the victims were entirely changed. They were calm, subdued, intelligent, gentle. Speaking of one of them, the Scripture says he was "clothed and in his right mind."
NOTE: Matthew says that two demon-possessed men confronted Jesus; Mark and Luke mention only one. We presume that one man was dominant. Matthew, an eyewitness, no doubt saw two men; Mark and Luke, writing what others reported, apparently thought of only the one.
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