WHEN Jesus came to the other side, to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met Him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. They cried out, “What have You to do with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the appointed time?” Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. The demons pleaded with Him, “If You drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And He said to them, “Go then!” They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned. The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Thereupon, the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw Him they begged Him to leave their district.

Reflection

Conqueror of evil: Matthew’s account is a rewritten, condensed, and edited version of Mark’s healing of the Gerasene demoniac (Mk 5:1-20). Fond of doubling Mark’s single characters, Matthew changes the one man with an unclean spirit to two demoniacs. The demons cry to Jesus, “Have You come here to torment us before the appointed time?” (v 29). In Jewish apocryphal literature, there is a notion that evil spirits were allowed by God to afflict human beings until the time of the final judgment. Matthew is using this notion in a different sense: His interest in the “appointed time” throughout the Gospel refers to His last judgment scene (25:31-46) as well as the apocalyptic events surrounding Jesus’ death (27:51-53) and resurrection (28:2-4).

As in Mark, the swine in Matthew all rush down a steep bank into the sea where they drown. The reader must remember that in Judaism the tending of pigs was forbidden because they were considered unclean. Anyone who was considered a swineherd was also considered to be a Jewish apostate; such a person had “gone over to the Gentiles.”

For Matthew, Jesus has already defeated Satan, demons, and all that is evil. In the desert, like Israel of old, Jesus was tempted for forty days and forty nights. He has conquered all that is evil. Satan and his demons drown themselves before him. His power as Son of God has eliminated evil and given it the same status as swine.

SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord,” ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph