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Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? Yet, conversely, the known can be just as scaryif not more. The commission of our Lord is considerably different from His instructions to the Israelites whom He had delivered. Can devils entreat in such a manner any highest of angels, be he Michael, Gabriel or Raphael, or any greatest cherub or seraph? 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. When addressed, the person was the mouthpiece of the demon (such as Legion, Mark 5:9). 2. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. They were content where they were. The subject of demons and demon possession has always seemed somewhat remote and academic to sophisticated 20th century Americans. 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. Unbelieving men may not rave and carry on like the Gerasene demoniac, but they are nevertheless under Satans control, doing his bidding. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. To date they have failed to respond in any way. 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. Ouija boards are found in many American homes. Even as the purpose of Roman legions was to enforce the will of the emperor, the goal of the multiple evil spirits was to carry out the devil's will of bringing pain, destruction and chaos to humans! print and digital media outlets, dedicated to reporting the truth in light of the Gospel and the April 2021 First of all, the EPA would have been investigating the pollution of Lake Galilee with decaying pigs. April 2018 Those demons were terrified of Him! Then the SPCA would have been up in arms over such cruelty to animals. Others are absolutely controlled (hooked) by the drug and totally dependent upon it. When the Gadarenes saw what Christ was capable of, they panicked. What they were not willing to accept was the frightening power that could cure him. As Jesus began to get back into the boat, the delivered demoniac pleaded with Him that he might accompany Him. Have you even been in a service where the Spirit of God was moving and felt fear? December 2022 It was like being attacked by two Hulks. They probably thought of quickly getting aboard ship and pushing off. 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. Why did Jesus have the authority to forgive sins, why did the scribes take it as a blasphemy, and was this authority also given to men in general? This is probably the Gerasa of Mark and Luke. But for most of us, the world and the flesh are all that are necessary to cause us to stumble. 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. At their request, He left. My office mate of several years back was interrupted by a young and very zealous new Christian teacher accompanied by a student from whom she wanted my friend to cast out a demon. 18). February 2017 One is to disbelieve in their existence. He said he had come to the house of Israel, not to the gentiles. As these people began to piece together the previous events, not only of the destruction of the pigs, but also the deliverance of Legion, they began to sense that there was One far more awesome, much more to be feared, than Legion. Have we stepped back, in effect asking Jesus to leave us alone, only to discover, as a Gentleman, He did? 2 Now a centurion had a servant 1 who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. 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. 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! 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. In the King James Version it is called the country of the Gadarenes in Mark and Luke, and of the Gergesenes in Matthew. 28); Mark the country of the Gerasenes (v. 1), and Luke, probably, the country of the Gergesenes (viii. The house that is left swept and clean is a likely target for Satanic influence (cf. The region was known also as the Decopolis because ten Greek cities were located in the region. These people did not want to change. . February 2018 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. 7. When you get a chance, please take the, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine . Most people confessed to having the fear of things not working out, an inability to trust and others said they . His website/blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, has been online since March 1997. So they refer to Gerasenes. Why did Jesus allow the legion of demons to stay in the area when they begged him? The reply Legion118 may be some kind of evasion, a reluctance on the part of the demons to individually identify themselves. July 2015 Although Gadarenes and Gergesenes are derived from a different Greek word, they are essentially referring to the same area. Holiness hurts! Embedded into both stories are people who were afraid of Jesus. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight.". 2). Thus, it is not always used of one specific country (nation), but rather, usually to regions or areas of either small (Bethlehem) or large (Judaea and Samaria) size, including regions surrounding large cities. He was also humorous in his answers. 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. I felt somewhat guilty, particularly fearing that I may have created an unintentional hardship for some classmate. Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi. (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. It would seem that these people had no Messianic expectations, and therefore wanted nothing to do with One Who had such awesome power, a power over which they had no control. May 2018 February 2021 He felt Jesus' reassuring hand on his shoulder. But as Gergesa was a small village, and little known, the evangelists, who wrote for more distant readers, spoke of the event as taking place in the country of the Gadarenes, so named from its largest city, Gadara; and this country included the country of the Gergesenes as a state includes a county. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. ii. March 2018 Having been properly warned of the demonic underworld, let us not fall into the opposite error of absolute paranoia. May 2020 "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. 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). The spread of cholera was linked to the movements of . 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. As indicated in the textual note, the best Greek text reads Gerasenes in Mark and Luke, Gadarenes in Matthew. April 2017 or school. More from Medium Jameson Steward in. December 2017 It is something like the behavior and personality change in a man who is totally intoxicated. Crazy question or.? Jesus asked Mary why she was crying at the grave site. We should know from other Scriptures that our present spiritual experience is one of spiritual warfare. rev2023.3.3.43278. 05 /5 Another theory. Vote Up Why did Jesus not allow demons to proclaim his name, Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs. 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. Ananias and Sapphira did so by allowing their greed to grip their hearts (cf. October 2017 While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. 0 Responses 14). 110 C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1971), p. 3. The demonically possessed man who came to Jesus cried out his name was Legion. Instead, they reject Him because all they know is His power and purity. With a little knowledge of the geography of the region, this apparent contradiction can be resolved. 13ff.). 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. 36Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. xvii. Swine were unclean animals according to the Torah. Treasury of Scripture. Whenever a man, woman, or child surrenders control of himself either to fleshly desires (anger, lust, passion, etc.) Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, Highlights in the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ. October 2020 We should be warned that fooling with these Satanic fronts is like experimenting with drugs. 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. 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. Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 6:12), whose leader and prince is Satan (Matthew 12:24). Horoscopes and astrological predictions are found in most major newspapers. (4) Our Lord did not command the demons to enter into the pigs and bring about their destruction; He only permitted it.124. Demonized individuals are not to be viewed so much as a pigeon hole category, as they are a continuem. 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. To the evildoer, anonymity is always preferable to identification. He was a totally safe Person. Textual variations have compounded the problem. Lets learn why. Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. December 2015 There probably were not many who had been told yet of the Messiah, and so were not yet believers. - And they came to the other side of the sea.The other side of the sea would be the south-east side of the sea. Luke 8 7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, b he entered Capernaum. The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. Its ruins include two amphitheaters, a basilica, temple, a hippodrome, aqueducts and colonnades, showing its importance and stature. Series NotesScripture references are based on the King James translation. Even the demons confessed that He was the Son of the Most High (Mark 5:7). January 2018 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. In the third chapter of Marks Gospel, our Lords miraculous works were attributed by His opponents to the power of Satan (verse 22). And Jesus, being a Gentleman, was not about to force Himself on them. In both the accounts of Mark and Luke, the primary motivation is described as that of fear. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). The lesson of this passage is that Satan is a defeated foe. They are happy in their sin and the consequences seem far away. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known. Was there some sort of unwritten rule that Darrow (or any non-Bellona) was supposed to throw the fight? 22ff. July 2016 Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. 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.. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? 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. They were sacrificed by being thrown off a cliff. That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. 4. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? People who have no appr Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. There is no conflict, however, for Mark and Luke have apparently focused their attention on the most striking of the two. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. Mark 3:14). March 2020 March 2017 15; Mark ix. 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, It was not the loss of their property or investment that caused them to be afraid of Jesus. They are unclean spirits, (vss. At first we may deceive ourselves into thinking that we are controlling them, but the ultimate likelihood is that they will master us. They all say country of (in the sense of region, not nation). 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear (Luke 8:35-37). December 2020 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. 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). This man demonstrated all four characteristics. Lane, Mark, p. 182, fn. In other words, Jesus had caused a loss to them of 2,000 swine already; what else would His presence cost? 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. This reveals to us that demons have an intuitive knowledge of their impending doom.117. 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. Early Christians like St. Polycarp clearly held the Catholic view on salvation. 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. February 2016 When Jesus asked the demoniac his name, it was not without significance for He was, I believe, asking the demons to reveal their identity. He who feared His arrival now dreaded His departure. So he got into a boat and returned. That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. It is even possible that his request was to become one of our Lords disciples.125. It is a violent tempest, that is, outside of the natural. Why is that. 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. 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. Demons are highly organized (cf. 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?" . For many Christians today, the horrifying experience of Legion should be sufficient testimony of the reality of the Satanic underworld. EWTN News, Inc. is the worlds largest Catholic news organization, comprised of television, radio, 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. 1) He Exposes Evil (v 28-30) . A land that was essentially under another god (lower case g). Another indication of demonic control is the fact that this man was continually doing harm to himself by gashing himself with stones (verse 5). It was opposite Galilee. 127 The view of Greek philosophy was that these were the spirits of those who lived in the Golden Age. 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. The Politics of Luke 8:26-39. The city of Gadara and its surrounding area are referred to as the Gadarenes. Pigs were seen as unclean animals in the eyes of the people of Israel. Nor was it the Jewish population of Galilee. Satan loves those Christians. xvi. But here we speak not about a bishop, but about Christ who made His Godhead revealed through devils beseeching Him not to cast them to hell but enter the swine. 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.
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