. Thus an economic lose of revenue was involved. There is no true freedom and fulfillment apart from Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer of men. Jesus asked Mary why she was crying at the grave site. This is when the storm arose which threatened to destroy the ship (Mark 4:35-41). Smiths Bible Dictionary provides what I find to be a quite plausible explanation (not special pleading at all), and analogous to how we still use place names today: These three names are used indiscriminately to designate the place where Jesus healed two demoniacs. 23, 24, viii. Who Were The Gerasenes In The Bible? - Mastery Wiki Like it or not, demons and demonic activity are likely to become much more of a concern to you in days to come. The swine then immediately killed themselves by rushing off a cliff. Jesus asked some pretty crazy questions like What Things Happened? It was significant. 111 Edersheim maintains that it must have been late the same night of the storm: Most writers have, indeed, suggested, that the healing of the demonized on the other side took place at early dawn of the day following the storm on the lake. When once he was an instrument of Satanic opposition against the Messiah, now he is a witness to His power. Luke 8:37Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them: for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. A word of clarification is in order here for we must recognize that in this account the dark side of Satan is exposed, but this is perhaps the more unusual side of Satan. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Mark 5:1 On the other side of the sea, they arrived in the region of Train crash in Greece: 43 dead, stationmaster arrested. Live updates. Although Gadarenes and Gergesenes are derived from a different Greek word, they are essentially referring to the same area. March 2016 August 2022 May 2016 What about us, as Christians, are we afraid of Jesus? Horoscopes and astrological predictions are found in most major newspapers. From this point on, Jesus began to speak to the crowds in parables in order to veil or conceal the gospel from those who had blasphemed the Holy Spirit (Mark 4:lff). But having recalled a passage in Ephesians, I realize now that this man is a reminder of the dilemma of every man, woman, and child who have not come to a saving dependence upon the work of Jesus Christ for sinners on the cross. Why would God tell King David to take a census of the people in verses one through nine, and then cast judgment on him because he did what he told him to do? August 2016 As has been said before, look for Satans man behind the pulpit. Like the Samaritans who followed the woman at the well to see this One who had told her all she had done, so these residents came to see for themselves what had happened. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. I am wondering if the demoniac was pagan or an Israelite. So who was afraid? I used to want the longest life, perfect health and happiness, but really it is that feeling that I am so glad that this isnt all there is and that we have heaven to wait for, and that well be with Jesus, and there will be no more tears Amber VanVickle (1982-2023), The headquarters of the charity, which serves as a consecrated family to 46 disabled children, were badly damaged in major flooding near Rio de Janeiro last year. If we put ourselves in their place, and use empathy to feel how we might have reacted if we were confronted with the loss of our next year's source of feeding our families, it will be easier to understand that they were afraid to suffer any other loss that might result if Jesus stayed in their area. Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 6:12), whose leader and prince is Satan (Matthew 12:24). She and her wife moved to Maine from Illinois. Jesus had simply sailed across the Lake of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. Swine were unclean animals according to the Torah. When our Lord confronted the demons, they had to submit to His power and authority. Although God's word does not name which cities were considered part of this region, Pliny's Natural History (c. 77 A.D.) lists these cities as Gerasa, Scythopolis, Hippos, Gadara, Pella, Philadelphia, Capitolias (Dion), Canatha, Raphana and Damascus. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. Luke 8:37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked I have always wondered what my Christian brothers had to say to the police officers by way of explanation. This was a federation of ten cities (deka = ten, polis = city). (3) Spiritual insight. The expression to be with Jesus is used particularly of His disciples (cf. He was Someone Who could control the spirit realm. The lose of the pigs meant loose of partial income in the area. And, it can not be understood properly out of this context. August 2021 Like children convinced there are monsters under our beds, the unknown scares us. In that case, of course, it would be in the early morning that the Gerasenes afterwards resorted to Jesus and that He again returned to Capernaum. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 991. Jesus never interacted with people as they were, but as He knew they were created to be. What was the country of the Gerasenes (or Gadarenes) and why is it They likely were Gentiles and had been under the influence of the demonic principality of the region their whole life. The exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac (Matthew 8.28-34; Mark 5.1-20; Luke 8.26-39), frequently known as the Miracle of the (Gadarene) Swine and the exorcism of Legion, is one of the miracles performed by Jesus according to the New Testament. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. October 2022 They were instructed to keep quiet about what Jesus had done for them (cf. Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. Verse 1. The commission of our Lord is considerably different from His instructions to the Israelites whom He had delivered. 14). I understand why," the HBO "Real Time" host told Jake Tapper on Tuesday as part . To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. The whole story is a myth. when He was the only One Who truly knew what had happened. Just imagine, a man in a cinema, having bought popcorn and cola and watching an action movie, with a lot of violence and harsh language in it, and then he sees suddenly that a saintly bishop is sitting just next to his seat, not watching the movie, but reading silently psalms with a countenance radiating a deep contemplation; will not the first man be upset and lose all pleasure of watching the movie? 31. The Demonized Man of the Garasenes (Luke 8:26-39) - JesusWalk Not long after that, while I was still a student in seminary, there was a car parked by the seminary in a somewhat suspicious manner and I called the police to check it out. Gerasa, Gadara, Gergesa - from where did the pigs stampede? Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. For example, He didnt condemn a prostitute for her actions, He saw a daughter of God who was valuable beyond measure and only needed genuine love and forgiveness. The exercising of authority over demons, in the land under another god, was a message. Preisker, TWNT IV (1942), pp. (1) As Lord of all, God has the right to make use of His creation any way that He deems best, and this includes not only pigs, but people (cf. The difference between the phonemes /p/ and /b/ in Japanese, Is there a solutiuon to add special characters from software and how to do it. Jesus had actually helped them. Lets face it, we all like to be in control. Why is this sentence from The Great Gatsby grammatical? Lets learn why. This story is a little bit of an Easter story. What would happen to them? Also, the wholesale slaughter of these pigs dramatically illustrated the destructive purposes of the demons. The particular focus of this mans testimony was the Decapolis region. 3 When the centurion 2 heard about Jesus, c he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his . If he was a pagan, why did Jesus cast out his demons? January 2015 F. F. Bruce adds additional helpful insight: According to the best texts, Matthew calls it the country of the Gadarenes (viii. Mark and Luke, on the other hand, write to more general audiences, and Gerasa was the main Greek-Roman city of the area. It is noteworthy that Jesus nowhere speaks of forgiveness of sins or of purification-sacrifices, that have to be brought after His curing of such cases (as He did in some cases of physical illness). They had heard what had happened to the pigs and knew the Jews considered Gentiles unclean, too. Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. This suggests that whoever was the customer for the swineherder in the "region of the Gerasenes", it was not the Roman army to any significant extent. August 2017 Is it a bug? ), you also need to understand the significance of this - to the people in Gerasene. His website/blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, has been online since March 1997. Rev. . 22ff. Yes, I know that Easter was weeks ago in April. February 2017 It is noteworthy that it is distinguished (especially in the Gospel of the physician, Luke) from cases of ordinary sickness, insanity (lunacy), leprosy, blindness, lameness, deafness and other natural defects and diseases (cf. Paul says of the former life of the Christian, And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 1:1-2). Your comment will be posted after it is approved. September 2016 The center of personality, the volitional and active ego, is impaired by alien powers which seek to ruin the man and sometimes drive him to self-destruction (Mk. But from all of the Gospel accounts, I get the distinct impression that this mans eyes were riveted on Jesus. Accordingly this was not merely an ordinary form of mental disease as some writers have alleged, but a special phenomenon which was particularly frequent during Jesus earthly sojourn and thus was directly connected with His coming to destroy the power of darkness. No! Chapati Movement 1857: Why were the British afraid of the Roti? In any event, they were not Israelites, as indicated by the fact that a herd of swine was being kept nearby, which would have been forbidden by the Mosaic Law, since swine were unclean animals (Leviticus 11:7-8). The reference could hardly be to the better known Gerasa (Jerash) between thirty and forty miles southeast from the lake. Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant. The Gadarenes' Rejection | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Then the Livestock Association and consumer groups would have been greatly distressed over the sudden decrease in the pig population and the resulting impact on pork prices. "I am afraid of Trump on a very personal level because I don't think he likes me. 114 We are indebted to Edersheim, who reminds us that the expression demon possession never occurs in the New Testament: The term demoniacal possession occurs not in the New Testament. More from Medium Jameson Steward in. Although it is often claimed that Christians were persecuted for their refusal to worship the emperor, general dislike for Christians likely arose from their refusal to worship the gods or take part in sacrifice, which was expected of those living in the Roman Empire. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), p. 174. November 2014. So, they asked Him to leave. As He had landed with His disciples He had been confronted with a demon-possessed man - a man that no one had been able to control. Now appreciate the reaction - another God was messing with their god - and demonstrating authority! For the reason why this is so we refer the reader to the introduction preceding the exposition of verses 33-7. So he got into the boat and left., Luke 8:37, NIV, great fear [KJV] thoroughly frightened [Phillips]gripped with great fear [NASB]. The people were afraid when they saw the possessed man healed. 2,8) who can possess men and animals. or school. The Lord refused this request and commissioned this delivered man to return to his own people and declare to them what God had done for him. For those near by the local name would be used; but in writing to a distant people, as the Greeks and Romans, the more comprehensive and general name would be given.. Afraid of Jesus? | Sermons | College Park Church January 2016 Order Bulk SubscriptionsGet a discount on 6 or more copies sent to your parish, organization But about a mile further south there is a fairly steep slope within forty yards from the shore, and about two miles from there cavern tombs are found which appear to have been used for dwellings. William L. Lane, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), p.181. He obviously attracted crowds. Spam. A crowd had come to see what had happened for themselves. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? The man, who was naked when he saw Jesus, had the added ability of enduring both freezing and sweltering temperatures as well as pain he inflicted upon himself! He seemed to view Jesus approach as the launching of a direct attack on the demonic forces. It is ironic that while the demons didnt want to leave the country, the dwellers of that land didnt want the Messiah to stay. So he got into a boat and returned. While he was once wild and uncontrollable, he was sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus. Pigs were seen as unclean animals in the eyes of the people of Israel. French Monastery Survives War and Famine After 885 Years, the Basilica of St. Ambrose in Milan, and More Great Links! 9. The Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20) | Bible.org Here is where Satan can use a man to influence scores of people, blinding minds and hearts to the truths of the Word of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). On the other hand, it may be correct to understand that although there were many demons, they had combined as one force to possess this man.119 While Mark records Legions request as one of not being sent out of the country (verse 10), Luke adds a significant explanation by interpreting the meaning behind this request: And they were entreating Him not to command them to depart into the abyss (Luke 8:31). 117 so that, by their own confession, a time is coming when there shall be an entire victory of the kingdom of light over that of darkness (Rev. xx. Whereas he had been a slave, he was now delivered from demon possession. He said he had come to the house of Israel, not to the gentiles. Second, while the death of the pigs is clearly an economic loss for the owner, Jesus is illustrating the infinite value of human life. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Such was the case with this man (cf. Luke seems to base this fear solely upon what happened to the demoniac, not on the loss of their pigs. . The Man from the Tombs: Christ Speaks to the Problem of Spiritual and our Why is that. January 2018 To understand this event, you need consider the incident at Babel, and Deuteronomy. I was in a dialogue with an atheist regarding what he believes is one of many so-called biblical contradictions. Odd guy that I am, I actually find this sort of thing fun. A land that was essentially under another god (lower case g). Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. 3); they are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day (Jude 6); and what the unclean spirits deprecate here, is the bringing in, by anticipation, of that final doom. R. C. Trench, Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1949), p. 100. To date they have failed to respond in any way. If they dare to open up their lives to Jesus what will happen? The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. You can like Jesus for two different reasons. Paul tells us that our struggle is, at bottom, a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12). As indicated in the textual note, the best Greek text reads Gerasenes in Mark and Luke, Gadarenes in Matthew. They all say country of (in the sense of region, not nation). where something similar occurs) is a demon-possession mentioned, and that outside the Gospels it is referred to only twice in the New Testament (Acts xvi. Such an entreaty can be addressed by them to only God. Here is one of the few times that a miracle drove people away, rather than to draw them to Jesus. 61-62. The Death Of Relationships In Nairobi - YAZA Kenya Lane believes the modern Kersa is the most likely place: The point of arrival is indicated in a general way as the district of the Gerasenes, most probably in reference to a town whose name is preserved in the modern Kersa or Koursi. Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. October 2021 Far from this, He had stormed the gates of Hell and prevailed. Only 30 of 175 dioceses ordained an average number of priests at or above replacement level over the five years from 2016 to 2021, according to the report. April 2022 That is why the inhabitants of the area are referred to variously in different Bible manuscripts as Gergasenes, Gadarenes, or Gerasenes. September 2021 Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. Just as demons desire to possess persons through whom they can exhibit their personalities, so the Spirit of God indwells man, imparting new life, and progressively gaining control so that the character of God is exhibited, but not in such a way as to hinder our individuality and identity. November 2015 Why ChatGPT should be considered a malevolent AI - and be destroyed 2 Now a centurion had a servant 1 who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 2. September 2022 Gergesa - Wikipedia Why did Jesus not allow demons to proclaim his name, Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. 4 Reasons Jesus Cast Demons Into a Herd of Pigs Gadara is about six miles from the sea. The man, who was naked when he saw Jesus, had the added ability of enduring both freezing and sweltering temperatures as well as pain he inflicted upon himself! recognizes the military background of the term, pointing out that in the imperial period a legion consisted of 6000 foot soldiers, 120 horsemen and technical personnel. Earles comments are helpful: The difference in names for the destination on the east side of the take has caused considerable comment. The capital of the region was Gerasa, and the largest city in the region was Gadera. The Gadarene: When Following Jesus Means Going Home If an Israelite, why was he in Gerasene in the first place and why was he living so near a large herd of swine? Jesus was saying, (demonstrating) that He had all authority, in any land. What did we miss because we allowed fear instead of faith to drive our lives? Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi. Mark 3:14). First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. The house that is left swept and clean is a likely target for Satanic influence (cf. Anonymous, October 25 2014 Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. They have three sons and a daughter (all homeschooled) and reside in southeast Michigan. Lukes reading Gergesenes may represent even more accurately the ancient name of this place, as Origen knew of a Gergesa on the lake of Galilee. March 2022 July 2022 68f. May 2021 It is a violent tempest, that is, outside of the natural. The nearby townspeople, upon hearing of the great miracle (and not wanting to suffer further economic loss), begged Christ to leave the Gadarenes and never come back! 22, xvii. Series NotesScripture references are based on the King James translation. Welcome to Biblical Hermeneutics! 2). They are happy in their sin and the consequences seem far away. April 2017 Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac in Luke 8 | Psephizo April 2018 On the other hand, the scene gains in grandeurhas, so to speak, a fitting backgroundif we suppose the Saviour and His disciples to have landed on the other side late in the evening, when perhaps the silvery moon was shedding her pale light on the weird scene, and laying her halo around the shadows cast upon the sea by the steep cliff down which the herd of swine hurried and fell. April 2020 They were among North Korea's elite, but they fled anyway. Here's why The religious rulers hated Jesus for exposing their hypocrisy and feared the consequences His actions might have with Rome, but they were not afraid of Jesus as a Person. Small sins lead to big sins, and big sins bring about a terrible spiritual darkness. However, the point was clearly made; Jesus, the Son of God, has power over all things, including the powers of darkness. Luke 8:26-39 Mark 5:1-20 ESV - 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. The passage in Daniel especially suggests specific geographical boundaries within which spirit beings must abide. Slain Los Angeles auxiliary bishop was remembered at the Mass of Christian burial as friend of Jesus Christ and of Mary, our Blessed Mother.. Matthew is habitually more oriented to a Jewish readership, and so he refers to Gadarenes because Gadara was the most important Jewish city in the area. Dave Armstrong Dave Armstrong is a full-time Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981. (5) What our Lord could have given the people of this territory was much greater than what He took away. These people from the region of the Gerasenes had undoubtedly felt the anger or disgust of Jews for making a career out of such unclean animals, but Jesus had not criticized them for their profession. Sproul says in his commentary on Mark, When the Holy One is manifest in the midst of unholy people, the only appropriate human response is dread.. 8; Mark vi. especially fn. Though Legion bowed before Jesus (verse 6), it was no act of worship (as the King James Version would seem to indicate). (London: InterVarsity Fellowship, 1950), fn. The Truth is Jesus is a safe Person Who loves them, values them, wants their best and will never force Himself on them. 21,22). Fear that you would not be in control? Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. Matthew 8:28 - 29, 31, 34And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. In fact the region was known as the Gadarenes-Gerasenes region. Although demon-possession after that time no longer occurs on such a devastating and noticeable scale, the absolute form of demon-possession will appear at the end of the age in the Antichrist and in his followers (2 Thess. Some of the proposed answers to this question are totally unacceptable to an orthodox, evangelical Christian.123 By way of explanation, there are several factors which should be given serious consideration.
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