why were the gerasenes afraidwhy were the gerasenes afraid
Why as the question? They would have to trust Jesus. 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. Horoscopes and astrological predictions are found in most major newspapers. 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. His animal-like shrieks must have sent chills up the spines of any who were nearby. 606-607. Wasn't the answer obvious? Ananias and Sapphira did so by allowing their greed to grip their hearts (cf. That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. 1) He Exposes Evil (v 28-30) . Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Asked October 24 2014 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. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. The demonically possessed man who came to Jesus cried out his name was Legion. Sign up for 6 Free IssuesTry us out with a free trial subscription. The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Finally, there is in demon possession a counterpart to the filling (or control) of the Holy Spirit. Read the Scripture: Mark 4:35 - 5:20. He did not appear to rush upon the small group of men to attack them (as he would normally have done), but rather to plead with Jesus. If he was a pagan, why did Jesus cast out his demons? June 2022 rev2023.3.3.43278. The lesson of this passage is that Satan is a defeated foe. January 2016 September 2021 They were instructed to keep quiet about what Jesus had done for them (cf. They ask Him if they can enter some nearby pigs, and He lets them. These, however, are not the problem raised by Bible students. As the servant of Elisha was told, Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them (2 Kings 6:16). Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. November 2015 The drowning of the swine was an accident, possibly simultaneous with the healing, and report mixed up the two incidents. Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. 22ff. 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. 2,8) who can possess men and animals. How to show that an expression of a finite type must be one of the finitely many possible values? And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? No! The lose of the pigs meant loose of partial income in the area. John 8:32; Matthew 11:28-30), or to be the pawns of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-2). 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. (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. Wikipedia states about it: In the second half of the 1st century AD, the city of Jerash achieved great prosperity.. Have we stepped back, in effect asking Jesus to leave us alone, only to discover, as a Gentleman, He did? 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. March 2016 When once he was an instrument of Satanic opposition against the Messiah, now he is a witness to His power. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. 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) I asked why people are afraid of commitment and relationships and some said they are afraid because they fear being hurt again. November 2022 Similar to the storm we see in the book of Job that killed Jobs sons - and Satan was the instigator of that as well. When Jesus asked the demoniac his name, it was not without significance for He was, I believe, asking the demons to reveal their identity. His website/blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, has been online since March 1997. Other demoniacs described in Scripture were bent on self-destruction as well (cf. to sign up for our free Water Of The Word newsletter at the top of any page! You are welcome here. May 2018 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. No! 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. If an Israelite, why was he in Gerasene in the first place and why was he living so near a large herd of swine? Another approach is to note the different intentions of the Gospel writers. The ego is so impaired that the spirits speak through him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. What scared them was a power so fierce it could free a man. As Jesus began to get back into the boat, the delivered demoniac pleaded with Him that he might accompany Him. 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? Acts 16:16), while others were the virtual pawns of these spirits, losing their own identity and autonomy. What they were not willing to accept was the frightening power that could cure him. Christians are to be the answer, but often they are part of the problem. 16ff., xix. 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. or school. June 2016 Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. 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). March 2015 December 2020 Do roots of these polynomials approach the negative of the Euler-Mascheroni constant? 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. 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. Anonymous, October 25 2014 February 2017 He brought up the story of Jesus casting out demons and sending them into pigs, which promptly ran over a cliff into the sea. The best human analogy might be in the area of drug abuse. First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. For more information about Glenn Davis see our About Glenn page and/or his Author's Page. 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. It is very appropriate that these two incidents . 111 Edersheim maintains that it must have been late the same night of the storm: Most writers have, indeed, suggested, that the healing of the demonized on the other side took place at early dawn of the day following the storm on the lake. Holy Communion From the Chalice Reintroduced in the UK: What About the US? Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. The people who witnessed this are . xvi. Embedded into both stories are people who were afraid of Jesus. April 2020 Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? Luke 8 2. Satan loves those Christians. You might be thinking back to Easter and not recall very many hogs showing up except for at Easter supper. Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. It is ironic that while the demons didnt want to leave the country, the dwellers of that land didnt want the Messiah to stay. The people of Gerasenes were willing to live with the devils they knew - quite literally. What was it that caused these people to react in such a way? And he said to them, Where is your faith? The man looked out on the Tiberius. Until we decide on a new comic, you'll likely see a gray box where "Dilbert" had appeared. They have three sons and a daughter (all homeschooled) and reside in southeast Michigan. The region and polygon don't match. For more information, please see our The Lord refused this request and commissioned this delivered man to return to his own people and declare to them what God had done for him. The price tag of possession was high, for those who fell victim to the demons agonized in constant torment. And they were afraid. April 2016 I think all these attempts to harmonize what may at first seem like a contradiction are plausible, respectable, and adequate. The expression to be with Jesus is used particularly of His disciples (cf. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight.". But, Im telling you. Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi. 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. 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. April 2021 Dr. Thomson discovered on the eastern shore the ruins of a village called Khersa. Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? Therefore, Jesus Christ for demons is God and thus even demons inadvertently reveal themselves as being better theologians than Arians and their modern day heirs - Jehovawitnesians and all different breeds of Unitarians - their name being legion! March 2017 The destructive desires of the demons were dramatically carried out in the drowning of the swine. 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 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. Crazy question or.? 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. First of all, the EPA would have been investigating the pollution of Lake Galilee with decaying pigs. August 2016 Dave Armstrong Dave Armstrong is a full-time Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981. Most people confessed to having the fear of things not working out, an inability to trust and others said they . The swine then immediately killed themselves by rushing off a cliff. (6) Tendency towards self-destruction. 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. 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). Evil is self-defeating in the end. 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. Putting all of these factors together the term demon-possessed inplies too much. It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126. No matter what men attempted to bind him with, he broke loose. 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). I am wondering if the demoniac was pagan or an Israelite. I used to want the longest life, perfect health and happiness, but really it is that feeling that I am so glad that this isnt all there is and that we have heaven to wait for, and that well be with Jesus, and there will be no more tears Amber VanVickle (1982-2023), The headquarters of the charity, which serves as a consecrated family to 46 disabled children, were badly damaged in major flooding near Rio de Janeiro last year. 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! 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.. Their influence and control leads to untold agony and destruction. 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 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. Like it or not, demons and demonic activity are likely to become much more of a concern to you in days to come. From this point on, Jesus began to speak to the crowds in parables in order to veil or conceal the gospel from those who had blasphemed the Holy Spirit (Mark 4:lff). 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). Catholic Church. Rev. Have you even been in a service where the Spirit of God was moving and felt fear? 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. Sign-up for E-NewsletterGet Register Updates sent daily or weeklyto your inbox. Thayers Greek Lexicon defines it as the space lying between two places or limits region or country. The Sea of Galilee was clearly one of the limits. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Jesus had just performed an incredible miracleand one they desperately needed, at that! 35Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. 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. 17, pp. No matter who you are. 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. They were content where they were. Yes, I know that Easter was weeks ago in April. They likely were Gentiles and had been under the influence of the demonic principality of the region their whole life. 36Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. December 2022 Acts 19:16). This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known.. Based on all the evidence we have seen over the past four months with regards to ChatGPT and how it can be manipulated or even how it will lie . October 2018 Swine were unclean animals according to the Torah. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. 2 Now a centurion had a servant 1 who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. At first we may deceive ourselves into thinking that we are controlling them, but the ultimate likelihood is that they will master us. This name (Strong's #G3003) is a reference to a Roman military regiment that varied in soldier strength from 4,000 to 6,000. His teachings have inspired great moral reformations such as abolition of slavery and the Civil Rights movement. We dismiss it the more readily, that, in our view, it conveys a wrong impression. Subscriber Service CenterAlready a subscriber? They were willing to post guards and chain and shackle their neighbor to keep him from hurting someone. Hence it would be called the land of the Gadarenes.. Jesus asked some crazy questions like "Why are you afraid?" 37Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. 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. 112 Skeptics and liberals have made much of the differences between the Gospel writers as to the place Jesus landed with His disciples. December 2016 In this account we, by inference, learn much about the demonic spirits. They were sacrificed by being thrown off a cliff. 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. 34When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Sermon for July 26, 2020: Why Were They So Afraid: Mark 5:1-20. August 2015 Why did the demon-possessed Gadarene bow down before Jesus? So much pain, so much sin. Once a menace to society, now a messenger with words of deliverance and healing. EIN 27-4581132 Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? It is even possible that his request was to become one of our Lords disciples.125. It was scary. The pleas of Legion were in response to the command of Jesus for the demons to come out of him (verse 8). There is no true freedom and fulfillment apart from Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer of men. The whole story is a myth. That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. They greatly desire to enter and control a physical body, whereby they may reflect their character and attributes. Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), p. 174. Did Jesus command the demon before he fell on his knees in Mark 5:6? NEW STAR WARS MERCH PAGE: https://bit.ly/3baWVZv For all sponsorship and business inquiries please contact: thestupendousscrub@gmail.com NEW CHANNEL: https:/. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine . 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. What purposes did Mark intend to achieve by the inclusion of this event? Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. 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. . xx. Can devils entreat in such a manner any highest of angels, be he Michael, Gabriel or Raphael, or any greatest cherub or seraph? 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. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. As C. S. Lewis aptly put it: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. They are unclean spirits, (vss. Known as the Judas Iscariot of Gnosticism for revealing that which is not to be revealed. It is in no way certain, however, that the pig raisers were Jews. It was opposite Galilee. June 2015 . Having been properly warned of the demonic underworld, let us not fall into the opposite error of absolute paranoia. The subject of demons and demon possession has always seemed somewhat remote and academic to sophisticated 20th century Americans. 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. ), you also need to understand the significance of this - to the people in Gerasene. It is a violent tempest, that is, outside of the natural. 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.. Some appeared not to be oppressed by them so much as exploiting their powers (cf. Luke 8:26And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). I felt somewhat guilty, particularly fearing that I may have created an unintentional hardship for some classmate. 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. Matthew 8:4; Luke 8:56). Then the SPCA would have been up in arms over such cruelty to animals. 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. We should know from other Scriptures that our present spiritual experience is one of spiritual warfare. 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). 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. 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. Winthrop Congregational Church, UCC No matter who you are. Although Gadarenes and Gergesenes are derived from a different Greek word, they are essentially referring to the same area. 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. The Truth is Jesus is a safe Person Who loves them, values them, wants their best and will never force Himself on them. Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant. It was like being attacked by two Hulks. They probably thought of quickly getting aboard ship and pushing off. 14). Jesus was saying, (demonstrating) that He had all authority, in any land. Significantly, the demons are called unclean spirits (verse 2,9). For some people, the cost is too high. But, the pigs were a part of their economic wealth. What did we miss because we allowed fear instead of faith to drive our lives? 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. October 2015 14ff. 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. How to prove that the supernatural or paranormal doesn't exist? In both the accounts of Mark and Luke, the primary motivation is described as that of fear. Like children convinced there are monsters under our beds, the unknown scares us. Welcome to Biblical Hermeneutics! With a little knowledge of the geography of the region, this apparent contradiction can be resolved. 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. February 2016 Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. Why is that. Flavius Josephus and Steve Mason, Flavius Josephus: Life of Josephus (Boston; Leiden: Brill, 2003), 47. There is the so-called demon of doubt, of anger, of overindulgence, of drunkenness, laziness and so on. The pig tenders reported it far and wide, in city and country (verse 14). Fear that you would not be in control? As I have been studying this account through the week, it has seemed to me a rather bizarre and remote situation, the liberation of this Gerasene demoniac. Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 6:12), whose leader and prince is Satan (Matthew 12:24). The demons in the man recognize Jesus and the man bows before him. In addition, Matthew includes the comment, Have You come here to torment us before the time? (Matthew 8:29). 7. Now' as to the pigs (an unclean animal, so you know Jesus wasnt in Israel! And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Here in Mark, he purposely set out to travel into another land. Understand the meaning of Luke 8:37 using all available Bible versions and commentary. 26). Events that are important to our Church Community, Mark 5:1-20 Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac. 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. He had only known Jesus for a few hours, but had already determined to be Jesus' disciple for life. The confrontation of Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac made it clear that Jesus was no servant of Satan. . Jesus deserves the benefit of the doubt even when we don't have all the facts. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. January 2023 Pastor Chrissy is a native of East Tennessee. 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. July 2016 There probably were not many who had been told yet of the Messiah, and so were not yet believers. This story is a little bit of an Easter story. He shivered at the disturbing memory. 117 so that, by their own confession, a time is coming when there shall be an entire victory of the kingdom of light over that of darkness (Rev. And the people there were scared, they recognised this, but more, they realised the significance of this. To date they have failed to respond in any way. May 2022 It had nothing to do the farmers losing revenue - at all. Jesus asked Mary why she was crying at the grave site. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 991. He felt Jesus' reassuring hand on his shoulder. Romans 9:19-23). The Lord granted the only request of these residents, which was for Him to leave. F. F. Bruce adds additional helpful insight: According to the best texts, Matthew calls it the country of the Gadarenes (viii. When Jesus asked his name the man answered, Legion, for we are many (Mark 5:9). I will not look for a reason to return to it. When addressed, the person was the mouthpiece of the demon (such as Legion, Mark 5:9). 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. 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. While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity.
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why were the gerasenes afraid