Luke 8:26-31 (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 evil 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 him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
The area of the Gerasenes was inhabited mostly by gentiles. But Jesus had been sent on a mission there.
When they had landed onshore, the mission actually came running to Jesus! It was a poor man who had been taken captive by a large number of demons. Very little of the man’s backstory is given by the gospel writers, but he had been possessed by demons, apparently in increasing numbers, for many years. He lived among the tombs (Mark 5:2-4), and even though the people of the area had tried to restrain him, he was given supernatural strength by the demons that enabled him to simply break the chains and shackles.
When Jesus came ashore, a tremendous battle raged inside the man. The demons that controlled him knew who Jesus was, and that He could send them into the abyss forever. They wanted to stay far away from Him. On the other hand, the man didn’t know who Jesus was, but he sensed the fear that the demons had of Jesus, so he thought that He might be able to deliver him from them.
So the man overcame the demonic control long enough to run to Jesus and throw himself at His feet. But it was the demons who spoke to Jesus, pleading for their very existence. Jesus asked the demon’s name not because of some formula for exorcism that He was following, but because He couldn’t believe what He was seeing when He looked at the man; He had never seen so many demons in a single person!
The man was at the end of his rope. But he had sized up the situation correctly, and had fought into the presence of the only one who could deliver him from his overwhelming oppressor.
Father, it is amazing to see how demons responded to Jesus’ presence. They were always terrified. There was never any fight against Him, just pleading for their existence. The demons were never cocky with Him, but trembled in terror at His very presence. And that is the same Jesus who lives in me! With Jesus in my heart, I never need to be afraid of demons, no matter how scary or powerful they seem, or how many there are. Help me to always walk fearlessly in the world, knowing that the light of Christ lives in my heart, and is able to banish any darkness that I come across. Amen.