Identity Theft
26. And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.
27. And when He went forth to land, there met Him out of the city a certain man, which had devils a long time, and wore no clothes, neither lived in any house, but in the tombs.
28. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High?” “I beg You, do not torcher me.”
29. (For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in shackles; and he broke the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)
30. And Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because there were many devils that had entered into him.
Too Many Devils
This is perhaps, one of the most pathetic accounts of demon possession in the New Testament. Yet, it is contrasted with one of the greatest miracles of deliverance by Jesus. A couple of points of interest should be noted. First, Jesus invaded the devil’s territory to recover a man who was hopelessly lost. Second, the devils understood that God’s judgment is imminent and responded in horror. Third, there were so many demons in this one person that the man had lost his identity. That is the point we will deal with in this message. The demons had given the man a name that impacted the way he lived, his relationship with other people, his social habits, and his overall health. Sadly, the man did not have to live that way – it was certainly not God’s plan. The Good News is that Jesus walked through Gadara to seek and save that which was lost (his identity and his life).
Let’s start with identity theft statistics. According to the website, capital counselor.com, identity theft is a lucrative enterprise:
In 2020 there were over 1.4 million identity theft complaints in the US. Due to identity fraud, American consumers lost $56 billion in 2020. 86% of global consumers were victims of identity theft, credit/debit card fraud, or a data breach in 2020. 33% of all fraud attacks in Europe are linked to identity theft. The most targeted victims of identity theft in 2020 were people between 30 and 39 years. Online identity theft statistics show there was a 19% decrease in data breaches in 2020. The identity theft protection service industry is expected to grow by 1.5% in 2021. The state of Kansas had the highest number of reports of identity theft per capita in 2020 – 1,483 reports per 100,000 residents. In 2020, the most common type of cybercrime was phishing. 2.5 million deceased identities are stolen each year.
Those are staggering numbers and while financial security risks are enormous, we dare not ignore the spiritual risk when your soul loses its identity. It is the intent of the devil to steal the identity of unsuspecting victims. Demons have been at this business a lot longer than cyber criminals and have more sophisticated strategies than computers and other electronic devices.
The question at hand is, how did so many demons get into one individual and totally ruin his life? In reading some of the commentaries on demon possession, it was found that traditional thought linked mental illness with demon activity. This is a huge problem. Mental illness and demon possession are not the same. Mental illness has to do with the health of the mind and emotions while the other has to do with control by the forces of evil. As a matter of fact, there are demon possessed people who are totally sane. They function normally and show no signs of stress or emotional struggle, yet their heart is evil and twisted from the influence of darkness. Here is how the Book of Ephesians classifies believers in their former state. Ephesians 2:2, wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air (the devil), the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. In other words, we were all under the influence of demons before our deliverance through Christ Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit. So, the point is simple. Demon possession is a result of being under the influence of demons. Some are worse than others, but all are under Satan’s control if they do not have Jesus Christ.
The impact of demon possession is enormous. Much like the demoniac of Gadara, those possessed by the devil live self-destructive lives. They are social misfits. A certain man, who had devils a long time, and wore no clothes, neither lived in any house, but in the tombs. Sadly, there are many living in that same state of the soul today. I’m so glad Jesus has compassion for such souls.
Signs of Demon Possession
Jesus called out the demons and commanded them to leave the man. Of course, they answered defiantly, but the fate was already sealed. Those demons were occupying a space that had been reserved for the King of Glory. What is interesting is that Jesus asked the man the question, but the demons answered. This leads us to ask the question, how do you know when you are demon possessed? Did this man know it?
First, a sign of demon possession is when the only desire in the heart is evil. That is sign number one. For a person to do wrong or sin does not mean they are demon possessed. Even at our best, we all sin. When we go to God and acknowledge our sin and ask forgiveness, the Lord is gracious to us and pardons us of the evil. Don’t get me wrong, humans are also capable of evil, and it can be as heinous as demon possession. The good news is that God offers pardon and forgiveness to those who confess.
Another sign of demon possession is the lack of control of the mind. It certainly appeared that this demoniac was being controlled by demons rather than by his own thoughts. Thoughts of cutting or hurting oneself can be an indication that the origin of those thoughts is from the source of evil. The devil hates God and hates the fact that God has shown abundant Grace to mankind. This demoniac of Gadara was seized by thoughts of harming himself according to Mark 5:5. He could not control his thoughts and actions because of the 6,000 plus demons giving him directions.
Another sign was the supernatural strength. For it (the demons) had often caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in shackles; and he broke the bands. The demons gave the man extraordinary powers to break the shackles and chains and yet he was so weak that he could not free his mind.
If none of these other signs pointed to demon possession, this one sign certainly sums it up. Whenever a person listens to the devil rather than God, that is a sure sign. It starts with subtle suggestions that slowly escalate to demands and orders. At this stage, the demon knows every intricate detail of a person’s life and take control.
Identity Restoration
But that’s not how the story ends. Although the devil had control of the man’s mind, he did not have full possession of the man’s heart. When Jesus came into that region, something came into the man’s heart and soul. The man, I believe, heard Jesus calling out. The demons tried to hide the man by answering for him, but Jesus had already given them the command to leave. For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.
Jesus restored the man’s identity in three processes. The first process was the simple one. Get the demons out who had stolen the man’s identity. That was not a challenge at all. The demons even knew that it was time to leave. Our Lord could have cast the demons out without going into that region, but that is not how God operates. This man had never had anyone to speak kind words to him in years. This man needed to hear the voice of kindness and love from none other than Christ Himself. Jesus came personally to the man and delivered him from the darkness. As the text reveals, the demons were driven out into a herd of swine or pigs. The pigs were not in agreement with this deal, so they ran down a cliff and drowned in the nearby lake. So the man was set free, but something else needed to happen.
The second process involved giving the man his true identity. Following the loss of the herd of swine, the pig keepers ran to tell what Jesus had done. Upon their return, they witnessed a different man. Luke 8:35 tells us, Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. The man got his true identity at the feet of Jesus and as a result, his mind and character was restored. Now he was truly delivered to be the person God had planned him to be.
The final process was to test that true identity. For reasons of their own demon possession, the town of Gadara did not want Jesus around and they promptly asked him to leave. While leaving, the identity restored man asked Jesus if he could follow Him. Jesus sent him away saying, Return to your house, and show how great things God has done unto you. Now the man had his identity confirmed by Jesus. He was not just a restored man, he was a witness for Jesus Christ.
We all have a true identity. We are not only God’s children; we are His witnesses.