The Healing of a Demon-Possessed Man – Luke 8:26-39

When, if ever, have you wanted Jesus to leave you alone?

Bible Reading

Luke 8:26-39

26  Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.

27  And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.

28  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!”

29  For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.

30  Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.

31  And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.

32  Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. And they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them.

33  Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.

34  When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.

35  Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

36  They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed.

37  Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.

38  Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying,

39  “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

(NKJ)

 

Food for Thought

1.   What kind of demons do you think are affecting you?

2.   What situations or people do you consider hopeless?

3.   What people do others try to avoid when they encounter them in the street?

 

Bible Study

4.   Who was the first person to greet Jesus and his disciples upon their arrival at Gadarenes? (8:27)

5.   What had the life of the demon-possessed man been like before he met Jesus? (8:27, 29)

6.   How did the demon-possessed man react to Jesus? (8:28)

7.   Of what was the man afraid? (8:28)

8.   Why was the demon called Legion? (8:30)

9.   What did the demons choose over life in the abyss? (8:31-32)

10. What resulted from the demons’ choice? (8:33)

11. How did those tending the pigs react to what happened? (8:34)

12. What emotion gripped all but the man who had been demon-possessed? (8:34-37)

13. What did the man want to do? (8:38)

14. Why did Jesus say no to the man’s request to go with him? (8:38-39)

15. What was the result of the man’s obedience? (8:39)

 

Kingdom Dynamics

16. If you had been one of Jesus’ disciples, what would have been your first reaction to the demon-possessed man?

17. How do you think Jesus reacted to the demon-possessed man?

18. When you first met Jesus, how did he treat you?

19. What impresses you the most about “Legion?”

20. What does this episode tell you about Jesus’ concern for individual life?

21. To what extent do you believe demons are active today?

22. When, if ever, have you wanted Jesus to leave you alone?

23. In what ways do people today ask Jesus to leave them alone?

24. Why do you think Jesus granted the demons’ request to be allowed to go into the pigs?

25. Why did the people in the region want Jesus to leave town?

26. If you could be healed of one specific thing, what would you choose?

27. What is the most dramatic transformation you have seen Jesus work in someone’s life?

28. In what ways or at what times do you feel you are controlled by forces against your will?

 

Practical Christianity

29. What can you do this week to be more aware of Jesus’ ability to help you you’re your most serious problems?

30. Whom can you tell today about how much God has done for you?