. Known as the Judas Iscariot of Gnosticism for revealing that which is not to be revealed. I have always wondered what my Christian brothers had to say to the police officers by way of explanation. February 2021 Early Christians like St. Polycarp clearly held the Catholic view on salvation. Jesus asked a sick man if he wanted to get well. They ask Him if they can enter some nearby pigs, and He lets them. The ego is so impaired that the spirits speak through him. 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. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 991. Paul says of the former life of the Christian, And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 1:1-2). When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met Him a man from the city who had demons. It should also be observed that nowhere in the Old Testament (except in I Sam. In Acts 8:1 we have the regions of Judaea and Samaria (KJV), and in Acts 16:6, Galatia alone. Note that the texts dont say Gerasa or Gadara, so they arent necessarily referring just to one of the cities. The expression to be with Jesus is used particularly of His disciples (cf. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? Also, the wholesale slaughter of these pigs dramatically illustrated the destructive purposes of the demons. The US Congress is currently debating whether TikTok should be banned for everyone in the US, not just government officials. When the Gadarenes saw what Christ was capable of, they panicked. Privacy Policy. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. The reply Legion118 may be some kind of evasion, a reluctance on the part of the demons to individually identify themselves. and 1 Kings xxii. 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. 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. Most people confessed to having the fear of things not working out, an inability to trust and others said they . COMMENTARY: Atheism is generally the expression of a moral attitude more than a real intellectual conviction based on evidence thought through. Matthew 8:4; Luke 8:56). This is when the storm arose which threatened to destroy the ship (Mark 4:35-41). 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. What would happen to them? 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. Unfortunately, Christians [or those using the name] can be harsh, condemning and critical driving people further into sin and away from God. August 2016 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. Many times people - Non-Christians and Christians - push Jesus away because they do not want to change. "The trains were . 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. That is why the inhabitants of the area are referred to variously in different Bible manuscripts as Gergasenes, Gadarenes, or Gerasenes. (London: InterVarsity Fellowship, 1950), fn. This was a region east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. 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. ), you also need to understand the significance of this - to the people in Gerasene. June 2017 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. to men facing fear and death. Do roots of these polynomials approach the negative of the Euler-Mascheroni constant? The people were gentiles who had not yet any interest in the Messiah. 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. In Mark 1:5 it is used of the land of Judaea (KJV) and in Acts 10:39, to land of the Jews (KJV). 28); Mark the country of the Gerasenes (v. 1), and Luke, probably, the country of the Gergesenes (viii. Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. And when the man spoke to Jesus, it looks like the demons inside the man were the ones doing the speaking. Christians are to be the answer, but often they are part of the problem. I think that this story is a little bit of an Easter story. 22, xvii. 7. Understand the meaning of Luke 8:37 using all available Bible versions and commentary. Finally, there is in demon possession a counterpart to the filling (or control) of the Holy Spirit. And, lastly, this would allow sufficient time for those miracles which took place on that second day in Capernaum after His return thither. Gerasenes could have had a sense of reference to the entire region (as well as to a city: just as New Yorker can refer to the state or city), and Gadarenes likely was a reference to the most prominent city of the region at the time. Does a barbarian benefit from the fast movement ability while wearing medium armor? This name (Strong's #G3003) is a reference to a Roman military regiment that varied in soldier strength from 4,000 to 6,000. 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). Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? 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. November 2022 in 1971. 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. (6) Tendency towards self-destruction. Mark 5:1And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. Demon-possession is, therefore, not merely a mental state in which someone suffers from a delusion or is subjected to some subjective disturbance of the world of ideas. 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. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. This makes sense, I couldn't believe they asked Jesus to leave. 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. Wikipedia states about it: In the second half of the 1st century AD, the city of Jerash achieved great prosperity.. Satan loves those Christians. The destructive desires of the demons were dramatically carried out in the drowning of the swine. Spam. 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). So much pain, so much sin. xx. Matthew is habitually more oriented to a Jewish readership, and so he refers to Gadarenes because Gadara was the most important Jewish city in the area. 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. 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. 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. 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. Such seems to be a similar case with Judas (John 13:1-2). e.g., Matt. What about us, as Christians, are we afraid of Jesus? And he said to them, Where is your faith? So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine . Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. What scared them was a power so fierce it could free a man. November 2017 October 2020 The lesson of this passage is that Satan is a defeated foe. 123 1. People who have no appr (5) Torment. The confrontation between the powers of heaven and hell are nowhere seen in better perspective than in Marks account of the encounter of the Gerasene demoniac with our Lord Jesus Christ. 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! And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). No! April 2022 Did Jesus command the demon before he fell on his knees in Mark 5:6? He was a totally safe Person. 0 Responses 68f. September 2020 They were not looked upon as necessarily evil in all cases. Why did Jesus not allow demons to proclaim his name, Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs. Demon possession, such as that of the Gerasene demoniac is the crudest and cruelest form of Satanic control, but by and large also one of the less common manifestations of Satans work in the world today. vi. May 2015 July 2015 April 2018 Nor was it the Jewish population of Galilee. Holy Communion From the Chalice Reintroduced in the UK: What About the US? Crazy question or.? In all three instances the word is chra (Strongs word #5561). They had dealt with Legion (I suspect) by forcing him from their presence. But then also Christ will triumph, and finally put an end to the evil one and all his powers of darkness (Rev. 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. 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. We dismiss it the more readily, that, in our view, it conveys a wrong impression. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. In the King James Version it is called the country of the Gadarenes in Mark and Luke, and of the Gergesenes in Matthew. It is now called Jerash and is a deserted ruin. 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) The swine then immediately killed themselves by rushing off a cliff. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. Demonic influence further destroys mans reflection of God as originally designed.128 Demons have great spiritual insight and reluctantly submit to Jesus as Lord of all. 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.. 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 pigs had been driven mad and rushed down a steep slope plunging into the lake and drowning. Horoscopes and astrological predictions are found in most major newspapers. She and her wife moved to Maine from Illinois. 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. November 2016 Others are absolutely controlled (hooked) by the drug and totally dependent upon it. The Politics of Luke 8:26-39. You are welcome here. Have we stepped back, in effect asking Jesus to leave us alone, only to discover, as a Gentleman, He did? Fear that you might do something that would embarrass you? (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. Preisker, TWNT IV (1942), pp. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. Their influence and control leads to untold agony and destruction. No matter where you are on life's journey. 61-62. Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? . The occult and every front for demonic influence and activity should be avoided like the plague. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant. 15; Mark ix. So who was afraid? Bible-believing Christians have always accepted the fact of demons and their activity in New Testament times, but most of us are inclined to relegate demonic activity in these days to pagan lands and missionary experiences. There is no true freedom and fulfillment apart from Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer of men. Asked October 24 2014 of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were So he got into the boat and left. 17, pp. iv. 3. April 2021 A Jewish exorcist with such authority in the region, risked to damage the beliefs and reputation of the local pagan inhabitants. The entire population of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them because they were seized with great fear. The Truth is Jesus is a safe Person Who loves them, values them, wants their best and will never force Himself on them. Its ruins include two amphitheaters, a basilica, temple, a hippodrome, aqueducts and colonnades, showing its importance and stature. Even the demons confessed that He was the Son of the Most High (Mark 5:7). 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. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
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