When Pigs Fly
Curt Whitfield
Matthew: The King & His Upside Down Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
This is the first time in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus has a conversation with demonic spirits. Up to this point Matthew only tells us that Jesus would cast out the spirits with a word (see Matt. 8:16). Therefore, Matthew wants to highlight what the demonic spirits say to Jesus in order to teach us something about Jesus and demons.
Parallel Passages:
Mark 5:1-21 and Luke 8:26-40
Understand
Understand
And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.
The country of the Gadarenes (the Gerasenes in Mark and Luke) was part of the Decapolis (the ten cities) and was mostly a Gentile culture.
Kursi is most likely the town in which this event occurred. Kursi is the only place on the east side of the Sea of Galilee with steep banks (cliffs).
Two demon-possessed men = While Matthew records two men, Mark and Luke only mention one man but with much more detail.
Tombs = Throughout scripture evil spirits are associated with tombs, deserts, wilderness, and desolate places. These places would make an Israelite ceremonially unclean.
Fierce = χαλεπός chalĕpŏs - difficult to restrain, dangerous, furious, deadly
Additional Details from Mark and Luke:
The man could not be bound, even with shackles and chains.
Night and day crying out and cutting himself with stones.
The demon’s name is Legion.
The herd of pigs number about 2,000.
The man begged to go with Jesus after he is healed.
The man obeys Jesus’ command to go tell everyone.
And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
Cried out = κράζω krazō - to scream, shriek, to act crazy
Son of God = In Matthew, Jesus is only called this title by demons, by Satan (Matt. 4:3,6), some disciples (Matt. 14:33), Peter (Matt. 16:16), and a roman centurion (Matt. 27:54).
In the OT, the idea of God having a son(s) is mentioned in Gen. 6:1-4; Deut. 32:8; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7. In these passages, the sons of God are spiritual beings described as God’s spiritual family created before humans.
Before the time = The demons know that a day of judgment is coming for them (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:7-10).
Additional Reading on Demons:
Genesis 6 and the Sons of God (Faithlife Study Bible)
Demons (Lexham Bible Dictionary)
Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”
Herd of many pigs = about 2,000 (Mk 5:13), this suggests that unclean pigs (Lev. 11:7) are a suitable host for unclean spirits.
Jesus tells us in Luke 11:24-26 that unclean spirits don’t like to be without a host (body). When they are without a host they like to stay in dry places.
Luke 8:31 tells us the demons begged Jesus not to send them to the abyss. This is their ultimate fear because nothing gets out of the abyss (Sheol in the OT) once entered (see 2 Pet 2:4).
And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.
Rushed into the sea = Since Jesus taught in Luke 11:24 that unclean spirits seek dry places to rest, it must be the pigs (not the demons) that choose to run into the sea.
The OT writers believed that some evil beings of chaos were confined to the sea - Rahab (Job 9:13; Isa 51:9) and Leviathan (Job 41).
The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men.
And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
They begged him to leave = Likely because Jesus just killed 2,000 of their pigs and this kind of activity was highly unusual.
Application
Application
1. Evil beings are afraid of Jesus and His power, and do whatever He commands them to do.
2. The cross and resurrection overturned the power and authority of evil beings (Col. 2:15).
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
3. Today, evil beings are mostly involved in deceiving humanity into sin, false teachings, hatred, violence, and war (1 Tim. 4:1).
Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,