13ff.). art thou come hither to torment us before the time? This man demonstrated all four characteristics. Lane, Mark, p. 182, fn. In contrast, the people of Gerasene are asking him to leave their place. Perhaps they clenched their fists or picked up driftwood with which to defend themselves. The reference could hardly be to the better known Gerasa (Jerash) between thirty and forty miles southeast from the lake. Jesus asked some crazy questions like "Why are you afraid?" 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. Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. 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). In this story, we have a demon-possessed Gadarene who saw Jesus from a distance, and immediately he appeared to have felt a strong compulsion to run up to Jesus and bow down before him. The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. 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.. She and her wife moved to Maine from Illinois. No matter what men attempted to bind him with, he broke loose. But about a mile further south there is a fairly steep slope within forty yards from the shore, and about two miles from there cavern tombs are found which appear to have been used for dwellings. William L. Lane, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), p.181. Gergesa may have been a variant spelling of Gerasa. Ralph Earle, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957), p. 70. 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. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 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. You will receive a monthly newsletter with Scriptural teaching plus notifications of any new articles, courses or books. January 2017 This reveals to us that demons have an intuitive knowledge of their impending doom.117. The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. The people of Gerasenes were willing to live with the devils they knew - quite literally. They would have to trust Jesus. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. 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). They are unclean spirits, (vss. 0 Responses Even in our sophisticated times, there is an intense interest in the supernatural and the occult. Those demons were terrified of Him! Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Although the manifestations of demonization vary widely, this man115 evidenced several of the classic symptoms. (4) Super-human strength. They liked Him and wanted to be with Him. 2,8) who can possess men and animals. And they were afraid. The religious rulers hated Jesus for exposing their hypocrisy and feared the consequences His actions might have with Rome, but they were not afraid of Jesus as a Person. He was Someone Who could control the spirit realm. Gergesenes is also in some manuscripts (Khersa or Gersa was a town actually on the shore of the sea). 3. Jesus had been performing miracles in Gods nation - Israel. 4, p. 180. Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. 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! July 2022 Who do you care more about, people or pigs? The entire population of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them because they were seized with great fear. 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. and our In this account we, by inference, learn much about the demonic spirits. Why as the question? 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. John 8:32; Matthew 11:28-30), or to be the pawns of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-2). They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.110. They were instructed to keep quiet about what Jesus had done for them (cf. 122 Quoted by Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to Saint Luke, (Edinburg: T. and T. Clark, 5th ed., 1969): p. 228. How Satan blinds our minds! The commission of our Lord is considerably different from His instructions to the Israelites whom He had delivered. 28); Mark the country of the Gerasenes (v. 1), and Luke, probably, the country of the Gergesenes (viii. Also, the wholesale slaughter of these pigs dramatically illustrated the destructive purposes of the demons. The religious rulers hated Jesus for exposing their hypocrisy and feared the consequences His actions might have with Rome, but they were not afraid of Jesus as a Person. The nearby townspeople, upon hearing of the great miracle (and not wanting to suffer further economic loss), begged Christ to leave the Gadarenes and never come back! A crowd had come to see what had happened for themselves. Holiness hurts! Give a Gift SubscriptionBless friends, family or clergy with a gift of the Register. September 2021 May 2015 05 /5 Another theory. He seemed to view Jesus approach as the launching of a direct attack on the demonic forces. When once he was an instrument of Satanic opposition against the Messiah, now he is a witness to His power. Other demoniacs described in Scripture were bent on self-destruction as well (cf. June 2017 The region is located east of the Jordan River and southeast of the Sea of Galilee. The sons of god ended up becoming the gods of these nations. July 2018 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, At first we may deceive ourselves into thinking that we are controlling them, but the ultimate likelihood is that they will master us. The people were gentiles who had not yet any interest in the Messiah. November 2022 No! ), you also need to understand the significance of this - to the people in Gerasene. August 2020 July 2017 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. 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). August 2021 February 2018 recognizes the military background of the term, pointing out that in the imperial period a legion consisted of 6000 foot soldiers, 120 horsemen and technical personnel. 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. Pastor Chrissy is a native of East Tennessee. 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 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. 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. Rev. monetization of National Catholic Register RSS feeds is strictly prohibited. 7. Or they are too afraid of what the change might bring. December 2022 March 2018 Life with him would be heaven on earth. Their first question is a rather pragmatic one, namely, How can demons possess animals? To this we must confess that we know too little to understand the mechanism of demon possession but the reality is very evident. We see the first reaction to this in the storm MARK 4:7 And a great windstorm arose [snip]. 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. Paul says of the former life of the Christian, And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 1:1-2). This was a power far beyond anything they had seen or even imagined. 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. We dismiss it the more readily, that, in our view, it conveys a wrong impression. There is no true freedom and fulfillment apart from Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer of men. Whenever a man, woman, or child surrenders control of himself either to fleshly desires (anger, lust, passion, etc.) As has been said before, look for Satans man behind the pulpit. e.g., Matt. The fear of the unknown, the uncontrollableof change. Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. Acts 5:1-6). 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. The people (nations) were divided up, and boundaries allocated' and the sons of god were put over these nations. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met Him a man from the city who had demons. (London: InterVarsity Fellowship, 1950), fn. 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. 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. 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. Asked October 24 2014 Jesus deserves the benefit of the doubt even when we don't have all the facts. (4) Our Lord did not command the demons to enter into the pigs and bring about their destruction; He only permitted it.124. They were willing to post guards and chain and shackle their neighbor to keep him from hurting someone. They have three sons and a daughter (all homeschooled) and reside in southeast Michigan. (it should be added that Plummer himelf does not hold to any of these views.). Why is there a voltage on my HDMI and coaxial cables? And Jesus, being a Gentleman, was not about to force Himself on them. October 2020 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 word translated windstorm here, and storm in the KJ, is the word lailaps, which is more than just a storm. That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. 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. As indicated in the textual note, the best Greek text reads Gerasenes in Mark and Luke, Gadarenes in Matthew. 68f. Reproduction of material from this website without written permission, or unlicensed commercial use or It had nothing to do the farmers losing revenue - at all. 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. A friend of mine told me later that two students were attempting to cast a demon out of a fellow. or by some form of self-emptying (such as various forms of eastern meditation) in my opinion, they are in a precarious position. Putting all of these factors together the term demon-possessed inplies too much. September 2015 HELPING CHRISTIANS BUILD POSITIVE, GODLY FAMILIES, CHURCHES, AND NATIONS, Follow us on social media for daily Scripture comments and more at. Known as the Judas Iscariot of Gnosticism for revealing that which is not to be revealed. (2) Anti-social behavior. "They sailed to the country of the Gerasenes which is opposite Galilee. As Jesus began to get back into the boat, the delivered demoniac pleaded with Him that he might accompany Him. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. He who feared His arrival now dreaded His departure. (2) Anti-social behavior. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. 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. When the Gadarenes saw what Christ was capable of, they panicked. When you get a chance, please take the, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? They all say country of (in the sense of region, not nation). What they were not willing to accept was the frightening power that could cure him. And, Gerasene was one. 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? March 2020 November 2017 Second, while the death of the pigs is clearly an economic loss for the owner, Jesus is illustrating the infinite value of human life. 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. I think the coup de grce is to look up the Greek word for country in these passages, to see what latitude of meaning it has. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. Ouija boards are found in many American homes. 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. Matthew 9:2-8 Why was "This man is blaspheming" considered an evil thought without knowing Jesus' identity? Jesus had just performed an incredible miracleand one they desperately needed, at that! What did Jesus do? They had been unable to control these two men [Luke only mentions one man, but Matthew tells us there were two]. October 2018 Here in Mark, he purposely set out to travel into another land. 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? (3) Spiritual insight. Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. Jesus did say to count the cost [Luke 14:28-33]. The passage in Daniel especially suggests specific geographical boundaries within which spirit beings must abide. Anonymous, October 25 2014 16, x. 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. print and digital media outlets, dedicated to reporting the truth in light of the Gospel and the These, however, are not the problem raised by Bible students. Instead of opening themselves up to Jesus and receiving His love and forgiveness, they allowed fear to drive a wedge between them. On several occasions, when Jesus forgave someone, He specifically said, Go and sin no more. That only works for people who are sick of their sin and want to change. The man looked out on the Tiberius. This story is a little bit of an Easter story. All of us may be so concerned with our own livelihoods that we fail to serve other people and help those in desperat Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. March 2016 In Luke 2:8 it is applied to the city of Bethlehem; in Acts 18:23 to Galatia and Phrygia. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1991. vi. And the people there were scared, they recognised this, but more, they realised the significance of this. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. As C. S. Lewis aptly put it: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. Jesus asked Mary why she was crying at the grave site. Earles comments are helpful: The difference in names for the destination on the east side of the take has caused considerable comment. Why would the Gerasene people beg Jesus to leave their region after He cast the demons into the pigs? We should know from other Scriptures that our present spiritual experience is one of spiritual warfare. 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 . 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! 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? 14). Some appeared not to be oppressed by them so much as exploiting their powers (cf. For many Christians today, the horrifying experience of Legion should be sufficient testimony of the reality of the Satanic underworld. The best human analogy might be in the area of drug abuse. What did Jesus mean when he said only prayer can cast out this demon? This was surely not so in every case, and perhaps in none. For the Christian, there are two extremes which must be avoided with reference to Satanic activity. 7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, b he entered Capernaum. 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. . Ridiculous? With a little knowledge of the geography of the region, this apparent contradiction can be resolved. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. There is no conflict, however, for Mark and Luke have apparently focused their attention on the most striking of the two. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 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. So he got into the boat and left. There is, as we know, the world, the flesh, and the Devil. 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. 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. First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. That is why the inhabitants of the area are referred to variously in different Bible manuscripts as Gergasenes, Gadarenes, or Gerasenes. Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. The people were more terrified of Jesus and His authority than they were of this crazed and demonized man living among the tombs. Early Christians like St. Polycarp clearly held the Catholic view on salvation. December 2014 No one was strong enough to subdue him (verses 3,4). No matter who you are. This name (Strong's #G3003) is a reference to a Roman military regiment that varied in soldier strength from 4,000 to 6,000. October 2022 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?" . At the side of Kersa the shore is level, and there are no tombs. Some today have given demons far more than their due by blaming demons for every malady of mankind. Yes, I know that Easter was weeks ago in April. I think all these attempts to harmonize what may at first seem like a contradiction are plausible, respectable, and adequate. The drowning of the swine was an accident, possibly simultaneous with the healing, and report mixed up the two incidents. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. 184-185. 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. 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. And they were afraid. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. When the pigs were sent into the sea, the people of Gadara lost money. The subject of demons and demon possession has always seemed somewhat remote and academic to sophisticated 20th century Americans. November 2014. 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. So who was afraid? That would be a strong message, by allowing them to be possessed and then drowned. These people did not want to change. Demons are highly organized (cf. Winthrop Congregational Church, UCC No matter who you are. Even the demons confessed that He was the Son of the Most High (Mark 5:7).
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