June 2022 Sign up for 6 Free IssuesTry us out with a free trial subscription. Renew or manage your subscription here. At the side of Kersa the shore is level, and there are no tombs. June 2015 You can like Jesus for two different reasons. When the Gadarenes saw what Christ was capable of, they panicked. Gospel Parallels: The Gerasene Demoniac - READ-SCRIPTURE.COM Here in Mark, he purposely set out to travel into another land. The before and after descriptions of the demoniac reveal that he was a totally different person under demonic influence. August 2017 Acts 19:16). 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. October 2021 I understand why," the HBO "Real Time" host told Jake Tapper on Tuesday as part . They greatly desire to enter and control a physical body, whereby they may reflect their character and attributes. All Scripture agrees with this, that the judgment of the angels is yet to come (1 Cor. The spread of cholera was linked to the movements of . The reference could hardly be to the better known Gerasa (Jerash) between thirty and forty miles southeast from the lake. 127 The view of Greek philosophy was that these were the spirits of those who lived in the Golden Age. There is no conflict, however, for Mark and Luke have apparently focused their attention on the most striking of the two. Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? Swine were unclean animals according to the Torah. No! This makes sense, I couldn't believe they asked Jesus to leave. Subscriber Service CenterAlready a subscriber? While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. He seemed to view Jesus approach as the launching of a direct attack on the demonic forces. Why is this sentence from The Great Gatsby grammatical? For the reason why this is so we refer the reader to the introduction preceding the exposition of verses 33-7. No matter what men attempted to bind him with, he broke loose. You can flip a coin hoping for heads, but you know that tails is a very real probability. Perhaps they clenched their fists or picked up driftwood with which to defend themselves. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus - Quora ), you also need to understand the significance of this - to the people in Gerasene. When you get a chance, please take the, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 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. 9. Luke 7 - And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." | ESV.org 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 . It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126. Do roots of these polynomials approach the negative of the Euler-Mascheroni constant? August 2015 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. He was a totally safe Person. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. 22ff. When once he was an instrument of Satanic opposition against the Messiah, now he is a witness to His power. 112 Skeptics and liberals have made much of the differences between the Gospel writers as to the place Jesus landed with His disciples. So much pain, so much sin. With a little knowledge of the geography of the region, this apparent contradiction can be resolved. 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. Ouija boards are found in many American homes. What was the country of the Gerasenes (or Gadarenes) and why is it Pig carcasses were washing ashore and drifting out to sea. When Jesus asked his name the man answered, Legion, for we are many (Mark 5:9). The people who witnessed this are . October 2022 Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. December 2020 What purposes did Mark intend to achieve by the inclusion of this event? We're no longer publishing the comic strip 'Dilbert.' Here's why It is very appropriate that these two incidents . Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, Highlights in the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ. April 2021 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. Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs 2. Demonized individuals are not to be viewed so much as a pigeon hole category, as they are a continuem. Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi. 18). And those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. A crowd had come to see what had happened for themselves. Fear that you would not be in control? Holiness hurts! But from all of the Gospel accounts, I get the distinct impression that this mans eyes were riveted on Jesus. It had nothing to do the farmers losing revenue - at all. Second, while the death of the pigs is clearly an economic loss for the owner, Jesus is illustrating the infinite value of human life. This incident in the Gerasenes requires some entry understanding. 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. I will not look for a reason to return to it. . Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. xii. Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? "They sailed to the country of the Gerasenes which is opposite Galilee. October 2018 Jesus had actually helped them. They likely were Gentiles and had been under the influence of the demonic principality of the region their whole life. Jesus never interacted with people as they were, but as He knew they were created to be. 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. Once a menace to society, now a messenger with words of deliverance and healing. Mark 5:1And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. Why did the demon-possessed Gadarene bow down before Jesus? 8; Mark vi. It didnt take long for the word to spread quickly. Dave Armstrong Dave Armstrong is a full-time Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981. Mark 5:16 says the thoughts of the people were on the swine. We will examine two incidents -- the stilling of the storm on the sea of Galilee, and that which follows immediately, the healing of the demoniac. 15; Mark ix. Slain Los Angeles auxiliary bishop was remembered at the Mass of Christian burial as friend of Jesus Christ and of Mary, our Blessed Mother.. In fact the region was known as the Gadarenes-Gerasenes region. As indicated in the textual note, the best Greek text reads Gerasenes in Mark and Luke, Gadarenes in Matthew. July 2015 F. F. Bruce adds additional helpful insight: According to the best texts, Matthew calls it the country of the Gadarenes (viii. We owe it to Josephus, from whom it has passed into ecclesiastical language. It might be better to hide behind masks than risk being hurt again After all, if God rejects youwhere else can you go? That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. 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? To the evildoer, anonymity is always preferable to identification. Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? 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. (2) Anti-social behavior. As has been said before, look for Satans man behind the pulpit. Can devils entreat in such a manner any highest of angels, be he Michael, Gabriel or Raphael, or any greatest cherub or seraph? Jesus did say to count the cost [Luke 14:28-33]. (1) Severe personality change. In the wake of new restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass, two American bishops spoke with EWTNs Raymond Arroyo Thursday about how their dioceses have responded. Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs In Gerasenes He had only known Jesus for a few hours, but had already determined to be Jesus' disciple for life. Immediately, as this weary group disembarked from the ship, they were met by what appeared to be a madman. He felt Jesus' reassuring hand on his shoulder. What did Jesus do? 9. The Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20) | Bible.org They are unclean spirits, (vss. Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac in Luke 8 | Psephizo 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. I will not ask him to leave. April 2017 verse 5). 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. 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. The reply Legion118 may be some kind of evasion, a reluctance on the part of the demons to individually identify themselves. Mark 9:17-29). Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. Why would Jesus ask, "Who touched Me?" I felt somewhat guilty, particularly fearing that I may have created an unintentional hardship for some classmate. Wasn't the answer obvious? That would be a strong message, by allowing them to be possessed and then drowned. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. 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. The Secret behind Jesus Healing the Gerasene Demoniac 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. 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. It was not the loss of their property or investment that caused them to be afraid of Jesus. 7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, b he entered Capernaum. The demoniac was uncontrollable by any of the normal means of human confinement. 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. In this account we, by inference, learn much about the demonic spirits. They had heard what had happened to the pigs and knew the Jews considered Gentiles unclean, too. Luke 8:37Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them: for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. Another indication of demonic control is the fact that this man was continually doing harm to himself by gashing himself with stones (verse 5). Matthew 12:43-45). The subject of demons and demon possession has always seemed somewhat remote and academic to sophisticated 20th century Americans. Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). Most people confessed to having the fear of things not working out, an inability to trust and others said they . This name (Strong's #G3003) is a reference to a Roman military regiment that varied in soldier strength from 4,000 to 6,000. But for most of us, the world and the flesh are all that are necessary to cause us to stumble. The pig tenders reported it far and wide, in city and country (verse 14). No matter who you are. Gergesa may have been a variant spelling of Gerasa. Ralph Earle, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957), p. 70. ii. March 2020 COMMENTARY: Atheism is generally the expression of a moral attitude more than a real intellectual conviction based on evidence thought through. Others cited unfaithfulness, lack of seriousness, and the lack of confidence to sustain a relationship. Hence it would be called the land of the Gadarenes.. January 2017 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 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. There is no true freedom and fulfillment apart from Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer of men. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Once naked, he is now clothed. And, lastly, this would allow sufficient time for those miracles which took place on that second day in Capernaum after His return thither. 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). 14. His greatest impact would be on those who knew his former state. At their request, He left. 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). Treasury of Scripture. I think that this story is a little bit of an Easter story. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. 123 1. May 2022 Others are absolutely controlled (hooked) by the drug and totally dependent upon it. When the pigs were sent into the sea, the people of Gadara lost money. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? If he was a pagan, why did Jesus cast out his demons? 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. 13ff.). In the King James Version it is called the country of the Gadarenes in Mark and Luke, and of the Gergesenes in Matthew. Why did the Gerasenes become afraid when they saw that the - Reddit I asked why people are afraid of commitment and relationships and some said they are afraid because they fear being hurt again. April 2020 Like the Samaritans who followed the woman at the well to see this One who had told her all she had done, so these residents came to see for themselves what had happened. 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. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Non-Christians can often experience this fear of Jesus as well. Should TikTok be banned? Your guide to understanding why the platform 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. Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. The confrontation of Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac made it clear that Jesus was no servant of Satan. vi. They look forward to their future with great dread. 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). 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. December 2014 Another reason they may have been afraid of Jesus was the realization that if they accepted Him, it would mean a radical change of lifestyle. 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. Small sins lead to big sins, and big sins bring about a terrible spiritual darkness. The Man from the Tombs: Christ Speaks to the Problem of Spiritual The Death Of Relationships In Nairobi - YAZA Kenya We should know from other Scriptures that our present spiritual experience is one of spiritual warfare. The pigs had been driven mad and rushed down a steep slope plunging into the lake and drowning. 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! Jesus deserves the benefit of the doubt even when we don't have all the facts. Vote Up (5) What our Lord could have given the people of this territory was much greater than what He took away. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1991. 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), p. 174. 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? This reveals to us that demons have an intuitive knowledge of their impending doom.117. Embedded into both stories are people who were afraid of Jesus. Even in our sophisticated times, there is an intense interest in the supernatural and the occult. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. His website/blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, has been online since March 1997. How to show that an expression of a finite type must be one of the finitely many possible values? Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. He pleaded with Jesus not to be tormented. There is the so-called demon of doubt, of anger, of overindulgence, of drunkenness, laziness and so on. "And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes round about asked him to depart from them, for they were holden with great fear: and he entered into a bo." The occult and every front for demonic influence and activity should be avoided like the plague. And when the man spoke to Jesus, it looks like the demons inside the man were the ones doing the speaking. 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. iv. and 1 Kings xxii. Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. . As He had landed with His disciples He had been confronted with a demon-possessed man - a man that no one had been able to control. Who Was Afraid Of Jesus And Why? What was it that caused these people to react in such a way? Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. The pleas of Legion were in response to the command of Jesus for the demons to come out of him (verse 8). Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. 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 demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. Jesus asked some crazy questions like "Why are you afraid?" The demons freak out that Jesus is there because it's not time for them to be tormented by Him yet. (6) Tendency towards self-destruction. The particular focus of this mans testimony was the Decapolis region. Unbelieving men may not rave and carry on like the Gerasene demoniac, but they are nevertheless under Satans control, doing his bidding. So they refer to Gerasenes. Why were the Romans afraid of the Christians? - Sage-Answers Why is there a voltage on my HDMI and coaxial cables? seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Gergesenes is also in some manuscripts (Khersa or Gersa was a town actually on the shore of the sea). 21,22). They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.110. It is even possible that his request was to become one of our Lords disciples.125. May 2018 Many times people - Non-Christians and Christians - push Jesus away because they do not want to change. and our Other demoniacs described in Scripture were bent on self-destruction as well (cf. 22, xvii. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. People who have no appr Gergesa - Wikipedia They are happy in their sin and the consequences seem far away. The region was known also as the Decopolis because ten Greek cities were located in the region. 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! December 2017 (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. Who was afraid of Jesus and why? When our Lord confronted the demons, they had to submit to His power and authority. Definition of Gadarenes (Gergesenes) in the Bible - Bible Study November 2014. monetization of National Catholic Register RSS feeds is strictly prohibited. 28); Mark the country of the Gerasenes (v. 1), and Luke, probably, the country of the Gergesenes (viii. What they were not willing to accept was the frightening power that could cure him. And he said to them, Where is your faith? The best human analogy might be in the area of drug abuse. April 2015 They all say country of (in the sense of region, not nation). Even the demons confessed that He was the Son of the Most High (Mark 5:7). July 2022 I think all these attempts to harmonize what may at first seem like a contradiction are plausible, respectable, and adequate. If an Israelite, why was he in Gerasene in the first place and why was he living so near a large herd of swine? How much more sinful than Peter were the Geraseneans, who because of love of money did not shun even to engage in a non-Jew business of herding swine; how much more unbearable and dreadful must have been for them the Lords presence! Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Gerasa, Gadara, Gergesa - from where did the pigs stampede? Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. Commentator R. C. H. Lenski states: The distance of these cities from the lake is immaterial for the narrative since this deals with the region that is near the lake and not with the vicinity of either of the cities to the lake.. He brought up the story of Jesus casting out demons and sending them into pigs, which promptly ran over a cliff into the sea. And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another . If they dare to open up their lives to Jesus what will happen? Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Gadara, though not directly named in Scripture, was part of the Decapolis. Asked October 24 2014 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. The whole story is a myth. 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, Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus? 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. 34When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 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. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus? 4, p. 180. 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.
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