Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

Matthew 8:34

A bit of an obscure passage to begin writing about, but it has significant implications, not only for the people of Jesus’ time, but for you and me as well. First, some background. Jesus goes to the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee to a place called Gadara or Gadarenes (southeast of the Sea of Galilee). He had just done some miracles that helped show the people his true nature, the kingdom of God, and his power over death. In fact, just before crossing Galilee, he taught that following him would be tough. Fresh in Peter’s mind is this teaching, and he is the only one who walks toward Jesus on a stormy sea. Finally, on the other side, Jesus and the 12 are confronted by 2 demon-possessed men who found their dwelling in the tombs. The demons ask Jesus if he had come to torture them before the appointed time, and they request to be driven into a nearby herd of pigs, where the pigs subsequently jump off a cliff and drown. After seeing this, the pig farmers run into town to tell of this event. The town then comes to meet Jesus and asks him to leave their city.

The first question I had when reexamining this story is: why would the demons ask to be driven into a herd of pigs¹? Why not cats, dogs, birds, or something else? Why did they need to go into anything at all? First, pigs were considered unclean animals before Jesus went to the cross. After the resurrection, as we read in Acts 10, all foods are considered permissible. Before the resurrection, animals considered unclean still existed, including pigs. Therefore, it would not be a big deal or sin for Jesus to send an unclean spirit into an unclean animal. This is one reason pigs are considered better than other animals. Also, it could be convenient that the herd of pigs is what was nearby. Not only were they already unclean, but they were the animals available. But why not just let the demons wander about? Honestly, I have not thought about that question as much, but just on a purely speculative note, maybe these were demons that needed to possess something. Perhaps they needed to be driven into something to avoid possessing another person? But what happened to the demons after the pigs died? I will just say these are questions the Bible does not provide.

Whenever a hilltop, mountain top, or “going up” is mentioned in the Bible, it usually alludes to God’s city, specifically Jerusalem. In fact, Mount Zion, throughout scripture, is both a literal place (the highest point in Jerusalem) and an allusion to Heaven. This means mountain tops or hills represent God’s holy city. It is on the mountain where the perfect law is given to the Hebrews, where that law is fulfilled through Jesus on the cross, where Heaven will meet earth (Rev 21). For this reason, it should come as little surprise that hilltops are also places of testing. Remember, before this encounter with the demon, Jesus taught His disciples that following Him would not be easy. If people are never tested, life is pretty straightforward. This means to fully appreciate what is happening on the mountain top, a test must be passed or at least given. Here on the side of a cliff, Jesus reigns supreme, demonstrating his authority over demons and the forces of evil. This is after he showed his authority over the wind and waves (nature), disease, and death. Now Jesus is showing his authority over Satan and his forces.

The demons enter the pigs, and the pigs immediately jump off the cliff and into the depths of Galilee. Water often represents judgment. Noah’s flood is a prime example of this. The Hebrews escaped Egypt through water. Moses failed his test because of a water issue. Elijah brought judgment down on the prophets of Baal after pouring water on an altar. Jonah was cast into the Mediterranean for disobeying God. But through each of these examples came some form of salvation as well. Noah and his family lived; the Hebrews were saved from Egypt and dehydration; Elijah escaped the prophets; and Jonah would eventually make it back to dry land. Here we see demon-possessed pigs jumping into judgment while two men are saved. Salvation and judgment through water.

Here we see a picture of Christ the King over everything, exercising his authority over the spirits of Satan reigning on His mountain, giving salvation to men through water, which also judges those opposed to His reign. In this scenario, what is man’s response to salvation and Jesus’ reign in his kingdom? The request is for Jesus to leave!

Yes, you read that right, after delivering two men from death (remember they were living in the tombs, which represent death) and demonstrating his power over evil, the people ask Jesus to leave. Why? Because they valued the things of this earth more than Jesus. To a gentile (the people who mostly lived in this region at the time) a pig was not unclean and may have been a money maker for the town. By driving these demons into the pigs, the townsfolk lost their income for the foreseeable future when the pigs ran off this plateau. The people would have instead kept their financial security and allowed these two men to rot in a tomb while rejecting the righteous King. If the things of this world are of more value in our eyes, we will always reject Christ. It is not until He becomes our absolutely everything that we will truly value His reign and kingdom. It is my prayer that we aren’t so piggish toward unclean things that we miss something much greater and sweeter than a pig could ever offer. Salvation from death through blood and water culminating in a perfect relationship. On this hilltop, the people seemed to have failed their test by preferring their livelihoods over Jesus.