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33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region. ~ Matthew 8:33-34
Today, we conclude our study of Matthew 8 which contains several miracles which were strategically used by Matthew to validate the teaching of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5-7. In context the Lord Jesus had performed three miracles, the last of which He had delivered two men from demon possession. As we pick up the narrative today, we discover the herdsmen of the pigs running into the city to tell the people about the miracle that had just happened.
In v.33 of today's passage we read, "Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men."
Those who herded the pigs witnessed their mass suicide. After the pigs ran headlong into the sea, the herders ran to town to tell everyone what had happened, highlighting the fact that the two formerly possessed men were bound by the demons no longer. The herders of the pigs saw the narrative unfold and they understood the message. They understood that the pigs were not the story, even though they represented a certain amount of wealth loss. These men had witnessed a miracle and they did what anyone who had witnessed a miracle would do, they ran as fast as they could into the city to tell of this amazing miracle the Lord Jesus performed.
There are those who speculate that the loss of such a large herd of livestock, two thousand in all, was wrong and the Lord Jesus was to blame. They assert that the herdsmen were terrified as these two men were rescued by the One who demonstrated His authority to command legions of demons to leave them. As this narrative plays out, we will discover the contrary. Like them, we find ourselves standing in awe of this One who is all-powerful. This is the message that was being granted the people that day, but as we will see, not everyone got it.
In his Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis wrote, "There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence and the other is to believe in and feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. Demons are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist on the one hand, or a magician on the other, with equal delight."
In v.34 of today's passage we read, "And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region."
This incident marks a pivotal moment, revealing not only the power of the Lord Jesus over the supernatural but also the deep-rooted fear and materialistic priorities of the people who lived in that place. Instead of embracing the miraculous event that potentially liberated their community, the residents expressed alarm and they begged the Lord Jesus to leave their region. In doing so, they valued their possessions over the One who offered them spiritual liberation from the domain of the enemy. They valued the things of this world over what God offers. Their plea to the Lord Jesus to depart displayed the tragic choice many make today in rejecting the Savior. Since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden man has valued the comforts of this world to that which the Lord Jesus offers. This story serves as a poignant reminder that many throughout history have preferred their "pigs" over the transformative power of Christ. Ultimately, this episode foreshadows the growing opposition the Lord Jesus would face as He continued His mission among those who could not see past their immediate losses to the eternal blessings that God offers.
After the announcement from the pig herders, "The whole city came out" but according to Luke's account, the people begged the Lord Jesus to leave them because they were "overcome with panic." There was something not so obvious going on here. When the storm came, the disciples were afraid because the Lord Jesus stilled the waves. The disciples were more afraid of the calm than they were of the storm, because they knew God was in their boat, and they were in awe of Him. The Gadarenes saw the supernatural and it panicked them. Their fear won the battle over their potential faith in the Lord Jesus. Amazingly, they saw the Lord Jesus restore two formerly demon possessed men and He liberated them. And they were so scared that they asked Him to go away.
By the way, this is the first recorded instance of open opposition to the Lord Jesus in the Gospels. And the opposition just increased from this point on. These Gentiles despised Him. They saw that He was greater than they, purer than they, more powerful than they, more holy than they, and they could not handle it. Sadly, they didn’t believe Him to be their Savior. Many after this saw His many miracles, and they still didn’t believe. It seems the miracles just made them resist Him even more. Many today say if He would perform more miracles they would believe. Not so, because some people, when exposed in the presence of the awesomeness of the holy God will literally run because they love the darkness more.
