Jesus frees a demon-possessed man
26 Jesus and his disciples sailed to the Gerasenes’ land, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a certain man met him. The man was from the city and was possessed by demons. For a long time, he had lived among the tombs, naked and homeless. 28 When he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down before him. Then he shouted, “ What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me! ” 29 He said this because Jesus had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had taken possession of him, so he would be bound with leg irons and chains and placed under guard. But he would break his restraints, and the demon would force him into the wilderness.
30 Jesus asked him, “ What is your name? ”
“ Legion, ” he replied, because many demons had entered him. 31 They pleaded with him not to order them to go back into the abyss.t32 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs. Jesus gave them permission, 33 and the demons left the man and entered the pigs. The herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned.
34 When those who tended the pigs saw what happened, they ran away and told the story in the city and in the countryside. 35 People came to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully dressed and completely sane. They were filled with awe. 36 Those people who had actually seen what had happened told them how the demon-possessed man had been delivered. 37 Then everyone gathered from the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave their area because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and returned across the lake. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged to come along with Jesus as one of his disciples. Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “ Return home and tell the story of what God has done for you. ” So he went throughout the city proclaiming what Jesus had done for him.
Main Idea The Bible, written by many different people over a long period of time, has been preserved and translated into many languages so it is now available to people around the world.
Bible Story Reference: 2 King 22:8-23:3 Bible Verses: Joshua 1:8; Isaiah 40:8; Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Hebrews 4:12
Objectives In this unit children will learn:  - The books of the Bible were written over a long period by people of different backgrounds.  - The decision of what books go into the Old and New Testaments, the canon, was made many years ago.  - These books have been accepted by Christians as inspired by God.  - The Old Testament is the "Bible" that Jesus knew and quoted.  - The New Testament contains the story of Jesus, his disciples, and the beginning of the Christian church.  - All of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, helps us know how God acts in relationship to people and to know how we should relate to God.  - We need to know what the Bible says and apply it to our daily lives.  - We do not have any of the original manuscripts of the books of the Bible, but we do have some very old copies.  - The Bible has been saved from destruction and made available in many languages over the years; some people involved took great risks to assist in this.