Jesus reached the land of the Gerasenes, (also known as Gadara), in the hopes of having some time to rest. But once again, he was met by one who needed his help. A demon possessed man; torn by fury and madness, and deep in the dregs of degradation, came to meet him as he got off of the boat. Imagine the long nails, the dried blood on his arms and his legs and hands; his beard and hair caked with mud and sweat. We can only imagine the smell of this one who had been unable to take care of himself for so long. There were no hospitals, no sanitariums, and no asylums, and all efforts to try to control him (even chaining him) were to no avail. So, he was driven from human contact. Those who knew of him avoided him and denied responsibility for him. Their descendants are with us today -- please don't disturb my comfort, my possessions. Don't make me look or consider one who is so pitiful -- I have my own problems to deal with.

Does this describe mankind on the inside when he or she allows their souls to be controlled by Satan? When they allow sin to become their ultimate master? Perhaps this is but a small image of what life is like when we give in to the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes.

The demon possessed man fell down before Jesus in an attitude of worship , and consider if this worship came from the man himself or the demons? The demons do fall down and worship him on many occasions, because they know who he is. One day, all will fall down and worship Jesus (Philippians 2:10).

Jesus asks the demons,"What is your name?" "LEGION," the demons answer. He is not possessed by one, but by many. And the devils know that Jesus has the power to torment them, and to drive them out. They ask that they not be driven to the abyss, so they ask to be cast into a herd of swine. We can only conjecture why this request was made; one idea being that the demons wanted to possess something that had a body. But this was to be short lived, as all of the pigs ran down into the sea, in an effort to get away from the demons.

The response of the Gadarenes was that they were more concerned about the swine than the man. This is often the case with business ventures and the possible loss of money. It had to be an amazing sight -- the demon possessed man now clothed, bathed, in his right mind; the herd of swine's dead bodies floating in the sea, and the Gadarenes come into the presence of holiness. Luke tells us that these people were seized with great fear. They ask him to depart out of their coasts. What did they miss out on because of this fateful decision? How many decisions have we made that causes us to lose out on the greatest blessings in the world?

Jesus does leave, but he had one convert -- the demon possessed man. He wanted to go with Jesus. Whom among us would not desire the same thing -- Jesus had cleansed him; had shown concern for him when no one else had; and had made a difference in his life. He wanted to spend time with Jesus! But Jesus has a greater purpose for the man; he becomes Jesus' missionary in that area. This man could not help but tell others what Jesus had done for him. He had a story to tell that would make a difference in others lives and would cause them to look at Jesus! We have a story to tell as well -- point people to Jesus! Our faith grows as we give it away.