LEGION: A New Proclamation

I have been intrigued by this story since I first read it as a teenager. Something dark, spooky and weird intrigues me about it. The man called “Legion” (a legion in the Roman army had 6,000 soldiers) was full of evil. We don’t know how he got in such trouble, but clearly, he was both insane and terrifying. As Jesus did on numerous occasions (touching a leper, confronting the Pharisees, remaining calm in storms on the Sea of Galilee, handing the sop to Judas at the last supper, praying in the Garden, standing before Pilate, etc.) He again displayed incredible courage. Jesus knew who He was and would not be deterred or diverted from His mission. He came to proclaim good news to the captive. The formerly demon-possessed man had a story to tell. He became a proclaimer of good news too.

I was with an Asbury group one year in the land of the Gerasenes when we saw a herd of wild swine rush down the hill toward the Sea of Galilee. Yoav, our guide, said this was the season when this was common. Knowing this story from Luke 8 made it a stunning event for our group.