They Begged Him To Leave Their Neighborhood
A Reflection On Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1
At that time, when Jesus came to the country of the Gergesenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one would pass that way. 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?”
Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. And the demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters.
The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city.
Matthew 8:28-34; 9:1
Today’s Gospel reading presents us with a narrative that may sound strange to our modern ears. We hear of two men who are possessed by demons, and upon encountering them, Christ casts the demons into a herd of pigs. These men are possessed and then freed, yet the narrative itself raises many questions for the modern listener.
There is much confusion about what a demon is in our modern, despiritualized age. When modern people think of demons, they often imagine horned creatures that torment human beings through their very presence. This understanding is not entirely wrong; however, it is precisely in this personification that many skeptics dismiss their existence as mere fantasy.
From our perspective, however, a demon is a spirit—or an angel—that has fallen through pride and resentment toward God and His creation. As we have mentioned before, the role of a spirit is to animate creation. As animating forces, the holy angels lead us toward our source of true life, God Himself.
Demons, however, reject this calling. In their rejection, they subtly tempt and mislead us so that our attention becomes consumed by the vices they alone offer. As we fall further into these temptations, we lose sight of God, our source of life, and become enslaved to their soul-destroying offerings. At first, what they offer may appear attractive and even life-giving, yet as we continue to indulge these vices, we discover that our lives slowly spiral into darkness.
Take the whispers of pride as an example. To be proud, in its sinful sense, is to neglect God as the source of all we have. The temptation is to become proud of our accomplishments as though they originated solely from ourselves. As we nourish these thoughts through our actions, we begin to overlook God, who gave us everything we needed to become who we are. We reduce our accomplishments to our own finite efforts.
Yet such a perspective ultimately rings hollow, for it isolates us from those who walked alongside us in our achievements and, ultimately, from our Creator, who alone offers us renewal in His presence. Our lives are fulfilled only in complete communion with God and His people. Thus, we are called to relate to and love one another as God loves us.
The reason for this is that life in God’s presence transfigures and fulfills everything we do. When we neglect the call to life in His presence, we isolate ourselves from communion with Him through the false belief in our own greatness. In separating ourselves from God, we also separate ourselves from our neighbor, and the reverse is equally true.
Yet in the midst of our temptations, Christ is always present, offering us freedom from everything that binds and isolates us. This is beautifully illustrated in today’s Gospel.
When Christ arrives on the scene, we are told:
“Two demoniacs met Him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one would pass that way.”
Here are two men so consumed by vice that they no longer possess any recognizable identity. They are not identified by name. They dwell among the tombs as though already dead, and they are so violent that no one dares pass by them.
We are not told the cause of their affliction. Yet we clearly see that they have become so isolated that both their manner of life and their appearance have severed them from communion with everyone around them.
These men are so stripped of their identity that they scarcely speak for themselves. Yet when Christ approaches, we hear the demons cry out:
“What have You to do with us, O Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
Notice how the demons recognize Christ as the Son of God. They know exactly who He is. They understand that the day is coming when all demonic powers will be cast away forever, and so they fear His presence.
Recognizing Christ’s divine authority should inspire awe and reverence within us, strengthening our faith in His power over every force of evil. Yet while the demons recognize Him, they respond not with repentance but with greater rejection and fear.
Knowing their fate before Christ, and seeing a nearby herd of pigs, they plead with Him:
“If You cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.”
From a Jewish perspective, pigs were considered unclean animals. The demons ask permission to transfer their uncleanness to these animals.
Our Lord simply commands them:
“Go.”
We then hear:
“The whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters.”
At first glance, the destruction of the pigs may seem harsh. Yet this event reveals the depth of Christ’s authority over the powers of darkness. Their destruction demonstrates that Christ possesses complete dominion over evil and reminds us that spiritual warfare is real, but Christ’s victory is absolute.
As we have discussed before, the sea often symbolizes chaos and destruction. Thus, as the demons bring their madness upon the pigs, they themselves descend into the chaos they have long pursued by separating themselves from God and rejecting the purpose for which they were created.
The men, however, are set free.
Unlike the parallel accounts in Mark and Luke, we hear little more about these men afterward. Here they possess almost no agency within the narrative. Yet despite their condition, Christ freely grants them liberation from the powers that held them captive.
What this teaches us is that even when we are not actively seeking God, He continues to seek us. He is constantly offering us freedom from the forces that bind us. His love and His desire to liberate us are always present, fostering hope and reminding us that we are never beyond His reach.
Yet the narrative also contains a sobering warning.
Seeing what had happened, the herdsmen went into the city and reported everything they had witnessed. The whole city then came out to meet Christ. Yet rather than glorifying God for what had taken place, we hear:
“When they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their neighborhood.”
Instead of recognizing the glory of God revealed before them, they are overcome with fear and perhaps indignation over the loss of their herd. They choose the value of the pigs over the glory of God and ask Christ to depart.
In Christ’s response, we once again see His love on full display.
Rather than arguing with them, coercing them, or forcing them to accept the gifts He offers, our Lord simply gets into a boat, crosses the sea, and returns to His own city.
Out of His love for them, He gives them the freedom to reject Him.
This is one of the greatest manifestations of God’s love for humanity. He grants us the freedom either to accept Him or to reject Him. In doing so, He becomes the perfect model of how we ourselves are called to love.
Many times in my own life I have believed that if only I could say the “right” words, I could achieve the results I desired in work, relationships, education, and countless other areas of life. This mistaken perspective was especially common in my younger years. Yet time and again, God has shown me that we cannot force our will upon the world, for such behavior is devoid of godly love.
Even believing that we can convince others of everything is itself a subtle form of pride. Who are we to believe that we always possess complete understanding?
We may certainly desire others to see the world as we do. Yet the moment we begin attempting to force our understanding upon them, we fall into the temptation of trying to remake others in our own image.
Sharing our perspective in love is entirely different from forcing others to conform to it. One is a free offering of who we are; the other is a distorted attempt to control another person according to our own image of them.
We already bear the image and likeness of God—a gift bestowed upon us that becomes fully realized as we freely choose to live in His presence.
All of this is to say that whenever we lose sight of God in our relationships, careers, churches, societies, or any other aspect of our lives, we become vulnerable to the demonic temptation of believing ourselves to be little gods capable of saving the world according to our own image. In doing so, we overlook the glory of God’s image, which has already been impressed upon us before our very conception.
Demons tempt us to place ourselves at the center of our own universe. They tempt us to believe we possess ultimate control over our lives and over those around us.
Yet our Lord has come to show us that true freedom is found in loving and serving Him and His creation just as He lovingly serves us.
Demons cannot love us. They only twist and distort our thoughts until our actions leave us so isolated that we can no longer recognize the truth.
Yet seeing this distorted condition, our Lord comes to each one of us, just as He came to these demoniacs, showing us that He continually offers us His peace, His truth, His love, and every gift necessary for true freedom.
Therefore, it is our calling always to seek our Lord so that we may continually receive the freedom He offers from every demonic force that seeks to pull us away from Him.
We must learn to love freely without expecting anything in return, for even love itself does not belong to us. Love is a gift rooted in the very presence of God.
When that gift is rejected, we naturally experience sorrow. Yet even then, we are called to love others as Christ loves us by granting them the same freedom He grants each of us: the freedom either to accept or to reject the gifts we offer.
Christ has come to liberate us from every force that binds and isolates us.
Truly, glory be to God for this! True freedom is found in freely choosing Him and embracing the gifts He continually offers us.
To Him be all glory, honor, and worship, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
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