1  They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.

2  When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.

3  This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain.

4  For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.

5  Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

6  When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.

7  He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!"

8  For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"

9  Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many."

10  And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11  A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.

12  The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them."

13  He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14  Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened.

15  When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

16  Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man--and told about the pigs as well.

17  Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

18  As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him.

19  Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

20  So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

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Isolation and terror had been this man's closest companions.  For years he had lived in the dark, dusty, putrid tumbs---small caves in the side of a hill.  Hated and feared by the local townspeople, they had tried on several occasions to control and imprison him.  But the evil spirits that tormented him gave him fearful and supernatural strength, and he broke free.  In his misery he cried out day and night and ripped at his flesh with stones.

Society had given up on this man.  He'd been branded a hopeless case.  But Jesus didn't label him that way.  Instead of trying to control or restrain this man, Jesus delt with the cause of his condition.  Jesus cast out the demons that had invaded and had for so long inhabited this man's spirit.  And in that moment, this anguished man found freedom.  No longer exiled to the place of the dead, he would once again be able to join society.  And after this encounter with Jesus, that's exactly what he did, telling anyone who would listen about what the Lord had done for him (v. 20).

Perhaps you know someone who seems like a hopeless case---a lost cause.  Imagine the difference Jesus could make in his or her life.  When you have the opportunity, tell this person what the Lord has done for you.  And then pray that Jesus will perform this same amazing transformation in the life of that individual.