1. Good Evening,
Greetings…
Series of “Lessons From Matthew.”
Background: (SLIDE) Jesus, exhausted, from teaching & healing people in Capernaum set sell, with His disciples, for Gadarenes country.
This is when Jesus had to calm the storm (Matthew 8:23-27) and we find two types of disciples with Him. Those with little faith and those without faith.
Our text: Jesus and the disciples have made it to their intended destination, the country of Gadarenes.
Now as the picture indicates we are not certain exactly where this is. All we know for sure is that it was on the coast of the Sea of Galilee (Mark 5:2) and that it was opposite the region of Galilee (Luke 8:26).
This biblical account has so many fascinating parts to it that we could spend hours just here but for the purpose of this lesson I want us to focus on two supposed “problems” with the text and also some lessons you and I can learn from this powerful bible account.
With that in mind let us look at our lesson for today…(SLIDE)

2. Jesus Heals Two Men With Demons
If you have your handout let us look at our first point (SLIDE)
Lessons From Matthew

3. One Man
Or Two Men?
Notice the parallel accounts on this paying close attention to the number of men mentioned by all three. (SLIDE)

4. Matthew 8:28 “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.”

5. Mark 5:2 “And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.”

6. Luke8:27 “When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs.”
So what we have here is Matthew saying there were two men and Mark and Luke only mentioning one man.
Now this what many will go to and say “Look here, here is a contradiction in the Bible. See it’s not perfect and thus not from God.”
Is this the case?
Like with all other supposed contradictions this too is not a contradiction and in fact is actually really easy to explain.
Before I explain it let me first say there is no need, as some have erroneously tried to do, to make illogical justifications.
Example: Some say Matthew is dealing with one account, while Mark and Luke are dealing with a completely separate account that is just remarkably similar. This makes no sense and is illogical.

7. One Man
Or Two Men?
Like with all other supposed contradictions this too is not a contradiction and in fact is actually really easy to explain.
Before I explain it let me first say there is no need, as some have erroneously tried to do, to make illogical justifications.
Example: Some say Matthew is dealing with one account, while Mark and Luke are dealing with a completely separate account that is just remarkably similar. This makes no sense and is illogical.
The answer to this is very simple.
There were two men there, but Mark and Luke only talk about the one man that did all the speaking.
Notice in Mark and Luke’s account they never limit the number of men that were actually present they simply talk about the one man who does all the talking.
Brother Jackson put it this way, “There is nothing in either Mark or Luke’s record that suggests only one man.” (
Once again this is actually common sense to us if we think about it for a moment. If I said I met Mark Moses for lunch today and later on said that his whole family was there too no one would say I was contradicting earlier announcement, only that I had not given all the details of that lunch.
Brothers and sisters you can rest assured there were two men there that were healed that day.

8. Jesus A Pig
Murderer?
Herein lies another conundrum for some those that hold the Bible as fallible and less then perfect.
The argument goes something like this “If Jesus allowed the demons to go to the pigs and the pigs killed themselves Jesus’ actions are reprehensible because He destroyed some other person’s property.”
How should we respond to such an accusation?

9. 1st
“No charge can be made against the Lord unless the event actually happened. Those who censure Christ first of all must concede that this account represents a factual incident; otherwise, their allegation is baseless.” (
In other words if they are going to make an allegation they must admit it really happened. (SLIDE)

10. 2nd
If Jesus is “God,” and He is (John 1:1) , then He is sovereign over the entire creation.
Scripture is clear Jesus is sovereign over all this creation (Ps 50:10). (SLIDE)

11. Psalm 50:10 “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.”
Even the demons acknowledged Jesus’ right to use the swine for His own purpose.
The people also didn’t seek to kill Jesus or put Him on trial they simply asked Him to leave (Matthew 8:34).

12. 3rd
As with most things in the Bible we have only part of what all took place there.
It is assumed these owners were Gentiles but it could very well have been Hellenized Jews that were seeking to make a prophet from swine.
Leviticus 11 calls pigs “unclean” and as such the Jews were to have little to nothing to do with them.
The dedicated Jews were so “anti-unclean” animals like swine that swine were actually a major factor in the Maccabean revolt.
In an act of arrogance Antiochus IV had a pig sacrificed on the altar of Zeus that was erected in the Temple of God.

13. 4th
We don’t know the “lasting” effects that would have on the people in that city.
It might very well be that Jesus did this so all would remember this event in the area when the church came preaching about this one named Jesus.

14. Jesus A Pig
Murderer?
Brethren we can confidently answer this in the negative and explain clearly why now as well. (SLIDE)

15. What Can We
Learn From This?

16. God’s word never wavers under controversy.

17. 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness”

18. James 1:25 “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty…”

19. Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”

20. God’s word never wavers under controversy.
Jesus’ compassion never wavers for His creation

21. John 1:3 “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Colossians 1:16 says the same.

22. Matthew 23:37-38 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate.”
Colossians 1:16 says the same.

23. God’s word never wavers under controversy.
Jesus’ compassion never wavers for His creation
He wants us to have compassion on others souls as well!!!
Jesus’ expectations never waver for His creation

24. Mark 16:15 “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

25. Jesus Heals Two Men With Demons
Lessons From Matthew

26. God’s Plan of Salvation
Study God’s Word Have Faith In Jesus Repent/Turn To God Confess Jesus As Lord Obey The Gospel Live A Faithful Life
Romans 10:17 Hebrews 11:6 Acts 17:30 Matthew 10:32 Romans 6:3-5 1 John 1:7