Passage Analysis: Matthew 8:28-34
While the book of Matthew contains many intriguing stories, this paper will only address Matthew 8:28-34. This passage recounts a story of Jesus healing two demon possessed men in the land of Gadarene. Prior to this event, Jesus had been teaching on the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee. After crossing the sea, during which he performed the miracle of calming the storm, he landed on the coast of Gadarene. The cliffs on this coast were full of tombs, out of which two demon possessed men emerged. The demons inside these men recognized Jesus as the Son of God and shouted at Him asking if He would make them suffer before the given time; the final defeat of Satan. The frightened demons know Jesus will oust them from their hosts and beg to be allowed to enter a herd of pigs grazing in the area. Jesus allows this and casts them out. The demons then enter the herd of pigs which proceed to run down a steep bank and drown in the ocean. Upon seeing this, the men watching the herd ran into town and told everyone about the pigs and the fate of the demoniacs. The villagers came to the cliff to meet Jesus, whereupon they begged him to leave their midst. The significance and purpose of this passage are fairly simple. It shows Jesus as the Son of God who has power over everything on earth.
However, other elements of this story are not quite as clear cut. The biggest question surrounding this passage is, “Where were they?” Modern translations give three possible locations; Gadara, Gergesa, and Gerasa.[1] The next significant question has two components. First, “Why use pigs in this story?” and second, “Why do the pigs rush to their deaths?” In addition, one must question the very beings the story centers on; demons. Is demon possession real, and if it is, what exactly do their powers entail? Last but not least, one must examine the lack of the messianic secret in this passage. Why does Jesus allow this man to spread the news when he had previously told those he healed to keep quiet? Only through thorough study and viewing the passage from different angles can questions like these be answered. All in all, the story of the “Gadarene Demoniac”[2], as it is labeled in Matthew, is all about demon possession and Jesus’ power over such beings, yet, it also has a deeper significance; the event’s purpose is to further the kingdom.
First examine the problem of location. Based on the texts, there are three places to choose from. The first, Gadara, was located six miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee. One theory is that Gadara had a settlement on the lake’s shore and that its name was mistaken for Gerasa or Gergesa, actual towns within the region. However, these locations seem unlikely because Gerasa is located forty miles from the sea.[3] Some feel that Gadara may have been a smaller town within Gerasa, which could explain how the name was entered into the text even though Gerasa is so far from the sea.[4] Once again, another theory emerges. As with one of the “Gadara theories”, Gerasa was thought to have a small village on the coast of the sea as well. It was named Khersa.[5] With so many theories floating about, it is hard to definitively say where Jesus was. The two most probable locations seem to be Khersa and Gersa. Khersa was found to have a steep slope a few yards from the shore as well as tombs that appear to have been lived in only two miles away.[6] The same can be said of Gersa, which also sports a steep slope and ancient tombs. In addition, one source claims that Gerasa, Gersa, and Khersa were all basically the same. The theory is that the main city was Gadara and that it “owned” Gerasa which this author also refers to as Khersa.[7] However, seeing as how each source has a different conclusion, it may be impossible to ever definitively determine where this took place. Thankfully, with this story, the “where” is not nearly as important as the “what”.
A large part of this “what” rests on the swine. Considered ceremonially unclean by the Jews, a pig would seem a fine host for a demon who lived in a tomb, both of which are considered unclean.[8] The presence of pigs also suggests that the area was mostly Gentile, which would explain their lack of understanding of Jesus’ power.[9] Having now established possible reasons to include pigs in the story, it is time to attempt to understand why they perished. There are only three beings who could have caused this; a pig, demon, or Jesus. However, it is unlikely that the pigs committed suicide or that they accidently ended up in the sea because pigs are afraid of deep water.[10] Matthew also makes sure to point out that the pigs were a good distance from the men. His purpose was to show that the pigs were too far off to have been startled by the demoniacs in any way, ensuring that no one could say the pigs were so frightened that they ran themselves off of the cliff.[11] The next possible culprits are the demons. Only two theories have emerged giving the demons credit for this act. One says that the demons ran the pigs off the cliff on purpose so that the townspeople would reject Jesus and the other simply that the demons took delight in doing any possible harm, even if it harmed them in the process.[12] Finally, the most convincing argument is that Jesus caused the pigs to perish. Once again, two motives emerge. The first states that because drowning the pigs would theoretically send the demons to the abyss, Jesus had the pigs die to allow the formerly possessed man to see the destruction of his tormentors.[13] The most convincing argument, however, is for “Divine Sovereignty”. This theory basically says that the pigs had to die to further the Kingdom. Not only does the story show Jesus’ power to excise the demons from the men, but with the death of the pigs, it also shows his power to remove them completely and send them to the abyss.[14] That is what this entire passage is about; the power of Jesus. He sends the demon possessed pigs right into the very same body of water he had just previously shown his authority over.
Now it is important to examine the other main players of this story; the demons. Demons by definition are good or bad spirit beings, however, in New Testament times they were viewed almost exclusively in a negative light. Although, it wasn’t until a good while after the exile that people began to believe that there were armies of demons led by Satan who fought against God. “The idea then developed that demons could invade human bodies and personalities and cause mental illness, physical disease, or other specific problems such as deafness or blindness. Some even believed demons could take control of nature and cause natural calamities and disasters.”[15] This view partly came about because by blaming demons for ailments and diseases the people could say that they (the diseases) weren’t caused by God or a result of sin in that person’s life.[16] Since demons are often associated with real ailments and diseases, the validity of demons has been questioned. Could the erotic behavior displayed by “possessed” persons merely be a disorder? Assuming that demons are real, one then must ask the question, “Do demons cause these diseases/ailments or are people who have these problems just easier targets for affliction?” Some scholars site the use of the word “heal” in exorcism stories to mean healing of the apparent disease, not necessarily the expelling of the demon. John 10:20, which reads, “He has a demon AND is mad”, is often cited as possible evidence that demons don’t cause these ailments but rather accompany or take advantage of them.[17] However, when one considers that a demon’s entire purpose is to torture and devastate those made in God’s perfect image, these physical side effects no longer seem out of place.[18] The final reason the reality of demons is questioned is because they are almost solely confined to the period of Jesus’ incarnation.[19] However, this can be rather simply explained if one realizes that, “in the Bible demon possession is part of the upsurge of evil opposing Jesus in the time of his incarnation.”[20] There is a strong argument for the validity of demons even past that ideal. One is that they must be real because the evangelists and Jesus all speak of them as if they are. In addition, Jesus actually speaks to evil spirits in some portions of the Bible. Not to be forgotten is the fact that demons have super human knowledge. Had the men in this passage been affected by something other than demons, the most prominent man would not have known to refer to Jesus as the Son of God.[21]
Ironically, the demons are the first to recognize Jesus as such. This leads into the next question about the story, “Why didn’t Jesus silence this claim of divinity and why did he tell the healed man to spread the good news?” Up until this point, any person healed by Jesus was asked to keep quiet about Jesus’ powers; this is referred to as the Messianic Secret. However, in an odd display, Jesus actually encourages the man to tell everyone what happened. The best theory for this is that because the land was mostly inhabited by Gentiles, as shown by the presence of pigs,[22] Jesus was not worried about Messianic ideas floating around. The people would not be familiar with the Torah and therefore not make the connection.[23]
All in all, Matthew 8:28 is a story about Jesus’ authority over everything on this earth. Though the exact location of the event may never be determined and the reason for the pigs’ plunge always obscured, this story will always echo Jesus’ sovereignty. Demons, no matter what their reach, will never be a match for the Son of God.
[1] Harold W Attridge, ed., The Harper Collins Study Bible, Revised Edition (New York: Harper Collins
Publishers, 2006) pg 1682.
[2] Attridge, 1682.
[3] John A. Broadus, “Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew,” An American Commentary on the New
Testament, Alvah Hovey, ed. (Philadelphia: American Baptist Publication Society, 1886), 208.
[4] Kenneth L. Barker, ed., Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002),
1482.
[5] Barker, 1533.
[6] Barker, 1533.
[7] Broadus, 188.
[8] Attridge, 1732.
[9] Barker, 1482.
[10] Broadus, 192.
[11] Broadus, 191.
[12] Broadus, 192.
[13] Leon Morris, “The Gospel According to Matthew,” The Pillar New Testament
Commentary, D.A. Carson, ed. (Grand Rapids: William E Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992), 211.
[14] Broadus, 192.
[15] James M. Efird, “Demon,” HarperCollins Bible Dictionary, Paul J. Achtemeier, ed. (New York:
HarperSanFrancisco, 1996), 236-237.
[16] Mark Allan Powell, “Matthew,” HarperCollins Bible Commentary, James L
Mays, ed. (New York: Harper One, 1988), 879.
[17] Broadus, 189.
[18] Barker, 1533.
[19] Broadus, 190.
[20] Morris, 208.
[21] Broadus, 189.
[22] Barker, 1482.
[23] Barker, 1535.
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