6th Sunday of Luke

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed forever more, knows that I don’t lie. ³²In Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the Damascenes’ city, desiring to arrest me. ³³I was let down in a basket through a window by the wall, and escaped his hands.

¹It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast, but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. ²I know a man in Christ who was caught up into the third heaven fourteen years ago—whether in the body, I don’t know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows. ³I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don’t know; God knows), ⁴how he was caught up into Paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. ⁵On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses. ⁶For if I would desire to boast, I will not be foolish; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, so that no man may think more of me than that which he sees in me or hears from me. ⁷By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, a thorn in the flesh was given to me: a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. ⁸Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.

Then they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷When Jesus stepped ashore, a certain man out of the city who had demons for a long time met him. He wore no clothes, and didn’t live in a house, but in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, “What do I have to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torment me!” ²⁹For Jesus was commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For the unclean spirit had often seized the man. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and fetters. Breaking the bonds apart, he was driven by the demon into the desert.

³⁰Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered into him. ³¹They begged him that he would not command them to go into the abyss.

³²Now there was there a herd of many pigs feeding on the mountain, and they begged him that he would allow them to enter into those. Then he allowed them. ³³The demons came out of the man and entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

³⁴When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.

³⁵People went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. ³⁶Those who saw it told them how he who had been possessed by demons was healed. ³⁷All the people of the surrounding country of the Gadarenes asked him to depart from them, for they were very much afraid. Then he entered into the boat and returned. ³⁸But the man from whom the demons had gone out begged him that he might go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹“Return to your house, and declare what great things God has done for you.” He went his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.