Mt 8:28-34
28When [Jesus] came to the other side, to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. 29They cried out, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?” 30Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. 31The demons pleaded with him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.” 32And he said to them, “Go then!” They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned. 33The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. 34Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.
DEMONIACS: In the Mediterranean world of Jesus, things beyond human control—weather, earthquake, disease, fertility—were believed to be controlled by non-human beings who operated in a kind of cosmic social hierarchy. In the hierarchy of beings, there is God on top, followed by the “sons of God” (archangels), then the lower non-human beings: angels, spirits, and demons. Lower than them are human persons. Demons or unclean spirits have the power to control human behavior. Since they are evil or impure, they are expected to assault people and cause them harm.
A person accused of demon possession is someone who has a deviant behavior. He represents a threat and is therefore excluded from the community. In today’s Gospel, two demoniacs are described as living in the tombs. Since burial areas are seldom visited, they are easily occupied by outcasts like the demoniacs.
Jesus from Nazareth is hardly expected to be more than a carpenter. Since he acts contrary to the expectations of his social status, he is suspected by some. His detractors accuse him of demon possession. Jesus claims that his power is from God. Being Son of God, he belongs to the highest hierarchy of powers and overcomes the power of the demons which possessed the two demoniacs.