The love of God reveals the spiritual, unseen reality all around us, including the ongoing battles with the kingdom of darkness, including demons. In the Gospels, one demon gives his name—Legion.
Many people today don’t realize the spiritual war around us. Too often, we dismiss belief in the Devil and demons.
However, Jesus knew they existed and dealt with them directly. We can learn some important things about how he dealt with them when we look at the story of his interaction with the demon Legion.
Which Gospels Mention Jesus Meeting a Demon Named Legion?
The encounter between Jesus and Legion is recorded in three Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each Gospel provides unique details while presenting the overarching narrative of Jesus’ authority over demonic forces.
In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus and His disciples arrive in the region of the Gerasenes and are immediately met by a man possessed by an unclean spirit. This man lived among the tombs and was so strong that no one could bind him, even with chains. Night and day, he cried out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. The unclean spirit called itself Legion, for it was many. The demons begged Jesus not to send them out of the country but to let them enter a nearby herd of pigs. Jesus granted their request. The demons left the man and entered the pigs, causing them to rush down the steep bank into the sea, where they drowned.
The people who witnessed this event were afraid and asked Jesus to leave their region, which he did. The man who had been possessed begged to follow Jesus, but Jesus instructed him to go home to his friends and tell them what great things the Lord had done for him.
In Matthew 8:28-34, two demon-possessed men meet Jesus, and they are described as so violent that no one could pass by that way. Like in Mark’s account, the demons recognize Jesus as the Son of God and plead with Him not to torment them, then are cast into a herd of pigs, which run into the sea and drown.
Luke 8:26-39 provides additional details. Luke highlights the initial confrontation between Jesus and the demon-possessed man—how the man was often restrained with chains but kept breaking free and being driven by the demon into solitary places. After Jesus commands the unclean spirits to leave the man, Legion causes a convulsion and then leaves. The reaction of the man, the onlookers, and Jesus’ instructions to the man after his deliverance are also included. Luke includes how the man, now delivered from the demons, asks to leave with Jesus, but Christ tells him to stay in the town as a witness instead.
Why Do the Demons Say Their Name is Legion?
The term Legion was likely chosen by the demons to convey the idea of a large, organized military unit. In Roman times, a legion typically consisted of thousands of soldiers, highlighting the multitude and strength of the demonic forces within the possessed man. The military legion’s strength allowed the Romans to build the largest empire in the world. By identifying as Legion, the demons emphasize their collective power and overwhelming nature. The Gospels mention how no people could control the demon-possessed man, not even with chains. The name Legion could have been a boast by the demon that no human could stop him. Of course, Christ was no ordinary human.
This military connection may also reflect how the demons affected the man. Just as a legion in battle operates with strategic coordination and unity, the demons worked together to cause turmoil within the man.
A legion symbolized strength, authority, and control in the Roman Empire. By casting out the Legion of demons with a word, Jesus demonstrates his supreme authority over all spiritual powers and forces, asserting His sovereignty as the Son of God.
Why did the Man Possessed by Legion Live in Tombs?
Being possessed by a legion of demons, the man likely experienced severe mental and spiritual torment. The kingdom of darkness prefers to operate in the shadows. Demons often seek places of desolation and isolation, away from human habitation, to inflict suffering on their victims. Living among the tombs provided the possessed man with a solitary and bleak environment where he could be tormented without interference or restraint. The tombs represented a place of darkness, death, and despair, mirroring the man’s inner turmoil and alienation from society.
The Jewish culture viewed tombs as unclean and unholy places associated with death and impurity. The possessed man likely expressed his spiritual defilement and separation from the community by dwelling among the tombs. Living among the tombs may have also served as a warning to others, symbolizing the pervasiveness of evil and the consequences of sin.
The kingdom of darkness leads to death, so the man’s residence in the tombs reflected his identification with death. By associating himself with the dead, the possessed man may have been expressing his alienation from the living and his bondage to the forces of darkness. Like the tombs themselves, the man was filled with death, decay, and spiritual darkness due to the influence of the legion of demons. His residence among the tombs underscored the depth of his spiritual oppression and the urgent need for deliverance.
Why Does Legion Beg Jesus Not to Cause Trouble?
When Jesus arrived, the demons reacted. Christ possessed so much power his very presence provoked a response. Jesus’ presence caused the demon to submit, which should encourage us.
The demon started the conversation, declaring Jesus the Son of God. Recognizing Christ’s authority, the demons feared the consequences. “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name, don't torture me!” (Mark 5:7). The demons know Jesus could cast them out and possibly send them to the abyss or eternal torment, and they sought to avoid this fate.
Legion begged Jesus not to send them out of the region, perhaps fearing being left without a host or a place to dwell. In Matthew, the demons pleaded with Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs” (Matthew 8:31). The demons preferred to inhabit the nearby pigs rather than face expulsion or punishment.
Interestingly, despite their evil nature, the demons appealed to Jesus’ mercy and compassion, hoping for leniency. In Luke, the demons begged Jesus not to order them into the abyss. The demons sought to continue their destructive work in the region, causing chaos and inflicting harm upon humanity. By requesting permission to enter the nearby herd of pigs, the demons hoped to continue their evil activities, albeit in a different form.
Do We Know What Happened to the Man Possessed by Legion?
Following his miraculous deliverance, the man’s life was profoundly changed.
First, the Gospels note the response of the nearby people. These Jews had dealt with this demon-possessed man for years. They had tried to chain him like an animal, to no avail. His tortured existence in the graveyard was a constant source of fear.
However, upon seeing the man completely delivered, the people didn’t react with joy and celebration. Surely, the healed man had personal relationships, perhaps family, with those in the area. Yet the Bible doesn’t record anyone praising God. Instead, they were afraid and asked Jesus to leave.
This reaction is like when Jesus calmed the sea. His 12 disciples had woken Jesus up and expressed how they were about to die because of the storm, even implying Jesus didn’t care about them since he’d been sleeping. But when he stood and calmed the sea, commanding the storm to stop, his disciples (who had likely seen him heal many people) also shook with fear.
It’s one thing to talk about God’s power. It’s quite another when we experience it ourselves. We properly respond with fear and awe at a power beyond what we imagined, someone able to do the impossible. The people in the Gerasenes reacted in fear. They asked Jesus to leave.
The man who had been delivered wanted to leave with Jesus. Possibly in response to the locals who wanted to avoid experiencing more of his power, Jesus tells the man to stay and be a witness of God’s work. “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (Mark 5:19).
The man obeyed Jesus’ command and went throughout the Decapolis (the ten towns), proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him. Just as his previous life had been known throughout the region, now he became a regular reminder of God’s mercy and salvation through Jesus.
The early church told these stories to remind themselves of the demonic activity around them and the authority and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. These stories still exist. Whether during revivals or overseas missionary reports, believers still declare Jesus has the authority to heal and even cast out demons. Let’s allow these stories to remind us of the same things in our day and age—we are in a spiritual war, yet King Jesus has all power over these demons.
Peace.
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