Why Did the Demon in Mark 5:9 Call Himself "Legion"?
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“I am legion, for we are many.” This line by the demon-possessed man in the Gospel account of Mark 5:9 is one of the most well-known among those whom Christ healed. It catches the reader’s attention especially due to the fact that this man has not just one, but a legion of demons. This short story brings out many questions, ranging from who the man was to why the demon was terrified of Christ.
Where Does the Bible Mention the Demon Legion?
This particular story shows up in the fifth chapter of Mark’s Gospel account, as well as the 8th chapter in Luke’s Gospel. Right before this encounter, Christ sailed with the Apostles to the country of the Gerasenes. Almost immediately after landing, the demon-possessed man came running after him.
This man was so possessed by demonic forces that nothing could bind him or control him, whether object or person. The passage from Mark 5 says:
"This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 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. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.(verses 3-5).
We must consider the phrase, “no one could bind him, even with chains.” If he could not be constrained by chains, we can conclude that he would break with which someone tried to bind him. He wasn’t superhuman; he was merely a man who had a demon which means that when he tore off these chains, they likely bruised or tore into his skin. As if that was not enough, the demon forced him to cut himself with stones. This is how strong and formidable the legion demon was.
So what does the demon mean when it says “We are many?” Was this literal?
Why Is It Important That the Demon Says He Is Legion?
As seen in Scripture, the demon says, “I am legion, for we are many.” The word “legion” comes from the Latin word, “Legio.” To provide some historical context, according to Bible Study Tools, Legion is “a regiment of the Roman army, the number of men composing which differed at different times. It originally consisted of three thousand men, but in the time of Christ consisted of six thousand, exclusive of horsemen, who were in number a tenth of the foot-men. The word is used (Matthew 26:53 ; Mark 5:9) to express simply a great multitude.”
The same story recorded in Luke 8 notes that he was called Legion, “for many had entered him" (vs. 30). In the Roman military, a Legion was made up of 5,000 soldiers. While we aren’t sure if by “legion” the text literally implies exactly 5,000, we can safely conclude this man was possessed by a myriad of demons.
Another thing to note is that, according to various demonic experts within Christianity, demonic possession can cause a person to have greater strength than a human is capable of because they are controlled by demons. There are even accounts of a single demon possessing a person to undertake incredible feats of strength and destruction. If a single demon can wreak such havoc, it is no surprise a legion of demons in one person had the power to cause him to rip off chains, rope, and more.
Why Does the Demon Legion Beg Jesus Not to Send Him Away?
Despite the legion of demons having such power and control over the man, they were powerless in the presence of Christ. The legion of demons begs Jesus not to send them away. Why, exactly, did they do this? Is there a place that they don’t want to go? If so, where?
We catch a glimpse of this in Matthew 12:43-45. For context, Jesus is speaking about the problems with the generation of people at the time, as seen in verses 38-42. In this section, however, Jesus is speaking about unclean spirits, or, specifically, demons.
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”
"Waterless places” is typically understood to be the desert. According to the Orthodox Study Bible, Ancient Faith Edition, this can be traced back to ancient Israel after they were freed from Egyptian captivity. “When the Israelites were delivered out of Egypt, they did not repent of their impure ways, and an unclean spirit took up residence in their hearts (Dt. 31:20; Ps. 105:34-39). Thus we guard our hearts. Unless there is full repentance and the Holy Spirit dwells in a person, an expelled demon will return with others and reoccupy its abode.”
This is particularly interesting given some of the accounts of the Desert Fathers of the 4th Century, such as St. Anthony the Great, who is credited as the founder of organized Christian monasticism. According to historical accounts, he and other monks, then and after, faced various demonic attacks in the desert, constantly relying on Christ for deliverance.
Relating this back to the legion demon, we see that if Christ sends the demons out, they would be scattered, trying to find a new host, and if they found none, they would have to retreat to the desert again. So, n panic, they ask Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs.
Why the pigs?
The Orthodox Study Bible in Luke 8 says, “Some teach that the presence of swine indicates a Gentile population. However, since our Lord forbade His disciples to go to the Gentiles (Mt 10:5) and was Himself reluctant to seek out the Gentiles (Mt 15:24), likely these were Jews engaged in a sinful occupation (see also the note at Mt 4:15).
The destruction of the entire herd reveals: (1) while animals are a venerable part of creation, man is of far greater value; (2) Christ removes a source of sin, for swine herding was an abomination to the Jews (Dt. 14:8); (3) demons have no power over creation, but are subject to the will of God—they could only enter the swine at Christ's command; (4) people are protected under God's providence otherwise, the demon-possessed man would have come to the same end as the swine; (5) the magnitude of the economic loss would remain as a sign for the hardhearted people who fled that region (v. 34).”
What Happened after Jesus Freed the Man from the Legion of Demons?
After the legion demons were cast out of the man, two things happened:
1. The man proclaimed Christ to those in Decapolis.
The now demon-freed man wanted to travel with Christ, but Christ said that he was to go home to his friends and family to show what God had done for him.
2. The people of the Gadarenes were afraid and wanted Christ to leave.
One would think that after seeing the demon-possessed man healed, the people would be relieved and rejoice. However, the opposite happened. They were so struck with fear that they begged Christ to leave. Why were the people who witnessed the healing of the demon-possessed man fearful? Verse by Verse Ministry gives us an insight into a possible reason.
“We must keep in mind that this is the first time these people have probably ever seen Jesus. While you have the herdsmen telling the people in the town about the miracle – they were most likely mentioning that they had witnessed hundreds of livestock plummet to their death off the side of a cliff. As one can imagine this would have been a traumatic event to watch, as all demonic activity is. That is why Luke mentions the terror that gripped the townspeople. Additionally, there was also a great loss of their livestock which caused both fear and potentially anger for the townsmen as this was their livelihood and means for survival. Jesus being the cause of this ruckus, was demanded to leave, and He respected their wishes and crossed back to the other side of the lake to Capernaum.”
What is interesting about these two responses is that one man finally found peace and healing in Christ after initially being afraid. Contrast that with the people of the Gadarenes who had peace until Christ came, and only after his display of power became afraid.
What Does Christian Tradition Say Happened to the Man Possessed by Legion?
As previously mentioned, the former demon-possessed man was instructed to go back home and proclaim what God did to heal and deliver him through Christ. Little is said about what happened to the man possessed by legion after this.
What we do know is that later on in Mark 7:31-37, Jesus returns to the region of Decapolis. Instead of being met with hostility or being asked to leave, however, people are brought to him for healing, particularly a man who was deaf. As we saw in Jesus' command to the man now healed of demons, he said to go proclaim him to his friends and family. Given that Christ was greeted by people anxious to be healed and trusting that he had the power to help them, the man who was originally possessed did as Jesus asked.
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