Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? Vote Up 8ff.). The demons freak out that Jesus is there because it's not time for them to be tormented by Him yet. And, Gerasene was one. So who was afraid? Another approach is to note the different intentions of the Gospel writers. When Jesus asked his name the man answered, Legion, for we are many (Mark 5:9). They were willing to post guards and chain and shackle their neighbor to keep him from hurting someone. Although the manifestations of demonization vary widely, this man115 evidenced several of the classic symptoms. I have always wondered what my Christian brothers had to say to the police officers by way of explanation. There seems to be no excuse here for the charge of contradiction. 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. January 2015 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. They are unclean spirits, (vss. "The trains were . ii. In other words, even though he set the bar extremely high, he seemed to be a fascinating man. 61-62. Ananias and Sapphira did so by allowing their greed to grip their hearts (cf. Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 6:12), whose leader and prince is Satan (Matthew 12:24). Acts 16:16), while others were the virtual pawns of these spirits, losing their own identity and autonomy. That is not the choice at all. Jesus asked a sick man if he wanted to get well. 16ff., xix. August 2022 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. Have you even been in a service where the Spirit of God was moving and felt fear? There is the so-called demon of doubt, of anger, of overindulgence, of drunkenness, laziness and so on. May 2022 Oh Hye-son recently published a Korean-language memoir on how she and her husband Thae Yong-ho, then deputy ambassador at North Korea's London embassy, defected in 2016. 8; Mark vi. Satans most useful instrument is the outstanding, outwardly moral and upright religious man, whose good deeds are done independently of God. Crazy question or.? Although Gadarenes and Gergesenes are derived from a different Greek word, they are essentially referring to the same area. Jesus did say to count the cost [Luke 14:28-33]. 17, pp. Mark and Luke, on the other hand, write to more general audiences, and Gerasa was the main Greek-Roman city of the area. 26). art thou come hither to torment us before the time? The capital of the region was Gerasa, and the largest city in the region was Gadera. Jesus asked Mary why she was crying at the grave site. January 2023 And, it can not be understood properly out of this context. Matthew 9:2-8 Why was "This man is blaspheming" considered an evil thought without knowing Jesus' identity? In any event, I love defending the Bible and Christianity. 34When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Mark 9:17-29). Why did Jesus not allow demons to proclaim his name, Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs. It was scary. It should also be observed that nowhere in the Old Testament (except in I Sam. The demoniac was uncontrollable by any of the normal means of human confinement. SubscribeStart your Register subscription today. Men and women (as well as children) were demonized in that they fell under the influence of these unclean spirits. Like children convinced there are monsters under our beds, the unknown scares us. Pigs were seen as unclean animals in the eyes of the people of Israel. xvi. When the townspeople arrived on the scene, they saw the formerly demon-possessed men, clothed, in their right mind and sitting at the feet of Jesus. December 2022 The people were gentiles who had not yet any interest in the Messiah. 122 Quoted by Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to Saint Luke, (Edinburg: T. and T. Clark, 5th ed., 1969): p. 228. These, however, are not the problem raised by Bible students. Now they were delivered and ready to be productive members of society. The lectionary reading for Trinity 1, Year C, is Luke's version of Jesus meeting and healing the demon-possessed man in the 'region of the Gerasenes' (Luke 8.26-39). 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). October 2018 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). Such was the case with this man (cf. In Jewish thinking, spirit beings were assigned to certain geographical territories.120. 4, p. 180. 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. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). If he was a pagan, why did Jesus cast out his demons? Matthew 12:43-45). And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. The presence of holiness and, moreover, the most intense divine holiness is undesirable; I mean, unless you are an angel or a saintly recluse in his ascetic toils in a cave or a top of a pillar. As C. S. Lewis aptly put it: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? How do I connect these two faces together? The sons of god ended up becoming the gods of these nations. As the world's top superpower, how unsure of itself can the US be to . This was surely not so in every case, and perhaps in none. Exercising authority in the land allocated to Abraham, for Israel, the land set aside for God and his people. "The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. September 2015 No one was strong enough to subdue him (verses 3,4). June 2020 He who feared His arrival now dreaded His departure. This was a federation of ten cities (deka = ten, polis = city). 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. Demons are highly organized (cf. I understand why," the HBO "Real Time" host told Jake Tapper on Tuesday as part . Textual variations have compounded the problem. Understand the meaning of Luke 8:37 using all available Bible versions and commentary. April 2017 (4) Super-human strength. Why did the demon-possessed Gadarene bow down before Jesus? By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. December 2020 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. 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. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Why is there a voltage on my HDMI and coaxial cables? How ironic, as others have noted, that the tormentor pleads not to be tormented. 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. It might be better to hide behind masks than risk being hurt again After all, if God rejects youwhere else can you go? At first we may deceive ourselves into thinking that we are controlling them, but the ultimate likelihood is that they will master us. 127 The view of Greek philosophy was that these were the spirits of those who lived in the Golden Age. He said he had come to the house of Israel, not to the gentiles. For more information about Glenn Davis see our About Glenn page and/or his Author's Page. Another reason could be as Dr. R.C. The account occurs in all three Synoptic gospels; in Mark (the shortest gospel) the story is in the longest and most detailed version; Matthew 8.28-34 is the shortest, You will receive a monthly newsletter with Scriptural teaching plus notifications of any new articles, courses or books. Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? But for most of us, the world and the flesh are all that are necessary to cause us to stumble. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. July 2022 3. 7. 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). The drowning of the swine was an accident, possibly simultaneous with the healing, and report mixed up the two incidents. Let me say as graciously as I can, Satan does not need to work on us in those areas as we are doing very well without his exploitation. 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. It is ironic that while the demons didnt want to leave the country, the dwellers of that land didnt want the Messiah to stay. 4. 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. 14). Unbelieving men may not rave and carry on like the Gerasene demoniac, but they are nevertheless under Satans control, doing his bidding. 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. How Satan blinds our minds! Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Luke 8:26And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. When addressed, the person was the mouthpiece of the demon (such as Legion, Mark 5:9). In other words, Jesus had caused a loss to them of 2,000 swine already; what else would His presence cost? In all three instances the word is chra (Strongs word #5561). So he got into a boat and returned. Privacy Policy. The confrontation of Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac made it clear that Jesus was no servant of Satan. 28); Mark the country of the Gerasenes (v. 1), and Luke, probably, the country of the Gergesenes (viii. 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. Jesus never interacted with people as they were, but as He knew they were created to be. Until we decide on a new comic, you'll likely see a gray box where "Dilbert" had appeared. The Gospels use different names for the place where this occurred: This is supposedly a contradiction. Gerasa is (as we know) some 30-35 miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee, but may have also been the name of the larger region. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known.. Similar to the storm we see in the book of Job that killed Jobs sons - and Satan was the instigator of that as well. What was it that caused these people to react in such a way? They liked Him and wanted to be with Him. Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. 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? We see people in other places where he worked miracles, endeavoring to make him their king (Jn 6:15) . So, they asked Him to leave. November 2021 So who was afraid? Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! In Galilee and Judea there were Messianic hopes which would have been quickly fanned into flames if the miracles of Jesus were too widely publicized. The choice is to be free by submission to Christ (cf. Five squad cars converged on it. Here is one of the few times that a miracle drove people away, rather than to draw them to Jesus. in a crowd in a crowd where many people were bumping into Him? 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. 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. xiii. Many times people - Non-Christians and Christians - push Jesus away because they do not want to change. June 2016 The lose of the pigs meant loose of partial income in the area. The Lord, in an act of great mercy, freed the Gadarenes' man by casting the demons out of him and allowing them to enter a nearby herd of pigs. Jesus showed to the local population the inferiority of pagan life. 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 pigs had been driven mad and rushed down a steep slope plunging into the lake and drowning. First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. Acts 19:16). Women, children and defenceless people all admired Him and felt comfortable in His presence. Matthew 8:4; Luke 8:56). (5) Torment. 22ff. The first two are in the Authorized Version. Thus an economic lose of revenue was involved. He seemed to view Jesus approach as the launching of a direct attack on the demonic forces. January 2018 They became as afraid of Jesus as the demons were. Hence there was demon-worship, the worship not necessarily of evil spirits; but of the spirits of those who had existed in the Golden Age. G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel According to Mark (New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1927), p. 114. There is no conflict, however, for Mark and Luke have apparently focused their attention on the most striking of the two. 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. They look forward to their future with great dread. Earles comments are helpful: The difference in names for the destination on the east side of the take has caused considerable comment. 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.. Our Lord responded sternly by calling this accusation blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and as such was the one unpardonable sin (verses 28-30). e.g., Matt. The occult and every front for demonic influence and activity should be avoided like the plague. 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. 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. Jesus was saying, (demonstrating) that He had all authority, in any land. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. At their request, He left. In Luke 2:8 it is applied to the city of Bethlehem; in Acts 18:23 to Galatia and Phrygia. He felt Jesus' reassuring hand on his shoulder. Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. Also, the wholesale slaughter of these pigs dramatically illustrated the destructive purposes of the demons. September 2020 Will they be condemned like unclean animals? (3) Spiritual insight. 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. Other demoniacs described in Scripture were bent on self-destruction as well (cf. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, Highlights in the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ. They had heard what had happened to the pigs and knew the Jews considered Gentiles unclean, too. Acts 5:1-6). Subscriber Service CenterAlready a subscriber? 21,22). Pope Francis Inexhaustible Font of Words: 10 Gems From the Heart Over 10 Years, Pope Francis, Biden Commend Peacemaker Bishop OConnell as Memorial Services Begin. August 2015 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). 2). The word translated windstorm here, and storm in the KJ, is the word lailaps, which is more than just a storm. According to another theory, the Chapati movement of 1857 was an attempt to prevent a cholera outbreak in central India. They were instructed to keep quiet about what Jesus had done for them (cf. March 2015 Can devils entreat in such a manner any highest of angels, be he Michael, Gabriel or Raphael, or any greatest cherub or seraph? 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. (6) Tendency towards self-destruction. When once he was an instrument of Satanic opposition against the Messiah, now he is a witness to His power. 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). That is why the inhabitants of the area are referred to variously in different Bible manuscripts as Gergasenes, Gadarenes, or Gerasenes. Lets learn why. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. If an Israelite, why was he in Gerasene in the first place and why was he living so near a large herd of swine? 7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, b he entered Capernaum. She and her wife moved to Maine from Illinois. July 2021 Was there some sort of unwritten rule that Darrow (or any non-Bellona) was supposed to throw the fight? John 8:32; Matthew 11:28-30), or to be the pawns of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-2). 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. How to show that an expression of a finite type must be one of the finitely many possible values? Events that are important to our Church Community, Mark 5:1-20 Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac. xvii. He was Someone Who could control the spirit realm. The pig tenders reported it far and wide, in city and country (verse 14). May 2017 2,8) who can possess men and animals. 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. The time of this event was before Jesus' crucifixion, and before the gentiles were grafted in to the promise (Acts 10). March 2018 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. September 2018 Jesus asked some crazy questions like "Why are you afraid?" We owe it to Josephus, from whom it has passed into ecclesiastical language. It was like being attacked by two Hulks. They probably thought of quickly getting aboard ship and pushing off. Instead of opening themselves up to Jesus and receiving His love and forgiveness, they allowed fear to drive a wedge between them. Thus, all the circumstances lead us to regard the healing of the demonized at Gerasa as a night scene, immediately on Christs arrival from Capernaum, and after the calming of the storm at sea. Alford Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965), I, pp. Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. "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. Bible-believing Christians have always accepted the fact of demons and their activity in New Testament times, but most of us are inclined to relegate demonic activity in these days to pagan lands and missionary experiences. Series NotesScripture references are based on the King James translation. It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126. And Jesus, being a Gentleman, was not about to force Himself on them. 36 Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 124 Augustine: The devils were driven out and permitted to go into the swine; and Aquinas: But that the swine were driven into the sea was no work of the divine miracle, but was the work of the devils by divine permission. Quoted by Trench, Miracles, fn. verse 5). Neither is it only a kind of physical disease, although spiritual and physical disease often accompany it (e.g. 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. Renew or manage your subscription here. The before and after descriptions of the demoniac reveal that he was a totally different person under demonic influence. Jesus had simply sailed across the Lake of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. 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. Is it a bug? 125 This is the position of Lane, Mark, p. 187. So he got into the boat and left., Luke 8:37, NIV, great fear [KJV] thoroughly frightened [Phillips]gripped with great fear [NASB].

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