Mark 5:9-17

Mark 5:9-17 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man — and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” The demons controlled this man's tongue. He was their instrument for destruction and mayhem. He was theirs to try to lay waste to the lives around him. And for sure he was theirs to lay waste to his own life. The demons were in control of his physical body and his mind. When Jesus cast out the demons, they left his body and the man was in his right mind. He was no longer the demons' instrument, their possession. We Christians are not demon possessed, for the blood of Christ protects us from that, but we may be not in our RIGHT MINDS sometimes, for we might be trying to be many personalities and not true to ourselves. We might be like the insecure high school teenager who is playing many roles to find acceptance. We might consider ourselves to be named Legion because we may be many personalities for many insecure reasons. Of course all of us fulfill many different roles to satisfy the demands upon our lives. Women are wives, mothers, sisters, companions, workers, professionals, housekeepers, bookkeepers, chauffeurs, etc. Men have their own equally demanding and varied roles. All these responsibilities are important. However, sometimes we are like the juggler with all the balls up in the air, knowing some day when they start to come down, we will not be able to handle them all successfully.

We live under constant stress, trying to please others or ourselves. We are trying so hard to be successful in every area of our lives. We play the roles as best as we can. We put up the best facade we can to hide the insecure person behind the roles. Our everyday concerns--financial, relational, parental, religious, societal--bind us to anxiety, doubt, fear, and depression as surely as Legion was bound by demon possession. When Jesus comes to us and asks, “What is your name?” We reply, “My name is Legion. I carry many roles, many personalities, and I am filled with anxiety about my life, for I don't know whether I can make it." Then scripturally Jesus says, "Are you not more important than the sparrows? Do not be afraid, for God takes care of the sparrows, and He will take care of you, my precious child." If we can believe that, our relatives and close associates, those we meet each day, will be amazed to see Legion (us) sitting there, dressed and in his (our) right mind. This tranquil condition made the people of that day afraid, for the world is not in their right minds. When people see us at peace, even though we carry many roles, some very difficult, they will be awed as well, for this condition is not natural in our overly busy world, especially in the 21st Century with so many demands on our lives. Jesus said, "My peace, I give you. . ." Today, we have peace enough to meet our needs with peace leftover to share with others who are caught in the same juggling game.