David Jeremiah Daily Devotional For Today 5th September, 2018
Theme – WHAT IS YOUR NAME?
Then [Jesus] asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”
Mark 5:9
Recommended Reading: Mark 5:6-9
The army of the Roman Empire was nothing if not organized. The largest division was a legion, consisting of 6,000 soldiers. Legions were divided into ten cohorts (600 soldiers each), and each cohort was divided into six centuries (100 soldiers each).
In the fifth chapter of Mark we are introduced to the Gadarene demoniac. Upon His arrival in the country of the Gadarenes, Jesus was approached by this deranged man, who cried out, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” (verse 7) Jesus responded with a single command for the “unclean spirit” to come out of the man. And then Jesus asked him his name. The man replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” That didn’t mean the man was possessed by 6,000 demons; it only meant that there were “many” demons in him, not just one. Once Jesus ordered the demons to leave the man, they did, and he was immediately restored to his right mind—a miracle of restoration.
The use of the military term “Legion” was appropriate for this man during his torment, for it represented the multitude of demons that plagued him until he met Jesus and he was healed. When we meet Christ, we are set free from the chains that once kept us captive to our sin as well.
We can call out even to the demons in hell, “Which of you is going to condemn me?” And there will be no answer.
John R. W. Stott