Mateus 8

Jesus controls any number of demons

28 Upon His coming to the other side, to the region of the Gergesenes,*Some 98% of the Greek manuscripts read ‘Gergesenes’, rather than ‘Gadarenes’. Gadara was the Roman capital of the province of Perara, located some six miles from the Sea of Galilee. For the swineherds to run six miles to the city to report the incident and then walk back with the people would take quite a while. It seems more likely that there was a village named ‘Gergesa’ nearby, whose people came and asked Jesus to leave. For a more detailed discussion, please see the Appendix: The ‘Legion’ and the pigs; where was it? two demonized men*As a tax collector, numerical precision was important to Matthew. Where other Gospels may select an individual as sufficient for the narrative, Matthew specifies that there were actually two (also blind men and donkeys). met Him, coming out from the tombs, very dangerous, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And then—they cried out saying: "What do you have to do with us, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"*The demons knew who Jesus really was, and also about their own destiny. The parallel accounts in Mark 5 and Luke 8 give added detail—their name was ‘Legion’, and there were about 2,000 pigs. In Luke 8:31 they kept imploring Him not to send them to the Abyss—they were really worried; they knew something we do not. 30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many pigs feeding. 31 So the demons kept imploring Him saying, "Since you are going to cast us out, permit us to go into the herd of pigs." 32 So He said to them, "Go!" And coming out they went off into the herd of pigs. And then—the whole herd of pigs rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the water!*I really doubt that the demons did it—why would they want to destroy their new ‘house’? Perhaps the pigs preferred death to demons (animals often show more common sense than people do). It is also possible that Jesus commanded the action. 33 So the swineherds ran away, and going into the town they told everything, including about the demonized men. 34 And then, the whole town went out to meet with Jesus; and upon seeing Him they begged Him to depart from their borders.*Apparently Jesus never went back there; they did not want Him and that was that (I doubt that the inhabitants were Jews). The dead pigs represented a big economic loss; the pigs were more important to them than the two men—what Jesus represented threatened their way of life.