This story is told in Matthew and Mark, and last week we read it in Luke. The account of Jesus healing the demon possessed man. Let’s examine it from the gospel according to Matthew, chapter 8:
28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
A few things to note:
Matthew tells us there were two men but Mark and Luke focus on only one of them. The latter two writers also give us more details about the severity of the demon-possession, noting that at least one (presumably the one Matthew writes about) was given to such violence that even chains could not restrain him. Scripture tells us the men lived in tombs, not even in a home. Apparently, their presence produced fear among the region’s inhabitants because no one could even pass by the road where they resided.
Note also that the demons recognized Jesus - they had no doubts about who was in their midst, identifying Him as the Son of God and acknowledging His authority over them. In fact, the evil spirits were aware of their ultimate doom, complaining that Jesus was tormenting them “before the time”!
I was curious about the request to enter the swine. What do we know from that exchange? First of all, that Jesus had entered a Gentile region. Jews would not have owned swine nor even been near them so this tells us that this part of the area was inhabited by Gentiles. Jesus’s presence there (and the inclusion in these accounts of the Gospel )let us know of the inclusivity of the Good News. The fact that this story included pigs would have sent a clear message to the Jews - Jesus came not only to His own but also to the whole world.
What else do we learn from this? That even demons acknowledge who Jesus is. Mere intellectual assent is not the means to salvation. Nor is it enough to recognize HIs authority. No, salvation means that we have eyes to see the beauty of who Jesus is and joyfully (gratefully!) yield our lives to Him.
My other question was why Jesus granted the demons’ request to enter the swine. Did He “cave”? What happened to them after the herd jumped off the cliff? Here we have to read between the lines to understand what was going on. Even though Jesus did indeed send them into the swine, by no means was He “caving” to their request. Quite the opposite, in fact. They knew that ultimately (“the time”) they would be tormented and punished. They were hoping to put off the inevitable and have more time to do the tormenting themselves. Apparently, demons do not want to wander around but rather prefer to inhabit a host. They expected to control the pigs, just as they had controlled the men they inhabited. Imagine their surprise when the entire herd jumped off the cliff and perished! This was certainly not the action they had in mind! So what happened to them then? It seems that they met their ultimate demise - confinement in the abyss of the deep waters. And, while they considered it “before the time”, Jesus was the one in charge of not only their fate but also the timing. The demons were done for!
I found a couple of more things so intriguing. Notice verses 33,34. The herdsmen had just lost their livelihood. The swine for which they were responsible (although they probably didn’t own them) had just been taken out. Their jobs were gone, at least for a period of time. Yet Matthew tells us that the focus of their recounting the incident was about the demoniacs who had been cured! Perhaps this means their eyes were opened to who this Man was!
The last thing I noted was the response of the region’s citizens. Matthew, Mark and Luke all relate that the people of Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave. Luke says “for they were gripped with great fear”. Doesn’t that seem appalling to you? Jesus had just removed the threat that this demon possessed man had posed. The people were afraid to even pass near him, remember? And now he was clothed, in his right mind, and sitting at the feet of Jesus. THIS scared them? What in the world?
What they were scared of was the cost of following Jesus. They had to recognize His authority, His power, even HIs worth. But what they saw instead was a threat to life as they knew it. And that seemed to them too great a cost. If the actions of this man resulted in the loss of an entire herd of swine, then following Him would cost them too much.
If we could have been there, and inquired, I expect they would have answered “yes” to the question of “do you want to go to Heaven”. Probably even acknowledged that Jesus was in some way divine and yes to wanting His peace and healing. But the idea that He could assert His power in ways that could disrupt their lives, well, then, they would have said no to that. They just wanted Him to leave.
And He did just that. He didn’t force Himself on them and He won’t force Himself on us. But wow. What a sobering thought that even after seeing such a powerful and beautiful display of His goodness, they didn’t want Him.
Lord, may that not be true in our lives! Save us from our idolatry of comfort and ease! Grant us the grace to trust You, to follow You, to see Your worth above all else.