It was significant. It is a violent tempest, that is, outside of the natural. Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. 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. 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. Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. . man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 'Return home and tell how much God has done for you.' So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus (Luke 8:26-39, NIV) Like it or not, demons and demonic activity are likely to become much more of a concern to you in days to come. These people did not want to change. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. 1) He Exposes Evil (v 28-30) . They all say country of (in the sense of region, not nation). When once he was an instrument of Satanic opposition against the Messiah, now he is a witness to His power. 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. Instead, they reject Him because all they know is His power and purity. Crazy question or.? And they were afraid. In the King James Version it is called the country of the Gadarenes in Mark and Luke, and of the Gergesenes in Matthew. - 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Pigs were seen as unclean animals in the eyes of the people of Israel. Finally, there is in demon possession a counterpart to the filling (or control) of the Holy Spirit. No one was strong enough to subdue him (verses 3,4). If Jesus had that kind of power, then He could not be controlled. and thank you for your contribution. Jesus showed to the local population the inferiority of pagan life. What about us, as Christians, are we afraid of Jesus? Why did the demon-possessed Gadarene bow down before Jesus? 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. The drowning of the swine was an accident, possibly simultaneous with the healing, and report mixed up the two incidents. The first two are in the Authorized Version. October 2015 15; Mark ix. It was scary. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus? If they dare to open up their lives to Jesus what will happen? and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Ouija boards are found in many American homes. 17, pp. 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! If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. Perhaps they clenched their fists or picked up driftwood with which to defend themselves. We are seeking a replacement and hope to have it in your newspaper soon. The reference could hardly be to the better known Gerasa (Jerash) between thirty and forty miles southeast from the lake. PDF A Legion of Fears March 2018 Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs In Gerasenes Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. ESV - Anonymous, October 25 2014 He seemed to view Jesus approach as the launching of a direct attack on the demonic forces. August 2022 3 When the centurion 2 heard about Jesus, c he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his . Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? Thus an economic lose of revenue was involved. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight.". Why are you Afraid? | Mark 4:35 - 5:20 | RayStedman.org Satans most effective tool is not the demoniac wandering about the desolate places. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. What purposes did Mark intend to achieve by the inclusion of this event? What was the country of the Gerasenes (or Gadarenes) and why is it 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. For some people, the cost is too high. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? November 2022 Mark and Luke, on the other hand, write to more general audiences, and Gerasa was the main Greek-Roman city of the area. How Satan blinds our minds! Wasn't the answer obvious? 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. 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. 4, p. 180. 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]. 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. In recent years the matter has been getting uncomfortably close to home. Series NotesScripture references are based on the King James translation. 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). Now appreciate the reaction - another God was messing with their god - and demonstrating authority! January 2015 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. Luke 8:26And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. Have you even been in a service where the Spirit of God was moving and felt fear? 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 spread of cholera was linked to the movements of . The pigs had been driven mad and rushed down a steep slope plunging into the lake and drowning. Men and women (as well as children) were demonized in that they fell under the influence of these unclean spirits. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known.. 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. 5:5). 1, pp. When the Gadarenes saw what Christ was capable of, they panicked. Such was the case with this man (cf. This would also give time afterwards for the dispersion, not only into the city, but into the country of them who had fed the swine. May 2021 "The trains were . The people were more terrified of Jesus and His authority than they were of this crazed and demonized man living among the tombs. Gergesa - Wikipedia 3. Mark 5:1 On the other side of the sea, they arrived in the region of February 2017 What did Jesus mean when he said only prayer can cast out this demon? NEW STAR WARS MERCH PAGE: https://bit.ly/3baWVZv For all sponsorship and business inquiries please contact: thestupendousscrub@gmail.com NEW CHANNEL: https:/. They ask Him if they can enter some nearby pigs, and He lets them. When our Lord confronted the demons, they had to submit to His power and authority. January 2022 First let us see what the Sacred Texts says: The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. A Summary and Analysis of Jesus and the Gadarene Swine Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. May the Spirit of God be so evident in us that men may see God in our lives. The pig shepherds had gone and spread the news of what had happened all around. First of all the Scriptures do not say that the local Pagans were afraid of Jesus, but that they merely begged him to leave their neighbourhood. Matthew 8:4; Luke 8:56). Why were the Romans afraid of the Christians? 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). I think that this story is a little bit of an Easter story. September 2020 seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus - Quora How many demons possessed the man in Mark 5:6? DEUT 32:8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples, according to the number of the sons of God. Do roots of these polynomials approach the negative of the Euler-Mascheroni constant? Luke 8:37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked April 2022 If he was a pagan, why did Jesus cast out his demons? Region of the Gerasenes - Fire and Light The choice is to be free by submission to Christ (cf. All of us may be so concerned with our own livelihoods that we fail to serve other people and help those in desperat Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Why is there a voltage on my HDMI and coaxial cables? "The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. 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. Author of The Gnostic Notebook series, stand-up comedian, and Gnostic. 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. March 2015 By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. They have three sons and a daughter (all homeschooled) and reside in southeast Michigan. 05 /5 Another theory. There probably were not many who had been told yet of the Messiah, and so were not yet believers. Read the Scripture: Mark 4:35 - 5:20. For more information about Glenn Davis see our About Glenn page and/or his Author's Page. French Monastery Survives War and Famine After 885 Years, the Basilica of St. Ambrose in Milan, and More Great Links! Sermon for July 26, 2020: Why Were They So Afraid: Mark 5:1-20. December 2016 For many Christians today, the horrifying experience of Legion should be sufficient testimony of the reality of the Satanic underworld. Whereas he had been a slave, he was now delivered from demon possession. August 2021 But, the pigs were a part of their economic wealth. December 2021 September 2015 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. Others are absolutely controlled (hooked) by the drug and totally dependent upon it. This story is a little bit of an Easter story. Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), p. 174. They were content where they were. They liked Him and wanted to be with Him. They are happy in their sin and the consequences seem far away. The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. 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. Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. Jesus had just performed an incredible miracleand one they desperately needed, at that! To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. March 2020 18). COMMENTARY: Atheism is generally the expression of a moral attitude more than a real intellectual conviction based on evidence thought through. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. The drowning of these pigs has caused a great deal of discussion amongst Bible students, for as a friend of mine once observed, Thats a lot of pork chops! Had our Lord achieved such a miracle today He would have been in deep trouble. Follow Up: struct sockaddr storage initialization by network format-string, How do you get out of a corner when plotting yourself into a corner, Movie with vikings/warriors fighting an alien that looks like a wolf with tentacles. Father Macaire, 33, who was ordained fewer than two years ago, was kidnapped the morning of Feb. 7 when he was on his way to his missionary community in Kazal, about 20 miles north of Port-au-Prince. Whenever a man, woman, or child surrenders control of himself either to fleshly desires (anger, lust, passion, etc.) to men facing fear and death. Men in their unbelief suppose that the choice is either to be free (independent of God) or to be the slaves of Christ. 40, vii. (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. Our children would probably understand best if I said that his appearance must have been somewhat like that of the television creation, The Incredible Hulk. More from Medium Jameson Steward in. (London: InterVarsity Fellowship, 1950), fn. This was a federation of ten cities (deka = ten, polis = city). What were the women in Mark 16:8 afraid of? January 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). The Death Of Relationships In Nairobi - YAZA Kenya His teachings have inspired great moral reformations such as abolition of slavery and the Civil Rights movement. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. She and her wife moved to Maine from Illinois. April 2016 His website/blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, has been online since March 1997. Why do people like Jesus a lot? Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Note that the texts dont say Gerasa or Gadara, so they arent necessarily referring just to one of the cities. September 2022 Second, while the death of the pigs is clearly an economic loss for the owner, Jesus is illustrating the infinite value of human life. 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. 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. July 2017 Their influence and control leads to untold agony and destruction. This supposition would be further confirmed, if the evening when Jesus embarked was what the Jews were wont to call the first evening, that is, the time when the sun was declining in the heaven, but before it had actually set, the latter time being the second evening. For it seems most unlikely that multitudes would have resorted to Jesus at Capernaum after the second evening, or that either the disciples or other boats would have put to sea after nightfall. Jesus had been performing miracles in Gods nation - Israel. Mark 5:16 says the thoughts of the people were on the swine. When you get a chance, please take the, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. On the other hand, Gadara is only six miles from the southern tip of the lake and could easily have given its name to the district. 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. 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? That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. April 2020 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). For more information, please see our The pleas of Legion were in response to the command of Jesus for the demons to come out of him (verse 8). 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. Gospel Parallels: The Gerasene Demoniac - READ-SCRIPTURE.COM Jesus never interacted with people as they were, but as He knew they were created to be. There was no such danger in Perea, and thus the mercy of the Lord was to be heralded. Reproduction of material from this website without written permission, or unlicensed commercial use or Jesus asked a sick man if he wanted to get well. February 2015 16ff., xix. March 2017 Flavius Josephus and Steve Mason, Flavius Josephus: Life of Josephus (Boston; Leiden: Brill, 2003), 47. In fact the region was known as the Gadarenes-Gerasenes region. Those who have witnessed demon possession tell us that each demon has its own distinct personality and that the individual possessed begins to manifest the distinct personality of the demon by which he is possessed. It is ironic that while the demons didnt want to leave the country, the dwellers of that land didnt want the Messiah to stay. Pastor Chrissy is a native of East Tennessee. 14. What did we miss because we allowed fear instead of faith to drive our lives? 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. It was not the loss of their property or investment that caused them to be afraid of Jesus. 9. Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? Also, the wholesale slaughter of these pigs dramatically illustrated the destructive purposes of the demons. The Man Jesus Renamed | Reformed Theological Seminary 7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, b he entered Capernaum. Although Gadarenes and Gergesenes are derived from a different Greek word, they are essentially referring to the same area. "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. Jesus asked Mary why she was crying at the grave site. There is, as we know, the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Significantly, the demons are called unclean spirits (verse 2,9). There is the so-called demon of doubt, of anger, of overindulgence, of drunkenness, laziness and so on. One is that he was a fascinating man. As always, we must begin with the principle: Interpretation is one, application is many. First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. The story shows Jesus exorcising a demon or demons out of a man and into a herd of swine, causing the swine to run down a hill into a lake and drown . Fear that you would not be in control? 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. October 2020 (4) Our Lord did not command the demons to enter into the pigs and bring about their destruction; He only permitted it.124. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. So who was afraid? Lets learn why. This is probably the Gerasa of Mark and Luke. Was it fear that a secret sin might be exposed? The confrontation of Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac made it clear that Jesus was no servant of Satan. Jesus had simply sailed across the Lake of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. monetization of National Catholic Register RSS feeds is strictly prohibited. January 2023 Jesus is conscious that He now breaks the power of the devil and his angels because He is the One in whom the dominion of God is present on behalf of humanity. W. Foerster, as quoted by Lane, Mark, fn. Luke 7 - And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." | ESV.org So, they asked Him to leave. 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. (3) Spiritual insight. (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. No! Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book.

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