The Healing of a Demon Possessed Man

I think of this picture every time I read the Biblical account of the demon possessed man in the Gospels. It's from an early '80's Iron Maiden album cover, Piece of Mind. I used to listen to heavy metal throughout my middle school and high school years. When metal evolved into grunge music including bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains, that became my music of choice. Every once in a while I'll listen to some of my favorite bands from those days. I'm listening to Ozzy Osbourne as I write this, but I typically listen to old hymns, Gospel and Contemporary Christian music, teaching sermons on Moody Radio and Christian persecution reports on Voice of the Martyrs Radio and Mission Network News.

The account of Jesus healing the demon possessed man is my favorite passage of scripture, possibly because it so closely reflects my own life and experience coming to faith in Jesus Christ. I thought I was a good person and had some sort of belief in God, so I guess I thought I would go to heaven when I died, but I never really thought about it. But the reality is, I was chained in bondage to sin and death. Pornography and alcohol addiction was leading me down a dark road and was ruining my marriage. I was extremely selfish and self-centered, caring only about my wants and needs. But then, "I met Jesus as he stepped ashore" and he set me free from the chains that held me in bondage to sin and death and he gave me new life in Christ. Since then, he's been telling me, as he tells us all, to "go and tell how much God has done for you."

They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes,which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.

Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.

A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them,because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him. - Luke 8:26-39