Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. (5) What our Lord could have given the people of this territory was much greater than what He took away. 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. No one was strong enough to subdue him (verses 3,4). 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. Textual variations have compounded the problem. Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 6:12), whose leader and prince is Satan (Matthew 12:24). "The trains were . 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. September 2018 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 had been performing miracles in Gods nation - Israel. Once a menace to society, now a messenger with words of deliverance and healing. That is not the choice at all. 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. No matter where you are on life's journey you are welcome here! The swine then immediately killed themselves by rushing off a cliff. 5. They have three sons and a daughter (all homeschooled) and reside in southeast Michigan. Clarify The demonically possessed man who came to Jesus cried out his name was Legion. The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. But notice, even though Jesus permitted them to enter the swine, they were unable to overcome their evil impulses and drove the swine over the cliff to their death. We should be warned that fooling with these Satanic fronts is like experimenting with drugs. January 2015 Another approach is to note the different intentions of the Gospel writers. The Lord granted the only request of these residents, which was for Him to leave. Gerasenes could have had a sense of reference to the entire region (as well as to a city: just as New Yorker can refer to the state or city), and Gadarenes likely was a reference to the most prominent city of the region at the time. It might be better to hide behind masks than risk being hurt again After all, if God rejects youwhere else can you go? Brazilian Charity Caring for Children Who Survived Abortions Issues Urgent Appeal, Memento Mori: Remember You Are Going to Die, The Meat of the Matter: St. Patricks Day and the Lenten Fast. The lose of the pigs meant loose of partial income in the area. She and her wife moved to Maine from Illinois. At their request, He left. 5:5). One is that he was a fascinating man. 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. Region of the Gerasenes - Fire and Light The best human analogy might be in the area of drug abuse. How to show that an expression of a finite type must be one of the finitely many possible values? February 2015 When addressed, the person was the mouthpiece of the demon (such as Legion, Mark 5:9). And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). 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. 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. "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. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. For these demons to be sent out of the country would have meant that they would then be confined along with other fallen angels (cf. May 2022 Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. 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). 7. Why did the Gerasenes become afraid when they saw that the - Reddit For more information about Glenn Davis see our About Glenn page and/or his Author's Page. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Hence it would be called the land of the Gadarenes.. July 2017 rev2023.3.3.43278. Satans most effective tool is not the demoniac wandering about the desolate places. Mark 5:1And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. November 2014. Legion of Demons - NeverThirsty 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. Matthew 8:4; Luke 8:56). I think all these attempts to harmonize what may at first seem like a contradiction are plausible, respectable, and adequate. The confrontation of Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac made it clear that Jesus was no servant of Satan. Luke seems to base this fear solely upon what happened to the demoniac, not on the loss of their pigs. 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. He did not appear to rush upon the small group of men to attack them (as he would normally have done), but rather to plead with Jesus. 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. 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. The house that is left swept and clean is a likely target for Satanic influence (cf. 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. What were the women in Mark 16:8 afraid of? Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. Although it is likely that the larger towns of Galilee were predominantly Gentile, as was the Decapolis, the first-century civilian diet did not . 14. If an Israelite, why was he in Gerasene in the first place and why was he living so near a large herd of swine? (2) Anti-social behavior. Though Legion bowed before Jesus (verse 6), it was no act of worship (as the King James Version would seem to indicate). 23, 24, viii. The entrance of the term into colloquial speech indicates that the Roman occupation was a heavy burden. 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. When the Gadarenes saw what Christ was capable of, they panicked. Yes, I know that Easter was weeks ago in April. Far from this, He had stormed the gates of Hell and prevailed. Jesus asked Mary why she was crying at the grave site. In all three instances the word is chra (Strongs word #5561). Christians are to be the answer, but often they are part of the problem. For the reason why this is so we refer the reader to the introduction preceding the exposition of verses 33-7. 9. Swine were unclean animals according to the Torah. 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. He felt Jesus' reassuring hand on his shoulder. It was not the loss of their property or investment that caused them to be afraid of Jesus. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? 05 /5 Another theory. The fear of the unknown, the uncontrollableof change. Did Jesus command the demon before he fell on his knees in Mark 5:6? So he got into a boat and returned. (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. The miracle referred to took place, without doubt, near the town of Gergesa, the modern Kersa, close by the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and hence in the country of Gergesenes. 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. November 2015 (3) Our Lord was moved with compassion by the torment of Legion and the loss of these pigs should in no way dim our view of the deliverance of the demoniac. March 2017 The pleas of Legion were in response to the command of Jesus for the demons to come out of him (verse 8). Why Darth Sidious Was AFRAID of General Grievous - YouTube Asked October 24 2014 April 2020 They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 13; Luke iv. Why would the Gerasene people beg Jesus to leave their region after He cast the demons into the pigs? Its important to note that this was the first demonstration of Jesuss authority outside of Canaan. Jesus has lead me away from my old life. Although the Gospels give us little information as to how individuals become targets of Satanic control, I would suggest for your consideration that they sometimes do so by leaving themselves open to Satanic influence. The Truth is Jesus is a safe Person Who loves them, values them, wants their best and will never force Himself on them. in 1971. Fear that you might do something that would embarrass you? In Mark 1:5 it is used of the land of Judaea (KJV) and in Acts 10:39, to land of the Jews (KJV). 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. Sometime after the Lord Jesus miraculously calmed the storm, the ship landed, perhaps late in the evening,111 on the other side of the lake in the country of the Gerasenes.112 If, indeed, it was late at night, the scene must have been an eerie one, with the nerves of the disciples already worn thin by the terrifying experience of the storm. 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. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. September 2021 Sign-up for E-NewsletterGet Register Updates sent daily or weeklyto your inbox. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Why are you Afraid? | Mark 4:35 - 5:20 | RayStedman.org 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. They valued their pigs more than they valued salvation. 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? They were among North Korea's elite, but they fled anyway. Here's why What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? Thats why also Peter having realized who Christ was, was dreaded and asked Him to leave him for he said to be a sinful man (Luke 5:8). Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac in Luke 8 | Psephizo 128 In most of the stories of possession what is at issue is not merely sickness but a destruction and distortion of the divine likeness of man according to creation. Why ChatGPT should be considered a malevolent AI - and be destroyed They are happy in their sin and the consequences seem far away. (3) Spiritual insight. I understand why," the HBO "Real Time" host told Jake Tapper on Tuesday as part . Have we stepped back, in effect asking Jesus to leave us alone, only to discover, as a Gentleman, He did? and 1 Kings xxii. They ask Him if they can enter some nearby pigs, and He lets them. March 2022 No! In recent years the matter has been getting uncomfortably close to home. 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. The region was not poor or economically depressed. Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs In Gerasenes Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? 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. June 2016 Luke 8 And the people went out to see what happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. The Gadarene: When Following Jesus Means Going Home They were not looked upon as necessarily evil in all cases. He said he had come to the house of Israel, not to the gentiles. December 2021 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. March 2021 Slain Los Angeles auxiliary bishop was remembered at the Mass of Christian burial as friend of Jesus Christ and of Mary, our Blessed Mother.. The exercising of authority over demons, in the land under another god, was a message. Afraid of Jesus? | Sermons | College Park Church And, Gerasene was one. Demons are highly organized (cf. 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.
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