Matthew 8:28 – 34 ESV And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, many Christians have wrong, potentially dangerous views of demons. Either they ignore them completely or have an unhealthy fascination with them. Neither extreme is good. Ignoring demons can leave one unprepared when they attack or deceive. Too much attention on them takes one’s focus away from God where it belongs.
Christians should be aware of demons and have a general knowledge of them so they can recognize demonic activity, but they should not dwell on them. I try not to talk about them too much. At the same time, the Bible mentions them for a reason, and we should take heed of what the Bible teaches us.
Demons are not the central theme in this story – Jesus is. This story does give us a little insight into ways and mindset of demons, though. Let us see what glimpse the Bible gives us and consider why God chose to give us this brief view.
I do not like the term “demon-possessed”. The Bible does make it clear that demons inhabit physical bodies (Acts 5:16, 16:16-18), but they do not take “possession”. They can influence the host, but nowhere, other than Hollywood, do we see them controlling the host. In this passage the demons tormented the men but they could not stop the men from going to Jesus.
No explanation is given for this habitation. We are never told why or how this happens. There is no mention of angels inhabiting physical bodies, and demons are rebellious angels who are under God’s wrath. In the same way, the Bible tells of angels taking human form but never says demons can do this.
There is evidence that inhabiting a host body is desirable (Luke 11:24-26) for demons. Demons always seem unwilling to leave (Mark 1:23-26, Acts 8:7), and in the above passage they requested to be allowed to inhabit the pigs. It would seem even an animal host is preferable to being without a body.
Demons recognize God’s authority over them. They are in rebellion against that authority but when God speaks they must obey. In this passage, they do not challenge Jesus’ authority, they just plead for mercy.
When the demons ask for a favor, it is interesting that Jesus grants it. He gives permission for them to enter the pigs. Nowhere in the Bible does God show any animosity toward the devil or demons. The Bible does have accounts of God talking to them and even one account of God sending one on a task (1 Kings 22:19-23).
The devil and demons have rebelled and their punishment is certain. At the same time, they are God’s creations. He knows them, presumably by name. We are not told if God has any feelings toward them as He does toward humans, but we do see Jesus acting compassionately toward these demons in this case.
On a practical level, There are two take-aways for Christians. Firstly, demons do exist, and they have the ability to inhabit people. They will influence the people they inhabit. If someone you know starts acting strangely, especially in a tormented way, demonic activity MIGHT be a possibility. Christians need to be aware and prepared for spiritual warfare when necessary.
Secondly, God has full authority over demons. Christians do not need to be afraid of them. Aware yes, afraid, no. Christians are the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19). He lives in us. Therefore, the one who has authority over demons resides in us. We may need to fight, but if our relationship with God is solid, we cannot be defeated by demonic forces.
I have been asked if demons can inhabit Christians. I do not think so. The Bible is silent on this, so I cannot say with 100% certainty. What I can say with full assurance is that when one becomes a Christian the Holy Spirit moves in. I do not believe that God would allow an evil spirit to inhabit the same body as He inhabits.So my view is that demons can attack and even oppress Christians but not inhabit.
Lord, You are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. All authority in physical and spiritual realms belong to You. Give me the wisdom and discernment to test all spirits. Give me the strength to live victoriously!