There is an episode in the life of Jesus that puts a grin on my face whenever I read it. You’re probably familiar with the story. It is the one in which Jesus met a man who had been demon possessed and lived in the tombs. The man was such a mess that he lived naked and had been driven by the demons to live in solitary places. When he met Jesus he started shouting, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most high God? I beg you, don’t torture me!’ For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man.” Luke 8:28-29.

        “Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’

        ‘Legion,’ he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Him repeatedly not to order them into the abyss.

        A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and He gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.” Luke 8:30-33.

        So, why does that make me grin? Is it because Jesus played a joke on the demons? Kind of, but it is funnier than just that. Think for a moment with me. Obviously those pigs were in no way used by Jews. Pigs were disgusting in the Jewish culture. They would never eat them. They had no use for them. So, what were those pigs there for?

        This is where searching out the matter can result in fun and surprises. The fact is that Jesus was in the region of the Gerasenes. This was not Jewish countryside. The people in that region worshipped idols made of wood and stone. And the way they worshipped these worthless gods was to sacrifice pigs to the idols. Yes, Jesus sent the demons into the lake, but at the same time He destroyed months and maybe years of pig production that was meant for the sacrifices to false gods. If it had been possible, I suppose some stone idols had pouty faces for a long time to come.

        I’ll bet Jesus had a grin on His face when He went to sleep that night. Talk about a practical joke! That one ranks as one of the best of all time.