Those responsible for keeping the herd of pigs fled. Of course they would be defending themselves.
It is a strange reaction to flee from Christ and to be terrified by what he does, but it is the reaction of all of us without the Spirit’s work in our hearts. Although the herd of swine had been lost, it ought to have been a matter of wonder and thanksgiving to them, that this possessed man had been delivered from an affliction so great that no power on earth could help him. It should have caused them to come to this one who had such tremendous powers and had visited their region; they should have been drawn to him to learn more of him, and to bring their own intractable problems. But their reaction is to be terrified and alarmed. Why? Because they did not want anything to do with Christ and God, and this was challenging to them. ‘I do not want to have my life changed and be a follower of Christ.’ It terrifies us and we do not want to surrender our lives to God. To be in the presence of one who has such authority over the demons of darkness made them deeply uneasy, for, before the Spirit draws us, we are instinctively uncomfortable in God’s presence. Our conscience tells us that we are not fit to be in his presence and that our sins mean that we are worthy to be condemned. If we sense the power of Christ at all, we see him as one to be feared, not one to be loved.