The night was almost over. The sea was calm after a stormy night. The disciples heard their Teacher, Jesus Christ, speak to the sea, “peace be still,” and nature obeyed. And the disciples wondered at a man who could speak to nature!
Matthew, the Gospel writer, records an interesting event after Jesus and his disciples ended their journey on a stormy sea that became calm.
In Chapter 8 Matthew says, “And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.” Notice that Jesus was alone. The disciples stood at a distance, or had taken a different route because “no one could pass” the road that Jesus took. There were two boys, the Bible calls them demoniacs, those possessed by demons.
The two lived in a graveyard. They were dangerous. They injured people. They did not listen to anyone, not even to themselves because they had lost conscious. No wonder, no one could pass that way. And that was the way Jesus took, says the Bible.
The description of the two demoniacs in the Bible fits well with Timothy Mtambo and Gift Trappence. These two boys, like the possessed, live in their own world. They do not listen to anyone. They only speak. One would say, Mtambo and Trappence have no ears. They have a mouth only.
They speak as if they are the last authority in the universe, almost like they created life. They love violence. They are happy to see private and public property destroyed. Do they have conscious at all? No. People possessed by demons do not have conscious.
That morning, when Jesus took the way that all people avoided, he met the two demoniacs. Matthew records an interesting meeting. And behold, the demons cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
The disciples, watching from a distance and catching the conversation, walked towards Jesus but still at a distance. Jesus did not hurry to cast out the demons. He let them speak. In doing so, Jesus was helping the two boys to understand that they needed God’s power to live a normal life, away from tombs.
Mark, a Gospel writer who is brief in his reports, reports this story with details, not typical of him. Luke has the story as well. It is John, the youngest and most beloved disciple of Jesus, that did not write the story. Perhaps John kept a distance for fear of his life and did not witness the event.
After a conversation, Jesus cast out the demons, about 4000 of them, meaning 2000 demons were in each of the two boys. Satan is real. Demons are real in our day. Mtambo and Trappence need to meet Jesus, so he can cast out demons of violence in them. (Is it not interesting that demonstrations which Mtambo and Trappence love most, seem to be an extension of the word demons?)
In speaking of his days as an organiser of demonstrations, Undule Mwakasungula has consistently said that he “was led by Satan,” a way of saying he was possessed by demons. Satan works in a way that at the possessed does not know that he is possessed until he is freed by Jesus.
One day, Jesus took the way of Undule, the way that no man could pass. That was when Undule had no ears, when he listened to no one. Jesus met Undule, in his own words, sick and on death bed. That day, Jesus touched Undule, healed him and made him a servant of the Lord.
The prayer of the faithful in Malawi should be that Jesus should take the way of Mtambo and Trappence. They need a meeting with Jesus because only Jesus can speak to people who do not listen, people without ears.
When that happens, Mtambo and Trappence shall be able to raise their hands with a joyous shout, “the Lord is good, all the time, for he saved us from demons/trations”.
Matthew, the Gospel writer, records an interesting event after Jesus and his disciples ended their journey on a stormy sea that became calm.
In Chapter 8 Matthew says, “And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.” Notice that Jesus was alone. The disciples stood at a distance, or had taken a different route because “no one could pass” the road that Jesus took. There were two boys, the Bible calls them demoniacs, those possessed by demons.
The two lived in a graveyard. They were dangerous. They injured people. They did not listen to anyone, not even to themselves because they had lost conscious. No wonder, no one could pass that way. And that was the way Jesus took, says the Bible.
The description of the two demoniacs in the Bible fits well with Timothy Mtambo and Gift Trappence. These two boys, like the possessed, live in their own world. They do not listen to anyone. They only speak. One would say, Mtambo and Trappence have no ears. They have a mouth only.
They speak as if they are the last authority in the universe, almost like they created life. They love violence. They are happy to see private and public property destroyed. Do they have conscious at all? No. People possessed by demons do not have conscious.
That morning, when Jesus took the way that all people avoided, he met the two demoniacs. Matthew records an interesting meeting. And behold, the demons cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
The disciples, watching from a distance and catching the conversation, walked towards Jesus but still at a distance. Jesus did not hurry to cast out the demons. He let them speak. In doing so, Jesus was helping the two boys to understand that they needed God’s power to live a normal life, away from tombs.
Mark, a Gospel writer who is brief in his reports, reports this story with details, not typical of him. Luke has the story as well. It is John, the youngest and most beloved disciple of Jesus, that did not write the story. Perhaps John kept a distance for fear of his life and did not witness the event.
After a conversation, Jesus cast out the demons, about 4000 of them, meaning 2000 demons were in each of the two boys. Satan is real. Demons are real in our day. Mtambo and Trappence need to meet Jesus, so he can cast out demons of violence in them. (Is it not interesting that demonstrations which Mtambo and Trappence love most, seem to be an extension of the word demons?)
In speaking of his days as an organiser of demonstrations, Undule Mwakasungula has consistently said that he “was led by Satan,” a way of saying he was possessed by demons. Satan works in a way that at the possessed does not know that he is possessed until he is freed by Jesus.
One day, Jesus took the way of Undule, the way that no man could pass. That was when Undule had no ears, when he listened to no one. Jesus met Undule, in his own words, sick and on death bed. That day, Jesus touched Undule, healed him and made him a servant of the Lord.
The prayer of the faithful in Malawi should be that Jesus should take the way of Mtambo and Trappence. They need a meeting with Jesus because only Jesus can speak to people who do not listen, people without ears.
When that happens, Mtambo and Trappence shall be able to raise their hands with a joyous shout, “the Lord is good, all the time, for he saved us from demons/trations”.
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