Charles Spurgeon Commentary Matthew 8:33

"And they that fed them fled, and went away into the city, and told everything, and what was befallen to them that were possessed with demons." — Matthew 8:33 (ASV)

The swineherds might well have fled! When evil men perish in the end, their wicked pastors will have a hard time of it. How vividly they told their story! No detail was left out! “They told everything.” Probably, all the details were recounted with exaggeration. In this way, they sought to excuse their own loss of the swine they were supposed to keep, which they had watched perish right before their very eyes.

Their employers, the owners of the herd, must have greatly lamented their loss, but they must have trembled as they saw the hand of God in it. What a crushing misfortune for the swine-keepers of Gadara! Who pities them, since their trade was unlawful! The story of the healing of the demoniacs was mentioned by the reporters as a secondary matter, but indeed, it was the central point of the narrative. To some men, souls are secondary to swine.

The healing of the two demoniacs added to the wonder and set every ear tingling throughout the city. Yet the result on the people was not what one would have expected.