In today’s Gospel, from Matthew 8:28-9:1, we hear the story of the two men who were possessed by demons in the region of the Gedarenes. We know from the Gospel that the two men entreated Jesus to drive them out and send them into a herd of pigs that was grazing nearby.
Jesus did as they asked and the whole herd of pigs slid down the hill and drowned into the lake below. The townspeople were upset with Jesus and asked Him to leave their area for they feared Jesus but more so the loss of their pigs which they probably were doing against their faith. You see, they were probably dealing in the raising and selling of pigs which was against the Law of God, so they were trying to hide their activity.
Jesus himself did not reject the popular notion of His time that Satan and his demons had power over the fallen world, causing physical and spiritual sickness and bringing about a distortion of the divine likeness of human beings. An important part of Jesus’ saving work was to exercise the demons as He did with these two men who were definitely possessed by demonic spirits. You see, Jesus’ presence, which is God’s presence, expels demons. Through His ministry Jesus establishes God’s Kingdom and pushes back the boundaries of the kingdom of darkness.
Even today there are many demons in our society that we must battle against, for it says that we must put on the armor of God and “to stand up against the Devil’s evil tricks” (Ephesians 6:11). The scripture teaches us about the existence of personal evil, the demonic spirits, which deliberately seek to bring the downfall of men and women. We not only have to battle with our own weaknesses but also wage war against wicked spiritual forces in the world. Jesus’ divine presence binds the demons, pushing back the boundaries of the kingdom of darkness. We as Orthodox Christians must guard ourselves against the demons of our world by the grace of Christ bestowed upon us through Baptism, Chrismation and the Holy Mysteries of the Church.
