11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The demons named Legion (because they were many) had begged Jesus not to send them out of the country. They begged Him to rather allow them to possess a local herd of pigs which He permitted them. They entered two thousand pigs and sent them all rushing into the sea and they drowned.
It must have been quite a scene. You’re a herdsman looking after the town pigs. There’s a crazy man in the cemetery nearby but this is where the pigs need to eat. Then a man gets out of a boat, talks to the crazy guy, they both point to your pigs, then suddenly all your pigs rush into the water and drown. No wonder they ran to the city to tell the people what had happened.
The townsfolk come out to see what had happened. They see that the demon-possessed man is sitting calmly, clothed, and in his right mind and they are afraid. The herdsman give their side of the story and the people beg Jesus to leave. This is a very sad story. These people were more concerned about the death of their pigs than they were about the release of a man from the bondage and torment of demons. What is the value of one human life? What should we be willing to give up to reach one person for Jesus? Before they were afraid of the demon-possessed man, now they were afraid of Jesus who had the power over the demons. They would rather live with demons in their country than Jesus.
As Jesus was leaving, the sane man wanted to go with Jesus. Jesus didn’t let him but told him to go and tell his friends about all that the Lord had done for him and how he had been shown mercy, and he did. Not only did he tell his friends, but he shared his message in the whole region of Decapolis. We have been shown the same mercy. We may not have been out of our right mind but we were on a path to eternal torment when Jesus saved us from our sins. We too should be quick to tell others about the mercy God has shown us.