Miracles Show God’s Power to Change Our Lives

Homily for Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (28 June 2026)

Romans 10:1-10…………….Matthew 8:28-9:1

At first, we might find it hard to figure out the point of this story from St Matthew’s Gospel about the demons that Jesus cast out of two men into a herd of pigs.

This story contains a number of confusing elements.  Why does Jesus speak only to the demons, not to the men?  Why do the demons ask to be sent into the pigs?  Why do the pigs jump off the cliff into the water?  Why aren’t the people of the town happy that the men possessed by demons have been healed?  Why do the people ask Jesus to leave their area?

The key to understanding this story is remembering the purpose behind all of Jesus’ miracles:  He does the miracles to show the power of God to change human lives.  And that’s what He does here.

Looking more closely at the story, we can understand that Jesus doesn’t talk to the men possessed by demons because the demons have taken control of them.  St Matthew says that they live in the tombs, meaning that they are like dead men, people without life, incapable of communication.  But Jesus does talk to the demons, because they recognize Him as God, having power over them.  No matter what demons may take control of our lives—and we all have them, more or less—such as addiction, anger, pride, lust, greed, lack of empathy, depression, and so on, God still has power over them.

Maybe the demons ask Jesus to send them into the pigs because they know that the people of the town value and depend on the pigs for food, leather, and other necessities.  Maybe the demons figure that they can control the people by controlling their livestock.  Or maybe the demons think that by possessing the pigs to run off the cliff and drown they will make the people blame Jesus for the disaster.

The swineherds run to the town and tell everyone that the demons have been driven out of the possessed man.  We might think that the people would be glad that the men are healed—after all, they are probably related to them.  But instead they all come out and practically drive Jesus out of town.

Surely they recognize His power—He cast out the demons.  But their lives are totally changed by the death of their pigs, and they don’t like it.  Instead of rejoicing and learning how God will help them find a new way of life, they chase Jesus away.  Yet Jesus probably had a good reason for changing everything.  But the Gospel doesn’t say.

It tells us what we need to know, not necessarily what we want to satisfy our curiosity, just as miracles serve to demonstrate God’s power, not to amuse us or to amaze us like a circus or a magic show.

Let us hope that, when Jesus comes into our lives with His power to cast out demons and change everything, we will not be afraid and hostile like the Gadarenes.  We should welcome the Lord to come into our lives, not for the thrill or the spectacle or the drama, but to cast out our bad habits and sinful ways and to show us His way—the way that leads to salvation and eternal life in the Kingdom of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and ever and to ages of ages.  Amen.