The Day the Pigs Ran Off the Cliff

Your life is spent taking care of a huge herd of pigs.

You and your buddies have made it to the fields where the pigs are. The herd you’re responsible for is one of the biggest in the area—nearly 2,000 pigs. By now, you’ve led them near the edge of a cliff. It’s the only spot left for them to feed. As you look back, you notice all the destruction they’ve caused in the places you’ve kept them before, and you think about where you’ll have to move them next once they use up this area.

You know this place is near the tombs—they’re just below the cliffs. You’ve heard the stories people tell about this place. The urban legend of a crazy man who doesn’t wear clothes, cuts himself, lives in the tombs, and can’t be tied up because every time people try, he breaks the chains. You’re sure the story has to be fake, just something people made up to keep kids from playing in the tombs. But your curiosity gets the best of you, and you head to the cliff to look for yourself.

As you look over the edge, you notice a boat landing on the shore. Thirteen men get out of the boat, and then you see a man run out of the tombs toward them. He doesn’t look anything like you imagined from the stories. No—he looks far scarier and far more wild than you thought possible. You’re too far away to hear the side conversations, but you can see the concerned look on the faces of the twelve men from the boat—terrified might be a better word. The man from the tombs also looks terrified. You wonder what could scare a man who supposedly breaks his own chains. But when he reaches the leader of the group of thirteen, he falls down before him.

Then the man starts yelling loudly enough for you to hear: “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you by God, do not torment me!”

Jesus—you recognize that name. You’ve never seen him, but you’ve heard of a man named Jesus performing miracles in other parts of the region. It must be the same guy. Who else would terrify the man everyone else fears and avoids? As you finish that thought, you hear something that scares you so badly you fall to the ground. You realize Jesus must have asked him, “What is your name?” because you hear the man respond in the creepiest voice you will ever hear: “My name is Legion, for we are many.”

At this, you drop to the ground, almost scared to tears. You crawl to the side of the cliff where you’re least likely to be seen. You’ve just heard what demons sound like—and they said they are many. You want to make sure they don’t notice you, but you’re too intrigued to look away now. Then you hear the demons pleading with Jesus: “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.”

This idea terrifies you. These pigs are how you make money. They are your job, your responsibility. You can’t stand the thought of those things entering your pigs, but you’re too scared to do anything. Then again, these are demons and Jesus—what could you really do even if you had the courage? Your heart drops as you see Jesus nod his head yes.

Immediately, you see two things happen. First, the creepy man suddenly acts normal. He is worshiping Jesus in what you assume is a normal voice—a voice that will no longer give you nightmares. He is talking with the other twelve, and they are talking with him. They even give him some clothes, and the man who was famous for being as wild as can be puts them on. You realize something is different about him. He is no longer what everyone fears. He is changed. He is healed. He is normal.

The second thing you see is your 2,000 pigs beginning to act strange. They start acting crazy and getting aggressive with one another. Then, all at once, they race into the water below as if they had collectively agreed they wanted to sleep with the fishes. In a moment, you go from being a herdsman of 2,000 pigs to being out of work—and responsible for the death of 2,000 pigs.

Scared of what just happened and not knowing what to do, you race back to town. Once you arrive, you tell everyone you can about what happened. Some might later say you were sharing the good news you witnessed, but in the moment, that’s not what you’re doing. You’re just trying to figure out what to do next. Trying to avoid too much blame, you make sure to emphasize that it was Jesus who gave the demons permission to enter the pigs you were watching.

At this, the town heads out to where Jesus is to see what happened—some scared, some curious, others angry about the money they lost from the pigs. When everyone arrives, you and your buddies again tell them exactly what happened, again emphasizing that you had no control. When the people hear your story again—and this time see the man everyone knows was crazy now acting normal and wearing clothes—they completely believe you. They are filled with fear or anger, depending on the person. As a result, everyone begins begging Jesus to leave—not just the town, but the entire area.

Refusing to stay where he isn’t welcome, Jesus and his twelve followers get into their boat, with the once-crazy man right behind them. As the man reaches the boat, you see Jesus lift his hand. But instead of helping him in, he lifts his hand to stop him. Then you hear Jesus say, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

After that, you head back home to figure out what to do with your life now. And it’s not long before you see the man who will live in your nightmares coming to you—and to everyone he can find—to tell you all that Jesus has done for him.