Jesus allowed demons to enter the pigs to display His sovereign authority over evil spirits, to demonstrate the destructive nature of demonization, and to provoke a response that would illuminate hearts, some were healed, others were hardened.
“Then a legion of demons entered the swine… So the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and perished in the waters.”
(Mark 5:13)
The setting was the region of the Gerasenes, where a man possessed by many demons lived among the tombs. He was uncontrollable until Jesus cast the spirits out, permitting them to enter a large herd of pigs. The result was tragic for the pigs, but purposeful for the people.
1. Demons Revealed
Allowing the demons to enter pigs made their presence undeniable. When the pigs ran and drowned, it showed that the deliverance of the man was real and sweeping.
2. Illustration of Spiritual Danger
Jesus emphasized that demons belong in unclean animals, not people:
“And He said to them, ‘Go… into the herd of swine.’”
(Mark 5:12)
By showing their destructive desire for life and their fit only in unclean animals, Jesus taught that spiritual hygiene matters. The man became “clothed and in his right mind” (Mark 5:15), fully restored as he was delivered from demonic oppression.
3. Stirring of Responses
The townspeople reacted with fear and asked Jesus to leave. Some left in greater hardness:
“Beg then that He would depart from their region.”
(Matthew 8:34)
Their request revealed distrust and misunderstanding, they cared more for their herd than the healing of a man.
4. Public Testimony
The healed man later became a witness in Decapolis, telling how God had mercy on him (Mark 5:19). His delivery contrasted with the townspeople’s rejection.
Jesus allows such events to serve multiple purposes: not to harm animals for no reason, but to remove spiritual bondage, to reveal the power of His name over darkness, and to expose the true condition of hearts.