Satan Myth: What about LEGION, the man who was possessed by many devils, Tomsan? - Part #2

Friends,


This is part #2 of "What about LEGION, the man who was possessed by many devils?". If you haven't read part #1, please read it before proceeding.

③ How about devils speaking some heavy doctrinal stuff?

One of the serious issues that many have regarding Mr. Legion episode is the devils addressing Jesus as 'Son of the most High God'. Let us see who really uttered those words:

Mat 8:29: And, behold, they [the two men - vs 28] cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

Luk 8:28 When he [a man] saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.

So, it was the man (men, according to Matthew) who uttered those words.


Someone asked me: how can a schizophrenic know that Jesus is the son of the Most High God? My answer is: a schizophrenic is not an imbecile or a retard. Scripturally, the fame of Jesus was spread abroad throughout the region, right after His testing by the devil:

Luk 4:14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. (See also: Mar 1:28)

Interestingly, of the 4 New Testament occurrences of the expression the most high God, 3 are associated with people possessed by Devil. (Mar 5:7; Luk 8:28 and Act 16:17). The remaining one appears in Heb 7:1, where Melchisedec is mentioned as the priest of the Most High God, alluding to Gen 14:18.

It is an irrefutable truth that Jesus is the Son of God. If the devils that have possessed these men are from Satan - who is a liar and the father of lies - will they utter a truth?

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil [G1228 - diabolos - Greek equivalent of Satan], and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it [Please note that the Greek word translated as devil in the verse above is none of the words we have encountered previously.]

 ④"Right Mind" v/s "Wrong Mind"

Both Mark and Luke tell us that the man who was healed by Jesus was seen sitting at the feet of Jesus in his right mind.

Mar 5:15 And they [people from the neighborhood] come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. (See also Luk 8:35)

Is it not reasonable to think that a person who is in his right mind after being healed was in his "wrong mind" ("out of mind") before being healed? Does it not imply that the man or men in question had a mental disorder? This is another reason we say that Mr. Legion was a schizophrenic.

⑤ Popular myths.

• Many who have studied the narrative about Mr. Legion have come up with a theory that there was Roman legion (military unit) near Gergesenes and the usage of the word Legion was in reference to that legion. They say that unlike normal legions where there are 5,000 to 6,000 members, this one had only around 2,000 members in it. Unfortunately, there is no proof for this theory.
• Some believe that Mr. Legion was possessed by 2,000 devils, as many as the number of swine.
• In my view, if Mary Magdalene could be possessed by seven devils and Mr. Legion could be possessed by many devils (Mar 5:9), why there is a rule that the pigs can be possessed by only one devil each? What if each pig was possessed by 7 devils each? (No, I am not saying that the pigs were possessed, I am just questioning their reasoning.)
• Another theory is that Jewish priests used to wash their hands in a laver (cup or basin) after healing someone possessed by devil. According to them, pigs running headlong into the nearby waters is symbolic of this washing. This, again, is a meaningless argument, because, if such a practice existed, Jesus was in the role of the priest and it was He who had to wash His hands, and not the pigs.
• If there used to be a practice of washing hands after healing someone possessed by a devil, how Jesus would have managed washing his hands while He was healing hundreds of such people? (Mar 1:32, 34)

Friend, while Jews said that Jesus had a devil, all that they meant was that Jesus was out of mind, as can be understood from the context:

Joh 10:20 And many of them said, He hath a devil[G1140], and is mad; why hear ye him?

Similarly, while they said that John the Baptist had a devil, because he didn't eat or drink, all that they meant was he was mad or crazy. Don't we use such expressions?

⑥ Conclusion - who were really mad?

The extremely disappointing part of the narrative is the response of the public while they saw the man who was previously possessed by devil in his "right mind".

Mar 5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

Previously, while he was in his "wrong mind" also they were afraid and would not venture anywhere near him. Even after his regaining his sanity, they were afraid. Frankly, my friend, such ignoramus people are more insane than those who are termed as insane. As I initially told you, schizophrenics are not generally violent, it is the ignoramus people around them that make them violent.

If there be any typos in this post, kindly intimate me.

In Christ,

Tomsan Kattackal