torment me!” He said this, because Jesus had commanded, “Evil spirit, come out of the man!”(...)
Now a great herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside, and the evil spirits begged him, “Send us to the pigs, and let us go into them.”
So Jesus let them go. The evil spirits came out of the man and went into the pigs; and immediately, the herd rushed down the
cliff; and all were drowned in the lake. (...) And when those who had seen it, told what had happened to the man and to the
pigs, the people begged Jesus to leave their neighborhood. When Jesus was getting into the boat,
the man, who had been possessed, begged to stay with him. Jesus would not let him, and said, “Go home to your people, and tell
them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. (...)

Reflection:

This passage makes us wonder who really is under the influence of
evil spirits. The demoniac whose evil spirit despite fear of Jesus begged Him
to leave them alone and not be sent out of that region, or the people who
begged Jesus to leave their neighborhood. The evil spirit and the possessed
man were restored to their proper state while the people of the village missed
the chance to hear Jesus’ words and be led back to God. The demoniac comes
back to his senses, the evil spirit goes back to the sea which is their abode, while
the villagers remain in darkness because of their fear of the Lord.

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