No! Also, the wholesale slaughter of these pigs dramatically illustrated the destructive purposes of the demons. But, the pigs were a part of their economic wealth. In contrast, the people of Gerasene are asking him to leave their place. This reveals to us that demons have an intuitive knowledge of their impending doom.117. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. 123 1. June 2015 In the form of tongues as of fire, the Holy Spirit rests on the disciples on the morning of Pentecost and fills them with himself. (CCC 696). 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. The scene which Mark presents is deliberately dark. It is not difficult to imagine what was going through the minds of the disciples as their ship landed and as these two demon possessed men rushed to them. May 2020 Unfortunately, Christians [or those using the name] can be harsh, condemning and critical driving people further into sin and away from God. 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. Its ruins include two amphitheaters, a basilica, temple, a hippodrome, aqueducts and colonnades, showing its importance and stature. And he said to them, Where is your faith? February 2017 Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. October 2021 It was like being attacked by two Hulks. They probably thought of quickly getting aboard ship and pushing off. We dismiss it the more readily, that, in our view, it conveys a wrong impression. January 2021 March 2016 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. October 2018 Such seems to be a similar case with Judas (John 13:1-2). Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 6:12), whose leader and prince is Satan (Matthew 12:24). That the unclean spirits were personal beings is evident from what is related about their leaving a possessed person, talking or crying out, possessing knowledge concerning Jesus, as well as other supernatural knowledgeshowing fear, and the like. December 2020 Demonized individuals are not to be viewed so much as a pigeon hole category, as they are a continuem. They greatly desire to enter and control a physical body, whereby they may reflect their character and attributes. 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). Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs In Gerasenes Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? Exercising authority in the land allocated to Abraham, for Israel, the land set aside for God and his people. 9. He felt Jesus' reassuring hand on his shoulder. Bible scholar Gleason Archer (Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties) argues similarly, It is entirely possible that the political control of this region was centered in Gadara as the capital city. COMMENTARY: Atheism is generally the expression of a moral attitude more than a real intellectual conviction based on evidence thought through. Is it a bug? 125 This is the position of Lane, Mark, p. 187. Reproduction of material from this website without written permission, or unlicensed commercial use or . You can like Jesus for two different reasons. The particular focus of this mans testimony was the Decapolis region. Therefore, Jesus Christ for demons is God and thus even demons inadvertently reveal themselves as being better theologians than Arians and their modern day heirs - Jehovawitnesians and all different breeds of Unitarians - their name being legion! 23, 24, viii. Well, it is because atheists, in their zealous rush to make fun of Christians, Christianity, and the Bible, start to lose their logical rigor and rationality, leading them to contend for implausible things: as presently. 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.. Confusion, fear in moments after crash "There were many big pieces of steel," said Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene. 35Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. 118 H. Immediately, as this weary group disembarked from the ship, they were met by what appeared to be a madman. The best known Gerasa was a Greek city nearly forty miles southeast of the lake (modern village of Khersa, on the east shore of the lake. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Do roots of these polynomials approach the negative of the Euler-Mascheroni constant? This was surely not so in every case, and perhaps in none. John 8:32; Matthew 11:28-30), or to be the pawns of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-2). 8ff.). August 2022 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. And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to depart from them; for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat, and returned (Luke 8:35-37). Into the country of the Gadarenes, or rather, Gera-senes, which is now generally admitted to be the true reading, from Gerasa, Gersa, or Kersa.There was another Gerasa, situated at some distance from the sea, on the borders of Arabia Petraea. Events that are important to our Church Community, Mark 5:1-20 Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac. 7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, b he entered Capernaum. Matthew 12:43-45). 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. Early Christians like St. Polycarp clearly held the Catholic view on salvation. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! (4) Super-human strength. 1) He Exposes Evil (v 28-30) . We should know from other Scriptures that our present spiritual experience is one of spiritual warfare. Was it fear that a secret sin might be exposed? vi. Some appeared not to be oppressed by them so much as exploiting their powers (cf. As always, we must begin with the principle: Interpretation is one, application is many. They came face-to-face with the Son of God, the Being with the power to change their world forever, and they said, "Please leave." Why? Will they be condemned like unclean animals? So who was afraid? The Gadarenes was the place where Jesus confronted a man whose possession by demons gave him a level of superhuman strength like Samson (Mark 5:3 - 5, Luke 8:27). The Truth is Jesus is a safe Person Who loves them, values them, wants their best and will never force Himself on them. https://www.ncregister.com/blog/gerasene-or-gadarene-swine, What Archaeology Tells Us About Joshuas Conquest, 50 Verses to Help You Prepare for Pentecost, St. Polycarp, Who Learned the Faith From an Apostle, Did Not Believe in Faith Alone, The Three Kinds of Atheists, and How to Respond to Them, We Know That Hes in Heaven: Thousands Gather for Funeral of Bishop David OConnell in Los Angeles, Archbishop Naumann and Bishop Paprocki Speak Out in Support of Traditional Latin Massgoers in Their Dioceses, Survey: Decline in Vocations to the Priesthood Is Worse Where Priests Serve Larger Flocks, God Really Intervened: How a Catholic Priest Escaped From His Kidnappers in Haiti, Amber and Dave VanVickle on Finding God in the Midst of Suffering. The region was not poor or economically depressed. Another reason could be as Dr. R.C. And, Gerasene was one. December 2017 Putting all of these factors together the term demon-possessed inplies too much. And, yes, Dana did just read us something about a man possessed by a whole bunch of demons that later go and possess a bunch of hogs. Then any greatest of men, like any prophet, hero or king? 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? The spectrum ranges from those who seem to control the demonic powers to those who are utterly controlled by them. For the Christian, there are two extremes which must be avoided with reference to Satanic activity. . You might be thinking back to Easter and not recall very many hogs showing up except for at Easter supper. Significantly, the demons are called unclean spirits (verse 2,9). Privacy Policy. Note that the texts dont say Gerasa or Gadara, so they arent necessarily referring just to one of the cities. Demon possession, such as that of the Gerasene demoniac is the crudest and cruelest form of Satanic control, but by and large also one of the less common manifestations of Satans work in the world today. 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. In Jewish thinking, spirit beings were assigned to certain geographical territories.120. I am wondering if the demoniac was pagan or an Israelite. The reply Legion118 may be some kind of evasion, a reluctance on the part of the demons to individually identify themselves. The pig tenders reported it far and wide, in city and country (verse 14). August 2020 Was there some sort of unwritten rule that Darrow (or any non-Bellona) was supposed to throw the fight? By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. What did Jesus do? Even in our sophisticated times, there is an intense interest in the supernatural and the occult. Unbelieving men may not rave and carry on like the Gerasene demoniac, but they are nevertheless under Satans control, doing his bidding. 16, x. So he got into the boat and left., Luke 8:37, NIV, great fear [KJV] thoroughly frightened [Phillips]gripped with great fear [NASB]. August 2018 So much pain, so much sin. Why is this sentence from The Great Gatsby grammatical? They are happy in their sin and the consequences seem far away. So he got into a boat and returned. The confrontation between the powers of heaven and hell are nowhere seen in better perspective than in Marks account of the encounter of the Gerasene demoniac with our Lord Jesus Christ. April 2020 He was Someone Who could control the spirit realm. July 2018 That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. Those possessed are depicted throughout as unfortunate sufferers who by no fault of their own are dominated by evil spirits and who, when the spirits are cast out by Jesus, accept their deliverance with joy and gratitude (Mark v. 18-20, Luke viii. They had been unable to control these two men [Luke only mentions one man, but Matthew tells us there were two]. As the world's top superpower, how unsure of itself can the US be to . The choice is to be free by submission to Christ (cf. The swine then immediately killed themselves by rushing off a cliff. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. Welcome to Biblical Hermeneutics! Many New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than the Gergesenes. Demonic influence further destroys mans reflection of God as originally designed.128 Demons have great spiritual insight and reluctantly submit to Jesus as Lord of all. Pastor Chrissy is a native of East Tennessee. Five squad cars converged on it. 26). Demons are highly organized (cf. They were content where they were. Although his symptoms would have appeared to be those of an insane man,113 the Gospel writers inform us that he was demon-possessed.114. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. 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). Bill Maher says he's scared of former President Trump "on a very personal level" and "what he would do" to the comedian if he were to win the 2024 White House race. They were afraid and astonished, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey Him?" . Since the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave in their fear, it seems that Jesus' ability to exorcise Legion was disturbing to the people. Does a barbarian benefit from the fast movement ability while wearing medium armor? The house that is left swept and clean is a likely target for Satanic influence (cf. I understand why," the HBO "Real Time" host told Jake Tapper on Tuesday as part . The country of the Gadarenes (Gergesenes) is one of the few areas Jesus visited where Gentiles (non-Jews) composed the majority of the population. The Lord granted the only request of these residents, which was for Him to leave. From this it is clear that demon-possession is a phenomenon which occurred almost exclusively, but then to be sure on an amazing scale, during Jesus appearance on earth and to a lesser extent during the activity of the apostles. (2) Pork was a food forbidden to Jews, and as such, those who raised these pigs may have done so knowingly in violation of divine injunction. October 2015 The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? We will examine two incidents -- the stilling of the storm on the sea of Galilee, and that which follows immediately, the healing of the demoniac. July 2021 Instead, they reject Him because all they know is His power and purity. . It was significant. The lesson of this passage is that Satan is a defeated foe. "The name "Gerasenes" is to be associated with the modern city of Jerash, located in Transjordan, 22 miles N of Amman." John McRay, "Gerasenes," ed. August 2015 As the servant of Elisha was told, Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them (2 Kings 6:16). There is, as we know, the world, the flesh, and the Devil. The second question is an ethical one: What right had the Lord to inflict this loss on the owners of the swine?121 Put even more crassly, Huxley censored this act with these words: the wanton destruction of other peoples property is a misdemeanour of evil example.122. July 2020 Thus an economic lose of revenue was involved. (3) Spiritual insight. We see the first reaction to this in the storm MARK 4:7 And a great windstorm arose [snip]. 17, pp. This was a region east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. 68f. 120 The request is in both cases the same; for, according to Jewish notions, certain countries being assigned to evil as well as to good spirits, whose limits they were unable to overpass, to be sent out of their own country, no other being open to them, implied being sent into the abyss, or bottomless pit, since that remains for them alone. Trench, Miracles , p. 101. May 2017 2,8) who can possess men and animals. I will not look for a reason to return to it. Christians are to be a "safe" people - an expression of that love of God so people who do not know Him can be drawn to the Truth. French Monastery Survives War and Famine After 885 Years, the Basilica of St. Ambrose in Milan, and More Great Links! They ask Him if they can enter some nearby pigs, and He lets them. "Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear." (Luke 8:37a) Fear plagues us. There seems to be no excuse here for the charge of contradiction. This is probably the Gerasa of Mark and Luke. The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. It hit them hard in the pocketbook. Thayers Greek Lexicon defines it as the space lying between two places or limits region or country. The Sea of Galilee was clearly one of the limits. Women, children and defenceless people all admired Him and felt comfortable in His presence. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. 14ff. or school. The destructive desires of the demons were dramatically carried out in the drowning of the swine. Yet, conversely, the known can be just as scaryif not more. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? The Politics of Luke 8:26-39. Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. Similar to the storm we see in the book of Job that killed Jobs sons - and Satan was the instigator of that as well. Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. (2) Anti-social behavior. 36Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. It is something like the behavior and personality change in a man who is totally intoxicated. It was not the loss of their property or investment that caused them to be afraid of Jesus. There is no conflict, however, for Mark and Luke have apparently focused their attention on the most striking of the two. Hence it would be called the land of the Gadarenes.. At the conclusion of this day of teaching by parables, the Lord had instructed His disciples to cross over the Sea of Galilee to the other side. 22ff. Holy Communion From the Chalice Reintroduced in the UK: What About the US? How do I connect these two faces together? Where it falls apart for me is why the Bellonas, knowing that only one person is allowed to survive each duel, take the defeat so personally. He had only known Jesus for a few hours, but had already determined to be Jesus' disciple for life. ii. 37Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi. November 2015 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. Whereas he had been a slave, he was now delivered from demon possession. Such an entreaty can be addressed by them to only God. It indicates full and permanent control. But the distance is so short that, even making allowance for the delay by the tempest, the passage could scarcely have occupied the whole night. Evil is self-defeating in the end. Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), p. 174. They are unclean spirits, (vss. Demon-possession is, therefore, not merely a mental state in which someone suffers from a delusion or is subjected to some subjective disturbance of the world of ideas. Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. The capital of the region was Gerasa, and the largest city in the region was Gadera. 15; Mark ix. In the past several weeks, there has come to light the case of a man arrested for various crimes who has several of the symptoms of demon possession, including multiple personalities, even multiple IQs. 113 According to the Talmud there were four characteristics of madness: walking abroad at night; spending the night on a grave; tearing ones clothes and destroying what one was given. Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known.. The district of the Gerasenes probably included that of the Gadarenes; so that the demoniac of Gergesa belonged to the country of the Gadarenes and also to that of the Gerasenes, as the same person may, with equal truth, be said to live in the city or the state, or in the United States. 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. They became as afraid of Jesus as the demons were. No! In addition, Matthew includes the comment, Have You come here to torment us before the time? (Matthew 8:29). April 2017 January 2015 It is mentioned in some ancient manuscripts of the . The reference could hardly be to the better known Gerasa (Jerash) between thirty and forty miles southeast from the lake. Why is this even an issue, I wonder? For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. (1) Severe personality change. 116 As Lane observes this title Son of the Most High God, is not a messianic designation but a divine one. Lane, Mark, p. 133, cf. December 2022 You are welcome here. Why did the demon-possessed Gadarene bow down before Jesus? A friend of mine told me later that two students were attempting to cast a demon out of a fellow. By His power, we, too, are able to overcome Satans treacheries. Non-Christians can often experience this fear of Jesus as well. June 2021 February 2015 His animal-like shrieks must have sent chills up the spines of any who were nearby. December 2016 Christians are to be the answer, but often they are part of the problem. Why did the demons ask to be cast into the herd of pigs, and why did the pigs then run into the water to be drowned? Jesus had been performing miracles in Gods nation - Israel. Jesus had freed the man and for a reason known only to Himself, He had granted the demons request to go into a nearby herd of pigs rather than go into the Abyss [bottomless pit]. Another approach is to note the different intentions of the Gospel writers. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. And when the man spoke to Jesus, it looks like the demons inside the man were the ones doing the speaking. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. And the people there were scared, they recognised this, but more, they realised the significance of this. "And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes round about asked him to depart from them, for they were holden with great fear: and he entered into a bo." All Scripture agrees with this, that the judgment of the angels is yet to come (1 Cor. (5) Torment. It became one of the proudest cities of Syria. It was situated some 30 miles southeast of Gadara, on the borders of Peraea and a little north of the river Jabbok. and thank you for your contribution. How much more sinful than Peter were the Geraseneans, who because of love of money did not shun even to engage in a non-Jew business of herding swine; how much more unbearable and dreadful must have been for them the Lords presence! He brought up the story of Jesus casting out demons and sending them into pigs, which promptly ran over a cliff into the sea. Such was the case with this man (cf. They would have to trust Jesus. It is amazing to think that people could be fearful of Jesus. It is Geldenhuys who gives us the most concise description of demon-possession: in the New Testament demon-possession means that a person is dominated by the spirit of a demon and tormented by him. 13ff.). 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. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1991. It was opposite Galilee. While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. Clarify According to another theory, the Chapati movement of 1857 was an attempt to prevent a cholera outbreak in central India. Until we decide on a new comic, you'll likely see a gray box where "Dilbert" had appeared. 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. The price tag of possession was high, for those who fell victim to the demons agonized in constant torment. April 2022 Life with him would be heaven on earth. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? ESV - Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? Why would the Gerasene people beg Jesus to leave their region after He cast the demons into the pigs? Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight.". Pigs were specifically set aside as the animal used in sacrifices to their god. monetization of National Catholic Register RSS feeds is strictly prohibited. She is a graduate of the Divinity School at Wake Forest University and Chicago Theological Seminary. This story is a little bit of an Easter story. T. H. Huxley, in his Essays upon some Controverted Questions (1892), made merry over the escapade of the Gadarene swine, running the seven miles between Gadar and the lake of Galilee, crossing the deep river Yarmuk en route. Others cited unfaithfulness, lack of seriousness, and the lack of confidence to sustain a relationship. June 2022 His teachings have inspired great moral reformations such as abolition of slavery and the Civil Rights movement. Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. I asked why people are afraid of commitment and relationships and some said they are afraid because they fear being hurt again. NET Bible Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus to leave them alone, for they were seized with great fear. 122 Quoted by Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to Saint Luke, (Edinburg: T. and T. Clark, 5th ed., 1969): p. 228. 22, xvii. All of us may be so concerned with our own livelihoods that we fail to serve other people and help those in desperat The exercising of authority over demons, in the land under another god, was a message. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Did Jesus command the demon before he fell on his knees in Mark 5:6? In other words, Jesus had caused a loss to them of 2,000 swine already; what else would His presence cost? Once naked, he is now clothed. As we pass from this section to the next, let us not end on the note of the death of the pigs, but on the deliverance of the demoniac. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine . Is there a single-word adjective for "having exceptionally strong moral principles"? 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. For more information, please see our The expression to be with Jesus is used particularly of His disciples (cf. Here is one of the few times that a miracle drove people away, rather than to draw them to Jesus. 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. The Greeks were believers in the spirit world, but not necessarily convinced that demons were evil.127 As a result, Marks readers needed to be instructed as to the essential nature of demons and demon possession. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng.

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