“They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened.” Mark 5:15
Today we have Jesus’ encounter with the Gerasene Demoniac. In Chapter 4, Jesus says “Let us go over to the other side”. As they arrive we’re told, “When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him”. This is what we know about him; he lived among the tombs; he had been bound with shackles and chains; he had torn them apart; constantly, night and day, he was screaming; and was gashing himself with stones. Not the kind of individual you want living next door!
Then,…he meets Jesus. We discover that he has so many Demons inside him that he is called “Legion” (3-6 thousand). When Jesus casts them out, they enter a herd of 2,000 swine and take them over a cliff and drown them in the sea. But Now, he is healed, “sitting down, clothed and in his right mind”. And how do his fellow citizens react? They are exuberant and begin to celebrate? No, they are “frightened” and “began to implore Him to leave their region”! Not the most Hospitable reception.
Some Thoughts: We are like Legion; Crazy, Uncontrollable, Self Destructive Sinners! We meet Jesus, who restores us to a Sound Mind and clothes us in His Righteousness. The Gerasene Citizens are like The World. They see the Power of God change a Sinner, and they want nothing to do with it. They want Jesus to Leave. How do we react? We want to be with Jesus. Jesus says no, go tell “what great things the Lord has done for you”. May WE be like Legion!!!