Chase: Hello and welcome to the Point Church Podcast. We're really glad you're here. Before we jump in, if you'd like to stay connected, you can download the Point Church app. It's a simple way to find messages, resource, and what's happening. And if this podcast is helpful, take a moment to like, subscribe, and share. You can find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music. Let's get into today's episode. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Point Church Podcast. I'm here with Pastor Sam as We are in our second half of our Lent series forty days, forty podcasts, as we're walking through the book of or the gospel of Matthew ⁓ verse by verse, and we're picking up today in chapter eight, verse nineteen. And this reads When Jesus saw a large crowd around him, he gave the order to go to the other side of the sea. A scribe approached him and said, Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go. Jesus told Foxes have dens, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. Lord, another of his disciples said, First let me go bury my father. But Jesus told him Follow me and let the dead bury their own dead. Stop there, there's a lot to unpack here, and I'll let you take that. Yeah, there's a lot of different layers to this, so we'll just try and stick with One, but you're seeing that Jesus clearly has a following, a lot of passion, for people saying, like, I'll go wherever you go, and then Jesus responds with saying, like, Do you know what you're signing up for? Like it's gonna be a high cost to follow me. Like you're signing up for homelessness, you're signing up for a lot. So, you know, he's like putting it back in the scribes' court, ⁓ so to speak. But then the other one, it almost comes off harsh on its first reading where you're like, Let me go bury my dad. Like, let me go attend his funeral. Like seems like a very reasonable request, but like what many actually are saying, ⁓ like many historians ⁓ would speculate that the man is saying is wait, let me wait till my father dies. Like he hasn't died yet. Might be a while. Let me do that first. And Jesus again is saying, Okay, the urgency is now. Yeah. So you know, again, it shows the passion of someone saying, like, I'm ready to go, but I gotta do this other stuff first. And she's like, No, you If you're ready to go, you go. Like you're never gonna be in the time when everything's ready and right. So that's what he's saying is not don't attend his funeral, but like who knows when that'll be. Who knows? And then it could be the next thing that's keeping you away. So and when you give your life over to Jesus, it's it's time. Everything. Yes. It is not you pick and choose. Right. It's everything. So picking up in verse twenty three, it reads As he got into the boat boat His disciples followed him. Suddenly a vicious storm or a violent storm arose on the sea so that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but Jesus kept sleeping. Mm-hmm. Yeah, he's just totally at peace, totally at rest. Like he's not bothered. That's pretty simple. Like pr he's not bothered by it at all. Not at all. And like I always think when I read this, like me and my dad loved We still do watch Deadliest Catch. ⁓ yeah. And like I picture like a storm like that where I'm like And Jesus in like a hammock. Yeah, like sleeping and and I'm then I'm picturing like the difference of the boats and I'm like this is crazy, but it'll go into right here. Speaks just to his inner peace. Like I mean, how many of us can't even sleep well on our temperedic mattresses because we have such stress and anxiety in our lives that Jesus in the middle of a storm, like sleeping. Almost like a not a care in the world. Yeah. 'Cause in verse twenty five it says So the disciples came and woke him up saying, Lord, save us, we're going to die. And he said to them, Why are you afraid, you of little faith? Mm-hmm. So when he says little faith, what is he meaning? Yeah, he's basically like, You're trusting this storm more than me, and you also think you think something's gonna really happen to you outside of my control, whether I'm awake or asleep, like how little faith do you have in me? Like it's not that strong. Exactly. And then it re it picks up then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm. The men were amazed and asked what kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him. Yeah, there's so the kids bible that we hand out at our church is called the Jesus Storybook Bible. It's where it tells Every story of the Old Testament, New Testament, how it all points to Jesus. And there's a particular line with this story that I love reading with the kids where it says, Of course the wind and the waves obeyed him because they had heard his voice before. You know, going all the way back to the creation story where all God had to do was speak. Yeah. And it was. So of course they had no reason or they had no choice but to obey the creator. Yeah. Yeah. And that's why he was at peace. They can do what they want. I'm the creator. Like they're not gonna swamp me. Yeah. Exactly. ⁓ picking up in verse twenty eight, it reads When he had come to the other side to the region of Gaternes. Gatarenes. Gatarenes. Two demon possessed men met him as they came out of their tombs. Two questions here. First, ⁓ going back to where they were, just so we can have a picture in our brains of where they were. Yeah. What sea were they in? Sea of Galilee. Yeah. Sea of Galilee. Sea of Galilee. And then also when it says two demon possessed men met him as they came out of their tombs, are some people would read that as zombies. ⁓ not quite zombies, but definitely individuals who are demon possessed have been driven out of ⁓ society as a whole, are finding refuge among the dead, among the tombs. I mean again if The demonic is about death, that's where they're probably gonna be driven to. Yeah. So but they come out of that in the presence of God, like they are attracted almost to to Jesus. Like they're like, ⁓ we have no choice but to obey and come to this yeah, this individual. So you'll you'll see as that continues on as well. Yeah, because it goes on to say they were so violent that no one could pass that way. Yeah. Suddenly they shouted, What do you have to do with us, son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time? So again, going like how you said, they have no choice. Yeah. Because other people, they I mean, Jesus could come and they could just go their separate ways and not, but they are like forced to. Yeah. Yeah. It's ⁓ it's very similar to the wind and the wave. Like he's their creator, and they recognize that, like that he has authority ⁓ over them, and and before the time refers to the end time, like the final judgment. And so they know that time's coming. Yeah. And ⁓ and they're terrified. Terrified of Jesus. Absolutely. ⁓ and keep keeps going a long way off from them. A large herd of pigs was feeding. If you drive us out, the demons begged him, send us into the herd of pigs. Go. That's Jesus speaking. He told them. Yeah, so ⁓ I think it goes back to again, like the Roman Centurion's faith that the Roman centurion in chapter eight was saying, You don't even need to come into my house. Yeah. Like I'm a man under authority and I recognize your authority. Like I tell the centurion says, I tell one soldier, go and he goes. All I have to do is say go and I know it's done. And that's what I recognize, the authority that you have, Jesus. And it's like Jesus all he has to do is say go and they have to go. They have to obey. ⁓ so in a weird ⁓ way these demons and these waves have more faith than the disciples because they recognize who Jesus is, they recognize his authority and they respond to it. It's like humans have this ⁓ almost like amphibious quality where we are spirit but we're flesh as well. But you know, creation responds to Jesus, the demonic respond to Jesus, but us who are a mixture of both Have a difficult time responding to Jesus. So again, it's why God came in the flesh to dwell among us, to teach us, you know, how to Yeah. And it's going on the fact of like I've heard this said of, you know, everyone wants to rely on their own mind or whatever. Yep. Especially with scripture and stuff, like I got it. Yeah. But it's like the demons all they know scripture inside and out. Yes. That's why they t and they quake. Yeah. Yeah. And so when you rely on Jesus, that's when the difference happens, not in your own understanding. Correct. Especially with Jesus' one line go go mic drop there. Yeah. ⁓ it continues on. So when they had come out, they entered the pigs and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. Then the men who tended them fled. They went into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to those who were demon possessed. And at the whole and then the and that at that ⁓ at that the whole town went out To meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their region. So they're begging him to leave. Not like, ⁓ wow, you just casted out demons. Like no, they're please leave. Yeah. Yeah. It's ⁓ quite an interesting response until you see that it's ⁓ in other parts of scripture, like there's a note ⁓ for first Kings, for Luke Five that's attached to this, and it's different times where When we're in the presence of someone holy, in Luke 5 specifically talks about Peter, when he sees the miracle of what Jesus has done, he's like, Depart from me, I'm an unholy man. That like when you fully see the holiness of God, specifically the holiness of Jesus, what this man has done, you're like, I am not worthy to be in your presence. Like it quickly like creates a ⁓ a contraction better a ⁓ a contrast between you And this holy, holy person that you're like I I am not worthy to be here. I I don't know what to do other than say it is so blatantly obvious how good and holy and powerful and authoritative you are that I can't be in your presence. Yeah. Can you leave? Like it's too much to handle. Too much. ⁓ it's been described that like being in the full presence of God And like truly trying to take in his holiness would be the same as trying to walk on the sun. Mm-hmm. Like you just can't do it. You cannot understand it. So when you even get a glimpse of it, you're like, Whoa, like I can't So I I think in many ways that's more of their response. It's not out of like, ugh, he really inconvenienced us by freeing these guys. He's more like We are not worthy for you to be here. I mean he just landed and he's driving out the pigs are flying off cliffs. He made their lives a lot better. Yeah, and especially those two guys. And he he hadn't even spoken to the town yet. Yeah. And they were like, whoa. Yeah, exactly. So but they're just like we depart from us. We're an unholy people. Yeah. So again, that's where the presence of God is so Cleansing because it wakes you up to who you are. It's a it's a wake up call. Yeah. And then But when you get closer to God, you realize that you're the one pushing him away. He's not pushing you away. He's pulling you close and that's why he came. But, you know, Jesus won't force himself. Yeah. He won't force himself. But again, it's a wake up to say, you know, we pushed him away. He didn't push us away and he's the holy one. Yeah. Amen. Well, with that, we're gonna stop for today. ⁓ we'll be picking up tomorrow in chapter nine. So thanks for tuning in, everyone.