Luke 8:33Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

However, this fate does not await those who hold Christ dear, as long as we strive to follow His example and remain vigilant in our pursuit of righteousness, yearning for what is honorable and aligned with the virtuous community established through the teachings of the Gospel. To Him, and alongside Him, be glory and authority to God the Father, with the Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.

They may not know what the future holds, yet they recall the prophecies. As Zechariah proclaimed: "And it will be in that day, the Lord will destroy the names of idols from the earth, and they will no longer be mentioned... And I will burn out the unclean spirit from the earth" (Zechariah 13:2). From this, it becomes clear that the demons will not endure eternally, nor will their malevolence persist indefinitely. Out of fear of judgment, they exclaim, “You have come to destroy us” (Mark 1:24; Matthew 8:29). Yet, wishing to remain in the world and realizing that they will be punished for their actions, they beseech to be sent into the swine.

What sort of swine are these? Are they not akin to those spoken of, "Do not give holy things to dogs, and do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet" (Matthew 7:6)? These represent individuals, much like unclean animals, stricken with a lack of reasoning, who tarnish the inherent beauty of the virtues bestowed upon them through their vile actions. They plunge into destruction, heedless of the prospect of retribution. As though they were careening down the steep incline of moral decay, they drown in the currents of this worldly existence, perishing as if suffocated for lack of air. The one who hesitates to engage in the tumultuous waters of pleasure cannot inhale the Spirit of life.

Thus, we observe that humans inflict torment upon themselves. If some people did not live like swine, the devil would never have dominion over them; or if he did, he would not obliterate them but merely test them. Perhaps, after the Lord’s coming, the adversary can no longer ensnare the righteous, narrowing his focus to those who are frivolous, much like a robber who preys upon the defenseless and torments the feeble, knowing the strong would disregard him and resent his actions.

However, someone may question: why does God permit this to happen at the hands of the devil? My response would be this: for the righteous to be tested and the wicked to be punished; such is the consequence of sin. Consider how the Lord may send illness, tremors, malevolent spirits, blindness, and various afflictions as recompense for the sins of the unrighteous. Yet, let us return to our primary discussion.

Upon hearing this news through the shepherds, the townspeople urgently asked the Lord to leave their region. He complied with their request but chose to leave behind the man freed from a legion of spirits as a messenger of God’s mercy.

In previous instances, the Lord had commanded His followers to abandon their possessions and loved ones to follow Him, yet here He forbade the healed man from doing the same. In other instances, He had instructed silence about His miracles, but now He encouraged proclamation. What was the significance of these actions? Why did the Lord journey to this place? Was it solely to liberate two demon-possessed men and to cost the city two thousand swine? What does this contrast in approach signify regarding the healed man? Moreover, this event presents a parable-like quality, though its historical authenticity remains intact. Does not the healing of a man with many demons in this semi-pagan land correlate with the earlier account of a demon-possessed deaf and mute man in Capernaum, possibly occurring just the previous day? If the demoniac from Capernaum serves as a symbol of the unyielding Jews, whose healing represents the Lord's works among them, then the man from Gadara, healed the subsequent day, appears to signify the future transformation of Gentiles from the darkness of sin. Though Jesus would not preach to them directly, He planned to send forth preachers.

This recalls the prophet Jeremiah, who buried his girdle by the Euphrates and later returned to find its state. By framing a parable to convey mysteries to the people, the Lord endowed His actions with a purpose that transcended mere historical context. This notion aligns with the fact that the healing of the two demoniacs occurs amidst the parable of the kingdom of heaven, where preaching to the Gentiles is also implied. Therefore, it makes sense that the Lord instructed the healed man to proclaim the good news; it no longer pertained to the Jews but to the Gentiles. The demon-possessed man from Gerasa embodies the Gentile nation, afflicted by not just seven but a legion of demons. Yet, when confronted with Jesus, even their stronghold gives way as they flee into the abyss—this served as a foreshadowing for His disciples.

Furthermore, as we consider the healing of this demoniac, which displeased the people of Gadara, the demons' own words echo a refutation of the idea that the Lord cast them out with their consent: "Why have you come to torment us before the time?" The destruction of the entire herd reaffirmed the demon-possessed man's declaration that many spirits resided within him and underscored the Lord's unyielding opposition to the powers of darkness and His immense authority. Meanwhile, due to the notoriety gained by the man from Gadara, word of this event could reach Galilee. The loss of swine yielded the gift of a messenger; the extraordinary nature of the incident empowered the testimony of one who had received God's grace. The destruction of the herd parallels other severe acts of divine providence, including plagues. It could be said that the Son of Man sought to reveal His sovereign power to humanity. He did not come to condemn; He refrained from doing so during His earthly ministry, particularly among His own people. Thus, He designated a Gentile region, an animal despised by the Jews, and exploited the encounter with a demoniac to justify the Pharisees' warnings of retribution for their obstinacy, which was pronounced in light of their blasphemy against His actions—illustrating the plight of one possessed by many potent spirits.

Additionally, it must be noted that Jesus intended to send the liberated man back to his hometown as a witness to the miracle performed on him. For such a messenger, tasked with turning the hearts of the Gentiles towards Jesus, it was crucial that he had unwavering conviction that the malevolent spirits had abandoned him. It was essential for him to be visibly assured of this truth. The demons' request to enter the herd of pigs and the subsequent sudden demise of the previously grazing animals coincided perfectly with the total transformation of the former demon-possessed man, leaving no doubt in him about his genuine liberation from the dominion of evil spirits. Regarding the apparent loss incurred by the owners of the pigs, we can respond with the words of Job: "The Lord gave, and the Lord also took away" (Job 1:21). Can the pigs' demise truly be seen as a loss? This event was what drew the inhabitants of neighboring villages and the nearest town to Jesus; otherwise, they would not have encountered Him or believed the man returning home, who testified that he had been freed from evil spirits through Jesus' authority. The faith in Christ, albeit not immediate, yields profound spiritual gain that far surpasses the financial loss from the pigs' death. This inquiry is resolved by referencing the earlier question, with the additional clarification that the pigs did not perish solely by the will of the demons. Some interpreters suggest that the pigs, driven by a newfound and extraordinary force beyond the control of the demons, leaped into the sea. We assert that it was God’s intention that they acted in this manner.

When He commanded the unclean spirit to exit the man, Jesus Christ asked, "What is your name?" The man, whose senses were clouded by demonic influence, could not respond for himself, leading the evil spirit to answer, "Legion," a term that refers to a division of the Roman army typically comprising around 6,000 soldiers, split evenly between infantry and cavalry. The demons then implored Jesus not to expel them from that region nor to plunge them into the abyss. Nearby, on a hillside, there was a substantial herd of pigs, likely owned by Gentiles prevalent along the eastern shore of Lake Gennesaret. The malevolent spirits requested of Christ, "If You cast us out, grant us permission to enter the herd of swine." Without hesitation, the Lord consented, saying, "Go." He granted the demons' request, as explained by St. John Chrysostom, not due to their persuasion, but to demonstrate His sovereignty so that the residents of that region could witness His power and see the wickedness of the demons from whom He liberated the afflicted. This action revealed their incapacity to harm anything, even swine, without the consent of the Sovereign God.

Once the evil spirits exited the man, they entered the pigs, and instantly the entire herd, numbering around two thousand, plunged down a steep bank into the lake and drowned.