“The Man with the Evil Spirits,” Liahona, Sept. 2001, 11
The Man with the Evil Spirits
A man who lived in the mountains by the Sea of Galilee had an evil spirit in him that made him act wild. People tried to stop him by tying him with ropes and chains, but he broke the ropes and the chains. Mark 5:1–4
The man spent all night and all day in the mountains and caves. He cried all the time and cut himself with stones. Mark 5:5
One day Jesus and His disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee in a boat. When the Savior left the boat, the man ran to Him. Mark 5:1–2, 6
Jesus told the evil spirit to come out of the man. The evil spirit knew Jesus. He called Him the Son of God. He asked Jesus not to hurt him. Mark 5:7–8
When the Savior asked the evil spirit what his name was, he said, “My name is Legion.” Legion means many, and there were many evil spirits in the man. They asked Jesus not to send them away but to send them into the bodies of some nearby pigs. Mark 5:9–12
Jesus agreed. The evil spirits left the man and went into the bodies of about 2,000 pigs. After the evil spirits entered them, the pigs ran down the hill into the sea and drowned. Mark 5:13
The men who cared for the pigs ran to the city and told many people what had happened. The people came and saw Jesus. They saw the wild man too, but he was not wild anymore. Mark 5:14–15
The people who came from the city could not understand. When other people told them what had happened, all of them were afraid of Jesus and asked Him to go away. He went back into the boat. Mark 5:15–18
The man who was healed wanted to go with Him. The Savior told him not to come but to tell his friends what He had done for him. Mark 5:18–19
The man did tell his friends, and all marveled at Jesus’ great power. Mark 5:20
Illustrated by Paul Mann