Pig farmers probably weren't too popular among the Jews, pigs being 'unclean' and all. But it appears to have been a profitable line of work, judging by the townspeople's reaction: "The people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region" (Mark 5:17). they were in agreement with "Legion", an apparently large group of evil spirits, who also didn't want to leave the area. (Mark 5:10). Of course, the possessed man, once freed from his possession, begged Jesus to allow him to leave the region with Him - no wonder: the town seemed to prefer evil spirits over Jesus Christ Himself!
Tow thousand profitable pigs died that day. One man was freed from demon possession. Do you even need to consider for one second which was of greater value?
| Pigs | Man |
|---|---|
| 2,000 in the herd (Mark 5:13) | No longer a threat to the townspeople |
| Unclean, prohibited for Jews | Returned to his family (Mark 5:19) |
| Probably the source of prosperity for the town | Told others of God's mercy |
But there's more to consider. There were lots of evil spirits rising from the cliff where the pigs died, and lots of townspeople who preferred them over the protective hand of God. Given the choice, would you prefer to profit now from doing what is wrong, or would you prefer to do without for a little while in order to have eternal life?