in 1971. xvii. And when the man spoke to Jesus, it looks like the demons inside the man were the ones doing the speaking. The region is located east of the Jordan River and southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. What did we miss because we allowed fear instead of faith to drive our lives? In the third chapter of Marks Gospel, our Lords miraculous works were attributed by His opponents to the power of Satan (verse 22). On the other hand, the scene gains in grandeurhas, so to speak, a fitting backgroundif we suppose the Saviour and His disciples to have landed on the other side late in the evening, when perhaps the silvery moon was shedding her pale light on the weird scene, and laying her halo around the shadows cast upon the sea by the steep cliff down which the herd of swine hurried and fell. 05 /5 Another theory. The scene which Mark presents is deliberately dark. So, they asked Him to leave. In any event, I love defending the Bible and Christianity. 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 . Author of The Gnostic Notebook series, stand-up comedian, and Gnostic. I have always wondered what my Christian brothers had to say to the police officers by way of explanation. Why would the Gerasene people beg Jesus to leave their region after He cast the demons into the pigs? rev2023.3.3.43278. The exercising of authority over demons, in the land under another god, was a message. 9. You are welcome here. 22ff. All Scripture agrees with this, that the judgment of the angels is yet to come (1 Cor. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. The best human analogy might be in the area of drug abuse. I will not ask him to leave. By His power, we, too, are able to overcome Satans treacheries. Preisker, TWNT IV (1942), pp. 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. As C. S. Lewis aptly put it: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. 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. Instead of opening themselves up to Jesus and receiving His love and forgiveness, they allowed fear to drive a wedge between them. Although it is often claimed that Christians were persecuted for their refusal to worship the emperor, general dislike for Christians likely arose from their refusal to worship the gods or take part in sacrifice, which was expected of those living in the Roman Empire. (4) Our Lord did not command the demons to enter into the pigs and bring about their destruction; He only permitted it.124. They are happy in their sin and the consequences seem far away. Similar to the storm we see in the book of Job that killed Jobs sons - and Satan was the instigator of that as well. Romans 9:19-23). At the conclusion of this day of teaching by parables, the Lord had instructed His disciples to cross over the Sea of Galilee to the other side. 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. 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. And they were afraid. The country of the Gadarenes (Gergesenes) is one of the few areas Jesus visited where Gentiles (non-Jews) composed the majority of the population. 18). 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, 128 In most of the stories of possession what is at issue is not merely sickness but a destruction and distortion of the divine likeness of man according to creation. (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. Some illicitly use drugs, supposing that they have them completely under their control. So they refer to Gerasenes. and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another . Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight.". Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. Your comment will be posted after it is approved. 16ff., xix. So he got into a boat and returned. December 2016 He was a totally safe Person. They are unclean spirits, (vss. 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. Its ruins include two amphitheaters, a basilica, temple, a hippodrome, aqueducts and colonnades, showing its importance and stature. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. Whereas he had been a slave, he was now delivered from demon possession. 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. Luke 8:26And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. A land that was essentially under another god (lower case g). The house that is left swept and clean is a likely target for Satanic influence (cf. Note that the texts dont say Gerasa or Gadara, so they arent necessarily referring just to one of the cities. 23, 24, viii. . 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. 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. July 2017 Then people came to see what it was that had happened. The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. The people were gentiles who had not yet any interest in the Messiah. As always, we must begin with the principle: Interpretation is one, application is many. How to show that an expression of a finite type must be one of the finitely many possible values? 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. August 2017 110 C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1971), p. 3. And those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. It is noteworthy that it is distinguished (especially in the Gospel of the physician, Luke) from cases of ordinary sickness, insanity (lunacy), leprosy, blindness, lameness, deafness and other natural defects and diseases (cf. It is a violent tempest, that is, outside of the natural. 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. And, Gerasene was one. 13ff.). Spam. Asked October 24 2014 The typical explanation for the petition of the residents that Christ leave their country is that they were motivated by materialistic considerations. For those who are shaken like leaves in the wind at the mention of demons, let us remember from this story that demons cannot even possess pigs without prior permission from our Lord. Then the SPCA would have been up in arms over such cruelty to animals. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. They valued their pigs more than they valued salvation. The district of the Gerasenes probably included that of the Gadarenes; so that the demoniac of Gergesa belonged to the country of the Gadarenes and also to that of the Gerasenes, as the same person may, with equal truth, be said to live in the city or the state, or in the United States. 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. The swine then immediately killed themselves by rushing off a cliff. Hence it would be called the land of the Gadarenes.. of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were So he got into the boat and left. 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! The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. (it should be added that Plummer himelf does not hold to any of these views.). The fear of the unknown, the uncontrollableof change. Embedded into both stories are people who were afraid of Jesus. NEW STAR WARS MERCH PAGE: https://bit.ly/3baWVZv For all sponsorship and business inquiries please contact: thestupendousscrub@gmail.com NEW CHANNEL: https:/. https://www.ncregister.com/blog/gerasene-or-gadarene-swine, What Archaeology Tells Us About Joshuas Conquest, 50 Verses to Help You Prepare for Pentecost, St. Polycarp, Who Learned the Faith From an Apostle, Did Not Believe in Faith Alone, The Three Kinds of Atheists, and How to Respond to Them, We Know That Hes in Heaven: Thousands Gather for Funeral of Bishop David OConnell in Los Angeles, Archbishop Naumann and Bishop Paprocki Speak Out in Support of Traditional Latin Massgoers in Their Dioceses, Survey: Decline in Vocations to the Priesthood Is Worse Where Priests Serve Larger Flocks, God Really Intervened: How a Catholic Priest Escaped From His Kidnappers in Haiti, Amber and Dave VanVickle on Finding God in the Midst of Suffering. To the evildoer, anonymity is always preferable to identification. Pigs were seen as unclean animals in the eyes of the people of Israel. I think that this story is a little bit of an Easter story. This name (Strong's #G3003) is a reference to a Roman military regiment that varied in soldier strength from 4,000 to 6,000. For more information about Glenn Davis see our About Glenn page and/or his Author's Page. December 2014 Jesus asked a sick man if he wanted to get well. He brought up the story of Jesus casting out demons and sending them into pigs, which promptly ran over a cliff into the sea. Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. . Others cited unfaithfulness, lack of seriousness, and the lack of confidence to sustain a relationship. What were the women in Mark 16:8 afraid of? In Luke 2:8 it is applied to the city of Bethlehem; in Acts 18:23 to Galatia and Phrygia. August 2015 That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. He who feared His arrival now dreaded His departure. Why were the Romans afraid of the Christians? e.g., Matt. January 2023 Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? He also maintains a popular Facebook page. The expression to be with Jesus is used particularly of His disciples (cf. 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. Satans most useful instrument is the outstanding, outwardly moral and upright religious man, whose good deeds are done independently of God. The sons of god ended up becoming the gods of these nations. When Jesus asked his name the man answered, Legion, for we are many (Mark 5:9). Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. At first we may deceive ourselves into thinking that we are controlling them, but the ultimate likelihood is that they will master us. 68f. They became as afraid of Jesus as the demons were. Now they would deal with this One greater than he by doing likewise. Having been properly warned of the demonic underworld, let us not fall into the opposite error of absolute paranoia. (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. Why do people like Jesus a lot? February 2015 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. Let me say as graciously as I can, Satan does not need to work on us in those areas as we are doing very well without his exploitation. Mark 3:14). December 2020 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). 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. Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? April 2016 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. January 2016 How Satan blinds our minds! (3) Spiritual insight. The presence of holiness and, moreover, the most intense divine holiness is undesirable; I mean, unless you are an angel or a saintly recluse in his ascetic toils in a cave or a top of a pillar. This is when the storm arose which threatened to destroy the ship (Mark 4:35-41). Or they are too afraid of what the change might bring. Why would Jesus ask, "Who touched Me?" The subject of demons and demon possession has always seemed somewhat remote and academic to sophisticated 20th century Americans. He obviously attracted crowds. The region was known also as the Decopolis because ten Greek cities were located in the region. The Truth is Jesus is a safe Person Who loves them, values them, wants their best and will never force Himself on them. Mark 5:1And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. January 2017 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? F. F. Bruce adds additional helpful insight: According to the best texts, Matthew calls it the country of the Gadarenes (viii. Such an entreaty can be addressed by them to only God. John 8:32; Matthew 11:28-30), or to be the pawns of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-2). One is that he was a fascinating man. First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. I understand why," the HBO "Real Time" host told Jake Tapper on Tuesday as part . 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. Non-Christians can often experience this fear of Jesus as well. We see people in other places where he worked miracles, endeavoring to make him their king (Jn 6:15) . Another indication of demonic control is the fact that this man was continually doing harm to himself by gashing himself with stones (verse 5). The lesson of this passage is that Satan is a defeated foe. First of all, the EPA would have been investigating the pollution of Lake Galilee with decaying pigs. It's a curious passage with many unanswered questions. He shivered at the disturbing memory. 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. Now they were delivered and ready to be productive members of society. 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). art thou come hither to torment us before the time? What would happen to them? Crazy question or.? The Lord granted the only request of these residents, which was for Him to leave. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. More from Medium Jameson Steward in. The region was not poor or economically depressed. 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. They had dealt with Legion (I suspect) by forcing him from their presence. Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). In other words, Jesus had caused a loss to them of 2,000 swine already; what else would His presence cost? Its important to note that this was the first demonstration of Jesuss authority outside of Canaan. 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. Jesus asked Mary why she was crying at the grave site. 36Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. Accordingly this was not merely an ordinary form of mental disease as some writers have alleged, but a special phenomenon which was particularly frequent during Jesus earthly sojourn and thus was directly connected with His coming to destroy the power of darkness. Demonized individuals are not to be viewed so much as a pigeon hole category, as they are a continuem. No! 17, pp. to sign up for our free Water Of The Word newsletter at the top of any page! There was no such danger in Perea, and thus the mercy of the Lord was to be heralded. He was also humorous in his answers. 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. Why did Jesus have the authority to forgive sins, why did the scribes take it as a blasphemy, and was this authority also given to men in general? They were not looked upon as necessarily evil in all cases. June 2017 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. Winthrop Congregational Church, UCC No matter who you are. Matthew 9:2-8 Why was "This man is blaspheming" considered an evil thought without knowing Jesus' identity? 7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, b he entered Capernaum. 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. 15; Mark ix. Jesus showed to the local population the inferiority of pagan life. The New Testament speaks of those who had a spirit, or a demon, or demons, or an unclean spirit, or the spirit of an unclean demon, but chiefly of persons who were demonised. Edersheim, Life and Times, I, p. 479. If they dare to open up their lives to Jesus what will happen? He said he had come to the house of Israel, not to the gentiles. 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. 0 Responses Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. 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. In this context, however, he insists that legion has nothing of its usual Roman military overtones, but is the designation of numerous powers which oppose themselves to Jesus as the embodiment of the power of God. Lane, Mark, fn. Gadara, though not directly named in Scripture, was part of the Decapolis. The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. March 2020 Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. and thank you for your contribution. 14. Treasury of Scripture. Immediately, as this weary group disembarked from the ship, they were met by what appeared to be a madman. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. March 2021 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). ), you also need to understand the significance of this - to the people in Gerasene. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. 2,8) who can possess men and animals. July 2016 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. What they were not willing to accept was the frightening power that could cure him. It was scary. I would like to invite you to return to where we left off a few weeks ago in our studies in the gospel of Mark. 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]. 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. January 2021 By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. In recent years the matter has been getting uncomfortably close to home. Unfortunately, Christians [or those using the name] can be harsh, condemning and critical driving people further into sin and away from God. The pig tenders reported it far and wide, in city and country (verse 14). Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. When the pigs were sent into the sea, the people of Gadara lost money. Horoscopes and astrological predictions are found in most major newspapers. 3 When the centurion 2 heard about Jesus, c he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his . Acts 19:16). They were willing to post guards and chain and shackle their neighbor to keep him from hurting someone. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. We dismiss it the more readily, that, in our view, it conveys a wrong impression. Jesus has lead me away from my old life. Although it is likely that the larger towns of Galilee were predominantly Gentile, as was the Decapolis, the first-century civilian diet did not . March 2022 It is not difficult to imagine what was going through the minds of the disciples as their ship landed and as these two demon possessed men rushed to them. Sign-up for E-NewsletterGet Register Updates sent daily or weeklyto your inbox. 8; Mark vi. Gergesa may have been a variant spelling of Gerasa. Ralph Earle, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957), p. 70. Jesus had simply sailed across the Lake of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. His animal-like shrieks must have sent chills up the spines of any who were nearby. 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. June 2021 The reply Legion118 may be some kind of evasion, a reluctance on the part of the demons to individually identify themselves. Luke 8 This was a power far beyond anything they had seen or even imagined. 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. 112 Skeptics and liberals have made much of the differences between the Gospel writers as to the place Jesus landed with His disciples. May 2022 Verse 1. This was a federation of ten cities (deka = ten, polis = city). 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. January 2022 . The pleas of Legion were in response to the command of Jesus for the demons to come out of him (verse 8). The reference could hardly be to the better known Gerasa (Jerash) between thirty and forty miles southeast from the lake. verse 5). 127 The view of Greek philosophy was that these were the spirits of those who lived in the Golden Age. Finally, there is in demon possession a counterpart to the filling (or control) of the Holy Spirit. Unbelieving men may not rave and carry on like the Gerasene demoniac, but they are nevertheless under Satans control, doing his bidding. As has been said before, look for Satans man behind the pulpit. The entrance of the term into colloquial speech indicates that the Roman occupation was a heavy burden. A Jewish exorcist with such authority in the region, risked to damage the beliefs and reputation of the local pagan inhabitants. With a little knowledge of the geography of the region, this apparent contradiction can be resolved. May 2020 September 2015 How Can a Person Get Rid of Evil Spirits. People who have no appr 16, x. They liked Him and wanted to be with Him. SubscribeStart your Register subscription today. xii. Most people confessed to having the fear of things not working out, an inability to trust and others said they . xiii. 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. It is amazing to think that people could be fearful of Jesus. It hit them hard in the pocketbook. June 2022 It was opposite Galilee. 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). February 2022 Ananias and Sapphira did so by allowing their greed to grip their hearts (cf. Another reason could be as Dr. R.C. 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. 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. March 2017 November 2017 If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. 26). The most likely answer is to the country of the Gerasenes: i.e., Gerasa, a Greek town thought to be the same as the similarly-named Kersa on the east shore of Lake Tiberias. While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. August 2021 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. 116 As Lane observes this title Son of the Most High God, is not a messianic designation but a divine one. Lane, Mark, p. 133, cf. The region and polygon don't match. Mark 5:16 says the thoughts of the people were on the swine. But then also Christ will triumph, and finally put an end to the evil one and all his powers of darkness (Rev. Far from this, He had stormed the gates of Hell and prevailed. and 1 Kings xxii. 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.