Jesus has the Authority

Friday, February 6th, 2026

10:04 am

Good morning! Today I am in Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, and Luke 8:26-39. When Jesus arrived at the region of the Gerasenes, a demon-possessed man came out of the nearby cemetery to meet Him, as He was getting out of the boat. Matthew lists that it was two men, but Mark and Luke only tells us about one. Mark and Luke tell us that the man lived homeless and naked in some burial caves. The man was so taken over by demons that no one could contain him. Mark tells us that the man lived day and night in the caves, howling and cutting himself. When the man approached Jesus, he bowed down to Him. The demons asked Jesus why He was interfering with them, calling Him the Son of the Most High God. Asking Him if He had come there to torture them before God's appointed time. The demons begged Jesus not to send them off to some distant land, or to the bottomless pit. Mark and Luke tell us that Jesus demanded the demon tell Him his name, and the demon told Him Legion, for there were several of them in the man. A legion in the Roman army at the time, consisted of 3,000 to 6,000 soldiers. There was a herd of pigs near by, and the demons begged Jesus to send them into the pigs. Jesus gave them permission to enter the pigs, and when they did, the pigs plunged down a steep hill, and fell into the sea and drowned. The herdsmen that owned the pigs ran to the nearby town and told everyone what had happened. A large crowd from the town went to meet Jesus, and when they saw the man clothed and perfectly sane, they became afraid and begged Jesus to leave their town. The man that was cured wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus told him to go back to his family and tell them everything that God had done for him and how merciful He was to him. So the man did as Jesus told him to do, and he told everyone on his way home.

Wow! So amazing! God is so good and merciful! This is so encouraging for us today! A wonderful reminder of the authority Jesus has, and how much He cares for us and wants to help us!

I want to point out that the demons recognized who Jesus was, and they also knew the authority He had over them. Jesus did not care that the man was a Gentile and that he was unclean by Jewish standards, Jesus saw the man and cared for him. Jesus cast the demons out of the man, ending their destructive power they had over him. Jesus does this still today. Demons are evil spirits under the power and control of Satan, but Jesus has the ultimate power over them. Demons exist today and are dangerous, powerful, and destructive, but Jesus is more powerful than they are. Demons work with Satan to distort and destroy our relationship with God. We must remember always, that Jesus has complete control. We must not be afraid to encounter demons or evil spirits because the Holy Spirit that lives within us gives us the power to overcome the temptations of these spirits. We must also remember that we live in a world that is full of people that are possessed by demons. But we don't have to be afraid for God is with us, and in the end they will all be cast down into hell, just like the demons were afraid of. We don't have to be afraid because we know that God is protecting us, but we should avoid any curiosity about or involvement with demonic forces or the occult. God's Word tells us that if we resist the devil and his influences, he will flee from us (James 4:7). We can recognize demons in people today by the way people act. People that don't want anything to do with God, or yell at Him to leave them alone, or at His followers to leave them alone, is a sign that they have went to the side of the enemy, which opens them up to demonic possession, heading in the direction of destruction. Stay in God's Word, and don't allow your mind to be swayed by evil spirits. Staying in God's Word and prayer, protects us and guards our minds.

Are you afraid of what is happening in the world today? Don't be afraid. God has got everything under control. And always remember, that as a believer, you have the power of the Holy Spirit in you to help you fight the spiritual battles here on earth. God's Spirit living in us, helps us not give into temptation or fear. God can and will help you, for we are not fighting flesh and blood, but spirits and principalities in the unseen world (Ephesians 6:12). And like the man that was cured, we too must go out and tell the world about Jesus and how He has helped us.