The Swine Flu

With all the commotion surrounding this new dreaded disease, there is something in the Bible I have wanted to point out. In Mark 5, Jesus cast demons out of the “maniac” of Gadara. In and of itself, the miracle does not surprise us. After all, Jesus did those kinds of things all the time. But what is peculiar is the presence of the pigs nearby (verse 11). Ironically, it was the demons who recognized Jesus and understood what He was about to accomplish. They were concerned with having to leave the country (verse 10). They had grown comfortable in the land of the Gadarenes and did not relish the idea of going elsewhere. Of course, the Lord was not concerned with the comfort of fallen angels, so His willingness to allow them to go into the pigs should not be construed as such. What we don’t want to miss, however, is the presence of the pigs themselves. The land of the Gadarenes was where the tribe of Gad had settled. Do you see it? In the Old Testament, the tribe of Gad had chosen land on the east side of the Jordan River in which to live. Moses warned them that they would become distanced from the rest of the nation...but they promised that would never happen. Now, hundreds of years later, the long-awaited Messiah arrives in their midst. These farmers, who later became angry at Jesus for killing their pigs, were JEWISH. They had grown so cold in their religious observation that raising prize pigs was more important than the presence of their promised Messiah. How often have we, as believers, gotten off course and refused to allow the Lord preeminence in our lives? Don’t forget, in Revelation 3:20, Jesus is standing on the outside, knocking, and desiring to come back inside the church...to the place He once enjoyed in the lives of believers.

And what in the world does all of this have to do with a disease in Mexico? Look at Mark 5:13...the demons were cast into the pigs, who then ran violently down the hill and jumped into the sea. Get it? The swine flew.