Commentary - Matthew 8:28-34

Bird's-eye view

In the previous passage, Jesus demonstrated His absolute authority over the natural world by calming the storm with a word. Now, immediately upon landing on the other side, He demonstrates that His authority is not limited to wind and waves. He has absolute authority over the spiritual world as well. This encounter is a raw, frontal collision between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness. It is not a polite debate; it is a spiritual invasion. Jesus steps onto enemy territory, and the resident powers react with both terror and a surprising degree of theological accuracy. The story culminates in a stark choice presented to the local inhabitants: a restored humanity or a thriving pig-based economy. Their tragic decision reveals the deep-seated hostility of the fallen human heart to the liberating reign of Jesus Christ.

Outline

Commentary

28 And when He came to the other side, into the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.

Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee, leaving Jewish territory for the Gentile region of the Gadarenes. This is significant. The gospel is for all nations, and Christ's authority is not provincial. He is Lord of all. He is met immediately by two men possessed by demons. Mark and Luke mention only one, likely because one was the more prominent spokesman, but Matthew, the meticulous tax collector, notes there were two. Their dwelling place is the tombs, a place of death, decay, and ceremonial uncleanness. This is what demonic influence does; it drives men to the dead places, isolating them from community and life. Their condition is one of extreme violence. They are a public menace, a terror to the region. Sin and demonic power do not lead to freedom, but to a feral, destructive bondage that makes civilized life impossible. They had, in effect, shut down a public road.

29 And behold, they cried out, saying, “What do we have to do with You, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

The first words spoken come not from the men, but from the demons speaking through them. And what they say is astonishing. First, they ask, “What do we have to do with You...?” This is the essential question of the antithesis. It is the cry of the seed of the serpent to the seed of the woman. There is no common ground, no fellowship between light and darkness. They want nothing to do with Him. Second, they identify Him with perfect accuracy: “Son of God.” The demons have a better Christology than many bishops and seminary professors. They know exactly who He is. There is no doubt in their minds. Third, they reveal their eschatological awareness: “Have You come here to torment us before the time?” They know that a final judgment is appointed. They know there is a set time for their ultimate torment in the lake of fire. Christ’s arrival on their turf is an unwelcome acceleration of their doom. They are terrified because the Judge has shown up before the appointed day of judgment.

30 Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them.

The presence of a large herd of pigs is another indicator that we are in Gentile territory. For the Jews, swine were the epitome of unclean animals. This herd represents an entire economy built on what is unclean and forbidden by God's law. It is a picture of the unholy industry of the region.

31 And the demons began to plead with Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.”

Here we see the absolute sovereignty of Christ. The demons, who terrorized an entire region, are reduced to begging. They cannot make a move without His permission. Their request is telling. They are disembodied spirits and they hate it. They long for a host, any host, even pigs. They would rather inhabit unclean beasts than be sent to the abyss. Their plea, "If you are going to cast us out," is not a question of His ability, but a recognition of His authority. They know the decision is His alone.

32 And He said to them, “Go!” And coming out, they went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters.

Jesus’s response is a single, majestic word of command: “Go!” It is the voice of the Creator, and the spiritual world obeys instantly. The result is immediate and catastrophic. The demons enter the swine, and their inherently destructive nature takes over. The entire herd, some two thousand animals according to Mark, stampedes down the cliff into the sea and drowns. This is not an act of cruelty to animals on Jesus' part. It is a vivid, physical demonstration of the nature of evil. This is what demons do. They ruin, they degrade, and they destroy their hosts. This is what they were doing to the two men, only in a slower, more agonizing way. In the pigs, we see the ultimate goal of demonic possession in fast forward. The value of two restored men is infinitely greater than any number of pigs.

33 Now the herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs.

The pig-herders are, understandably, terrified. They flee the scene and become unlikely evangelists. They go to the city and tell everyone what happened. Note what they report: everything. This includes the bad news of the economic disaster, the pigs are gone, and the good news of the miraculous healing, the maniacs are sane. The whole story is laid before the town.

34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they pleaded with Him to leave their region.

This is the climax of the story and its most tragic part. The entire town comes out to meet Jesus. They see the evidence. They see the two men, formerly wild and dangerous, now clothed and in their right minds (as Luke's account tells us). They hear the report from the herdsmen. And what is their response? Not gratitude. Not worship. Not a request for Him to stay and heal others. Instead, they beg Him to leave. Why? Because He cost them their pigs. They were more comfortable with two men tormented by demons than they were with a Savior who disrupted their unclean economy. They loved their pork more than they loved their people. The presence of a holy God was a greater threat to their way of life than the presence of demons. And so, faced with a choice between their idols and the Son of God, they chose their idols. And Jesus, respecting their choice, left.

Key Issues

The Economics of Idolatry

One of the central lessons of this passage is how idolatry shapes a community's values. The people of the Gadarenes had a functional economy that included a large swineherding operation. When Jesus arrived, He performed a great miracle of liberation, restoring two men to sanity and society. But this miracle came with a price tag: a herd of pigs. The reaction of the townspeople is a stark revelation of their hearts. They calculated the profit and loss, and in their ledger, the pigs were worth more than the men. They asked Jesus to leave because His brand of salvation was bad for their kind of business.

This is a permanent temptation for every culture. We build economies, small and large, around our sins and compromises. We get comfortable with a certain level of brokenness and evil, especially if we can profit from it. When the gospel comes with true power, it is always disruptive. It challenges our idols, threatens our unclean revenue streams, and forces us to choose. The Gadarenes show us that it is entirely possible to see the power of Christ firsthand and still prefer the demons you know to the Savior you don't. Their plea for Jesus to leave is the prayer of every unregenerate heart that loves its sin more than its soul.

Application

First, we must recognize that the spiritual battle is real. The world is not a neutral playground; it is a contested warzone. Jesus Christ has all authority in this war, and He has already won the decisive victory at the cross. But skirmishes remain, and we are to stand firm in His authority, not our own.

Second, we must check our own hearts for the Gadarene tendency. What are our "pigs?" What compromises have we made? What sins have we accommodated because getting rid of them would be too costly, too disruptive to our comfortable way of life? The gospel demands that we value human souls, made in the image of God, more than any economic or personal convenience. When Jesus comes to cleanse our lives, we must not ask Him to leave because we will miss the mud.

Finally, this account is a tremendous comfort. The same Jesus who commanded these demons with a single word is our Lord and Savior. No power of darkness is a match for Him. The forces that rage against us are on a leash, and our Master holds that leash. Therefore, we do not need to fear them. We need only to fear the prospect of loving our pigs more than we love Him, and asking Him, to our everlasting sorrow, to please leave us alone.