Luke 8:26-39--Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon

Luke 8:26-39
English Standard Version

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon
26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) 30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
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34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

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We previewed this session a bit last time, so I hope it helps you to see the connections and put yourself into the story a bit so that Jesus' disciples are now even more aware that His power and authority are not limited by geographical region, ethnicity, the natural realm, or the goodness of the recipient (they will have a problem with this last one for a while).  Jesus is going somewhere that the Pharisees would never dare to go--right into the heart of "enemy territory."  Immediately upon arrival, this demonized man was ready for them and approached Jesus (there is also another man with him who is also demonized who is only mentioned as being there, but didn't seem to do any of the talking and wasn't as memorable, but don't let the fact that one of the accounts mentions two demonized men and others only mention the man we'll see called Legion bother you).

This man hosted a multitude of demons within him, and it affected every part of his life.  He no longer lived in the city where he was from, likely because they tried to restrain him because he was dangerous, and also likely because the demons desired to isolate him from everyone else.  He lived among the tombs and went around naked.  The people of the town tried to restrain him with chains and keep him under guard (likely for his own protection as well as theirs), but the demons were so powerful that he would break through any chains that they put on him, probably doing great bodily harm to him, and he would run away from the guard into the desert.  It seems that these demons didn't care what they did to torture this man as long as they didn't kill their host.  Other passages even talk about this man cutting himself which again makes me think that these demons where out to emotionally, psychologically, and physically torture this man and probably anyone else that this man came in close contact with--everyone was scared for him and of him, but no one knew anything they could do for him.

​Jesus shows up and the demons, who seem to have a pretty good grasp on who Jesus is, start having a conversation through the man--it is difficult in this passage to see where the man's identity ends and the identity of the demons begin and it's even more complicated than that as there appears to be a host of demons here all speaking with a single voice, probably through a single spokesperson.  Is it possible that the demons have given their knowledge to the man and that he is speaking for them as he truly believes his identity is their identity?  It's possible as we see many people who lose their identity to their demons and like this man are among those we would call mentally ill or disturbed (notice that I did not say that every mentally ill or mentally disturbed person is demonized).  The demons proclaim that they know who Jesus is, the Son of the Most High God, and they think they know why He has come--to judge and torture them, for they know that they will be judged and tortured, and they know that Jesus will be the one to do so.


At some point here, Jesus has commanded the demons to come out and they seem resistant according to how I read Luke's account.  If we read it alongside the other accounts, there is some discussion with Jesus about not sending them to the abyss (a place where really bad demons are kept in chains until the end times when they will be released on the unbelieving world.  Apparently these demons thought they were the worst of the worst roaming around the earth and that Jesus was going to remove them from this realm and hold them over so that they could be part of His judgment on the world, but that they would start facing their judgment right now).  Jesus doesn't get into when or how they will be judged with them.  He asks "What is your name?"  I think this question is twofold.  It is to reveal to the man that his identity is in the demonize that are now in control of him, and it is to reveal to the disciples the extent of what's going on here--this man was being tortured by many demons (if we believe the word of this demon).  If the demon is telling the "truth" here, it is comparing the demonic presence in this man to the largest military unit of the Roman army.  I don't think the demons are trying to give an exact number here, but they are trying to talk a big game and say that there are lots of them and they think they are pretty powerful.  This is why the man replies with "Legion."

As mentioned before we see the demons trying to negotiate the terms of their punishment, asking not to be sent to the abyss (which they must have believed they deserved).  There are some pigs nearby for this region was not a Jewish region and was known for raising pigs.  It was probably even a way to help keep most of the Jewish people away from this region as pigs are unclean animals that the Jews would have nothing to do with.  That didn't stop Jesus from coming and doing what needed to be done, the demons weren't going to find escape by living outside of Israel or putting themselves in a tomb (somewhere unclean) or near a pig farm or among Gentile heathens that worshiped idols.  Jesus agrees to let the demons go into the pigs, for it is not the time for their final judgment yet, but unlike the man who they were able to torture while keeping him alive, the herd of pigs rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned themselves.  I'd imagine this was a pretty large herd of pigs and would gauge from the reaction of the citizens that this probably represented the city's primary source of existence (probably providing both food and income for them).

​The herdsmen see what happened and they go into the city to report it and the whole town and seemingly people from all around the surrounding area came out to see Jesus and confront Him.  How could He do such a thing to them?  They were scared both that Jesus had more power than the demons and that Jesus' power was so destructive to their way of life.  They saw how radically transformed this man once known as Legion was, for they found him clothed and in his right mind--probably something they had not seen for a very long time.  They also probably saw all the pigs drowned and floating in the Lake.  This was too much for them to handle and they asked Jesus to leave.  Where the disciples had been seized by the fear of the LORD and worshiped Jesus after He calmed the storm, these people are gripped by a different kind of fear and they push Jesus away, even in the face of greater evidence that He is Lord of all Creation (including the supernatural realm).

Jesus goes to get back in the boat to return, and the demonized man follows and asks to return to Jesus.  Jesus tells the man that he needs to return back to his home and declare how much the Lord has done for him.  Jesus commissions this man to be an evangelist.  The man doesn't know the whole gospel of Jesus dying on the cross and rising on the third day, but he knows the power of the transformation and new identity that Jesus could bring.  He was once in bondage to many demons and out of his right mind, but Jesus set the man free, put him in his right mind, and provided him with clothes to wear.  He could go back and be a part of his community again without being a danger to himself or others.  He could see his family again, and he could share this good news to everyone in the city that knew who he was and could see the transformation that had occurred.  This was not like the myths or legends that the Romans told.  This was this man's own story told in his own words and they were all witnesses to the transformation that had happened.  How then could the citizens of this city deny this power and authority and not expect to also be judged by the one who exhibited such great power?  Did they imagine themselves being safe if they simply sent Him away?  Jesus will come again one day as the Righteous Judge of the demons (angels that rebelled against God) and the people of this world who lived their lives in rebellion against God.    For those of us who are in Christ, we should see His power and marvel and bow down in worship.  For those who are outside of Christ, His power will probably bring about fear and trembling (its own form of worship), and we who are saved should not be surprised that this is the response of the unsaved.  They are under condemnation and in fear of judgment (see John 3:18-21).  The only hope of such people is to repent and believe the gospel.  That God that Jesus sends us back into our communities as evangelists and doesn't immediately remove us like this man wanted.  It's not easy, but the people around this man were also in bondage to the powers of darkness, they just may not have seen it exhibited in ways that were quite so evident.  Imagine this man that was once called Legion coming to you, "You too have your identity in sin, just like I did, but Jesus can heal you, and give you a new identity.  He did it for me, and I'm sure He can do it for you too."  What a powerful message that would be!