Mark 5:11-15
Mark 5:11 (KJB)
Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
There was a great number of pigs, which Mark 5:13, states at about two thousand.
(Mark 5:13 KJV) And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits
went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep
place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
In the area where they were, were Gentiles so the owners may have been Gentiles
because pigs were an unclean animal under the law and no Jew would own pigs.
(Lev 11:7 KJV) And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted,
yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
Mark 5:12 (KJB)
And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may
enter into them.
The devils knew that one day they were going to suffer eternal damnation for
their rebellion against God the Father and God the Son. Here they ask Jesus that
if it is not their time yet to begin to suffer to allow them to go into the herd
of swine which was nearby. This shows that even the kingdom of Satan is subject
to the Lord Jesus Christ because they are not allowed to go anywhere they
desire. Thy must ask permission to go into the swine. They apparently knew that
Jesus would not allow them to possess anyone else, so they knew it was either
the bottomless pit or the herd of swine which were unclean under the law.
(Luke 8:31 KJV) And they besought him that he would not command them to go out
into the deep. The Lord Jesus had the power to commit them unto the
bottomless pit until the last day when they would be cast into the lake of fire.
(Rev 9:11 KJV) And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the
bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek
tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Mark 5:13 (KJB)
And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and
entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the
sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
Just as God did to Satan in the case of Job, the Lord Jesus Christ gave them
leave to go into the herd of swine. The unclean into the unclean. The Sea of
Galilee is about 700 feet (213 meters) below sea level but the hills in the area
of Decapolis rise to a height of about 1000 feet (304 meters). So when the
devils went into the herd of swine, they went crazy and started to run violently
toward the cliffs. Then they all went over the cliff, one following another,
right into the Sea of Galilee and perished. This gives a little insight as to
the last day. The unsaved who are the unclean before God will also perish with
the kingdom of Satan in Hell. These swine going down the cliff is a picture of
the final judgment. If these swine were owned by Jews, they were in violation of
God’s law and even if they were owned by Gentiles, they still did not belong in
that area because it was part of the land which God gave Israel. As for the
devils, they may have ended up in the bottomless pit anyway after the pigs died
because they lost their host.
Mark 5:14 (KJB)
And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country.
And they went out to see what it was that was done.
As soon as the swine had perished from off the cliff, the herdsmen had
immediately gone into the city to notify the owners of the herd and to tell them
about what happened to the devil possessed man who would have been their best
guard because no one would dare try to steal any of the swine while the devil
possessed man was living there. They not only lost their herds but they also
lost their best security guard.
Mark 5:15 (KJB)
And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had
the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
Once word had spread concerning the events which took place, the entire town had
come out to see Jesus. No longer was the focus on the devil possessed man and
his deliverance, they now focused strictly on Jesus. They saw the delivered man
sitting clothed and in his right mind. They were all still probably frightened
of him knowing his history but now they are seeing him in a different light.
However, the people were obviously frightened of Jesus and asked Him to leave
the area because they had just lost a huge herd of swine which would have been
worth much money. They had desired the pigs over Jesus, nevertheless, the two
men whom Jesus delivered from the demonic possession had stayed behind and now
there were two witnesses to the power of Jesus who had shown ultimate power over
the kingdom of Satan.