The Swine Flew

May 19, 2009

by Josh Matlock

The message last Sunday was on the healing of the Gerasene demoniac in Mark 5:1-20. In this passage, Jesus sends the demons into a herd of swine who then run into the water and die... thus... the swine flew. (I was pretty proud of that title) The sermon focused on demonology and the power of Jesus over Satan. One of the things I found most interesting in the passage is the use of the word "implore" in the NASB. It means "to beg or plead." Three groups of people implore Jesus in this text when they come face to face with the power and authority of Jesus Christ. The first group is the demons. They implore Jesus not to torment them and send them into the abyss, but to send them into the swine. They know Jesus has authority to destroy them and will do so, but now is not the time. They want to keep on doing their thing - tormenting and living in rebellion to God. The second group is the people from the town. They implore Jesus to leave their country. They saw what He did to the swine and witnessed the healing of the demon-possessed man and they wanted nothing to do with Him. They saw the power of Jesus as a negative - He destroyed their property. They didn't want their lives to change. The last "group" is the man who had been healed. He implored Jesus to let him come with Him. He saw the power of Jesus as a positive and he wanted to be near Him. He wanted to be as close by His side as he could. Now the question: Which of these groups do you fall into?