And there, on the slope of the mountain, a large herd of pigs was grazing.
This detail may at first glance seem purely narrative, yet it also has its significance. The mention of a large herd of pigs shows the pagan, or at least law-estranged, character of that place. Pigs were unclean animals under Jewish law; therefore, their abundant presence testifies that the people of that region were not living within the boundaries of the covenant’s holiness. In that place, where uncleanness had become ordinary, Christ comes not to judge from afar, but to enter in and to set free. This verse also prepares the next event, by which the destructive nature of the demons will be revealed. At the same time, it reminds us that Christ also comes to the places and the conditions that seem far from holiness to human eyes, so that His liberating grace may be established there.