Matthew 8:28-34 28And when he came to the other side to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him coming out of the tombs, exceedingly violent so that no one could pass by that way. 29And behold, they cried out saying, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30Now a long distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31And the demons begged him saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32And he said to them, “Go.” And coming out they went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed headlong down the steep slope into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33And those who were hearing fled, and going into the city they reported everything and the demon-possessed men. 34And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him so that he might leave their region.
This story is about the recognition and rejection of Jesus’ authority. Jesus and his disciples had gotten to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to the area where Israel’s ancient tribe of Gad had territory along the Sea. This was an out of the way area, across on the other side of the head waters of the Jordan River. A person had to have a good reason for going there. Jesus may have intentionally moved to this region to teach and heal. Curiously, Matthew mentions two demon-possessed men, while Mark 5:1 and Luke 8:27 only mention one. The demons caused these men to live in a graveyard, a place of death and sadness. Their lives had spiraled to the point of no hope, and their only escape was death.
The demons that controlled these men recognized Jesus as the Son of God. Later on, the people of the city missed this in their rejection of Jesus. Reference to the time indicates that the demons knew their destiny and that they would one day face God’s wrath and judgment. Their only escape was a nearby herd of pigs. Jews considered pigs unclean animals because of Leviticus. The forces of evil saw an escape in the unclean, but in this escape, they also destroyed the herd of pigs by drowning them in the lake. Jesus only has to say one word, and the demons must obey. Matthew leaves out any response of the demon-possessed men, possibly because his purpose was to challenge his readers to recognize Jesus’ authority as Messiah.
Verse 34 gives one of the saddest rejections of Jesus recorded in the New Testament. This verse is more than a historical reference to what happened but also serves as a warning for those who reject Jesus’ authority and position as Messiah. The people of that village would rather ostracize and reject those who needed help, like these demon-possessed men, than welcome their healer into their midst. A herd of pigs was worth more to them than the salvation Jesus brought.
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