My Name is Legion!

My name is Legion

Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” (Mark 5: 9)

This is a very interesting incident recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke, although with slight variations. There are many commentaries already available on this. But this is from a different perspective.

Jesus and his disciples went to the country of Gadarenes. As soon as they came out of the boat, they met a man in a terrible state possessed by an evil spirit.

People of Gadarenes' View:

The people living around him knew quite a bit about him, so had informed Jesus and his disciples about him as recorded in Mark 5: 3, 4 &5

1)     He had his dwelling among the tombs

2)     No one could bind him

3)    not even with chains

4)    because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces

5)    neither could anyone tame him

6)     And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs,

7)    crying out

8)    cutting himself with stones.

Jesus View:

But Jesus was not alarmed by any of these information. No one had to tell him for he knew what was in each man (John 2: 25). So, Jesus already knew what was inside of this man. That’s why he had said, ‘Come out of the man, unclean Spirit’. Jesus knew exactly what was there inside! 

After Jesus ordered the unclean spirit to leave the man, something happened that made Jesus to ask a question, "What is your name?". So what happened when Jesus ordered the evil spirit to come out of that man? 

1)    The evil spirit inside of that man made the man to run towards Jesus and worship him. Perhaps the evil spirit thought if he worshiped Jesus, he will be satisfied enough to leave him alone.

2)    Then the evil spirit used God’s name to manipulate Jesus not to harm him (verse 5:7)

What is your name?

When the evil spirit asked Jesus not to harm him, Jesus asked the evil spirit what his name was. Most of the commentators say that this question was directed towards that man, but I am convinced it is towards the evil spirit. Till Jesus drove the evil spirit out of that man, the evil spirit was in full possession of the man and all his physical senses were under the control of the evil spirit. So he wouldn't have been able to utter his name even if he wanted to. Jesus would have definitely known that. This is proved by the fact that the man never gave his name when Jesus asked for the name. Instead it was the evil spirit who gave the answer.

The Bible clearly says that Jesus knew what was inside each man. If Jesus had seen a legion of devils inside, he wouldn't have taken the pain to ask for a legion of names either.

In the old testament, when God asked Jacob what his name was (Genesis 32:27), it’s not because God didn’t know Jacob’s name. It’s because once Jacob had tried to hide his name and identity and he used his brother’s name for his own gain (Genesis 27:19). So God gave Jacob an opportunity to accept his true identity, to accept who he was when God asked Jacob his name.

Even here Jesus was testing the evil spirit with the same question. The evil spirit answered and said, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” But there is no indication that Jesus saw any “many” or “legion” there inside. Jesus definitely knew singular and plural forms. The real reason why the devil called himself "legion" could be what we know already about the devil from the Holy Bible, “for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44)

The evil spirit had already convinced the Gadarenes people of his legion strength. So he wanted to convince Jesus too of his legion strength. The Gadarenes people had tried to physically restrain something that was spiritually binding. So the evil spirit had managed to convince the people of Gadarenes that it possessed great power and nothing could stop it.  Now it wanted to try its luck with Jesus. But just the presence of Jesus was tormenting it. 

When the evil spirit found that he couldn’t get his way with Jesus, he made the last bargain “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” This time Jesus accepted the evil spirit’s request, since his only concern was that the man has to be freed. He didn’t care where the evil spirit went as long as his children are let alone. The devil's pretentious strength didn't last long in front of Jesus and it was good enough only to send those poor unsuspecting swines into the sea! As children of the Most High God, we also need to identify these pretentious legions and drive them where they belong!

•  We have to note that even though it is mentioned as demons and in plural forms by the Gospel recorders, Jesus never mentioned it as a legion or in the plural form, he just addressed it as the evil spirit. When we read the gospel we can see that the writers of the Gospel have tried to sincerely record everything as they saw and understood it. We are a privileged generation, blessed enough to hold the Holy Bible in its entirety, getting to understand its wholesome message which the Old Testament and New Testament saints did not get to have.
• There are commentators who have tried to infer the number of devils from the number of swines killed. But in the old testament in I Kings 22, when the false prophets prophesied to King Ahab, a single spirit spoke from the mouths of 400 men (verse 6, 21 - 23). Human limitations may not apply in the spirit world. The evil spirit may manifest itself in different forms such as spirit of lies, spirit of confusion. But it is the same spirit manifesting in multiple ways.