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Why Did the Pigs Drown Themselves?
There is a well known story in the Bible about Jesus sending demons (called “Legion”) from a man into 2,000 pigs which then drowned themselves (Luke 8:26-39). I have heard some Christians say that pigs are smarter than men because they prefer to be drowned than being possessed by demons. However, I must say I have many questions concerning this view.
All animals have an instinct to survive, so why would the pigs choose to drown themselves? What worse damage could demons do to them than ending their lives? Besides, many people are also possessed by demons as we can see from the Bible, but they do not commit suicide!
What Actually Happened?
We believe a more logical explanation could be: it was the demons which caused the swine to kill themselves.
It is often reported by people under demonic influence that they have an urge to commit suicide. Therefore, we know that it is possible for demons to put suicidal thoughts into the minds of their hosts, and the demons which Jesus sent into the pigs had probably done so to end the lives of these poor animals.
Why would they do so? First, the demons knew that Jesus could have sent them to the abyss so being sent into the pigs was a better alternative for them. However, they did not actually wish to stay in the pigs so they drowned the herd to free themselves. Moreover, they knew that drowning the pigs would cause financial loss to the people there. This would cause them to ask Jesus to leave their town so the demons could re-occupy the place.
Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss ….. Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned. ~ Luke 8:30-33
The Place was Filled with Demons
If we take a closer look at this story, it appears the place where this incident happened was heavily haunted by demonic activities.
First, the man was possessed NOT by one demon but by a “Legion”, which is a multitude composing of thousands. It surely appears that there were a lot more demons than men in that region.
Further, when people saw that the man regained his sanity after Jesus had cast out the demons, they did not rejoice but instead became so afraid that they pleaded Jesus to leave. It is quite likely that the people there had attempted to drive out demons before but were retaliated upon with even greater damages.
Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. ~ Luke 8:36-37
Morever, after Jesus cast out the demons, the man begged Jesus to let him follow them instead of returning to his own house and staying in his hometown. This is quite unusual, and may suggest that the demon problem in his area was so severe that the man did not want to stay.
Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. ~ Luke 8:38-39
Demons are Liars
We believe something we can learn from this incident is, demons are liars and murderers by nature. It is their nature to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10). Therefore, we must be very careful and NOT be deceived even when they beg for mercy.
You (some Jews) are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. ~ John 8:44
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