Yeshua gave demons permission to enter the pigs

Questions: Why Yeshua gave the demons permission to enter the pigs? While the Bible is not explicit on this, we can deduce the answer by looking at the three synoptic Gospels. This event likely occurred after the Jewish leadership rejected Yeshua (Matthew 12). From that point on, Yeshua no longer taught the whole nation, but He did continue to teach His disciples and He only demonstrated to them who He was. He does this through showing His: Power over Nature, Matthew 8:18; Mark 4:35-42; Luke 8:22-25 Power over Demons, Matthew 8:28-24; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39 Power over Disease and Death, Mark 5:21-43; Matthew 9:18-26; Luke 8:40-56 Power over Blindness and another mute making demons, Matthew 9:27-34 Note that these all occurred primarily with the disciples. Location In Matthew 8:5 Yeshua is in Capernaum (the Jewish side of the Galilee, see the white area in the image below, while the yellow area is under Gentile control. No Synagogues have been found from the 1st century in the yellow area). Matthew 8:18 Yeshua and the disciples go to ‘the other side’ of the lake and Yeshua calms the sea verses 23-27. Matthew 8:28 Yeshua (and the disciples) arrived at ‘the other side’ of the lake. This is the second time this is mentioned and it is a clue that they have entered Gentile Territory. The area on the eastern side of the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee was called Gedara. It was primarily Gentile, with a very small Jewish population. Within the region of Gedara were several villages, two of which play a role here: The village of Gedara (Gadarenes). The village of Gergasa (Gerasenes). The event described here takes place in the Gerasenes area, which was in the region of Gedara (see map at the end). The demoniac: Mark 5:2-5. Now notice that when Yeshua had cast out demons before, we were simply told what the demon did: he made him blind, he made him dumb, and he made him deaf, and so on. Now on this occasion, for the first time, and only after He Himself has been accused of being demonised, we have a detailed description of an extreme demonic state. And what he describes here is a very extreme form of demonism. Not all demonised people were as extreme as this. There is an irony in this situation. Yeshua, who has been accused of being demonised, will now be facing a legion of demons, and this event shows that He has power over them, and they do not have power over Him. Also notice that Mathew records that there were two demon-possessed men, while both Mark and Luke choose to focus their attention on one of them. What demons know? Mark 5:6-7 and Matthew 8:29. Here we see what demons commonly know: First of all, they have no problem recognising who Yeshua is. They recognise that He is the Messiah, the Son of the Most High God. Also notice that they know their future doom. Legion Mark 5:8-10: Here Yeshua uses the traditional Jewish method for casting out demons. He asks them: “What is your name?” And the demon says “My name is Legion, for we are many.” Notice the change of pronouns from “my” to “we.” A small legion was three thousand and a full legion was six thousand. Therefore, in this demonic state there are at least three thousand demons. Abyss Luke 8:31: They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. The Abyss is a section of Sheol of/or Hades, and is a place for the temporary confinement of fallen angels or demons. If Yeshua had sent them there they would have been confined until Hades was emptied out, when they will be cast into the lake of fire. The herd of pigs: Luke 8:32-33 Instead of being sent into the Abyss, they ask to be sent into the pigs and Yeshua gave them permission. And when the demons enter these pigs, the pig all run into the Sea of Galilee, in a mass suicide and drown themselves. These demons then became free to inhabit someone else. Why did He grant the demons’ request? Was He having compassion on the fallen angels? The reason He allowed them to go into the pigs was not likely because He had compassion for them, but for the reaction of the herdsmen that followed. The results: Luke 8:34-37a. Here we see three results of this event. The herdsmen run and tell everything, in both the city and the country. The man from whom the demons had gone out was sitting down at the feet of Yeshua, clothed and in his right mind. All the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them for they were gripped with great fear, that is, this caused some of the Gentiles to have a Godly fear. Hopefully, this is a sufficiently argued Biblical response to the question posed. Blessings in Yeshua the LORD Paul & Sue