When the man saw Jesus in the distance, he ran up to him and knelt down.  He shouted, "Jesus, Son of God in heaven, what do you want with me?  Promise me in God's name that you won't torture me!"

The man said this because Jesus had already told the evil spirit to come out of him.  Jesus asked, "What is your name?"
The man answered, "My name is Lots, because I have `lots' of evil spirits."
He then begged Jesus not to send them away. 

Over on the hillside a large herd of pigs was feeding.  So the evil spirits begged Jesus, "Send us into those pigs! Let us go into them."
Jesus let them go, and they went out of the man and into the pigs.  The whole herd of about two thousand pigs rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

The men taking care of the pigs ran to the town and the farms to spread the news.  Then the people came out to see what had happened.  When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had once been full of demons.  He was sitting there with his clothes on and in his right mind, and they were terrified.

Everyone who had seen what had happened told about the man and the pigs.  Then the people started begging Jesus to leave their part of the country.

When Jesus was getting into the boat, the man begged to go with him.  But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how good he has been to you."

The man went away into the region near the ten cities known as Decapolis and began telling everyone how much Jesus had done for him.  Everyone who heard what had happened was amazed.

Jesus and his disciples sailed across Lake Galilee and came to shore near the town of Gerasa.  As Jesus was getting out of the boat, he was met by a man from that town.  The man had demons in him.  He had gone naked for a long time and no longer lived in a house, but in the graveyard.  The man saw Jesus and screamed.  He knelt down in front of him and shouted, "Jesus, Son of God in heaven, what do you want with me?  I beg you not to torture me!"
He said this because Jesus had already told the evil spirit to go out of him.  The man had often been attacked by the demon.  And even though he had been bound with chains and leg irons and kept under guard, he smashed whatever bound him.  Then the demon would force him out into lonely places.

0Jesus asked the man, "What is your name?"
He answered, "My name is Lots."
He said this because there were `lots' of demons in him.  They begged Jesus not to send them to the deep pit, I where they would be punished.  A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside.  So the demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and Jesus let them go.  Then the demons left the man and went into the pigs.  The whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

When the men taking care of the pigs saw this, they ran to spread the news in the town and on the farms.  The people went out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they also found the man.  The demons had gone out of him, and he was sitting there at the feet of Jesus.  He had clothes on and was in his right mind. But the people were terrified.

Then all who had seen the man healed told about it.  Everyone from around Gerasa begged Jesus to leave, because they were so frightened.  When Jesus got into the boat to start back, the man who had been healed begged to go with him.  But Jesus sent him off and said, "Go back home and tell everyone how much God has done for you."
The man then went all over town, telling everything that Jesus had done for him.

Story 2
Some people brought to Jesus a man who was blind and could not talk because he had a demon in him.  Jesus healed the man, and then he was able to talk and see.  The crowds were so amazed that they asked, "Could Jesus be the Son of David?"
When the Pharisees heard this, they said, "He forces out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!"
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said to them:
Any kingdom where people fight each other will end up ruined.  And a town or family that fights will soon destroy itself.  So if Satan fights against himself, how can his kingdom last?  If I use the power of Beelzebul to force out demons, whose power do your own followers use to force them out?  Your followers are the ones who will judge you.  But when I force out demons by the power of God's Spirit, it proves that God's kingdom has already come to you.  How can anyone break into a strong man's house and steal his things, unless he first ties up the strong man? T hen he can take everything.

If you are not on my side, you are against me.  If you don't gather in the harvest with me, you scatter it.  I tell you that any sinful thing you do or say can be forgiven.  Even if you speak against the Son of Man, you can be forgiven.  But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven, either in this life or in the life to come.

A good tree produces only good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit.  You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces.  You are a bunch of evil snakes, so how can you say anything good?  Your words show what is in your hearts.  Good people bring good things out of their hearts, but evil people bring evil things out of their hearts.  I promise you that on the day of judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken.  On that day they will be told that they are either innocent or guilty because of the things they have said.

Story 3
Jesus went back home, and once again such a large crowd gathered that there was no chance even to eat.  When Jesus' family heard what he was doing, they thought he was crazy and went to get him under control.

Some teachers of the Law of Moses came from Jerusalem and said, "This man is under the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons! He is even forcing out demons with the help of Beelzebul."

Jesus told the people to gather around him.  Then he spoke to them in riddles and said:
How can Satan force himself out?  A nation whose people fight each other won't last very long.  And a family that fights won't last long either.  So if Satan fights against himself, that will be the end of him.

How can anyone break into the house of a strong man and steal his things, unless he first ties up the strong man?  Then he can take everything.

I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are.  But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven.  That sin will be held against you forever.

Jesus said this because the people were saying that he had an evil spirit in him.

Story 4
When Jesus and his three disciples came back down, they saw a large crowd around the other disciples.  The teachers of the Law of Moses were arguing with them.  
The crowd was really surprised to see Jesus, and everyone hurried over to greet him.

Jesus asked, "What are you arguing about?"
Someone from the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought my son to you. A demon keeps him from talking.  Whenever the demon attacks my son, it throws him to the ground and makes him foam at the mouth and grit his teeth in pain.  Then he becomes stiff.  I asked your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn't do it."
Jesus said, "You people don't have any faith! How much longer must I be with you?  Why do I have to put up with you?  Bring the boy to me."

They brought the boy, and as soon as the demon saw Jesus, it made the boy shake all over.  He fell down and began rolling on the ground and foaming at the mouth.  Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"
The man answered, "Ever since he was a child.  The demon has often tried to kill him by throwing him into a fire or into water. Please have pity and help us if you can!"
Jesus replied, "Why do you say `if you can'?  Anything is possible for someone who has faith!"
Right away the boy's father shouted, "I do have faith! Please help me to have even more."

When Jesus saw that a crowd was gathering fast, he spoke sternly to the evil spirit that had kept the boy from speaking or hearing.  He said, "I order you to come out of the boy! Don't ever bother him again."

The spirit screamed and made the boy shake all over.  Then it went out of him.  The boy looked dead, and almost everyone said he was.  But Jesus took hold of his hand and helped him stand up.

After Jesus and the disciples had gone back home and were alone, they asked him, "Why couldn't we force out that demon?"
Jesus answered, "Only prayer can force out that kind of demon."

The next day Jesus and his three disciples came down from the mountain and were met by a large crowd.  Just then someone in the crowd shouted, "Teacher, please do something for my son! He is my only child!  A demon often attacks him and makes him scream.  It shakes him until he foams at the mouth, and it won't leave him until it has completely worn the boy out.  I begged your disciples to force out the demon, but they couldn't do it."
Jesus said to them, "You people are stubborn and don't have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you?" 

Then Jesus said to the man, "Bring your son to me."
While the boy was being brought, the demon attacked him and made him shake all over.  Jesus ordered the demon to stop.  Then he healed the boy and gave him back to his father.  Everyone was amazed at God's great power.

While everyone was still amazed at what Jesus was doing, he said to his disciples, "Pay close attention to what I am telling you!"

Story 5
Jesus and his disciples went to the town of Capernaum.  Then on the next Sabbath he went into the Jewish meeting place and started teaching.  Everyone was amazed at his teaching.  He taught with authority, and not like the teachers of the Law of Moses.  Suddenly a man with an evil spirit in him entered the meeting place and yelled, "Jesus from Nazareth, what do you want with us? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are! You are God's Holy One."
Jesus told the evil spirit, "Be quiet and come out of the man!"
The spirit shook him.  Then it gave a loud shout and left.

Everyone was completely surprised and kept saying to each other, "What is this?  It must be some new kind of powerful teaching!  Even the evil spirits obey him."
News about Jesus quickly spread all over Galilee.

Jesus went to the town of Capernaum in Galilee and taught the people on the Sabbath.  His teaching amazed them because he spoke with power.  There in the Jewish meeting place was a man with an evil spirit.  He yelled out, "Hey, Jesus of Nazareth, what do you want with us?  Are you here to get rid of us?  I know who you are! You are God's Holy One."
Jesus ordered the evil spirit to be quiet and come out.  The demon threw the man to the ground in front of everyone and left without harming him.

They all were amazed and kept saying to each other, "What kind of teaching is this? He has power to order evil spirits out of people!" 
News about Jesus spread all over that part of the country.