What kind of man is this? - What business do we have with each other, Son of God?

Matthew 8:18-34 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea. ¹⁹ Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” ²⁰ Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” ²¹ Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” ²² But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

²³ When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. ²⁴ And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. ²⁵ And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” ²⁶ He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. ²⁷ The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

²⁸ When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. ²⁹ And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” ³⁰ Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. ³¹ The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” ³² And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. ³³ The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. ³⁴ And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.

James 2:19 says:   You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.   In today’s text we see a contrast in recognizing who Jesus was, by His disciples and by demons.  The text says:  When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”   This was early in Jesus ministry. The disciples had witnessed miraculous healings by Jesus hand. They had heard Him teach, “as one having authority.” (Matthew 7:29)  Still they did not fully comprehend and know who Jesus was.

The text continues saying:  When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”   The demons knew who Jesus was, as James says, they believed and shuddered. The demons had no need of evidence or proof. In the spiritual realm Jesus authority was obvious and absolute. While demons are agents of rebellion against God, they know the truth , that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10-11)  

Sadly there are many today who are like the disciples in today’s text. They have been with the Lord. They have heard His teaching. They have even witnessed and experienced miracles at His hand, yet they still do not fully know who He is. The verse from James, speaking about the demons recognition of God, is about faith. In context it says:  What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? (James 2:14-20) True faith, believing and knowing who Jesus is will be accompanied by evidence of works.  For the disciples, there is a time when we see that they have come to the full understanding of who Jesus is. It happens in Matthew 16:13-19:   Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”   For us too, if we have come to fully know and believe who Jesus is, if our faith in Him is sure, it will be seen in the evidence of our works. It will be seen in that, if we know that Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Master, Savior, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, then: the gates of Hell will not stand against us. Every place where evil enters into this earthly realm it will not stand against us. We will bind it and in its place we will loose the goodness of the kingdom of heaven. Indeed, as Philippians 2:10-11 says:  At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.    In John 14:12-15 Jesus says:  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” In Matthew 17:20 Jesus says:  “Truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

So today, will you ask:  “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Or will you declare:   “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  What will be the evidence; the works of your faith?

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, the Christ; precious Holy Spirit I believe. May I walk today in the evidence of my faith. May I do the works that You have given and called me to do. May I fully know and understand that in You and through You, in Your name, nothing will be impossible. May Your kingdom come, and may Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, both in and through my life.   Amen.