This guy was terrifying. He ran around with no clothes on. He was clearly wild and out of his mind. And there was so much supernaturally force upon him that when they tried to chain him up and put a guard around him, the man was able to break the chains multiple times.

Then it was the crying and the cutting. The man cried out constantly. And he used stones to cut himself. He had cuts all over his body.

He was an embarrassment to the town. And he was a terror to them. The only grace was that he lived up in the tombs. The tombs! It wasn’t exactly an ideal place when one wanted to bury someone, or go be near their deceased relative. It brought grief upon grief.

When Jesus arrived, he was met by this man. I’m sure people told him to avoid this area. It would be “wisdom.”

But Jesus does not run. Instead he confronts evil.

Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.  When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs.  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. So he gave them permission.  Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.  Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.  And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed.  Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned.  The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,  “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

It’s always interesting that the men with 1000 Scriptures could not recognize Jesus, but the demons knew who he was and were very afraid. They stated clearly that this was Jesus, Son of the Most High God.

The demons begged Jesus not to send them to the Abyss. That’s scary. The abyss is real.

In a strange way Jesus had mercy on them and instead sent them into the pigs. The demons came out of the man, went into the pigs, and the pigs who were now out of their mind jumped off the cliff. It had to have been a confusing, terrifying scene.

Naturally the townspeople asked Jesus to leave. The large herd of pigs represented great wealth that was now gone. Mark says it was 2000 pigs which was huge. And they couldn’t exactly stand up to Jesus because clearly a huge miracle had just been performed.

And it’s true. The value of the man was far greater than the pigs.

But nor was it Jesus who sent the pigs to their death. It was the demons.

The whole town was terrified of this powerful prophet or man or whoever he was. They just wanted him out. So he left. The newly delivered man wanted to go with him, but Jesus said no.

I can imagine the formerly demon-possessed man wanting to leave. It was terribly embarrassing. He had run around naked for years and lived in tombs of the dead. He was a mockery of the town for sure. But more importantly, a man typically does not open himself up to that much demonic activity unless he was deeply hurt and likely couldn’t forgive. Unlike bitterneess and unforgiveness could have opened up a door that wide.

But Jesus told him to go back. To face his town, his former friends and his family. And he was to tell them how much Jesus had done for him.

So the man did.

He humbled himself, faced his embarrassment, faced the hurt, and told people of the miraculous work of Jesus. Jesus was more important to him than his pride. He was a changed man.

This event has so much to it.

1) Jesus was mightier than thousands of demons, and he commands them.

The question has always been, “who is Jesus?” The demons answer that. He is the Son of the Most High God. But also Jesus demonstrated it. At his word 2,000 demons (or more) left the man and went into pigs. Jesus was no joke. He had power over the darkness.

2) The power of God is one that does not bow to fear when the need to show compassion is present.

Certainly people tried to warn Jesus to not go where he went. But Jesus went. Not to show his power alone but to show his compassion.

At times Jesus moved away from dangerous situations. It wasn’t his time. He would walk through crowds or leave places where he was not wanted.

But in this moment, it was about compasson. And love triumphs over fear.

3) We are compelled to tell people how much Jesus has done for us

This is the gospel. Telling others who he is and what he has done. First and foremost that he died for our sins so that we might live with him.

And also telling what he has done for us personally.

Oftentimes that means humbling ourselves. Forgiving others. And just simply putting Jesus above ourselves.