Jesus v. Legion

1. Jesus and his disciples pull into shore after escaping the terrifying storm
   
2. I wonder if people on the land recognized that Jesus had made the storm stop suddenly
   
3. The man possessed by Legion came to meet Jesus as soon as he landed
   
4. Evil is often more perceptive about spiritual matters than those who are uninterested
   
5. This may be related to Revelation 3:14-16, in which Jesus tells the church at Laodicea that he wishes they were either hot or cold, not lukewarm
   
6. Evil is physically powerful
   
7. Kids who cut themselves are manifesting an ancient cry for spiritual help
   
8. Legion begs Jesus not to torture them
   
9. Jesus is responsible for torturing demons?
   
10. Hell is clearly torture, and Jesus is a prosecuting attorney of justice, so this is a consistent picture of Jesus' holiness
    
11. Jesus asked the demons' names
    
12. Even when facing evil, it is important to learn its names
    
13. What makes names so important?
    
14. Genesis 2:19-20: there is great power and authority in a name
    
15. Legion begs Jesus for mercy
    
16. Do they realize that they'd shown the man they possessed no mercy?
    
17. Do they care?
    
18. Legion requests to be sent into a herd of pigs
    
19. Pigs are an unclean animal to the Jews
    
20. Legion limits their request to the immediate physical vicinity
    
21. Why didn't they ask to be sent to, say, Africa or South America? Why stay local?
    
22. Are demons limited by spacetime the way that humans are? I thought that spirits weren't bound in the same way as physical beings
    
23. After the evil spirits possess the swine herd, the pigs stampede and drown in a local pond
    
24. Where do Legion go after the pigs die?
    
25. The man possessed by Legion experiences an immediate healing
    
26. The townspeople are unimpressed by this miracle and beg Jesus to leave
    
27. It appears that the people in this region were more concerned with pork profits than with the spiritual and physical health of the possessed man
    
28. These priorities are messed up
    
29. A single human is worth more than a whole herd of pigs
    
30. A single human is worth more than any amount of profit
    
31. A single human is worth more than x because humans are "created in the image of God" (cf. Genesis 1:27)
    
32. Jesus sends the healed man away, despite his pleas to travel with Jesus
    
33. Not every person who wants to serve Jesus in full-time ministry will be accepted, even if his motives are pure and his experience clear
    
34. God's plans cannot be fully understood here on earth
    
35. However, we can trust that God's plan is the best, no matter what life throws at us!