Encounters with Jesus - Pt 11

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.” 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.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. (Luke 8:28-32 ESV).

Our encounter today follows Jesus calming the storm. When Jesus and his disciples arrived on the shore they were met by a man possessed by demons. Luke records details of this amazing and instructive encounter. The spirits in the man recognized the true identity of Jesus, addressing him as “Jesus, Son of the Most High God” (v. 28). When Jesus asks, “What is your name?” we learn that Jesus is confronted by not just one, but by a legion of spirits. A legion numbers anything from three thousand to six thousand. Our minds cannot really grasp hold of that, and this very difficulty is evidence of the greatness of Jesus' power and authority. Alone he stands against this legion of evil. So aware are these spirits of the authority of this one man that they cringe before him begging his permission to go into the herd of pigs when they come out of the man. They know that they have to leave the man. They know they cannot enter the pigs without Jesus' permission. We can almost see them cowering with fear in his presence. The power of this incident is not lost on the people in the nearby town. They hear the report of what has happened. They come to see if it is true. They see the man totally changed. They see, perhaps, the bodies of the pigs floating in the lake. They hear the story again from those who saw it happen. And they cannot handle it. They cannot bear to have this powerful person in their town. In their fear they keep on begging him to go away. They are afraid of his power and authority. He is too big for them. They would rather have had the mad man. They would rather have had their herd of pigs. They would rather have had the demons. Any of these, but not the Son of God! Within the report of this incredible encounter with Jesus is a message and a challenge for us. Here in our midst stands the One to whom all authority is given, here in our midst stands the Lord of all. The choice is clear. We may, like the inhabitants of this town, reject him and send him away; or, we may, like this one man, commit ourselves to him and find ourselves “in our right mind.” What do you choose today?