The Gospels show Jesus as one with power to drive demons out of people. Whether these were actual exorcisms or (as some people prefer to believe) Jesus was merely working “psychology” on disturbed people, He had a reputation as a healer of troubled souls.
One of the most famous exorcism stories concerns a near-naked demon-possessed-man who lived among tombs and threatened passersby.
According to Mark 5:5–19, “Night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.” When he saw Jesus, he ran out, begging Jesus, “Son of the Most High God,” not to torture him.
Jesus asked the demon its name. He—they—replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many. Jesus sent the legion of demons into a nearby herd of pigs—which then drowned themselves in a lake.
In a touching scene, the man begged to go with Jesus, but Jesus said, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you.”
