0202B OF PIGS PAWNS AND KINGS

PIGS, PAWNS AND KINGS

Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. 

~Mark 5:11-12

EVER WONDER WHAT HAPPENS when a demon enters a pig? Well, I’ll tell you: it ain’t pretty. Hogs ain’t pretty to begin with. But hogs under the influence of demons are downright nasty. The demons follow Satan’s first rule: destroy anything you inhabit. And so, with the innate grace and beauty of two thousand demon-possessed hogs, them pigs squeal and slide down the hill into the lake, and drown. 

Jesus glances over at the devil. The devil’s face twitches. He lost a model citizen in this crazy dude, and now his side of the board has been cleared in one move. 

Then a slow smile breaks over the face of the devil. He was thinking a move ahead, and this is working according to plan. He just lost him a pawn, but he’s zeroing down on capturing the King Himself. 

It turns out, it is written in the fine print that demons only inhabit the pigs for the duration of the pigs’ lives. And he has destroyed them all at once. The devil’s chuckling to himself. Now he’s got two thousand of his crackerjack demons out roaming the countryside again. He leans back, locks his hands behind his pointy head, and says, “check.” 

Mister Pawn’s finally in his right mind. We find him some clothes, and he sits down, talking in his right mind, so soberminded he could be a judge. 

But that legion of demons are set free to run around the area at will. Some of them whisper in the ears of the owners of the pigs. And now it’s the owners’ turn to start running down the hillside—straight towards—us, as it were! 

These men had spent their lifetimes building up this huge herd, which was worth a fortune. And these pigs were their entire inventory. And you know pigs ain’t kosher, right? So, why would any God-fearing person want to raise hogs in the first place? Hint: These fellers are not God-fearing people. And everything they valued in life was suddenly and unrecoverably lost, and they are a might upset about it. 

Now they are the ones begging Jesus. Begging Him to get out of their region. Or threatening Him to get out or else! That’s how tense the air was in that moment. 

Old Satan leans forward and smiles at the board. His demons’ power base has only increased through this little diversion. The devil still has all his pieces on the board, save one, and now he has his opponent backed into a corner.

Looks like Jesus has gambled it all on this one man, and now He has lost everything else. I can’t believe it! What’s more, Jesus agrees to the wishes of the enemy. Without a word, He turns to leave. Is this a retreat in spiritual battle? Is He knocking over His king and conceding a loss?

His reputation sure took a beating. Hard to live down the label of a pig killer and a fortune-destroyer. So Jesus has gone and traded 2000 pigs, plus His own reputation, all for just one soul. 

As Jesus begins His withdrawal, Mister Pawn comes running after us, begging again. This time, he begs to come along! After all, those demons had been plaguing him for years, and now that they are still active in this region, he is in danger. This boy is still spanking new to the faith, and he needs more training, or protection, or something, at least. 

But Jesus tells the man, "Go back home and tell your friends and family about what God did for you.” And Jesus gets into the boat and leaves. The devil chuckles. “It’s been fun playing, Jesus.”

The ol’ devil’s smile fades as Jesus calls back from the boat: "Oh, by the way . . . Checkmate."

The evil one can’t believe it. Over the next few weeks, Satan can only watch, powerless, while the holy plan unfolds: that one man of peace whom Jesus has rescued heads back home and tells his family and friends about it all. The testimony of one changed life brings spiritual revival to the whole county. 

In fact, a few months later, when we all return to the area, Jesus does many miracles here because in Decapolis County this one former-demoniac-turned-evangelist has piqued a spiritual interest in everybody, perhaps including the former pig owners!

The devil had been thinking a move ahead. But our Lord is a master at spiritual chess, and He was working a long-term strategy. Jesus knows that one soul’s worth way more than two thousand hogs. One soul’s worth even more than Jesus’ own reputation on this earth. His own reputation ain’t worth no more to Him than a little old pawn. 

Satan reluctantly admits defeat in this region for a good long time. 

Jesus calls to him from the boat, "Never, ever underestimate the value of one soul. In my game, one soul is king."