I always wondered about the swine part. Do the pigs drown themselvesbecause they knew that they were now demon possessed, or did the demons drown the pigs carrying them so that they would be.... free?
And who reimbursed the farmer for the loss of his massive herd? Could ruin a man and his family.
Luke 8: 33-37 (Same story, told in Luke)
33 Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. 34 When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.
37 ¶ Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.”
1) From what I have read and gathered, demons (or devils) prefer to be in a body, whether human or animal.
2) If the Gadarenes raising these hogs were Jews, it had been forbidden them by God in Exodus and Leviticus.
Here is a link to a sermon called “Hogs vs. Heaven” by Pastor Win Worley of Hegewisch Baptist Church. It becomes interesting around minute 9.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MV8yQ530l4
Geiko
Were there goyim around who liked bacon?
Proverbs 8:36 states that "he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death." (Proverbs 8:36)
The classic commentator Matthew Henry states,
They chose to be any where, rather than depart the country; and especially than to be sent into the deep, the abyss, or bottomless pit; and they chose to be sent into the swine, as being impure creatures like themselves; and no doubt with a view to destroy them, that they might satisfy themselves as much as they could with doing mischief; though not to that degree they would, nor to those persons they were desirous of; and so bring as much odium and reproach upon Christ as they could, who gave them leave. The devils are unwearied in doing mischief, they cannot rest unless they are about it; and they choose to be concerned in doing it in a lesser way, if they are not allowed to do it as largely as they would; if they are not suffered to touch the lives of men, or ruin their souls, it, is some satisfaction to them to be suffered to hurt their bodies; and if that is no longer permitted, rather than be doing nothing, they are desirous of doing injury to irrational creatures, the property of men; all which shows the malice and wickedness of these evil spirits:
And who reimbursed the farmer for the loss of his massive herd? Could ruin a man and his family.
Swine were unclean animals under the Law which only Gentiles or unfaithful Jews would be raising, and such were idolaters, which is always sin, and who preferred swine over the Savior of all men
And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts. (Mat 8:34)
So do you think the Creator is obligated to reimbursed such for the loss of livelihood in the context of deliverance from demonic possession, esp. when this demonstration would have been for their salvation if they repented in faith?