![]() Seeing him cured, and hearing of how it was accomplished, would more convincingly make the case for Jesus’ divinity among those who had not encountered him for themselves. The pigs have started to dress and behave exactly like humans. As the other animals watch through the window, they find they are unable to tell pigs and humans apart. There’s also the obvious but significant point that the people of Gerasa/Gadara would know the man Jesus had cured, and would have thought of him as ‘afflicted’ or ‘touched’ or a ‘madman’ (and so on). What Does the Ending Mean At the end of Animal Farm, Pilkington and other human farmers come to eat dinner with the pigs at the farmhouse. However, in keeping with so much of the Gospel of Mark – and, to a large extent, the other Synoptic Gospels – we find Jesus’ importance spreading through word of mouth, and Jesus perhaps realised that this man was more valuable to his cause if he stayed home in this obscure town and told everyone of how Jesus had cured him. ![]() You might have thought Jesus would be glad to have a grateful and staunch follower added to his retinue, but once again we find him doing the surprising thing and sending the man home. The people who witnessed this are awed by what they have seen, to the point of being frightened that such power exists.ĥ:16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.ĥ:17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.ĥ:18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.ĥ:19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.ĥ:20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel. Note: ‘had the legion’, i.e., the many unclean spirits inhabiting him. Here, the swineherds all flee to tell those in the city (whether Gadara or Gerasa) what they have witnessed.ĥ:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they went out to see what it was that was done.Īs so often in the Gospel of Mark, word of Jesus’ powers spreads through reports of his actions, rather than Jesus’ own announcement of his divinity. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand ) and were choked in the sea.ĥ:14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. It’s going to take a ‘great herd of swine’ or pigs to offload them all from the man.ĥ:13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. ![]() ![]() The words ‘all the devils’ lends credence to the interpretation of ‘Legion’ as denoting the sheer number of demons or spirits inhabiting this one man. ![]()
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