THE BIBLE TELLS US that Jesus freed Mary Magdalene of seven devils (see Mark 16:9). A man who called himself Legion "because many devils were entered into him" was restored to his "right mind" when Jesus ordered the evil spirits out of him (see Luke 8:27-35). And in yet another case, Jesus cast the devil of dumbness (inability to speak) out of a man, and he could immediately talk (see Luke 11:14).
How did Jesus cure those possessed by demons? He must have understood that because God is the only power, the only Creator, the only Mind, and is absolutely good, no other power or mind can possibly exist. Understanding his oneness with the Almighty God, Jesus stood up to demons, not as real beings inhabiting himself or others, but as mental claims that something other than God exists and has power.
The first Biblical account of Jesus confronting a devil appears in Matthew. After Jesus' baptism, a voice from heaven says, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (3:17). Soon after, Jesus departs to pray in the wilderness. After fasting for 40 days and nights, the first tempting thought (demon) that came to him was the suggestion that if he really was the Son of God, then he had the power to turn stones into bread.
