Jesus Granted the Devil's Request
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Why?
Sound reasoning would tell us he should've just sent them to the Abyss or somewhere else where they wouldn't cause harm or damage. That way, everyone would be happy. But no, Jesus granted the devil's request. He sent them to the herd of pigs which numbered about 2,000, says Mark, and they all drowned themselves in the nearby lake. Naturally, the townsfolk affected by the swine industry protested and begged him to go away.
How much is a pig today? Just to get an idea what the picture is, let's say it's Php 4,000 a pig of regular size. With 2,000 pigs that's a whopping 8 million pig industry all down the drain. See why the village folks protested? The question is, why Jesus did it? Jesus granted the devil's request knowing that it would destroy the piggery business and cause people to react adversely.
Understanding deeply God's motives through God's flesh. Click here.
I mean, if I were in his place, I'd prohibit the demons from going to the pigs. I'd think that a wrecked pig industry with millions of losses for the people would not glorify God. So I'd send them either straight to the Pit or to the dead at the cemetery nearby (the demon-possessed man came from the tombs). That would've been smart, right?
But that would've been foolish, simply because Jesus didn't see it that way. He saw fit to send the demonic horde to the pigs---and he knew the consequences beforehand---that the devil would drown the pigs and the people wouldn't like it. So, why did he do it? It's surprising that Jesus granted the devil's request.
And there's another issue here. The devil asked him a favor and he granted it! In a sense, the devil "prayed" to him (or petitioned him) and he answered the devil "yes," just like that. You know what this tells me? If devils can get their requests answered immediately (yup, Jesus answered the request pronto!), why not me, a son of God through Christ? I mean, I should see this clearly and change my attitude to prayer.
We've been told that God answers prayers 3 ways---yes, no, and later or wait. But here, Jesus granted the devil's request on the spot, and the devil was supposed to be God's enemy. Are you seeing this? A lot of religious teachings not based on Kingdom truths and the Spirit of the Gospel can limit you and forfeit you of a lot of Kingdom privileges. They box you into a small and stupid religion box---a box of human theologies and doctrines (though they back these deceitful teachings with bible verses).
Here are truths about Jesus teachings on prayer:
- Once you pray, believe you have received it. Believe you have received it on the spot. Immediately thank God.
- If you ask for anything in Jesus' Name (he said "anything"), it's yours.
- If you believe, "nothing will be impossible for you." [Matthew 17.20]
And Paul said all our prayers are answered with "yes." There's no "no" answer.
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. [2 Corinthians 1.20]Problem is, we've been taught a lot of garbage traditions that work against a radical faith in Christ. We've been taught a lot of limitations and prohibitions---what things will not work for us. You attend a pastors' meeting and they think their biggest problem is a place for worship or a church building. See?
They have stifled miracles and signs and wonders and the spiritual gifts, insisting that these things are now gone. The best miraculous "healing" they allow in church today is "healing" through hospitals and medicines. Once you get surgery that costs you millions and recover, they call that miraculous healing. 😄
We've been forfeiting ourselves of the tremendous powers God made available to us so that the devil benefits from them instead. They get instant answers to their requests and we don't. Can you imagine this? Do you understand? It's like Adam---God gave him power to rule and dominate overall creation. But instead, he gave that up to Satan, so that Satan now is the god of this world instead of him.
Why Jesus Opted to Wreck the Pig Industry
Now, we go back to why Jesus granted the devils request to wreck the pig industry instead of being sent to the Abyss and make everybody happy. Believe it or not, it's simply to make a Kingdom statement. When you try to make a fashion statement, you introduce something new, something yet unseen---nothing short of extraordinary and radical---and make yourself the talk of the town. Jesus did that.
He displayed the powers of the Kingdom---especially showing how the Kingdom does not give any weigh or importance for what material possessions could be damaged or lost in the process. He didn't care if a healing may break the Sabbath and irk religious leaders. He didn't care if spitting on the ground and making a "healing mud" of that (and applied on blind eyes) would piss off decent people. He didn't care if people destroyed the temple---the structure or his body.
In fact, God didn't care if Job lost all his material possessions and got his reputation badly marred. He didn't care if Hosea's marrying a known two-timer, adulterous woman would destroy his image. Anyway, God is able to restore any loss you have and even triple them.
The point is, Jesus showed to all that material possessions are nothing compared to what God wanted to show and do. And God loves to do it using what people treasure most in their hearts.
One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust. [Proverbs 21.22]What's the stronghold in your heart? God will destroy it to impose his plan---use it to make sure we see his point clearly. He can even use this strategy in reverse, as in the case of Job. It wasn't any stronghold in Job's heart that God did what he did, but the stronghold in the hearts of those around him. God used Job to demolish the accepted (but foolish) standards or norms of his day. The norm said that losing riches and material possessions meant God was angry at you, and that being rich meant God was pleased with you.
Well, God proved them wrong. And HE had to grant Satan's requests to punish Job to prove it. While Job looked condemned by God, he was actually God's favorite. You want to be God's favorite? You now see why Jesus granted the devils request in Gadarenes? Because the possessed man was God's favorite. Jesus had to cross the lake to come to his rescue and suffer ignominy from the village.
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