Expositor's Bible Commentary 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 question as to why Jesus would grant the demons their desire and let them destroy the herd of pigs, the livelihood of their owners, is part of larger questions as to why human beings are possessed or why disease, misfortune, or calamity overtake us—questions only to be answered within the context of a broad theodicy outside the scope of this commentary. But the context offers some hints. He who is master of nature (vv.23–27) is also its ultimate owner (vv.28–34; cf. Ps. 50:10). The “appointed time” for full destruction of the demons’ power has not yet arrived. The pigs’ stampede dramatically proves that the former demoniacs had indeed been freed. But in the light of vv.33–34, the loss of the herd becomes a way of exposing the real values of the people in the vicinity. They prefer pigs to persons, swine to the Savior.

This ending of this story bears significantly on its total meaning. It shows once more that Jesus’ ministry is not restricted to the Jews but foreshadows the mission to the Gentiles; it also shows that opposition to Jesus is not exclusively Jewish. To this extent it confirms earlier exegesis that showed that opponents in Matthew are not elected on the basis of race but according to their response to Jesus.