The Demons Speak
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Then they (Jesus and
his disciples) came to the other side of
the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes.
And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him
out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling
among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not
even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains
(supernatural strength).
And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in
pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in
the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones
(self destructive, one of Satan's gigs).
When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with
a loud voice and said, "What have I to do
with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that
You do not torment me." For He said
to him, "Come out of the man,
unclean spirit!"
Then He asked him, "What
is your name?"
And he answered, saying, "My name is
Legion; for we are many." Also he begged Him
earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. Now a large herd
of swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him,
saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may
enter them." And at once Jesus
gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the
swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the
steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
This is an interesting situation, the demons acknowledge, actually acknowledge Jesus, as the "Son of the Most High God," and that they understand that Jesus' authority comes from the Father when they said, "I implore You by God that You do not torment me." Just by His words, Jesus shows His authority over this legion of demons. Like the demons, just because we acknowledge who Jesus is does, not save us. What saves us is this: John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. We believe in who Jesus was, the Son of God, and we believe and trust on what He accomplished on the cross, taking the punishment for our sins. This is a relying trust, that we rely on Him each day. This is a relationship, not a religion. Reading God's Word, (the Bible), and prayer as well as having a desire to please God with the conduct of our lives, is evidences that we are trusting and relying on Him. Being obedient to His Word and doing good things, simply are a way to say "thanks" to God for what He has done, namely, sending Jesus to save us.
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