Jesus asked some crazy questions like "Why are you afraid?" I will not look for a reason to return to it. and our May 2017 Most people confessed to having the fear of things not working out, an inability to trust and others said they . Now they were delivered and ready to be productive members of society. They valued their pigs more than they valued salvation. Matthew 12:43-45). 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. 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. 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. Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. March 2021 So who was afraid? Gadara, though not directly named in Scripture, was part of the Decapolis. Jesus had just performed an incredible miracleand one they desperately needed, at that! Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Similar to the storm we see in the book of Job that killed Jobs sons - and Satan was the instigator of that as well. The best known Gerasa was a Greek city nearly forty miles southeast of the lake (modern village of Khersa, on the east shore of the lake. 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. . October 2018 It is mentioned in some ancient manuscripts of the . The demoniacs were mere maniacs, whom Jesus cured by humouring their fancies; and His giving leave to imaginary demons to enter into the swine, produced the story of the disaster to the herd.All these explanations assume that the Gospel narratives are wholly or in part unhistorical. Plummer, Luke, p. 228. You can flip a coin hoping for heads, but you know that tails is a very real probability. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 991. They were content where they were. The people of Gerasenes were willing to live with the devils they knew - quite literally. Matthew 8:4; Luke 8:56). His greatest impact would be on those who knew his former state. Other demoniacs described in Scripture were bent on self-destruction as well (cf. 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. 110 C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1971), p. 3. Instead, they reject Him because all they know is His power and purity. The demons freak out that Jesus is there because it's not time for them to be tormented by Him yet. We should be warned that fooling with these Satanic fronts is like experimenting with drugs. Luke 8 The house that is left swept and clean is a likely target for Satanic influence (cf. Give a Gift SubscriptionBless friends, family or clergy with a gift of the Register. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? This request was granted and the entire herd rushed headlong to their own destruction. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? Even the demons confessed that He was the Son of the Most High (Mark 5:7). It was significant. Its important to note that this was the first demonstration of Jesuss authority outside of Canaan. Ridiculous? It was opposite Galilee. What did we miss because we allowed fear instead of faith to drive our lives? Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. 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. xiii. 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. Jesus had simply sailed across the Lake of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? He was received into the Catholic Church in 1991. 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. The man looked out on the Tiberius. That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. Is there any archaeological evidence for Joshua entering Israel and conquering cities in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age? Anonymous, October 25 2014 Ouija boards are found in many American homes. Horoscopes and astrological predictions are found in most major newspapers. 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. Why would Jesus ask, "Who touched Me?" 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. Far from this, He had stormed the gates of Hell and prevailed. In other words, even though he set the bar extremely high, he seemed to be a fascinating man. Jesus deserves the benefit of the doubt even when we don't have all the facts. August 2021 Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. The sons of god ended up becoming the gods of these nations. January 2021 The Greeks were believers in the spirit world, but not necessarily convinced that demons were evil.127 As a result, Marks readers needed to be instructed as to the essential nature of demons and demon possession. The swine then immediately killed themselves by rushing off a cliff. In other words, Jesus had caused a loss to them of 2,000 swine already; what else would His presence cost? and thank you for your contribution. There is no conflict, however, for Mark and Luke have apparently focused their attention on the most striking of the two. 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.. What were the women in Mark 16:8 afraid of? The pig shepherds had gone and spread the news of what had happened all around. August 2015 28); Mark the country of the Gerasenes (v. 1), and Luke, probably, the country of the Gergesenes (viii. Vote Up They had heard what had happened to the pigs and knew the Jews considered Gentiles unclean, too. They ask Him if they can enter some nearby pigs, and He lets them. The occult and every front for demonic influence and activity should be avoided like the plague. How many demons possessed the man in Mark 5:6? A Jewish exorcist with such authority in the region, risked to damage the beliefs and reputation of the local pagan inhabitants. February 2021 In any event, they were not Israelites, as indicated by the fact that a herd of swine was being kept nearby, which would have been forbidden by the Mosaic Law, since swine were unclean animals (Leviticus 11:7-8). July 2018 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. 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. They had been unable to control these two men [Luke only mentions one man, but Matthew tells us there were two]. 3. First let us see what the Sacred Texts says: The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. 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! Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). Or they are too afraid of what the change might bring. xvii. 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? Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. 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. This was surely not so in every case, and perhaps in none. Earles comments are helpful: The difference in names for the destination on the east side of the take has caused considerable comment. Subscriber Service CenterAlready a subscriber? 40, vii. 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. The US Congress is currently debating whether TikTok should be banned for everyone in the US, not just government officials. 1, pp. People who have no appr Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. I was in a dialogue with an atheist regarding what he believes is one of many so-called biblical contradictions. Odd guy that I am, I actually find this sort of thing fun. In the third chapter of Marks Gospel, our Lords miraculous works were attributed by His opponents to the power of Satan (verse 22). For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. Mark 5:1And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. The confrontation of Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac made it clear that Jesus was no servant of Satan. June 2017 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, As the world's top superpower, how unsure of itself can the US be to . Small sins lead to big sins, and big sins bring about a terrible spiritual darkness. Winthrop Congregational Church, UCC No matter who you are. The best human analogy might be in the area of drug abuse. What purposes did Mark intend to achieve by the inclusion of this event? February 2016 and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. The region is located east of the Jordan River and southeast of the Sea of Galilee. To understand this event, you need consider the incident at Babel, and Deuteronomy. Those demons were terrified of Him! Order Bulk SubscriptionsGet a discount on 6 or more copies sent to your parish, organization 36Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed.