We Are Legion

In the Country of the Gadarenes, around 30AD, a small ship could be seen drifting in from the west. Upon the sea af Galilee, a group of men had just survived one of the harshest storms one could imagine surviving. Of course, they had a miracle worker on board so they had that going for them. Upon docking, A man approached from nearby. But this was no ordinary man. As a matter of fact, this was not just a man at all for the Bible says he was infested with demons. Naked, bruised, and living amongst the graves, this man had been known to all the peoples of Gadarenes as a demoniac. People lived in fear of this crazed man who had been tormented by a legion of spirits. They would bind him in chains and detain him outside of the cities to keep him from stirring up trouble but due to the strength the spirits lent him, he would in time snap the shackles from his wrists and would be free to roam the cemeteries and trouble the people once again. I call it irony, but the idea of a man possessed freeing himself from his shackles to be (and I use air quotes here) “free” and yet still being tormented by many demons is an interesting foreshadow to what was about to come. It’s almost symbolic in a sense because freedom, at least for this man, was right around the corner. And upon coming out to meet Jesus at the bay, this is exactly what he received. With a simple one word answer the pleading demons were cast out of the man and into a heard of pigs which met their fate there on those cliffs next to the sea. Demons are an intricate part of our religion, yet so many of us have absolutely no idea what they even are, much less how they got here. We see them as members of some satanic army but what if I told you that maybe, just maybe – they were all in our heads – or at least, were. --- Thank you for listening to this episode of Itinerant. If you enjoy the show, take a moment to subscribe, rate, and share it on with a friend. Word of mouth is a powerful thing and your recommendation is much appreciated. You can find out more about me and the show at itinerantpodcast.com. I co-host another podcast called The Reckless Pursuit. The Reckless Pursuit is a show dedicated to providing a safe place for Christians to ask unsafe questions. If you need a community of people where you can talk about your questions safely, we might just be your tribe. No matter your current church status or even religious views, all questions are welcome to help us grow and lay down our spiritual baggage. So if you feel like a spiritual Nomad we invite you to stop and rest. The journey is long but the beauty lies within it. Visit us there at https://therecklesspursuit.com. And until next time, keep searching, you never know what mysteries lie ahead.