The term “personal demons” is used a lot these days to describe persistent issues people wrestle with on a daily basis. This is but another example of the media rejecting the message of the Bible while stealing its terminology. (They plagiarized the term “born again” long ago order to describe remarkable comebacks by failed politicians.)
One man who had a host of personal demons screamed questions at Jesus. He had many demons and spoke of himself in both the singular and the plural: “MY name is Legion, for WE are many.” If the man’s body had been a building he would have been living in the basement, with the demons occupying the upper floors and exercising naming rights. The Lord’s authority forced the unclean spirit to identify itself, and it readily did so. It then said three things, all short and to the point.
The first thing the demon said was “Ha! What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth?” The Lord could have answered, “Nothing whatever!” As Paul would later write, “What fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) Christians cannot allow the coexistence of unclean things and holy things in their lives. This unclean spirit knew that the same prohibition applies in reverse.
The second thing the demon said was “Did you come to destroy us?” The answer to that was “Yes!” But Jesus came to save sinners, not to destroy demons. (That will come later.) Do you believe that there is to be a judgement on everyone that hates and opposes God and Jesus Christ? Demons do, as this one said clearly.
The demon then said, “We know who you are – the holy One of God!” The unclean spirit in the man knew who Jesus was, even though religious leaders didn’t. “The holy One of God” is simply another way of saying “The Son of God.” (Matthew 8:29) The terrified spokes-demon volunteered this amazing confession! Jesus would not allow the demon to continue and commanded it to be quiet and to come out.
Likewise, Paul was upset with an evil spirit in a young woman that identified him and even advertised his ministry (Acts 16:18). Paul put up with it for days and then told it to leave, the same as Jesus had done. These days, the possessed Legion would soon be a guest on a television talk show.
We know the encounter worked out well for the man, if not for some pigs. The demons fled out of the man and into a herd of pigs on a nearby hill, which then panicked and rushed over the edge of a cliff and into the sea, where they drowned. The man formerly known as Legion fell down at the feet of Jesus. Soon after, he was clothed and in his right mind. The locals (who were not Jews) saw the carcasses of their herd of pigs floating in the water and begged Jesus to get back into the boat! The man wanted to go with him, but Jesus told him to go and tell his family and friends what great things God had done for him.
Jesus had journeyed through a raging night storm on a lake to dispossess those demons and to restore that man to his right mind. People on the Jewish side of the lake would not have kept pigs but had their own, personal demons. These entities are still around — we hear them in the screams of demented fanatics in the media. Jesus wants to save them, as he did us, and it’s our turn to calm stormy seas, free demon-crazed people, and get them saved and back into their right minds.
So, instead of just viewing the news — let’s make the news!