Was the "demon-oppressed man" actually possessed by a demon?
One of the biggest questions I had while I was reading Matthew was about the two “demon-oppressed” men mentioned in chapters nine and twelve. I immediately thought of those scary movies where someone is possessed by a demon and others in the movie have to give this person an exorcism. I had to think surely Jesus wasn’t doing what these people were doing with someone who was “demon possessed.” But, both times after healing the two men, he referred to the healing as casting out the spirits. These two stories were important to add to the Bible because they are examples of how Jesus helped and interacted with people around him. They are just two more men seeking Jesus to gain his help with their problems that he frequently fixed.
I am skeptical that these men were actually possessed and that was the reason for their physical problems. It seems that the people believed that Jesus had to cast out the sprits that were in the men so it would be possible for them to have the ability to speak and to see. If Jesus really was sending demons out of these men, it was nothing like how the priests had to do it in the movies. Each of the man’s stories was over so quickly, like it took no time at all for Jesus to heal them. In two of my sources, cgg.org and gotquestions.org, the author of the articles believed that Jesus was dealing with actual demons. Both sites recognize blindness and muteness to be symptoms of a demon possession. The first explains that people can be troubled by these demon sprits without giving an invitation for the demon to come to them. This would explain why the two men came to Jesus for help to cleanse themselves of these sprits. The second site identifies the two physical symptoms as a possibility of demon possession, along with other symptoms, but recognizes the fact that there could also be other answers to their problems. A third site in my research, blueletterbible.org, recognizes these physical impairments to be characteristics of a demon possession, an example of their argument being the man in Matthew 12: 22. The opinion of this author is that although the problems may seem physical, that person may just be in the control of a demon sprit. Many websites I found all resolved this question with believing that these men were actually possessed by a demon.
Reading both of the stories in Matthew, the people who witnessed Jesus heal these men certainly believed that Jesus was casting out demons and it seemed that Jesus intended on casting out demons while healing them. In chapter twelve, Jesus is accused of casting out the sprits in the name of Beelzebul, the prince of demons. The Pharisees, who were watching Jesus heal this man, had to be convinced that Jesus was doing this in the name of God. Jesus specifically stated that the men had to have these demon sprits cast out of them to regain the abilities that they had lost. If Jesus had cleansed these men of actual demons or just gave them these physical abilities, both men received what they wanted.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BS/k/1466/Miracles-Jesus-Christ-Two-Demon-Possessed-Men-Healed-Part-One.htm
http://www.gotquestions.org/demon-possession.html
http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/stewart.cfm?id=59
I am skeptical that these men were actually possessed and that was the reason for their physical problems. It seems that the people believed that Jesus had to cast out the sprits that were in the men so it would be possible for them to have the ability to speak and to see. If Jesus really was sending demons out of these men, it was nothing like how the priests had to do it in the movies. Each of the man’s stories was over so quickly, like it took no time at all for Jesus to heal them. In two of my sources, cgg.org and gotquestions.org, the author of the articles believed that Jesus was dealing with actual demons. Both sites recognize blindness and muteness to be symptoms of a demon possession. The first explains that people can be troubled by these demon sprits without giving an invitation for the demon to come to them. This would explain why the two men came to Jesus for help to cleanse themselves of these sprits. The second site identifies the two physical symptoms as a possibility of demon possession, along with other symptoms, but recognizes the fact that there could also be other answers to their problems. A third site in my research, blueletterbible.org, recognizes these physical impairments to be characteristics of a demon possession, an example of their argument being the man in Matthew 12: 22. The opinion of this author is that although the problems may seem physical, that person may just be in the control of a demon sprit. Many websites I found all resolved this question with believing that these men were actually possessed by a demon.
Reading both of the stories in Matthew, the people who witnessed Jesus heal these men certainly believed that Jesus was casting out demons and it seemed that Jesus intended on casting out demons while healing them. In chapter twelve, Jesus is accused of casting out the sprits in the name of Beelzebul, the prince of demons. The Pharisees, who were watching Jesus heal this man, had to be convinced that Jesus was doing this in the name of God. Jesus specifically stated that the men had to have these demon sprits cast out of them to regain the abilities that they had lost. If Jesus had cleansed these men of actual demons or just gave them these physical abilities, both men received what they wanted.
http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BS/k/1466/Miracles-Jesus-Christ-Two-Demon-Possessed-Men-Healed-Part-One.htm
http://www.gotquestions.org/demon-possession.html
http://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/stewart.cfm?id=59