Luke 8: 26-37 (NIV): They sailed to
the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When
Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a
long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in
the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting
at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High
God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the impure
spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was
chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had
been driven by the demon into solitary places.
Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,”
he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus
repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. A large herd of pigs
was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into
the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the
man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the
lake and was drowned.
When those tending the pigs saw what had
happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and
the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they
found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet,
dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it
told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the
people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they
were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
The demons who
were possessing this man knew exactly who Jesus was. They knew he had the power
to send them back to hell, so they shouted at a distance at him and begged him
not to do so. How bad is hell if demons would rather live inside a pig than
spend one minute there?
In the
Bible, we find that the supernatural powers identified Jesus before any people
did. This is exactly what we would expect. (James reminds us that demons know
who Jesus is, they know that there is one God, but it doesn’t save them. James
2:19. Remember, head knowledge doesn’t save us, we must put our trust in Jesus
for salvation.)
This poor
man had suffered for years. He had been cast from society. He lived out among
the graves, eating what food he could scrounge. He didn’t have any clothes or
any other material possession, including shelter. Yes, many people think the
devil is full of fun and adventure, but this man would tell you how horrible it
is to be possessed. Satan is not our friend, and his demons want to kill, steal
and destroy (John 10:10). Jesus came along and set him free. That’s what
he does.
But here’s
where the story takes an interesting twist. The legion of demons (six thousand)
who were possessing this man begged Jesus to send them into the herd of pigs
instead of back to the abyss – to hell. Jesus granted their request because he
is showing us something here: he is showing that he will ruin an entire village’s
economy to save one man. That’s how much he loves us, and how valuable one soul
is. The pigs didn’t like being possessed any more than the man did and
immediately killed themselves.
The
townspeople asked Jesus to leave. Luke said because they were frightened, perhaps
that he might do more harm to their economy. The supernatural is always
frightening, but we needn’t fear, God is always up to something good, and he
will move heaven and earth to save us.
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