You're a pet owner or farmer and your animal becomes possessed by a 4,000 year old demon. What would you do? Keep it? Get rid of it? Hire an exorcist?
The Brewery Ministries Paraphrase
Jesus steps off a boat and looks down the path ahead. Something is wrong. Two disturbed men stumble along the road near the tombs, talking to themselves. One of them is screaming and cutting himself on a stone. They charged at anyone who came near. No one could get past them. It was a real life horror movie.
But Jesus wasn't afraid. He walked right up to the men. One of them recognized him. "We know who you are," he said. Or was it a demon speaking? "What's your name?" Jesus asked. The man replied ominously, "Legion, for we are many."
Then the demons panicked. They knew Jesus was about to make them leave the two men's bodies. But that wasn't what scared them most. "Please… whatever you do, don't send us to… "THAT ONE PLACE!!!"
Everyone standing there knew about "that one place." Some called it Tartarus. Others called it The Abyss. Whatever the name, everyone knew what it was: a maximum security prison for spirits. The Alcatraz of the spiritual realm. No one escaped The Abyss. Ever. And there's a good reason the demons knew so much about the place. The inmates there… were their parents.
"Please don't send us to The Abyss," the demons begged. But not far away, they spotted another option. "Send us into that herd of pigs!" To the surprise of bystanders, Jesus allowed it. The demons possessed the pigs and the bacon apocalypse began. Two thousand pigs suddenly decided they were Olympic divers, charged off a cliff, and went straight to the bottom of the lake.
The locals were stunned to find the two men who'd been living in the graveyard now sitting calmly in their right minds. In an instant, Jesus literally gave them their lives back. But others were creeped out. The pig farmers were furious — their entire herd was gone. So they said to Jesus, "Thanks, but we need you to leave and never come back."
It's too bad… they could have held the first ever Bacon Fest.
Work Through the Evidence
If you're discussing this with a group, see who can make the best "possessed pig" face! Vote on a winner. Feel free to pass if you're not comfortable flaring your nostrils at strangers… or anyone. 😂 What does it actually feel like to engage with something ridiculous in a serious conversation about faith?
The name "Legion" is actually an important clue. During that time period, a Roman legion consisted of 5,000–6,000 troops — indicating a massive horde of demons. What does this add to your understanding of the story? What does it tell us about what those two men were living with?
In the original passage, the demons recognize Jesus as the "Son of the Most High God." This assumes a hierarchy of spirits — one God at the top, Jesus as his son. Have you ever thought about there being a hierarchy of spirits in the Bible? How does this help explain why an entire army of demons would fear one person walking up the road?
Let's get weird. People called The Abyss by different names — one being Tartarus. The Bible describes it as a prison where angels are kept in chains for a very specific crime: they created demons.
How does this interpretation help explain what demonic possession actually is?
It's poetic that the possessed pigs drowned, because water was often used as a symbol for the Abyss. Some believed the spirit prison was underneath the water. Others believed demons could be imprisoned or destroyed by being forced into water. So while the demons asked to go into the pigs, some would say they ended up in the Abyss anyway. How does this layer of meaning change how you read the ending of the story?
Even though Jesus helped them, the people were afraid and asked him to leave. They may have viewed him as a dangerous magician, or feared losing more livestock. But two men got their entire lives back. If you were standing there watching all of this unfold — the demons, the pigs, the men restored — what do you think you would have thought of Jesus?
Why It Matters
This story highlights the spiritual battle we're all caught up in. Even though most people are not possessed by demons, we are all dealing with the effects of spiritual beings who try to influence us. We may be inhibited, tempted, or made vulnerable to fear and depression in ways we don't fully understand.
But this story shows a glimpse of what Jesus ultimately plans to do. For the demons and spiritual forces who "mess with our heads," it's an "uh oh, the boss is here" moment. Jesus shows that even an entire army of demons can't lift a finger without his permission — and he will deal with them someday. Which means we'll have a better future. We'll fully become who we're meant to be without their influence.
There's also a hidden clue to Jesus' identity here. The demons identify him as the son of the "Most High God." To an ancient person, that didn't just mean he was a follower of God — it meant he was a literal divine being. This turns the story into a striking showdown: the demented children of rebel angels vs. the child born of God. Supernatural kids vs. supernatural kid. Even the "weird stuff" actually makes sense.
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. 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 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." 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.
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.
What Did You Find?
My Overall Conclusions
I Learned This About God
I Learned This About Myself
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