Mark 5:11-17 (NIV): A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man–and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
Even though when this story is told, the herd of pigs usually seems to get the most attention, there are two key points that are being made by including this event in the gospels that should not get lost in the spectacle of 2000 crazed pigs rushing headlong off a cliff.
The first point is that the multitude of demons was absolutely powerless in the presence of Jesus. Human beings believe that demons are super powerful, a perception fueled by Hollywood. And they do have power that they can use against people who don’t belong to God. (God protects His people from demons, as a quick overview of the gospels and Acts will show.) But any power that they have is insignificant when compared to the power of God, the power that flowed through Jesus.
When Jesus commanded the legion of demons to come out of the man, they had no choice but to obey. There was no epic struggle, no long battle. Jesus simply commanded, and the spirits, all the thousands of them, had to obey and leave. The one concession afforded to them by Jesus was that they be allowed to enter the pigs. Jesus already saw what the end of that would be, but the demons were short sighted, and had no idea of the tragedy that their decision would bring. Their only thought was self-preservation, not being banished to the Abyss forever. But Jesus commanded, and into the pigs they went. Their presence in the pigs caused a panic that led to the rapid destruction of their hosts. So much for the demons!
But the second point that needs to be noted is the reaction of the townspeople. These were gentiles who lived on the southeast edge of the Sea of Galilee. When the panicked pig-herders told them about the arrival of strangers, the interaction between them and the demon possessed man, and the bizarre suicide of the whole herd of pigs, they came out to investigate. They found the demoniac, well-known to them, and feared too, now clothed, in his right mind, and sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening as He taught. And it completely freaked them out. The man had been scary. They had seen him break the chains that they had tried to shackle him with (Mark 5:4). They had heard him screaming and moaning day and night among the tombs. But as long as he stayed away from their houses, they could deal with that; it was a known quantity.
But here was a man who was apparently stronger than the demons that had so overpowered the (formerly) demon-possessed man. Someone who could order them around, and whom they obeyed. It wasn’t the destruction of the pigs that had them so scared – it was being in the presence of someone who was so much more powerful than the demons who had terrorized them for so long. They had no idea what to do in the presence of such power. But rather than sit at Jesus’ feet to learn from Him, as the former demoniac was doing, they chose to beg Jesus to just go away. He was too powerful, too scary for their taste.
Father, it is easy for us to fear what we do not understand. And there is a lot that we don’t understand, especially in the invisible spiritual dimension. Some find comfort for their uncertainty in just denying the reality of what they can’t physically touch or see, much like the townspeople wanted to do with Jesus. If they sent Jesus away, banished Him from their lives, they could hide themselves from the reality of the spiritual power that was so obvious in Him. Others focus on their fear, or even their worship of the spiritual powers that they sense around them, even worshiping demons in the guise of “powers” or “nature gods”. But they don’t realize that, in doing so, they are worshiping something that is only marginally more powerful than themselves, and powerful in a very negative and destructive way. Their myopic focus on the power of evil blinds them to Your infinitely greater power. Help me, Lord, to only fear You, to only worship You, the all-powerful, all-mighty God, whose power and might knows no limits. Then I will never have to fear anything that goes bump in the night. Amen.