Have you ever heard someone say, “Business is business”? The point is usually to excuse something that is unjust by setting business apart from everyday life. The same thing happened in Jesus’ time.
We saw yesterday how a community was terrorized by two violent men. The residents had not been able to use the graveyard for some time, but because of Jesus those men were no longer a threat. You would think the town’s people would be grateful. But they weren’t. Jesus had destroyed their livelihood by sending the demons into the herd of pigs so that they drowned. The citizens of the local town wanted Jesus to leave immediately (Mathew 8:28-34).
The fact that these Jews were raising pigs demonstrates the hardness of their hearts. Moses had forbidden the Jews to touch pigs, much less raise them. Pigs were unclean. So the men of the city were already in rebellion against God. They didn’t even pretend to be righteous.
Rebellion blinds the hearts and minds of people so they cannot recognize the works of God that are right in front of them (Hebrews 3:12-13).
