April 10 - Legion

April 10 - Legion - Mark 5:1-20

6000 soldiers in a Roman Legion. Six thousand! A single demon possessing a man is one too many. Whether or not this is a literal number, it is too many.

As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, this poor man came to meet him. He was living in the tombs, which were hollows carved out of the rocky hillside. He was a bloody mess from cutting himself with sharp stones and he wore no clothing. That he could no longer be bound meant that at one time, people were able to approach him to shackle him - maybe even for his own protection, but his strength grew to be so great that those no longer held him. (Mark 5:1-5)

He saw Jesus coming and he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. While scripture says that every knee shall bow, this was not in an attitude of worship, but was an homage to the acknowledged power of Jesus. Then, screaming at Jesus, the demon used his full name and title, "Jesus, Son of the Most High God." He then used appealed to God in asking Jesus to not torture him.

Notice how the next sentence begins ... "For Jesus was saying ..." As this demon was screaming at Jesus, the Lord was already speaking a command. Obedience would be imperative. The demon (s) knew that any command by Jesus would have to be obeyed, but hoped to trick Jesus into alalowing them to continue to exist. There was a herd of 2000 pigs on the hillside and the demon named Legion begged to be sent into the swine. An existence in swine would be preferable to being sent to the lake of fire. (Mark 5:6-13)

Gerasenes was a Gentile community. Pigs were not allowed within the Jewish community, so the pig herders would definitely have been Gentiles. When their herds plunged into the sea, they ran into town to tell everyone what had occurred. People came from all over to see this man, now dressed and in his right mind. They were terrified of Jesus' power! And then, they simply wanted Jesus to be gone. He had disrupted their way of life, had cost them financially and they did not want Him around.

The man begged to go with Jesus. The words used there imply that He was asking Jesus if he could become a part of the disciples. Jesus didn't let him do that, but asked him to return to his family to share the good news. Since the man was a Gentile, Jesus didn't press him to stay silent. His sharing of the good news would not disrupt Jesus' plans.

The Decapolis was a series of ten Greek cities. One man ... touched by the Savior, was able to share the Good News with thousands who were amazed. Amaze the world with your story!