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Bible Notes - Tabernacle Commentaries
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Mark 5:11
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The curious thing is that the demons besought him to enter a herd of swine and Christ permitted them. As far as the demons are concerned, they are in a tight corner. They fear they are going to be sent into the abyss to be judged immediately. They see this herd of pigs, which the Jews were forbidden to keep, but which were husbanded in this Gentile area. They would never have chosen such an option in normal circumstances, but they dare not ask for anything more than this. Though we understand little about this, elsewhere Christ teaches that ‘When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none’ (Luke 11:24). It seems that the demons are profoundly uncomfortable not to be possessing someone or something. They know that Christ is about to cast them out, and they know that they can do nothing without his permission, so they beg him with all the intensity they can muster to be allowed to enter into the herd of pigs.
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How should we understand the pleading of the demons? Does Christ listen to their pleadings? Does he show any mercy to them? Almost certainly not. Yet he had not now come to end Satan’s influence over the world. The will of God remained unchanged: that Satan would be bound for a symbolic thousand years, and then be released for the final rebellion. But during that time, the gospel age, he would still go about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. That will continue until the end of the world. So Christ did not alter his plan on account of their pleading, and we learn only how terrified they are of him.
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