Legion!

“And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him” (Luke 8:30).

When the Lord entered left Galilee for the land of the Gadarenes, we move one scene of chaos to another. Just before this passage, the Lord Jesus was asleep in the boat as a violent storm raged on the Sea of Galilee. At a word from Him—“Peace, be still”—the storm was subdued and a great calm followed. Now, as in Gadara we encounter a different kind of storm, not on the waters but in a man’s soul. Here again the King of glory comes to subdue chaos and to bring peace, and He does so not by force of arms but by the sovereign power of His word and His grace.

When Jesus steps onto Gentile soil, He does not leave His authority behind. Unlike the false gods of the heathen, who were thought to rule only within certain territories, He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He goes where He wills, and He wills to go into this dark, heathen region to display His grace and His dominion. Immediately He is confronted by a man whose condition shocks us: naked, homeless, living among the tombs, violent and uncontrollable. This is a man made in the image of God, yet utterly broken, dehumanized, and enslaved. He once belonged to the city, but now he dwells among the dead. It is a fitting and terrible picture of what sin and Satan do to a human being!

We are told that this man had been possessed by devils for a long time. We know nothing of how he came to this state, and Scripture does not invite us to speculate. What we are shown are the effects. He cannot live in a house. He cannot keep his clothes on. He is dangerous to himself and to others. Chains and fetters cannot hold him, because a terrible, unnatural strength bursts forth when the demons rage within him. He is driven into the wilderness, no longer living as a man among men but as something wild and terrifying. And yet, for all this, he remains a man—precious, valuable, and worthy of compassion. That is why Jesus comes to him.

When Jesus asks his name, the answer comes back: “Legion.” Not one demon, but many—an occupying force, an army of darkness! These beings have infested his mind, his will, his emotions, his reason. He is their hostage, their tool, a plaything for their mockery. They do not care about his dignity or his suffering, the grief of his family or the fear of the townspeople. And so we see that Satan and his kingdom are predatory. They aim to dethrone man, to enslave him, to ruin him, precisely because he bears God’s image. This is what the kingdom of darkness does wherever it gains a foothold.

We must not imagine that Luke records these things out of naïveté or superstition. He was a careful man, a physician, attentive to detail. He knew the difference between illness and possession, and he presents this account with sober clarity. The demonic realm is real, powerful, and cruel. The devils know who Jesus is. They cry out, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God,” and they tremble. They hate Him, yet they cannot resist Him. They know He is their judge, and they fear that the time of their torment has come.

Here we see Jesus revealed as both Deliverer and Judge. He has intentionally crossed into Gentile territory, not by accident but by design. Though His earthly ministry focused first on the lost sheep of Israel, He has other sheep who are not of that fold, and He must bring them also. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested: to destroy the works of the devil.” All humanity by nature lies under Satan’s tyranny, whether Jew or Gentile, religious or pagan. And so Jesus comes straight into the graveyard, straight into the stronghold of darkness, and He confronts Legion head-on.

With a word, Jesus subdues what no one else could control. The demons beg Him! They plead not to be banished a mysterious abyss, pleading instead to enter a herd of swine. Observe that they can do nothing without His leave. They need His nod. When He does grant it, they rush into the pigs, which then plunge into the lake and perish. It is a dramatic, terrifying scene, but it reveals a glorious truth: Jesus has absolute authority over the powers of darkness. He binds the strong man in order to plunder his house. In a moment, without any effort or merit on the man’s part, Jesus sets him free by sovereign grace.

Yet notice that Jesus does not destroy the demons utterly at this moment. Full judgment awaits the cross. The final defeat of Satan will come through Christ’s apparent weakness, through His suffering and death. The One who commands Legion here is the same One who will hang on the cross, and only by that path will Satan’s power be broken forever. This deliverance, then, points forward to Calvary.

When the people come out from the city, they see something astonishing. The man who once terrified them is now sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind. Grace has restored nature. Order has subdued chaos, and peace has overcome torment. The man’s reason, will, and emotions are no longer hijacked; they are under new management. He is calm, attentive, and whole. This is what Christ does when He saves. He does not merely restrain evil: He restores humanity.

Dear friends, this is what it means for Christ to set us free. If He has subdued you by His grace, then in principle your mind, your will, and your affections are under His lordship. You are no longer driven by raw impulses and enslaving passions. Self-control, which is a fruit of the Spirit, now belongs to you. You are called to live it out, to exercise it, to grow in it. Christ has done the decisive work; now you must walk in the freedom He has given!

Look again at that man, sitting at Jesus’ feet. Where once there was slavish fear, now there is loving wonder. Where once there was rage, now love rules. He has nothing to fear anymore, for Perfect Love has cast out fear. With Legion cast out, what else can he ever dread? And the same is true for all who are in Christ. Neither death nor life, angels nor principalities, things present nor things to come, can sever us. No fear, Christian! No torment! It belongs not to you—not ever, ever again.

Yet the reaction of the townspeople is sobering. Instead of rejoicing, they are afraid. They plead with Jesus to leave. Tragically, the loss of the swine matters more to them than the restoration of a man. The presence of divine power unsettles them. And so Jesus departs, but not without leaving a witness. The delivered man begs to go with Him, and that desire is good and understandable. But Jesus sends him back to his home, to his people, to tell what great things God has done for him.

This is an early Kingdom foothold: a strategic beachhead. This, friends, is a reminder that Christ claims the world as His own. He makes an incursion into enemy territory and declares it conquered. Though He returns to Israel, the gospel will follow, carried by preachers sent into all nations. The kingdom of darkness does not own this world; Christ does!

Friend, hear the call of the dispossessed. Stay free, you who have been set free! Outside the kingdom of Christ there is only darkness, and that darkness presses constantly against the light. Remain within the fortress of Christ. Cultivate a godly community. Build homes, raise children, teach the faith, labor diligently, and invest all of life for the kingdom. But do so in dependence on God, not in the strength of the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God.

Be also alert to the real dangers of the occult and false religion. These are not relics of the ancient world; they flourish wherever God is rejected. Satan works not only through overt darkness but through lies, hatred, lust, and deception. Resist him. Give him no place. Stay close to the Lord.

And finally, are you yet in bondage? Do you tremble under the power of the Devil, “him who has the power of death?” Friend, there is no bondage so sure, no chain so strong, no curse so old that Christ cannot break it. Legion was not stronger than Christ, and neither is whatever binds you. If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. Be free now, for He wills it!