Devotional: Matthew 8:31

Good Morning Yamon Ki Yesepar and Nevim Arith Hayomim:
Matthew 8:31: “So the devils besought him, if thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.”
“You American bum, we want picture of American bum, will give ten dollar for picture of American bum.” Japanese tourists overheard speaking to a homeless man in downtown Chicago
Let me say at the outset that I do believe that demons can possess a human being.  I worked for an evangelist and teacher who was known throughout the world for his deliverance ministry and I do not question for a moment that Jesus cast demons out of people in his day as well as today.  This man of God that I worked for, however, often warned not to look for demons under every bush.   That was good advice as you may be addressing a physical problem or mental problem and not a demonic problem at all.  You could end up doing more harm than good. You must use great spiritual discernment before you address a problem as demonic.
As I study the Gospels in the Aramaic I am beginning to realize that same advice would apply to our study of the Scripture.  There are cases where Jesus cast demons out of people and there are cases where Jesus merely healed a person.  The difference is not always clear in our Greek text but in the Aramaic is becomes very clear and also helps to resolve some mysteries.
This passage, I believe, is one example that should be studied in the Aramaic as it may answer a few questions.  The word used for devils in the Greek is daimones. Greek is a very precise language and you have little choice but to render this word as demon or devil.   In other words the Greek word clearly applies to a supernatural spirit.   However, the word used in the Aramaic is dewana which could mean a demon or it could mean an insane or mentally ill person.   People living in the Semitic regions in those days, as still today, consider every illness as demonic.  Medical science has proven that this is not true as we are now able to successful treat many of these illnesses without casting a demon out of the person.  I am cautious in saying that as there are cases which medical science cannot address and are only addressed through prayer, fasting and commanding a demon to leave in the name of Jesus.
Still, that word in the Aramaic, dewana, does leave the door open to two possibilities.  It could refer to demonic activity or it could refer to just mental illness.  Let’s take this story for instance.  There are many questions that arise if we consider rendering dewana as demonic. First, in verse 29 we learn that these two dewanas were hiding out in a tomb and when they saw Jesus they cried out “Jesus, thou Son of God, art thou come hither to torment us before our time?”   First, it is not unusual that these men would have known or heard of Jesus as his fame was growing at this time.   In verse 28 we learn that these men were Gararenes or Gentile Syrians.  This area of Gararenes were known for raising pigs as their primary occupation.   To call Jesus Son of God did not have the implications that those of a Hebrew heritage would have if they used that term.  To the gentiles any holy man was considered the son of a god.
The phrase, “torment us before our time” is a cultural phrase. If these men were mentally ill and not demon possessed then they were most likely referring to the evening time where these roaming mentally ill people were sometimes brought in and used for entertainment.  They were made to sing, dance and act is humiliating and foolish ways.  The insane were free to roam about the towns and were constantly teased and tormented by certain individuals, not unlike many of the mentally ill and homeless are today in our cities. Because of their dress, and behavior they tend to become a source of amusing interest to certain people as I overhead from some Japanese tourist in downtown Chicago trying to get a picture of an “American bum.”
If these men were simply mentally ill, they no doubt feared they were about to be used as a possible teaching illustration for this holy man and his disciples.  However, these men then beseeched Jesus.  If they knew His name they knew His reputation as a healer and they begged him: “If you cast us out…”   The Greek word used here is ekballo which means to banish or cast out.  Remember these men would be speaking Aramaic and not Greek.  The Aramaic word used here is mapaq which comes from the root word paqah which is identical to the Hebrew word and means to deliver or save.  Thus, these men said: “If you would deliver us or heal us, allow us to go away into the herd of swine. “  The word in the Aramaic used for go away into is simply al.  This has the idea of attacking.  It is often used today to express the idea of attacking.  For instance the word would be used in the sentence: “The wolves are al the sheep.”  We would render that as: “The wolves are entering into the sheep.”  But the Semitic people would understand that as the wolves attacking the sheep.  Thus these men, knowing how pigs were considered unclean to the Jews were willing to prove their conversion by attacking the pigs and chasing them off the mountain.
I have always had two questions concerning this story as seen in the Greek.  First, why did the demons have to ask permission to enter into the pigs, the most unclean animals, but did not need permission to enter these men?  Secondly, why go into pigs and then cause them to run off a mountain where their new home or possession was short lived.   The answer may lie in how we render this passage from the Aramaic.  I am not saying these men were not demon possessed; I am merely pointing out another option and passing on a word of advice from my former employer who was one of the leading teachers in the deliverance ministry – “Don’t be looking for a demon under every bush – use deep spiritual discernment.”