A Demon Possessed Man's Encounter With Jesus

Jesus and His disciples had just crossed the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had calmed a life threatening storm on the journey. Safely arriving on the shore, Jesus stepped out of the boat and was immediately met by a crazy, demon-possessed man. What would happen to this demon-possessed man as he encountered Jesus? What would come of the demons possessing the man as they encountered Jesus?

The demon-possessed man was in need of desperate help. Looking for shelter, he lived among the tombs. All day and all night he cried out often, and he even cut himself with stones. People often bound him with chains and shackles to protect him and those around him. But the man was too strong—he broke out of the chains and shackles, leaving everyone around him at a loss for ways to overcome him. This man, tortured by demons attempting to distort the image of God within him, desperately needed a miracle. And then Jesus stepped out of the boat.

As the man with unclean spirits saw Jesus, the demons inside him addressed the Lord directly. They referred to Jesus as the Son of the Most High God. They begged Jesus to not torment them and asked Him to send them into pigs feeding nearby. Jesus gave permission and the demons entered a herd of pigs, around two thousand. The pigs raced down the hill, crashed into the sea and drowned.
Try to imagine this scene. What would be going through your head if you witnessed this? Even though many at the scene did not fully understand Jesus, the demons knew He was the Son of God, the Savior of the world. The demons trembled in fear because they knew Jesus was greater, more powerful than the evil one, and they were forced to submit to him (James 2:19). This is the Jesus we believe. The Savior of the World, the Son of God, the One who is more powerful than the spiritual forces of evil we fight against each day (Ephesians 6:12).

Due to talk within the city and country, many came to see all that had happened. They found the man with unclean spirits now clean and in his right mind. A man who had once been insane, now sane; once irrational, now rational; once out of control, now in control; once chaotic, now sitting peacefully.

Even though you may have never been possessed by demons, have you ever felt insane, irrational, or out of control? Has your life ever felt chaotic? You see, when we have an encounter with Jesus, He creates beauty from ashes (Isaiah 61:3). He gives us a right mind and clear vision. He gives us peace (John 14:27) for He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). We become a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Once the movie-like scene had settled down, people were afraid after witnessing two thousand pigs run into the sea and seeing the man’s dramatic transformation. Their fear led them to beg Jesus to exit the region. But there was one man who wanted to go with Jesus: the one who had been freed of demons. He longed to go with Jesus, to be with Him, close to Him, near. When we encounter Jesus and He has changed our lives, we want more of Him. We long to be near Him. To know Him. To go with Him. Jesus’ kindness, mercy, and love toward this man changed him forever and created within him a desire to follow the Lord.