Following Jesus: Delivering us from evil
Passage: Matthew 8:28-34 Preacher: Mark Kingston
This week, we saw Jesus go exactly where no one expected—and no one wanted—to the most unclean place imaginable. A Gentile region, filled with pigs, tombs, demons. Unclean four times over. But that’s where Jesus goes. Why? Because that’s where the captives are. He goes to the dark places to set people free.
This is no detour. It’s the next step after the Sermon on the Mount. After proclaiming a Kingdom of peace, mercy, and wholeness, Jesus now embodies that Kingdom with authority and action. He heals, restores, commands storms and spirits. This is not just beautiful theory—it’s real, disruptive power, unleashed in the lives of real people.
And then there’s the pigs. It’s disturbing, but revealing. The demons destroy the pigs because that’s what they do. They ruin. Always. Evil doesn’t redeem. It devours. That’s the contrast: Jesus brings restoration; evil brings ruin.
And now the question: is this just about Jesus? Or is it about us too? We are called to follow. To go where He went. To be led by the Spirit—even to unexpected places. To proclaim Jubilee with our lives. No person or place is off-limits. The Kingdom is on the move. And we are invited to move with it.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What stirs in you as you hear this story? Is it discomfort, hope, confusion, awe? Why do you think you respond that way?
How does seeing Jesus deliberately go to places others avoid shift your understanding of who He is and what He’s about?
Have you ever felt the destructive weight of evil - whether subtle or severe - in your life or relationships?
What might it look like for you to follow Jesus into uncomfortable or messy spaces this week? Is there a specific person or place that comes to mind?
Jesus simply said, “Go!”, and the darkness obeyed. Do you believe He still speaks with that same power today? Why or why not?
Is there someone in your world who feels forgotten, written off, or trapped? How might you join Jesus in bringing them hope and freedom?