Matthew 8:28-34

"When he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs coming out of the tombs met him. They were so fierce that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, ‘What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?’ Now a large herd of swine was feeding at some distance from them. The demons begged him, ‘If you cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.’ And he said to them, ‘Go!’ So they came out and entered the swine; and suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the water. The swineherds ran off, and on going into the town, they told the whole story about what had happened to the demoniacs. Then the whole town came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighbourhood" (Matthew 8:28-34).

Question:

I don't believe in the Devil, and I interpret evil spirits as evil thought forms. But how must I interpret the story of the possesed pigs in Matthew 8?

Comment:

I think what we have here is a kernel of truth that was twisted and magnified in the telling and retelling. Notice the importance of gossip—the swineherds ran off to tell "The whole story." Might they have exaggerated just a bit? We can be fairly sure something happened, because Mark and Luke also have versions of the same story. We can't know how to separate truth from legend.

That said, it's still a passage with metaphysical significance. I would agree with your understanding of evil spirits as "evil thought forms," although we must be careful not to create a dualistic conflict of good versus evil. It's all God, because God is all there is. And there really is no conflict; the evil spirits go quietly. All that happens is that "he said to them, Go" (v. 32). It's not good versus evil, it's old thoughts giving way to new awareness. When Christ awareness comes into our consciousness, there is no room or need for many of the shadow thoughts that have governed us through our ego mind. I see the pigs as symbolic of our own animal nature, and the water as symbolic of the Allness of Divine Mind. We don't destroy the old, we dissolve it in Divine Mind and affirm instead our Oneness with that Divine Mind as the Christ that is our true identity.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed