Page 71 - Advanced Life of Christ - Student Textbook

Calming the Tempest

This passage reveals not only Jesus’ humanity, but also His deity because only God can quite a storm
instantly by speaking to it. The disciples marveled at this powerful display of Jesus’ supernatural ability
over the elements. Jesus is the God Man!

This miracle occurred on the heels of the final rejection of Christ, which occurred previously that day.
The disciples needed to shore up their faith, so Jesus displayed His power as God over the natural realm.

The Demon possessed men.
Then upon arriving on the opposite shore of the sea, Jesus demonstrated His authority over the
supernatural realm by casting out a legion of demons. This occurred in the region of the Gerasenes,
called the Gadarenes. Two demon-possessed men are mentioned in Matthew, but only one in Mark and
Luke. They were all describing the same event, but Mark and Luke focused their dialogue on just one of
the two. The demon-possessed man was described as having a legion of demons possessing him. In
common usage, a legion was the largest unit in the Roman army. At that time, a legion averaged about
6,000 men. So, the term legion refers to any large number of beings; a multitude.

Scripture does not say exactly how many demons comprised the Legion within the man. However, when
Jesus cast them out, they entered a large herd of pigs feeding nearby. The demons caused the pigs to
rush down a cliff and fall into the sea where they all drowned. The number of pigs killed was about two
thousand.

You can imagine how upset the farmers who owned those pigs become. In a matter of minutes, they
lost their entire investment! It’s no wonder that they told the story in the nearby city and many in the
city begged Jesus and his disciples to leave their area.

Again, the disciples got another glimpse into the Man they were following. He claimed to be the
Messiah. In just a few hours they experienced His power over nature and the spiritual world. Through

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