Matthew 8:28-9:1

28 When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 Suddenly they shouted, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. 31 The demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” 32 And he said to them, “Go!” So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. 33 The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood.9 1 And after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town.

Thanks to all who continued the discussion on the last post and in class. Your insights are helpful and valuable.

As we move from what could be called Chaos at Sea, Jesus and his Disciples land at Gadara where they experience Chaos in the flesh. It's a Gentile area, one of the decapolis cities/towns. This story of two demon possessed men being "healed" has some parallels to the last story.

What are some of the similarities? Differences? What does this story reveal about Jesus?

The beauty of this story for me shows the ultimate power of Jesus over all creation: nature, flesh, and even the spiritual. It shows his authority to control, yet his compassion over this humanity when other powers control it (the sea and now demons). I find it interesting that Jesus doesn't fight against these powers, nor do they fight back, in fact the demons simply sawJesus and asked permission to leave. It may even be said that Chaos and Jesus cannot co-exist in the same place. (Because where faith in Christ is allowed to reign, the chaos seems to take on a new order, even if the waves continue to break!)

Different from the other two similar stories in Mark and Luke, this one concerns not the healed man (men), rather the reaction by the people to Jesus. It is probably their first encounter with him (although not the first with Jewish leaders.) and he threatens their sense of community in several ways: economically (losing a heard of pigs), physically (he sided with the estranged men), theologically (Jew vs. Gentile), and spiritually (touching their superstitious side.). Even though they cannot deny the miracle that took place among them, they would rather not have Jesus or his unusual ways in their community. He was strange to them, not unlike how the world sees the church.

What do you think this story means for the church? What is Matthew wanting to say to his community of faith? and to ours?

I believe simply that this story of chaos is another "out of control" story. Here were two men who had lost control of their lives and they were lost. It may sound familiar to our own lives. We, too, live out of control lives. O we think we have control, or we should have control, but we really don't. When it all shakes down, we really do need a savior who can calm our lives, bring order out of the chaos and usher in a heart of peace all with a single word. Jesus is in the business of entering the chaos with us and for us, to bring about peace, as soon as we seek it, and sometimes even when we can't!

Remember, too, that this is supposed to be a "time away" for Jesus and at the end of this pericope where does he go? Back in the boat to the chaos of the sea and back to the other side to the chaos of the crowds. Where can Jesus be found, calming lives.

How has he calmed yours?

Peace ><>

PC

Matthew 8:23-27

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. 27 They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

Jesus finally gets away from the crowds with his disciples and gets a bit of rest. (he is sleeping!) I had mentioned in Pastor's Class last week that this passage has been looked at in a couple of different ways throughout history. The one that has been the most widely accepted among scholars is that the boat is a metaphor for the church. Matthew uses this story to help his church (the one to which he is writing) see that they are in the midst of chaos at times, with the storms of the world fighting against them, but rather than them being storms in which they will perish, they are just simply storms. The one thing to remember is that Jesus is along for the ride with us.

What do the storms against the church look like today? Does it ever feel like Jesus is not paying any attention, or has forgotten about the church? How can we be reminded of the presence of Christ when these storms come?

Another, more simple, way of looking at this story is from a very personal level; that the storm is something happening to us. The disciples had storms in their lives, even verse 27 reveals a couple of the major storms they were dealing with, faith and doubt. They weren't yet sure about this Jesus. He was a great rabbi, a true healer, one who had great power and authority, but to have power over creation was much more than they were expecting, even for a Messiah! So the disciples had doubts and questions! They were concerned for their well-being, their families, their careers, their futures, their next meal even. They were human just like us, not great in faith or great in knowledge. They were simple, ordinary men who had a chance to be discipled by the Messiah himself. And they still questioned. Even with Jesus in the boat, who obviously wasn't worried about the storm, they wondered if they would all perish. They soon learned that with Jesus not only are all things possible (even the waves and sea obey), but that life takes on a whole new dimension, not of safety per se, but of comfort.

What are the storms of life that we are fighting against in general? What about for you? (you don't have to post that answer, it is just for you to ponder.)

Jesus' response goes to the heart of the problem, fear; fear of death, fear of the unknown, fear of the storm, fear of the chaos, fear of the water, fear of being alone...probably the greatest fear of them all. Why are you afraid? Jesus asked. His meaning is simple, he's in the boat with us just as he is in life with us. He's with the church, he's with his children, brothers and sisters. Whatever boat we happen to find ourselves in, we are not alone. Jesus is there. Have faith! And one more thing, how many storms does Jesus have to calm for us to get the picture? In these short verses he calms at least 13 storms, the one outside the boat and the ones in each of the 12 disciples.

How has Jesus calmed the storms in your lives? What difference does it make to know that in the storms we face, he is with us? And that when we can't handle the storm any more, he calms it. He's gracious that way.

Peace ><>

PC