Jesus Heals the Demoniac

And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Luke 8:26 -36

Steps: 1, 2, 3, 11, 12

The disciples are in for another exciting event. The night before they had been in the storm and Jesus had rescued them. Now when they landed in the country of the Gadarenes they saw another scary sight – a man possessed by devils. This man was naked, cut himself with stones, and lived in the tombs. This man had often been bound by chains but he was so supernaturally strong that he could break the chains and wondered around the wilderness wailing in his agony. But when this man saw Jesus he cried out to Him the best that he could. Jesus called out the demons and allowed them to go into a herd of swine. The swine then ran down the steep place and into the lake where they were choked, or drowned. Jesus allowed this to happen to draw the attention of the people to their loss of money in the pigs, and to call their attention to the fact that Jesus had healed someone that they could not. This attention was to eventually win many souls to Christ.

Prayer for Today: God, You know that all of us have acted like this demon possessed individual at one time or another. Forgive us again, and help us to look to you with as much hope as this man did. Grant us victory over the things that bind us, and cause us confusion. Free us to worship You in purity and holiness.