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 impure 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.
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There is so much here that stood out to me. First, Jesus has such authority over the demons that they couldn’t make any moves without Him saying so. Jesus has been given all authority…and it’s proven here. Secondly, the people missed out on the miracles and healings of Jesus because they gave into fear. How many times have we missed out on Jesus because we leaned more into our fear? And thirdly, Jesus didn’t push the issue when He was asked to leave. He just left. Jesus is not going to push you into a relationship with Him. It is up to us to determine how close we want to be with Him. But His love for us remains strong…just as it did for the people in the Gerasenes. He knew they were pushing Him away, but He set up the man He had healed to be His witness to a lost people. Jesus is incredible. This passage is incredible. Don’t let fear keep you from what Jesus want to do through and for you. And if He doesn’t feel near..:it’s not because He’s not, it’s because we have been running away and pushing away from Him. Just give God praise today…He is so good.
A Journey With Jesus 