Read Luke 8:26-39 with your family.

Sometimes when we read the stories in the Bible, they are very confusing and we want to ask more questions. Often those questions can be answered if we remember that the stories in the Bible happened in another time and place.

In today’s story, the ‘demon’ identified itself as Legion. In the days of Jesus, the only thing that was named Legion, was the Roman army, and each Roman Legion was thousands of men.

The hearers of this story for the first time would have recognized the demon associate itself with the hated Roman government and army. The hearers also would have known that in a town with the name Gerasene, a huge battle took place with a Legion in the Roman army invaded and killed all the young men in town.

In our story the demon not only represents the Roman army and its brutality, it also reminds the reader of all those who were killed and had their bodies placed in the tombs where the demon lived. At the end, they would know that Jesus had more power than the dead and the Legion, because Jesus was able to make Legion leave.

For people living under Roman occupation and wanting to be free of the Roman government and army, this was a story of hope.