Luke 8:26-39
The Healing of a Demon-possessed Man
26They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27When 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. 28When 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!" 29For Jesus had commanded the evil[b] 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.
30Jesus asked him, "What is your name?"
"Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
32A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. 33When 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.
34When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35and 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. 36Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37Then 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.
38The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39"Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
Jesus moves the hearts of men...Evil is in the world...That is a fact of life...Evil knows Jesus...Evil possesses some men...Evil recognizes Jesus immediately...Evil works on one individual, and evil takes those who follow him to solitary places...Evil is strong...We learn this when Jesus is traveling to the region of Gerasenes, which is across the lake of Galilee...There Jesus meets a man that is demon possessed...The man had not worn clothes for a long time...The man did not live in a house...The possessed-man had lived in the tombs...Many times he was chained both hand and foot and kept under guard by the demon in solitary places...
Jesus takes evil and the evil one very seriously...As soon as the demon-possessed man saw Jesus, he recognizes Him..."What do You want with me", the possessed man asks...The possessed man also knows He is the Son of the Most High God...The possessed man did not want to be tortured by Jesus...Jesus had commanded that the evil spirits come out of the man...
Jesus asks the man his name...The possessed man's evil spirit's name is Legion...This was because many demons had entered him...A legion was a large group of soldiers...Evil has consumed the man, had taken a name, called Legion...Evil is all around him, he cannot escape evil...The evil inside begged Jesus not to go into the Abyss...
The demons also begged Jesus to let them go into a large herd of pigs...Jesus gives them permission to go into the pigs...The demons come out of the man and into the pigs...The pigs, a large herd, rushed down a steep bank and into the lake and drown...
Those tending the pigs ran off and told the town and those around the countryside...The people that had heard the story came out to see what had happened...When they came to Jesus they saw the man sitting beside Him, in his right mind, and they were afraid... Those who had seen the event, explained to others how the demon-possessed man was healed...Then the people of Gerasenes ask Jesus to leave because they were overcome with fear...So Jesus got into a boat and left...The man who had been possessed begged Jesus to allow him to go with Him...Jesus told the man to return home and spread the word of what God had done for him... So the man went away telling everyone what Jesus had done for him...
Evil sometimes can overpower man...But Jesus has power over the evil one...Jesus is personal, and gets to know, and has a personal relationship with the man He cured...What comfort Jesus can bring to us...Jesus wants us to spread the good news like He ask the healed man (to do)..
What is interesting in this story is we do not get a sense that the people in this area want to follow Jesus...All the people of Gerasenes ask Him to leave...Not some people but all the people...They were overcome with fear...The people would have know the demon-possessed man...A naked man tied up by chains, with no home, would have just been a known thing in Gerasenes (or any region)...We are not told if the locals feared the awesome power of Jesus, the miracle cure, the pigs drowning, the evil spirits coming out of a man and into the pigs, or all of these... But regardless they want the most prolific, man and healer to leave the region...The people of Gerasenes were weak in faith and did not want to believe, they just wanted to get back to their lives...We cannot do that thing, like the Gerasenes, of wanting to get back to our normal lives...We can never forget, Jesus is the most important man to ever walk our earth...Our, our daily lives, all that important in a few hundred years...
Fearing God is part of knowing Him...God can heal anything...He can change anyone...When we see and hear things, we don't understand and even don't like is not a reason to run off the Truth...When we read the Bible, go to church, study about Jesus we must not run from them or run those ideas and thoughts off...We should try and want to get closer to Him...God is Love...Love does not happen with just one person, it takes two (or more) to have a relationship and to love...Since God is Love, He understands this far more than we can...For Love to exist God cannot be alone...In the Trinity, God Loves the Son, and Loves, the Holy Spirit...
Jesus wants us to be perfect, even the one, Legion (evil) possessed...We have to let go and give Jesus everything...We need Jesus' help to do this...We must get rid of those things that cause us to sin...Then give Him everything...Everything, not just our thoughts, our beliefs, a small amount of our time every week, or even every day...Everything...Jesus teaches us God should be focused on Him...Once we learn this, we must share this...Like the healed man, once we realize this, we must praise Him and tell others...We must have Jesus work through us like the healed one...He (the healed one) had felt the Holy Spirit...He felt LOVE...