Why Jesus Let the Devils Escape to the Pigs

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In Luke 8, Jesus faced a demon-possessed man at Gadarenes with about 2,000 demons. When he rebuked them, the demons asked to be sent to the herd of pigs instead of being sent out of the area or to the Abyss. The amazing thing is that Jesus approved the request which resulted to the destruction of a major piggery industry in the locality.

Why did Jesus grant the demon's request? Does God answer demons' prayers? Do demons pray to God?

The demons requested a plea from the Lord which the Lord granted right there and then. In Matthew 8, NIV says "the demons begged Jesus." And Jesus did what they wanted. If that's not answer to "prayer," what is it then? What else can you call it? A demand? Certainly not. Demons cannot demand from God. A plain request which shouldn't be considered a prayer? But a request is a prayer as we see in Philippians 4.6: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Devils Pray to God?

You may find it repulsive and unacceptable, but that was what it was--a prayer. Devils pray to God and God sometimes answers them. In fact, in this instance, God answered it on the spot! It was a quick yes! This is how it happened:


"The demons begged Jesus, 'If you drive us out, 
send us into the herd of pigs.' He said to them, 'Go!'"
[Matthew 8.31 NIV]

How often do you get quick yes answers like that? And look at how God granted Satan's request in the Book of Job. Satan asked God to send terrible trouble on Job and God granted it right on the spot!

"'But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, 
and he will surely curse you to your face.'
The LORD said to Satan, 'Very well, then, everything he has 
is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.'"
[Job 1.12]

God answers requests (or prayers?) from devils when the requests go along with his will. But isn't that how he also deals with our prayers? Doesn't God answer our prayers only if they go along his plans? Does he deal with us in the same way he deals with devils? Aren't we sons and daughters and therefore should be treated differently?

If we examine Scriptures sharply with the eyes of the Spirit of God, we easily see spiritual details like this that allow us rare peeks into what really happens in the spiritual realms. Like how devils and demons also "pray" to God and sometimes get "yes" answers. Now, think how prayerless Christians would stand against demons who pray to God and get yes answers! No wonder Paul urged us to pray without ceasing because in the spiritual realms, prayerlessness will never stand a chance, especially against "praying" demons. 

Why God Would Say Yes to Devils?

It's unthinkable---why would a holy God with holy plans say yes to devils? God uses devils to bring about tests, revivals, and judgement. It's wrong to say that God needs devils to workout his plans, but since devils are there, he might as well make good use of them. Remember how God can workout everything for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose? 

God allows devils (or answers their requests) so that when they tempt someone, that person's heart is revealed or exposed and he or she sees how a hidden sin in him or her should be dealt with right away. Without temptation, that sin will remain a silent killer within him or her. Only temptations stir up and expose hidden sins lodged deep within you so that it rises up, manifests, identified and becomes easy to deal with. 

Get it?

Without temptation, you'll never know the sin hiding deep in your heart and you'll never realize what wickedness you're capable of until one day you get a major temptation and the full grown sin hiding in you explodes like crazy. Temptation is not from God but he allows it for a good purpose.

Once you see how you react to a temptation, you either:
  1. Ask forgiveness from God and repent and be rid of the sin (Revival).
  2. Or, go on with the sin and get God's wrath (Judgment).
If you choose number 2, God's judgment is given to give you more chances to repent. Judgment is God's love and his love is his judgment. If you go on still after given several chances (not just 7 times but probably up to 70 times 7), then he leaves or abandons you to it. 

"God gave them over to shameful lusts," [Romans 1.26 NIV]. Or, "God abandoned them to their shameful desires,"[NLT]. In other words, God just walks out the door and leaves you to your decision. 

So, my Jesus said yes to the demons' request and off they went to the almost 2,000 pigs and drowned them. He didn't send them outright to the Abyss--although he could do that--because the locality of Gadarenes was up for a test. And no group of demons knew the place and it's people more than the Gadarenes demons. They knew its greatest weakness--their piggery industry. 

The demons picked the pigs because they probably thought destroying them would destroy Jesus' image and God's plans as well. They didn't know what God was up to--that Jesus intentionally allowed them to destroy the piggery business so that the Gadarenes folks would be alarmed and decide on whether to accept or reject Jesus.

So, Gadarenes was up for a test. Would they repent of their uncaring attitude toward the demon-possessed man (they sent him to the cemetery and chained him there, naked, and without shelter for a long time). And, would they repent of their idolatry in loving their piggery industry too much?

They failed the test. They didn't like it when they saw the demon-possessed man healed, with decent clothes and in his right mind, and they asked Jesus to leave their place just because they lost their million-peso piggery industry. 

When you're up for a test, God allows trouble on the things, possessions, or people you treasure most. He watches what your reactions would be.

Since Gadarenes clearly showed their  preference for money than God and love for fellowmen, Jesus just left them. He didn't preach to them or correct them or explain the truth about what happened. He gave them over or abandoned them to their sins. Judgment had been made.

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