Thomas Aquinas Commentary Matthew 8:28-34

"And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, there met him two possessed with demons, coming forth out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man could pass by that way. And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? Now there was afar off from them a herd of many swine feeding. And the demons besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And they came out, and went into the swine: and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep into the sea, and perished in the waters. 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. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought [him] that he would depart from their borders." — Matthew 8:28-34 (ASV)

And when he was come on the other side of the water. Because the miracles through which the Lord freed many people from external dangers have been discussed, here the miracles are related by which liberation from internal, or spiritual, dangers occurred.

And firstly, a miracle is related; secondly, its effect is related, where it is said, But they going out went into the swine. Regarding the first point, the demons’ malice is shown: firstly, concerning the fierceness they exercise upon humans; secondly, concerning their unwillingness to suffer, where it is said, And behold they cried out, etc.; and thirdly, concerning their wickedness, where it is said, And the devils besought him, etc. Regarding the first of these (their fierceness), to begin with, the place is described; and next, the demons’ fierceness is declared.

There was a certain region called the region of the Gerasenes: Gerasa is interpreted as ‘casting out the farmer,’ or ‘approaching foreigner,’ because it was near the Gentiles. There met him two that were possessed with devils.

Their fierceness is shown, firstly, because they were oppressing them, that is, the two men; and secondly, because they were striving to deceive men.

But it is asked why the other Evangelists only mention one man while this Evangelist mentions two. It should be said that without a doubt there were two, but one was more famous. And they were fierce, because they were harming men not only physically, but also spiritually. Therefore, they were dwelling in the sepulchres so that they might frighten men. Consequently, there was an error that certain men maintained: that the demons could lead a soul back into a dead body, as is read about Simon the Magician. But this was not real; in fact, the demons were feigning this to deceive men.

Therefore, Porphyrius says that the whole group of demons is deceptive. For this reason, these magicians especially use the bodies of the dead, which is why the demons were dwelling in the sepulchres: That dwell in sepulchres, and sleep in the temple of idols (Isaiah 65:4). For they were so fierce that no one could pass by that way, because, In this way wherein I walked, the proud have hidden a snare for me (Psalms 141:4); and by "the proud" the demons are understood.

But their unwillingness to suffer is shown because they were not enduring Christ’s presence; therefore, it is said, They cried out. And in this their unwillingness to suffer is shown: You shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for grief of spirit (Isaiah 65:12). They confess God’s power, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus Son of God? In fact, they had nothing to do with Him, because there is no agreement between Christ and Belial.

But why were they saying this? It was because they were punishing men severely, and they had heard that Christ was going to take away their power. Therefore, they wished to say: ‘Even if we harmed others, we did not harm you, so you should not oppress us.’ Likewise, they were confessing Him to be the Son of God. And in this, the Arians are confounded, because if they do not believe the Saints, at least they should believe the demons.

However, a contrary point is made: it seems that the demons did not know Him, because, If they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory, etc. (2 Corinthians 2:8). But it should be said that when the Lord wished, He showed His humanity in such a way that He hid Himself from them.

For which reason art thou come to torment us before the time? The demons know that on Judgment Day they are to receive greater torment when it will be said: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire (Matthew 25:41).

Moreover, some believe that the demons do not suffer the pain of sense until Judgment Day, but only the pain of damnation. This opinion is based upon this passage, art thou come before the time.

But against this is what Damascene says: “What death is to men, the fall was to the angels.” But humans, when they die, immediately receive the pain of sense; in the same way, the angels who fell also received it. Certain people say that they always carry their fire with them.

But how can that be, since this fire is corporeal? It should be said that although this fire is corporeal, nevertheless, it has something spiritual. Therefore, it torments by means of a certain binding. For a spirit surpasses the nature of a body, but God binds spirits to bodies.

This is similar to how, when the soul is bound to the body, God grants the body the ability to be moved according to the soul's will. It is also as if some prelacy is given to someone in a certain church; the one to whom it is given is not himself in that church. In this way, although this fire is corporeal, by reason of its spiritual quality, it can act upon the demons here on earth.

To torment us, etc. They consider it a great torment to be unable to harm men. But if they were in hell, they could not harm in this way; and so, it is a great torment for them to enter hell. And there was, not far from them, a herd of many swine feeding. Here their malice is touched upon, because they harm not only men, but even the beasts. Herd of swine: from this, it is clear that this event was not in Judea, because the Jews do not make use of swine. If thou cast us out hence, send us into the herd of swine.

But why did they not ask Him to send them into men? It was because they themselves saw Him to be concerned about the care of men. But why did they ask to be sent into a herd of swine? It was because they were nearer than any other animals. Similarly, it was because the swine is a very unclean animal. Therefore, to indicate their own uncleanness, He permitted them to enter into the swine. This seems to be signified in Job 40:22: Will he make many supplications to thee, or speak soft words to thee?

Christ’s concession follows: And he said to them: Go, etc. But it seems that the Lord paid heed to devils. It should be said that He did not heed them; rather, from His own wisdom, He permitted it to happen in this way. He ordained it so that the malice of the demons would be shown, because unless the Lord restrained them, they would fall upon men just as they fell upon the swine.

Furthermore, when the Lord permits demons to do some things, He does not completely permit them to do all they would wish, but He imposes a restraint upon them, as in the case of Job. Therefore, to demonstrate this, He permitted them to fall upon the swine. Likewise, He permitted this to indicate that they can do nothing except by God’s permission.

Moreover, He permitted this so that men might know their own dignity, since for the well-being of one man, He allowed so many thousands of swine to be killed.

The execution of His command follows: And the whole herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea. In this it is signified that no one can be completely destroyed by the devil unless he shows himself to be like a swine, that is, entirely unclean. Therefore, it is written: With such violence as this, shall Babylon be thrown down (Revelation 18:21); and, These men, as irrational beasts, shall perish in their corruption, receiving the reward of their injustice, etc. (2 Peter 2:12–14).

The reaction of the shepherds follows; therefore, They that kept them fled… and told everything. The swineherds announced something sad and something joyful: sad, concerning their swine; but joyful, concerning the cured demoniac. By these shepherds are signified the leaders of the Synagogue, who, on account of temporal things, contradict Christ whenever they can.

Afterwards, the reaction of the whole populace follows: And behold the whole city went out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart from their coast. And why? It was because He had caused them great losses, so they feared that if He were to stay longer, He would cause them many more losses. In this way, some men, on account of temporal harm, fear to be with Christ, as it is found in Isaiah: Turn away the path from me, let the Holy One of Israel cease from before us (Isaiah 30:11).

Or, alternatively, they did this not out of malice, but out of devotion, because they considered themselves unworthy. Peter said something similar: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord (Luke 5:8).