Mat 8:28-34 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Matt 8:28-34: 8:28-34 This episode focuses on Jesus’ authority as well as on the cost of following him; those who walk by faith will, like the Messiah, also experience opposition. 8:28 possessed by demons ... so violent: Demon-possession was often accompanied by violence, revulsion at the presence of the Son of God (8:29 ), inability to speak (9:32 ; 12:22 ), blindness (12:22 ), seizures (17:15 ), and self-destructive behavior (17:15 ). With Jesus’ exorcisms, the power of the Kingdom broke into human history (12:28 ).

Summary for Matt 8:28-34: 8:28-34 ^a This episode focuses on Jesus’ authority as well as on the cost of following him; those who walk by faith will, like the Messiah, also experience opposition. 8:28 ^b possessed by demons ... so violent: Demon-possession was often accompanied by violence, revulsion at the presence of the Son of God (8:29 ^c), inability to speak (9:32 ^d; 12:22 ^e), blindness (12:22 ^f), seizures (17:15 ^g), and self-destructive behavior (17:15 ^h). With Jesus’ exorcisms, the power of the Kingdom broke into human history (12:28 ⁱ).
8:29 ^j Those controlled by Satan immediately recognized Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God (see Mark 1:24 ^k) and answered the question asked by Jesus’ disciples when he had calmed the storm (Matt 8:27 ^l). Elsewhere, Jesus’ true nature and identity are acknowledged by the Father (3:17 ^m; 17:5 ⁿ), Satan (4:3 ^o, 6 ^p), humans (14:33 ^q; 16:16 ^r; 27:54 ^s), and Christ himself (11:27 ^t; 24:36 ^u; 28:19 ^v).

• God’s appointed time is the final, eternal damnation of all who oppose God (see Jude 1:6 ^w; Rev 20:10 ^x).
8:31 ^y The demons were no match for Jesus’ authority; they desperately begged to avoid imminent doom.
8:32 ^z Jesus’ word had sufficient authority to expel demons.

• drowned: Jesus had begun to defeat the enemy (12:28 ^aa; Luke 10:17-20 ^ab; Rom 16:20 ^ac; Col 2:15 ^ad).
8:34 ^ae The tragedy of the incident is that those who witnessed the Son of God’s power to give salvation feared having their world upset, so they rejected him.