Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?' And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him

 

 Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?'  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.  

 

Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  

 

Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.  

 

- Luke 8:26–39 

 

On Saturday, we read that Jesus, following His teaching of the Parable of the Sower, told His disciples, "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him." Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."   But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the  lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 

  Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time.  And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, do not torment me!"  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.  For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demons into the wilderness.  Jesus asked him, saying, "What is your name?  And he said, "Legion," because many demons had entered him.  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.   These demons recognize Jesus as the Son of the Most High God.  The Orthodox Study Bible comments that they are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment, and they are afraid of torment, and that He would command them to go out into the abyss.  The Study Bible comments that although the malice of the demons is great (witness the state of this man bound with chains and shackles, and reduced to living in the tombs) they can do nothing against the will of God.  

 

 Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain.  So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them.  And He permitted them.  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.  When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  And they were afraid.  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart, for they were seized with great fear.  And He got into the boat and returned.  The Orthodox Study Bible remarks that some teach the the presence of the swine indicates a Gentile population.  But although this was a Hellenistic region, being in the Decapolis, because our Lord forbade His disciples to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5) and was Himself reluctant to seek out the Gentiles (Matthew 15:24), it is more likely that these were Jews engaged in a sinful occupation in order to profit from a Gentile population.  Moreover the Study Bible notes that the destruction of the entire herd of swine reveals several things.  First, while animals are a venerable part of creation, human beings are of greater value.  Additionally, Christ removes a source of sin, for swine herding was an abomination to the Jews (Deuteronomy 14:8).  Moreover, demons have no power over creation, but are subject to the will of God.  They can only enter the swine at Christ's command.  It asks us to note that people are protected under God's providence; otherwise, the demon-possessed man would have come to the same end as the swine.  Finally, the magnitude of this economic loss of the swine would remain as a sign for the hard-hearted people who fled from this region.  

 

 Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him.  But Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you."  And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.  Here is redemption; Christ sends the man out, back to his own house, with the good news of the gospel and his salvation from the demons -- to "tell what great things God has done for you."

 

How do we understand the demonic?  From the portrayals in the Gospels, especially this story of the man afflicted by a Legion of demons,  we understand primarily their parasitic and afflicting nature toward human beings.  While the demons beg not to be tormented by Christ, they clearly torment this man.  For he cannot live among human beings so long as the demons are active; he is bound with shackles and chains, forced to live among the tombs, without clothes, kept under guard like a prisoner.  He is also driven by the demon into the wilderness.  He's a forlorn and forgotten person in a type of isolated prison among the dead, living in an image of hell.  Let's note how the demons, in accordance with this story, cannot do anything to Christ, for He has the power to command them.  Instead they afflict human beings, causing pain and misery.  It appears also that the longer they have influence over someone, the worse and more desperate the person's condition becomes.  Here they have driven this man further and further into the wilderness, away from human community.  As the Study Bible comments, we see the malice of the demons in this story.  There's another element told in this story that is important to understand, and that is the hold they exert over the man and this place as the people in his surroundings prefer things this way.  They'd rather have their swine and the profit they make, than to see the healing that comes from Christ.  The healing of this demon-possessed man comes with change, and they don't want that change.  In fact, his healing leaves them terrified.  This, too, is an important and essential component to the story, for it speaks of how we become used to conditions in which human beings do not thrive; on the contrary, we may be living in a sea of less-than-ideal realities, even maladies we don't identify but rather adapt to.  In Christ's parable of the wineskins, He comments regarding the change that comes with the new covenant, and how human beings resist even positive change.  In a verse found only in St. Luke's Gospel (Luke 5:39), Jesus adds, "New wine must be put into new wineskins, and both are preserved.  And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, 'The old is better.'"  The "new wine" in today's story is the conditions that come about through Christ's healing of this formerly demon-afflicted man, and the death of the swine.  The people in this region preferred the old, for the healing of this man shakes up the way that things were.  This is not such a shocking or strange observation, for many a reformed addict or person with a newly adopted healthy lifestyle coming out of self-destructive behavior can comment on the disruption this may cause in their personal lives, even among their families.  Twelve Step programs such as Al-Anon are specifically meant to address such problems and difficulties where harmful or destructive behaviors have been adapted to within a system or community.  But Christ as Lord, as Son of the Most High God, is the only One who can declare what is good, what is truly righteous for us.  He is the One who will judge what healing truly looks like.  But most of all, He is the Physician who heals, who brings deliverance and salvation.  But clearly, this does not please everyone.  Change is not easy nor is it simple, and change is an essential part of repentance, Christ's healing.  In fact, the Greek word translated as repentance means literally "change of mind."  Let us embrace His path, His Way, despite such difficulties.