A pastor explores why Jesus asked a demon for its name, arguing He did it to demonstrate authority, not necessity. In ancient culture, knowing a name meant power over someone. But the Bible shows Jesus' name alone holds supreme authority over all demons.
When driving demons out of the demoniac, why did Jesus ask for Legion's name? Obviously, he already knew the name. So this could have simply been a demonstration of his power, that is, to show that he had the authority to drive out even a whole legion of demons instantly. Another thing to consider is the fact that in certain parts of the ancient world, it was believed that to learn someone's name was to gain power over them. The fact that Jesus didn't speak the name of the demon even after being given the name could have been him demonstrating I know your name, but I don't need to use it to have authority over you. Truly, the only name you need to know when confronting a demonic power is the name of Jesus. To conclude that Jesus would be unable to cast the legion of demons out without knowing its name would be to greatly underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit and to greatly overestimate demonic power. The point here is simple. There's no name greater in the name of Jesus. And that name has ultimate authority over every demonic power. You only need to know his name.
