Pigs and Priorities

In today’s gospel reading, we hear the account of a healing of two possessed men. The scriptures record that Jesus and His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee to the country of the Gadarenes. Jesus was met by two men that were possessed by demons. Both cried out when they saw Jesus, acknowledging Him as the Son of God. The possessing spirits begged Jesus that if He cast them out they could enter the herd of pigs feeding nearby. Jesus commanded the spirits to depart, and the herd of swine ran down into the sea and drowned. The keepers of the pigs panicked and fled to the city to inform the inhabitants what had transpired. Many people came out of the town to where Jesus was and demanded that He leave their region.

At the center of the story is the miracle that transformed the pathetic demon-possessed men into physically and spiritually healthy individuals again. Jesus reveals that the healing of suffering is a primary mission of the Son of God in this world. The greatest contrast in this miraculous event is between the demon possessed men who are saved from the torments of the evil one and the “respectable” people of the town, who want Jesus to leave their coasts.

It is important to understand that the tending of pigs was considered unclean by Mosaic law. So the townsfolk were not angry that Jesus healed the two men; they were angry because Jesus interfered with their profitable business of raising pigs. When Jesus cast the demons into the herd of swine, He tested the values and priorities of the townspeople. When the crowds demanded that Jesus leave their region, they revealed that they valued their profitable pigs more than their suffering neighbors.

Like the townspeople of Gadara, Jesus also tests our priorities, although likely in more subtle ways. How do we respond to opportunities or challenges to help somebody in dire need that would require a true sacrifice of our time and/or finances? Like the townspeople of Gadara, our response demonstrates our priorities. When presented with such a challenge, do we rise to the occasion or do we ask Jesus to leave us alone because we consider our pigs to be more valuable?

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