Readings
- Isaiah 4:2–6
- Ephesians 4:1–16
- Matthew 8:28–34
- Psalms: 101, 109:1–4 (5–19) 20–30; 119:121–144
Matthew 8:28–34
When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two men possessed by demons came out of the tombs and met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"
Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. The demons begged him, "If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine." And he said to them, "Go!" So they came out and entered the swine, and suddenly the whole herd stampeded down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the water.
The swineherds ran off, and, going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the men possessed by demons. Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their region.
Notes
Jesus has crossed the lake. He is now on the eastern shore, in the Gadarenes, which is Gentile territory. The first signal is the herd of pigs at verse 30. No Jewish village would be raising swine. We are in the Decapolis, the region of the ten Greek-speaking cities.
Verse 28. Two demon-possessed men come out of the tombs and meet Jesus. (Matthew has two where Mark and Luke have one. Matthew often doubles figures.) They are so fierce no one can pass that way. Tombs are unclean, the men are unclean, the territory is unclean. Jesus walks into all of it.
Verse 29. "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?" Two things to flag. First, the demons recognize Jesus' identity sharply, before any human in Matthew has said it as plainly. The spiritual world knows who he is. Second, they refer to the time. They know there is an eschatological reckoning coming, and they are afraid Jesus is bringing it forward.
Verses 30–32. The demons beg Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs. He says go. The pigs stampede down the cliff into the sea and drown.
It is fair to ask why Jesus permits this. From a Jewish frame, the pigs were already considered unclean (Leviticus 11). The story is not asking us to weep for the pigs. Worth saying, though, that exorcism often comes with collateral cost. Setting people free is not free. The deliverance of the demonized men carries an economic loss for the swineherds.
Verses 33–34. The swineherds run into the town. Word spreads. And then the line that should disturb us most: they begged him to leave their region.
Two men who had been living among the tombs are now in their right mind. The town does not celebrate. The town does not ask for more healing. The town asks Jesus to go away. They have done the math. Healing cost them a herd of pigs. They would rather keep the herd than lose another one to the next exorcism.
That is the most important line in the passage. Where in our communities, our country, our lives do we ask Jesus to move on rather than disturb our economic and political arrangements?
The demons that possess a culture are not always individual spirits. They can also be the powers and structures that organize a society around the wrong things. When those powers are named and broken, exorcism has costs. There will always be people who would prefer the demoniacs stayed at the tombs rather than risk losing the next herd of pigs. The town in Matthew 8 is not unique. It is us, whenever we calculate the cost of healing in dollars and decide it is too high.
Questions for reflection
The town saw two men healed and asked Jesus to leave anyway. Where in your own life is there a healing you would rather Jesus not perform because of what it would cost you?
The demons that possess a culture are not always individual spirits. What are the structural powers in your community or country that someone close to Jesus would have to name and disrupt, and what is your honest estimate of the price?
