an enormous livelihood, and their loss an economic catastrophe. The good done to the demoniac results in great misfortune for the swineherds. Ironically, both Jesus and Mark pass over the obvious plight of the swineherds without comment.26 As it stands, the story directs undivided attention to the rescue of one man from a tragic and torturous fate. Here perhaps is the essential moral of the miracle, surpassing even the dilemma of the loss of pigs. In the eyes of Jesus, the rescue and restoration
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