When Pigs Fly
A Love without Limits in Mark 5:1-20
For whom did Christ die? Who is worthy of God’s love? How far can a man fall before redemption is beyond reach? These ancient questions, like Adam’s shadow, stretch across the pages of human history, etched into each generation’s conscience and passed to the next. They are not merely asked—they are felt, heavy with the dread of separation and the hope of restoration. I, too, have felt the weight of these questions, once convinced my sins had placed me beyond the grasp of grace. Perhaps you have felt the same. Yet for all who wonder how far God will go to rescue a soul, the answer rises in the hills of Gadara, where eternity touched earth in an unforgettable act of mercy.
The Geography of Grace
Gadara, the ancient city perched high above the Yarmouk River, lingers in memory as both a crossroads of culture and a stage for the miraculous. In its days of splendor, this Decapolis city bore the marks of Greek sophistication and Roman ambition, its colonnaded streets alive with the footsteps of poets and philosophers like Menippus (3rd century BC) and Meleager (c. 140–70 BC). Yet its true renown lies not in its architecture or the satire of its sons but in the unsettling story of a man tormented by demons, freed by a “Jewish carpenter” from across the Sea of Galilee.
The exorcism that sent unclean spirits into a herd of swine, plunging them to their deaths, reads as a collision of worlds—Jewish and Gentile, sacred and profane, human and divine. In the ruins of Gadara’s theaters and bathhouses, one can still imagine the echoes of that day, a moment when the eternal broke through, leaving the city forever silenced by screaming swine and the happy testimony of a man born again.
God’s Love Without Limits
When Jesus stepped ashore at Gadara, much was happening in the visible and invisible realms. The kingdom of darkness trembled as the light of the world advanced: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1 ESV).
Demonic forces holding countless souls in bondage would soon confront their conqueror, the Messiah. And in the midst of this cosmic conflict, the gospel went forward—one man, freed and redeemed, sent back to his home to declare what great things God had done. This story reveals that God’s grace has no limits, God’s love has no boundaries.
1. God’s Intent Shows His Limitless Love
Consider the deliberate nature of Jesus’ journey. He left the Jewish community and forced His disciples through a storm to demonstrate His sovereignty over creation (Mark 4:39), but perhaps also to teach them that the Kingdom advances in adversity. The destination? Gadara—a Gentile stronghold, a city of the Decapolis, steeped in paganism and far from Jewish traditions. They came ashore near a graveyard, where a naked wild man roamed like a rabid dog, hated by others, hating himself, and consumed by a legion of demons.
God often brings us to unexpected places to reveal His salvation. Here, He shows that His love is not confined to cultural, national, or spiritual boundaries. He is the God not only of those who seek Him but also of those separated from Him and enslaved by other powers (Ephesians 2:1-2). Kingdoms were about to clash. And pigs were about to fly.
2. The Sinner’s Friend Shows His Limitless Love
The focus of Jesus’ ministry here was the Gadarene demoniac, a man possessed to the point of self-destruction. He lived among the dead, cutting himself with stones (Mark 5:5), excluded from his community, and consumed by demonic torment. He is the sorrowful, soul-sick man of the tombs. But he has something going for him that is greater than all of that pain and sorrow. He has one coming to him who is “the Friend of sinners” (Luke 7:34).
This man of the tombs not only represents the Gentile world about to witness Isaiah’s prophecy that a light will come to lift the darkness (Isaiah 9:2) but also reminds us of ourselves at times—broken, isolated, and desperate. How many of us have made choices that invited destruction into our lives? How many have felt trapped by shame, hatred, or despair? Yet Jesus came for him. The Savior crossed the sea, endured the storm, and stood in the cemetery to reach this man.
If the man of the tombs could stand before us, what would he say?
“When no one else would come near me, Jesus came. When no one would touch me, He touched me. When no one spoke to me, Jesus spoke peace into my soul. He cast out a legion of demons, sending them into the swine, and offered me total redemption. This is what He offers you, too.”
3. God’s Love Transforms Pain into Praise
After his deliverance, the man begged to follow Jesus. But Jesus sent him back to his family and community, saying, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you” (Mark 5:19 ESV).
This man’s pain became his testimony, and his life became a witness to the transforming power of God’s love. His home, once marked by isolation and death, was now a place of renewal. The land of Gadara had been transformed by grace.
Personal Reflection
Years ago, I felt much like the Gadarene. Broken, defeated, and isolated, I encountered the grace of God. The very things that once sought to destroy me became the means through which God displayed His power and mercy. My story, like that of the man of Gadara, is proof that God’s salvation is not contingent upon our strength or wisdom. It is a gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
The church began to grow in the region of Gadara, not as an institution but as a movement of transformed lives, empowered by the Holy Spirit. That same movement continues today and will endure until the day Jesus Christ returns (Matthew 28:19-20).
A Song of the Redeemed
I once wrote a simple song about the man of Gadara. It was meant to reflect the windswept and barren hill where his life changed forever. I offer it to you as a reminder that God’s love knows no limits.
Words and Music © 2005, 2025 by Michael Anthony Milton (Bethesda Music, BMI).
Lift your eyes to the hills of Gadara. See the Savior who comes for the broken, the lost, and the forgotten. He comes for you. Will you bow before Him today?
Closing Prayer
Lord, Your grace knows no limits, Your love no bounds. As You reached across the sea to save a man in Gadara, so You reach across time to save us today. Transform our pain into praise and our lives into testimonies of Your mercy. Through Christ our Lord I pray. Amen.
The Gadarene
Words and Music ©️2012, 2025 by Michael Anthony Milton (Bethesda Music, BMI).
Where the wild wind blow
Where no one goes
I've shred all my clothes
I have no home
I'm all alone.
Amidst the grey-graveyard stones
I weep and I will
And I hurt myself
Yet the voices still rail
And now I see
Someone coming to me
O could it be
The Nazarene
For who else could love
The Gadarene