8:28-34 Why did Jesus allow the demons to go into the pigs, causing them to drown?

To better understand why Jesus allowed the demons to go into the pigs, causing them to drown, we need first to study Mark’s and Luke’s account of this incident. In Matthew’s account there are two demoniacs mentioned, whereas both Mark and Luke only mention one. That is not to say that there were not two demoniacs involved, but that only the most prominent one was mentioned (cp Mk 5:1-20; Lk 8:26-39).

Jesus’ purpose was to save the man. His wellbeing is the issue here, not the pigs. What happened to the pigs was incidental to a human life being saved, which is more precious to God than a whole herd of animals. Jesus simply consented to the demons entering into the pigs because their eternal punishment was not yet due. He did not tell the demons to kill the pigs.

They just did to the pigs what they eventually would have done to the man. He was already in the place of the dead – the tombs –and would have surely died but for Jesus delivering him from death and enabling him to re-enter life and become a witness to God’s saving grace.

The townspeople also missed the point here – the pigs were more important to them than the fact that a human life was saved, and that the Saviour of the world was in their midst. The whole town turned on Jesus – preferring pigs to salvation.

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