When Jesus Tamed the Haunted Graveyard

Read: Luke 8:26-36 FLASH! Lightning ripped across the black sky. Instantly every street light went out. “Whoa,” Luke said. “Talk about a spooky night! It looks like a ghost town out there.” Beth peeked out from under her covers. “Don’t say the word ghost.” Mom came into their bedroom with a flashlight. “Hey, Mom.” Luke put bed covers over his head to look like a ghost. “Tell us a ghost story.” “On a night like this?” Beth whipped off the covers. “Are you kidding? How about a Bible story—with a really good ending.” Mom smiled. “I’ll tell a ghost story from the Bible—but it has a happy ending.” “Great,” Luke groaned. “How scary can that be? And I didn’t think the Bible talked much about ghosts.” “Actually, this story is about evil spirits,” Mom said. “Demons.” Now it was Beth’s turn to groan. “That sounds worse!” “One day, Jesus went into a cemetery to visit a man who lived there,” Mom said. “Creepy.” Luke rubbed his hands together. “So far, so good.” “He lived…”—Beth was wide-eyed—“in the graveyard?” “Yes,” Mom said. “The man was filled with many, many evil spirits—and they made him do awful things. And the spirits made him super strong—everybody was afraid of him.” Lightning flashed and lit the room. “I thought this wasn’t going to be scary!” said Beth. “Wasn’t Jesus scared?” Luke asked. “No,” said Mom. “Jesus is the Son of God, and when He talked with the man, He told the evil spirits to leave him.” Luke leaned closer. “Did they?” Mom nodded. “Every single evil spirit left—immediately. Because He had come to defeat Satan through His death and resurrection, Jesus had the power to send them all away.” “Wow,” Luke said. “Those evil spirits were busted—big time!” “And the man who lived in the cemetery was finally free and could go back to his real home again,” Mom said. “The man was so grateful that he became a follower of Jesus.” The lights came back on all over the neighborhood. Beth stood and hugged Mom. “You’re right, this story did have a happy ending!” “Wow,” Luke said. “Jesus is the ultimate ghost tamer!” –Matt Shoemaker How about you? Did you know that Jesus has complete authority over everything in heaven and earth, including demons? Evil powers exist in our world, and they can be scary—but you don’t have to be afraid. If you know Jesus as your Savior, He has freed you from Satan’s power, just like He freed the man in the story. Nothing is more powerful than our God! Today's Key Verse: [Jesus said,] “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18 (NKJV) Today's Key Thought: Jesus holds all authority