DROWNED PIGS, ROMAN SOLDIERS, AND HELL (MARK 5)

The other night, for some reason or other I was thinking over the story of Jesus healing the demoniac found in Mark 5. I have previously given a verse-by-verse analysis and an illustration of this story (see the two posts entitled “Mark 5: Healing of the Demoniac”), but some additional insights came to me that I would like to briefly share.

If you recall the story, the legion of demons plead with Jesus to let them enter the bodies of the nearby pigs rather than being cast out into the world alone. Jesus permits them to do so, and the pigs promptly go mad and drown in the water, demons and all.

Here is an interesting question posed by a Christian animal rights organization: Did Jesus kill 2,000 pigs? On their website, they explain that of course Jesus didn't kill a herd of pigs when he cast the legion of demons out of the possessed man because this wasn't a miracle story at all. Instead it is a political parable put into the NT to teach that the Jews needed to expel the Roman “legions” from Israel, not legions of demons at all. This is a prime example of the trend C. S. Lewis once described. People start out by talking about the Bible and animal rights, then it becomes animal rights in the Bible, and finally their true motive comes out when they deny the clear meaning of the Bible if it doesn't fit in with their prime concern, which is ANIMAL RIGHTS. The end result from all these attempts to read into Scripture what we want to see there is called eisegesis. It is trying to get a square peg to fit into a round hole.

Then I got to thinking about the fact that Jesus actually granted the request of the demons, rather than just cast them out of the man's body. Was Jesus just being tricky and purposely luring them to their death? But then I thought of something else that C. S. Lewis (and others) had said. Although God may provide us with all that is needed to follow the right path in life, ultimately he honors every person 's dignity of choice rather than force them into his intended pattern for their lives. That is a model for us in how we raise our children, and also it is a lesson that explains the whole concept of hell. For those who do not want to be around God here on earth, He will not force them to be around Him in eternity.