Further Revelation

Setting and Overview
Matthew 8:27 contains a critical question: “What sort of man is this?” The following two stories, likely not in chronological order (compare to Mark and Luke) and thus likely connected and placed here for thematic purposes, answer that question more fully, with insights that come from unlikely sources.

Exposition
As Jesus and the disciples arrive at the other side of the lake, they enter a predominantly gentile region. It is there that the encounter two men possessed by demons. The demons identify Jesus as “Son of God” and question what He is doing there. Both their use of Son of God to address Jesus and their reference to their coming time of judgment indicate that they recognize far more of who Jesus is than others do, and demonstrate a clear connection between Jesus casting demons out and the final judgment to come (Jude 6, II Peter 2:4. Revelation 20:10, Matthew 12:28.) When Jesus is commanding them to come out of the men, they request that He send them into the pigs, likely either because of their desire to cause destruction (Matthew 17:14-20) or because they anticipate that it will cause conflict between Jesus and others. Both of these do occur, as the people are less impressed with the deliverance of the men than they are concerned about the loss of their likelihood.
This event then sends Jesus back to Capernaum, which is also the location of the healing of the paralytic. When the paralytic is brought to Jesus, His first action is not to heal him, but rather to declare his sins to be forgiven. Since not all disease directly results from sin (John 9:1-3) this statement could reflect the fact that illness and disease results directly or indirectly from sin, so sin is the more basic issue, and ultimately, deliverance from illness is connected with deliverance from sin (Matt 8:17, Isa 53:4.) So, in declaring the paralytic cleansed from his sin, whether or not his sin caused his paralysis, Jesus is again tying His healing ministry to the cross and also challenging those there to not only appreciate His healing, but also to accept His authority. In response, the experts in the law charge Him with blasphemy, since He is claiming authority that is God’s alone (Psalm 51:4, Isaiah 43:25, 44:22, Mark 2:7.) Their mistake, however, is not just from a lack of mental ability, but rather from a selfish desire to reject his authority, and so Jesus condemns their responses not as a righteous desire to protect God’s holiness but rather as evil intent. He then asks the ironic question of whether it is harder to declare sins to be forgiven or for the paralytic to get up and walk. The former is actually more difficult to do, but easier to say without proof, and so to prove His authority, He also heals the man of his paralysis (John 9:30-33.) In response, the people are awestruck with righteous fear at the expansion of His revealed authority.

Examination and Application
As much as the eyewitnesses saw, we see even more, and so we are called to respond even more faithfully and fully to who Jesus is. The owners of the pigs desired their financial livelihood more than to see Jesus at work, but we too often display similar priorities, with far more of our happiness dependent on financial matters than on the spiritual growth of others. Similarly, when Jesus performs actions that demonstrate that He is more than just a healer or prophet, He eliminates the option of not taking a stand on His identity (John 9:18-27.) Some avoid the question or deny Him out of fear of others, but we are called to proudly declare and reflect His authority, no matter what it costs us.