Swine of Gerasene
Swine of Gerasene
False Assertion
To free a possessed man, Jesus allowed evil spirits to enter pigs, who then die, so the lives of anymals are expendable for humankind, and we may eat them.
Luke 8:26-39
Then they arrived at the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on shore, a man from the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had not worn any clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, shouting, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me,” for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding, and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd stampeded down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they became frightened. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then the whole throng of people of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone out begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.
“The Demons and the Swine,” Visoki Dečani, Kosovo, 14th century, Pravoslavie)
Swine of Gerasene
Counterpoint #1
This story is not about the value of life.
The story of the Swine of Gerasene (Matthew 8:28–34, Mark 5:1–20, and Luke 8:26–39) tells of a man who is possessed by demons and, consequently, has become dangerous to the community, being “so fierce that no one could pass that way” (Matthew 8:28). When Jesus is about to expel the evil spirits, they request to be sent into a nearby herd of pigs. Jesus gives them permission, and they move into the pigs, who dash into nearby water and drown.
The story of the Swine of Gerasene records the miraculous powers of Jesus, affirming that we are right to put our faith in him and spread the Good News. New Testament narratives convey this important message in a variety of ways. In Matthew 21:18–22 (and Mark 11:12-14 and 20-25, Luke 13:6–9), for example, Jesus withers a fig tree and speaks of throwing mountains into the sea:
Matthew 21:18-22
In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”
It would be extraordinary for a Christian to argue that these narratives disvalue fig trees, mountains, or nature more generally. Jesus spoke of his surroundings, whether seeds or fig trees or pigs, but his point was never about material objects; he taught of something much deeper. The parable of the Swine of Gerasene does not convey that pigs (or anymals, or creation more generally) are of lesser, little, or no value compared with any other life form. This miracle is presented to reveal the power of God, highlighting the critical importance of good works and faith in Jesus.
Hebrews 11:6
For without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would approach God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Jesus withers a fig tree, showing onlookers his miraculous powers. (“Christus en het teken van de vijgenboom,” “Christ and the Withered Fig Tree,” Jan Luyken, Holland, 1703, Wikimedia Commons)
If the story of the Swine of Gerasene could be understood to disvalue the lives of pigs, then the story of Job could be taken to disvalue the lives of living beings in general, including humankind. In this story, many lives are destroyed in the process of reiterating the humble station of humankind and the importance of unwavering faith in God. At the outset, Satan and God talk, and Job is noted as a loyal servant of God, “blameless and upright” (1:8). Satan speaks first:
Job 1:9-12
“Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, all that he has is in your power; only do not stretch out your hand against him!”
The next passages parallel the story of the Swine of Gerasene and Jesusin that lives are lost because of a decision made by God, who permits Satan to test Job:
Job 1: 13-22
One day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the eldest brother's house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them, and the Sabeans fell on them and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three columns, made a raid on the camels and carried them off, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house, and suddenly a great wind came across the desert, struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Then Job arose, tore his robe, shaved his head, and fell on the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing.
Because God allows Satan to test Job, Job loses not only camels and donkeys, but also his servants and his children. While Job is ultimately blessed with another set of offspring (and even more wealth), those who have perished do not again walk the Earth. It would seem extremely unlikely for Christians to argue that these passages offer a lesson about the diminished value of some lives in comparison with others, or that this story disvalues either life in general, or the lives of humankind, in particular.
In the story of Job, human lives are lost because God accepts Satan’s challenge, but the story is not about the value of human life, but about faith in the one, true God. (“Job’s Sons and Daughters Overwhelmed by Satan,” William Blake, England, 1805, Wikimedia Commons)
As with the story of the Swine of Gerasene, this story from the Book of Job is not about the value of life. It is about God’s divine wisdom and power in comparison with our humble creaturely ignorance and vulnerability. This story teaches humility and to maintain unwavering faith: It is not ours to question (let alone challenge) God, but to obey and worship, no matter what befalls us. Similarly, the story of the Gerasenedemoniac speaks to the miraculous powers of God and the importance of putting full faith in Jesus.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
It is difficult for mere mortals to understand why God allowed Satan to kill Job’s family, or why Jesus allowed the demons to enter and destroy the pigs, but it is easy to understand the core message of each of these stories, which is not about the value of life, whether that of pigs or that of humankind. These stories are about the importance of faith in the one true God.
Romans 1:17
The one who is righteous will live by faith.
The story of Job, like the story of the Gerasene demoniac, does not speak to the value of life, but to the importance of Christian faith. (“Job,” Jules Bastien Lepage, France, 1886, Wikimedia Commons)
Swine of Gerasene
Counterpoint #2
The pigs’ presence is merely symbolic.
It is likely that the Gospel story of the Swine of Gerasene is more about politics than pigs. Scholars sometimes note that the swine represent the occupying Roman army, in what is effectively a story of resistance and political satire in which the pigs being possessed and running into the sea is a metaphor for driving out the unwelcome Roman military. Pigs were considered unclean in Jewish communities, and Gerasene was in a region dominated by gentile Romans. The writing recalls Roman occupation, such as the term for Roman forces, “legion,” which the demoniac gives as his personal name, and the description of “chains and shackles.” At the end, the pigs rush into the sea, drowning, as Pharaoh’s army drowned in the Red Sea in Exodus.
Occupying Romans destroy the temple of Jerusalem in 70 AD. (“The Destruction of The Temple of Jerusalem,” Francesco Hayez, Italy, 1867, Wikimedia Commons)
These passages reveal God taking a stand against oppression: In the latter story, the oppression of the Pharaoh, and in the Gospels, the oppression of the occupying Roman army. Jesus exposes the evil of oppressive domination, rejects imperial models of absolute power, teaches of an alternative reign grounded in justice and mercy, and proclaims liberation for the oppressed. A divine message against oppression does not encourage the slaughter of pigs—on the contrary.
Luke 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed.
From a Christian point of view, there is a more important symbolic meaning in the story of the Swine of Gerasene. Because they were unclean and forbidden, pigs were not kept by observant Jews: “And the pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, is unclean for you. You shall not eat their meat, and you shall not touch their carcasses” (Deuteronomy 14:8, also Leviticus 11:7). Therefore, pigs are important to the intended message in the story of the Swine of Gerasene: Jesus was working either in a gentile community (perhaps Roman) or in a non-observant Jewish community. The presence of pigs reminds readers that the ministry of Jesus must not be restricted, that the reach of the Gospels must in no way be limited; followers of Jesus are to carry the Good News to all nations, all communities, all people. This story has nothing to do with the value of the lives of pigs. It does, however, speak to a vegan church (see above) so as to welcome and provide hospitality to omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans.
Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations….
Whether viewed as a political satire or as a message about the importance of faith in the one true God, the story of the Swine of Gerasene has nothing to do with the value of life. Pigs are God’s creatures and they make excellent companions—they are inquisitive, playful, intelligent, and friendly. (We Animals Media)
Sparrows
Sparrows
False Assertion
Jesus says that we are worth more than many sparrows, so anymals are not as important to God as we are, and we may eat anymals and anymal products.
Matthew 6:25-26 (also Luke 12:22–24)
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…. Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Luke 12:6-7 (also Matthew 10:29-31)
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight…. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Sparrows
Counterpoint #1
Scriptures also elevate some humans beings over others.
Four New Testament passages elevate humankind above sparrows, ravens, or birds more generally (Matthew 6:26 and 10:29-31, Luke 12:6-7 and 12:22–24). Other Scriptures elevate some human beings over other human beings. The people of Israel are exalted above other human beings: “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God; it is you the LORD has chosen out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession” (Deuteronomy 14:2). Priests are set apart and above the larger community (Numbers 16); kings are granted a privileged status (1 Samuel 24), as well as firstborn sons (Deuteronomy 21:17). The New Testament gives men authority over women (1 Corinthians 11:3 and 1 Timothy 2:12) and owners authority over those they enslave (Ephesians 6:5, also Exodus 21).
Deuteronomy 7:6
You are a people holy to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession.
If we accept the supremacy of humans over birds, we must also accept other hierarchies established in Scripture. Alternatively, Christians can recognize these passages as nothing more than a record of the hierarchy and values of the day, where one’s own tribe was most important, where religious elites and kings were elevated above commoners, and where the wealthy lorded over the poor, men over women, and humans over anymals. But these passages are not moral dictates. These passages record the facts of the time, and Christians do not generally maintain these archaic social hierarchies–except where anymals are concerned.
Choosing not to maintain social hierarchies of biblical times is consistent with core Christian ethics that affirm the value of all of creation, through God, and coincide with the egalitarian teachings of Jesus. Jesus refused to accept any human being as beneath his care and attention, whether they were impure outcastes or the downtrodden poor, he overtly rejected the social hierarchy of the day, leading Paul to teach that “we, who are many, are one body in Christ” (Romans 12:5).(For more on Christian ethics, see Sacred Texts).
Galatians 3:28
There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
The social hierarchy of the day is described and even affirmed in various Scriptures, but these descriptions are contrary to core Christian ethics. While the bible records the customs of the day, we need not sell five sparrows for two pennies, enslave other human beings, favor the eldest male child in our families, or view songbirds as lower and lesser than human beings. Instead, we can do as we have been instructed and shown in the life of Jesus: We can humbly serve God amid God’s creation by helping those who are marginalized by today’s hierarchy, including anymals.
Everything that exists is God’s and we respect God by respecting all that God has created, and like Jesus, by showing special attention to those who are marginalized, downtrodden, and exploited by the powerful.
(“The Creation,” artist unknown, United Kingdom, c. 1190, The Getty/Science Photo Library)
Sparrows
Counterpoint #2
Scriptures reject hierarchies and teach social justice.
Scripture is liberatory. While reflecting social realities of the time, again and again the arc of justice pushes beyond domination, hierarchy, and oppression, siding with the enslaved, the poor, the displaced, and the vulnerable. In the Hebrew Bible, the Israelites are liberated from bondage and slavery in Egypt (Exodus) and the prophet Isaiah states that God has sent him to aid the oppressed and free captives (61:1). Biblical law protects the vulnerable:
Exodus 22:21
You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien….Exodus 22:22
You shall not abuse any widow or orphan.Leviticus 19:34
The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself….Deuteronomy 27:19
Cursed be anyone who deprives an alien, an orphan, or a widow of justice….Isaiah 61:1
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners…
to comfort all who mourn….
God liberated the Israelites from the oppression of the Egyptians. (“The Exodus from Egypt,” Jan Sadeler I, Flemish, 1585, Wikimedia Commons)
In the New Testament, Jesus carries the arc of liberation forward, inverting hierarchies and centering those marginalized:
Luke 14:13 (also see Luke 14:7–11)
But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
Mark 9:35 (also Mark 10:44 and Matthew 19:30)
Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.
Matthew 20:25–26
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them… It will not be so among you, but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant.
Luke 6:20 (also James 2:5)
Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
Matthew 20:16
So the last will be first, and the first will be last.
Jesus spoke up on behalf of the downtrodden and refused to comply with social norms of marginalization and exclusion. Jesus modeled inclusive love. He walked right through cultural barriers that rejected lepers, slaves, the poor (especially poor women), and those hailing from culturally distinct communities, healing all who came to him. He even broke the barriers that forbid healing on the Sabbath in order to help those who were marginalized, whether the blind, the paralyzed, or those who were ill.
Jesus healed those others would not touch because they were considered impure and treated as outcasts. (“Christ Healing the Paralytic at Bethesda,” Palma il Giovane, Italy, 1592, Wikipedia)
Sparrows
Counterpoint #3
Christians are called to assist those who are marginalized.
While there were social hierarchies in Biblical times, as seems to be the case in every age, Scripture teaches that this is not a license for exploitation or further marginalization but a call to work for change. Jesus renounced social hierarchies in word and deed: “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mark 10:45).
Luke 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed….
Imitating Jesus, Christians are to serve the downtrodden. Scriptures that describe the marginalization of anymals are not a call to be cruel and indifferent, but to stand against this cultural norm, to lift up the oppressed and free the captives. Anymal exploitation demands a righteous response: Protect the vulnerable; heal the injured; release captives.
Jesus with a dove. (Tina LeCour, Fine Art America)
Sparrows
Counterpoint #4
Jesus identifies with the marginalized.
Matthew 25:40
Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these… you did it to me.
Jesus identified personally with those considered lowly and lesser, with outcastes and the impure, with those suffering and downtrodden. To harm anymals is to work against God. To help the downtrodden is to work with and for God: “just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me” (Matthew 25:45). When we help the oppressed, we work with God and when we open our hearts to the oppressed, we open our hearts to God: “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me” (Matthew 18:5).
A hen rescued from the egg industry is well cared for and handled respectfully at a vegan anymal sanctuary in Australia. (We Animals Media)
Matthew 25:35–40
“…I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it…?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.”
Whatever we do for those in need, whomever “those” might be, we do for and with God. When we serve the needs of anymals, we serve God.
Sparrows
Counterpoint #5
These passages have nothing to do with food ethics.
Scriptures record the marginalization and enslavement of songbirds but nothing asserts that we are therefore entitled to maintain this marginalization and oppression–on the contrary. Straight to the point, nothing about these passages speaks to food ethics. Nothing gives license to eat songbirds, let alone cows, pigs, dogs, or emus. In fact, nothing in this passage entitles human beings to oppress any anymals in any way. These passages merely record the norms of the day, which were disrespectful toward God’s little birds–the least of these (Matthew 25:40).
The point of each of these passages about birds, whether sparrows, ravens, or birds more generally, is to bring assurance and hope to humankind, to remind the faithful of God’s attentive, loving care: If God feeds every songbird, then we need not fret and worry because we, too, fall under the protective care of a loving God. In these passages about the cultural devaluing of birds, there is clearly no intent to entitle or further empower humankind to harm or exploit God’s little birds. These Scriptures show that God cares for those whom we consider unworthy, and therefore we might be comforted that we will not be forgotten.
These teachings of God’s expansive and attentive love, which mention birds, have too often led humankind to a haughty sense of human superiority, but scriptures warn of such arrogance: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). (For more on humility, see Sacred Texts and Discord.)
Psalm 84:3
Even the sparrow finds a home
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
my King and my God.
In Malta, an anymal activist holds a small bird rescued from an illegal trap that was set to capture songbirds, who are eaten and enslaved as pets in many places around the world. (We Animals Media)
Summary:
A Scriptural Call to Vegan Living
James 4:17
Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin.
Six scriptural arguments frequently surface among Christians who hope to defend eating meat, dairy, and eggs, but each argument is defeated by a number of strong scriptural counterpoints. Even without these strong counterpoints, for those who know what occurs behind the closed doors of anymal industries and who are devout, it would seem irreligious to argue for or choose omnivory or vegetarianism—to defend or further such indifference to the sufferings and deaths of God’s living creatures. (To learn what occurs behind closed doors, seek undercover footage taken in anymal facilities in the nation where you live or view photos taken on site at We Animals Media.)
John 8:32
…you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
To move toward vegan, look online for recipes and locate vegan shops and restaurants with clearly marked vegan options. Check for vegan options in local stores or find recipes online for vegan versions of familiar foods—cheese and sausages, hamburgers and lasagna, or cookies and pies. Be sure to check social media sites for a local vegan group: You can probably also find a local vegan to take you shopping and show you the ropes for choosing plant milks, alternative cheeses, and vegan meats.
Bon Appétit!
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Rescued piglet Patsy reaches up to eat fresh green leaves in dappled sunshine, safe at a vegan anymal sanctuary. (We Animals Media.)
Image Credits
Genesis Diet:
Sacrifice:
Peter’s Dream: Domenico Fetti, “Peter's Vision of a Sheet with Animals.” (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)
Jesus - Fishes & Fishing: Ernst Zimmerman, “Christ with the Fisherman” (1852-1901). (Courtesy of Anthony’s Fine Art/Antiques.)
Swine of Gerasene: Visoki Dečani. “The Demons and the Swine” (14th century). (Image courtesy of Pravoslavie.)