Matthew 8:28-34
Chapter 8
28
Exorcism in Gadara
When Jesus arrived at Gadara on the other side, he was met by two men possessed by demons, who came out of the tombs. They were so aggressive that no one dared to pass that way.29
They shouted:
“Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
30
Nearby, a large herd of pigs was feeding.
31
So the demons begged him:
“If you drive us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”
32
Jesus commanded them:
“Go then!”
The demons left the men and entered the pigs. The entire herd then rushed off the cliff into the lake and drowned.
33
The men responsible for the pigs ran to town, where they told the whole story and also what had happened to the men possessed by the demons.
34
The entire town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their area.
Commentaries
Exorcism in Gadara.
With His presence and action, Jesus drives out demonic forces from the human environment, pushing them into the realm of the impure symbolized by pigs (cf. Is 66:3.17), into the abyss of perdition (the lake or the sea). The power of God is shown by freeing humanity from all kinds of demonic possession, even beyond the limits of the chosen people. The neighbors do not appreciate this liberation, and their attitude contrasts with others’ admiration for Jesus’ power.