The typical explanation for the petition of the residents that Christ leave their country is that they were motivated by materialistic considerations. As these people began to piece together the previous events, not only of the destruction of the pigs, but also the deliverance of Legion, they began to sense that there was One far more awesome, much more to be feared, than Legion. Such an entreaty can be addressed by them to only God. Contributors: Mark D. Roberts Published by The High Calling, March 11, 2011. First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. How ironic, as others have noted, that the tormentor pleads not to be tormented. He calls the inhabitants Syrians, when, at the beginning of the Jewish revolt, the district round Gerasa was laid waste. Their influence and control leads to untold agony and destruction. It's a curious passage with many unanswered questions. In Galilee and Judea there were Messianic hopes which would have been quickly fanned into flames if the miracles of Jesus were too widely publicized. Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. All of us may be so concerned with our own livelihoods that we fail to serve other people and help those in desperat As to the candidate for the location of the Gospel event, the most common consensus[weaselwords] is that the miracle took place near the town of Gergesa, the modern Kursi, close by the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and therefore in the country of Gergesenes. [15] In his analysis, the opposition of the entire city to the one man possessed by demons is the typical template for a scapegoat. 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). 14:13-21. Demons are highly organized (cf. I beg you in the name of God never to torment me!". 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. Gerasa is identified from various sources as a city in Arabia, Decapolis, Gilead, or Perea. Normal relationships are reversed. On one level, they may have been afraid that Jesus would send their herds into the sea. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today. One problem was this man's racehe was a Gentile, whereas Jesus had been sent to the nation of Israel (cf. Then the SPCA would have been up in arms over such cruelty to animals. Jesus asks the demon for his name and is told "My name is Legion, for we are many". T. H. Huxley, in his Essays upon some Controverted Questions (1892), made merry over the escapade of the Gadarene swine, running the seven miles between Gadar and the lake of Galilee, crossing the deep river Yarmuk en route. Once naked, he is now clothed. 127 The view of Greek philosophy was that these were the spirits of those who lived in the Golden Age. GERASA, GERASENES (, ). 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. 84,145). There is a lot we do not know about the Decapolis, but we know enough to be enlightened concerning Jesus' visits to this Hellenistic area. The destructive desires of the demons were dramatically carried out in the drowning of the swine. If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. 0 Responses Soon, they gathered around Jesus and the man who had been set free from the demons. That would be a strong message, by allowing them to be possessed and then drowned. [11] Further possible echoes include Isaiah 65:4 with parallels to both graves and swine:[12]. Heal me, Lord, but let me remain the lord of at least part of my life. Thus, the story in Luke 8:26-39 challenges me to consider how open I really am to the Lord. One is to disbelieve in their existence. Mark 5:16 says the thoughts of the people were on the swine. He was used to seeing fear in their eyes. Whatever witchcraft Jesus possessed, they wanted it far away from them. 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. So Jesus had to cross the lake twice. Traces of ancient buildings in the vicinity show that there must have been a fairly numerous population in the district.2. War I. iv. 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. As soon as Jesus disembarked from the boat that carried him here, a man possessed by demons approached, shrieking and falling before him. Once a menace to society, now a messenger with words of deliverance and healing. PRAYER: Dear Lord, first of all, I want to thank you for your healing, restoring power. Pigs were seen as unclean animals in the eyes of the people of Israel. 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. The mountainside has caves and hewn tombs where, according to Mark and Luke, the demoniac had taken shelter. The lesson of this passage is that Satan is a defeated foe. The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Lord, save us! It didnt take long for the word to spread quickly. Jesus' arrival on the scene introduced a spiritual power stronger than Legion, which upset the social balance by removing the scapegoat. Although his symptoms would have appeared to be those of an insane man,113 the Gospel writers inform us that he was demon-possessed.114. The precise place where the miracle occurred is not as essential to our understanding of the narrative as is the realization that Christ has control over the spiritual realm (Lenski, 1946, p. 205). I know this, yet, like the people in the story, I can hesitate. 8:28, Mark 5:1-2, Luke 8:26-27. It was the terror of the damned. Did the scribes realize that God gave Jesus the authority in Mark 11:33? But Jesus motioned to Peter to ready the boat. Immediately, as this weary group disembarked from the ship, they were met by what appeared to be a madman. It was like being attacked by two Hulks. They probably thought of quickly getting aboard ship and pushing off. The Cross And Our Response to Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19), 8. Theology of Work Project Online Materials by The High Calling are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. As Christians we believe that the Old Testament is constantly foreshadowing Jesus. He recognized most of them. 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! It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126. Pastor John gets to the heart and offers practical suggestions for growing in evangelism. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 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). Life with him would be heaven on earth. Romans 6 speaks about our identification with Christ in baptism and being dead to sin and alive in Christ. His soul was clean. 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. Now appreciate the reaction - another God was messing with their god - and demonstrating authority! As a herdsman recounted what happened, they kept looking at him and then to Jesus. 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. Over his son GAD he said: "Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last." Now WHERE in the New Testament do you remember hearing about something like a 'troop'? So, Jews think that God does not want them to keep pigs. 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. And the people went out to see what happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. Although the Gospels give us little information as to how individuals become targets of Satanic control, I would suggest for your consideration that they sometimes do so by leaving themselves open to Satanic influence. As Jesus began to get back into the boat, the delivered demoniac pleaded with Him that he might accompany Him. Start for FREE. A miracle performed by Jesus according to the New Testament. 123 1. Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. He was sitting at Jesus feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane (8:35), thus serving as a vivid demonstration of the saving, healing power of Jesus. how many times did jesus go to gerasenes [1] Jesus, now about 30 years old (Lk 3:23) travels from his home-town of Nazareth in Galilee. It was, in fact, his demons that had recognized Jesus. Two men: Matt. Demonized individuals are not to be viewed so much as a pigeon hole category, as they are a continuem. The Greek word commonly accepted in Mark 5:1 and Luke 8:26 as the basis for the name of the people who inhabited the place where Jesus and the disciples went is rendered Gerasenes in English (Metzger, 1975, pp. As always, we must begin with the principle: Interpretation is one, application is many. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. Jesus, Go Away! No rage. First, the man is hunted, then stoned, and finally he is killed; this is why the possessed lived among the tombs. As C. S. Lewis aptly put it: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. The story was interpreted by Saints Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas to mean that Christians have no duties to animals. But Jesus had other plans. Significantly, the demons are called unclean spirits (verse 2,9). Its architecture was of the Corinthian order, quite lavish and imposing, with columns from three to four ft. in diameter and about thirty ft. high. In this immediate area, steep hills come down to the shoreline and fit the story of the swine rushing headlong into the sea. 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). Josephus mentions it with Pella and Golan as being taken by storm during Alexander Jannaeus campaign E of the Jordan in about 83 b.c. 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. We see people in other places where he worked miracles, endeavoring to make him their king (Jn 6:15) . Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. 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. Were the writers of the synoptic gospel accounts confused about where Jesus was when He healed the men? 9. (4) Super-human strength. Though Legion bowed before Jesus (verse 6), it was no act of worship (as the King James Version would seem to indicate). The confrontation of Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac made it clear that Jesus was no servant of Satan. This agrees with the general description of the site (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26). Will a professing Christian go to hell if he never shares the gospel? Gerasa, one of the cities of Decapolis and the capital of the country of the Gerasenes, lay around 37 miles/60 kilometres away from the Sea of Galilee in what is today the city of Jerash in Jordan.3The country of the Gerasenes did not reach the Sea of Galilee (an important point that we'll get to in a bit). (3) Spiritual insight. This reversal of the scapegoat mechanism by Jesus is central to Girard's entire reading of Christianity, and this reversal is on display in this story as well. Clarify Instantly he recognized the Lord Jesus to be the Son of God (verse 7).116 There was a source of spiritual insight beyond human capabilities here. The distance is about 19 miles from the river. At times, my honest prayer might be: Lord, yes, do in me the things I want you to do. In contrast, the people of Gerasene are asking him to leave their place. Jesus approaches and calls the demon to come out of the man, who replies "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? 28); Mark the country of the Gerasenes (v. 1), and Luke, probably, the country of the Gergesenes (viii. Classical theological commentary cited this story to argue that animals have no moral importance in Christianity. This condition is fulfilled only by the district immediately South of Wady Semak, North of Qal `at el-Chucn. He wasn't very big. and thank you for your contribution. There was no such danger in Perea, and thus the mercy of the Lord was to be heralded. The subject of demons and demon possession has always seemed somewhat remote and academic to sophisticated 20th century Americans. The people (nations) were divided up, and boundaries allocated' and the sons of god were put over these nations. 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. People try to make Jesus king; he walks on sea; heals many. Journal of the American Academy of Religion, XLIX(4), 567588; Burdon, Christopher. . These forces plundered Gerasa, Philadelphia, Pella, and others (Jos. But Jesus told him to go back. [14], Similarly, Thomas Aquinas argued that Jesus allowed the demons to destroy the pigs in order to make the point that his purpose was primarily for the good of men's souls, not their bodies or property (including their animals). This man demonstrated all four characteristics. Lane, Mark, p. 182, fn. Declare how much God has done for you. 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. He pleaded with Jesus not to be tormented. 32, after Passover. xx. If they would just listen to what he had to say. Asked December 18 2016 John 8:32; Matthew 11:28-30), or to be the pawns of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-2). Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? Do not be afraid. Barnes, Albert (1949), Notes on the New Testament: Matthew and Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker). Who do you care more about, people or pigs? vi. Five squad cars converged on it. 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! But the most strangely wonderful thing of all was his sense of cleanness. 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. What happened to the evil spirits Jesus cast out of the man named "Legion" after the swine drowned? The crowd should remain on top of the cliff and the victim fall over; instead, in this case, the crowd plunges and the victim is saved. 1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. ger'-a-sa, ger'-a-senz (Gerasa; Gerasenon):1. For many Christians today, the horrifying experience of Legion should be sufficient testimony of the reality of the Satanic underworld. 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). Satans most useful instrument is the outstanding, outwardly moral and upright religious man, whose good deeds are done independently of God. [3] However, other commentators have attempted to make the story consistent with a Jesus who shows "care and concern for animals," as John Austin Baker wrote. Dr. Thomson discovered on the eastern shore the ruins of a village called Khersa. But then also Christ will triumph, and finally put an end to the evil one and all his powers of darkness (Rev. My ways are subtler, and for this reason perhaps even more insidious. I felt somewhat guilty, particularly fearing that I may have created an unintentional hardship for some classmate. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one . These, however, are not the problem raised by Bible students. They include several splendid temples, theaters, basilica, palaces and baths, with hippodrome and naumachia. Since all of these areas overlap, one may take the references as meaning the same place. What Jesus wants us to know is that his salvation and his protection extend to those old, horrible haunts. It hit them hard in the pocketbook. In other words, Jesus had caused a loss to them of 2,000 swine already; what else would His presence cost? We do not know why they chose to mention only one. Contrasting the self-destruction of the herd of pigs with the typical motif of an individual evil-doer being pushed over a cliff by an undifferentiated mob (cf. Origen (Commentary on John 6:24 41 [on John 1:28]) cited a local tradition that there had been a town called "Gergasa" on the lake shore.[7]. The Roman city Gerasa was a famous city that would have been familiar to a Gentile audience, but Gadara, as the capital city of the Roman province of Perea, was the chief of the ten cities in Decapolis (Lenski, 1946, p. 205; Coffman, 1975, p. 85; Youngblood, 1995, p. 468), so even those who lived in Gerasa could have been called Gadarenes. Most scholars today would agree with Origen that near Gergesa was the precise site for the healing of Legion. It was a small village about midway along the E shore of the Sea of Galilee. Acts 16:16), while others were the virtual pawns of these spirits, losing their own identity and autonomy. It is in no way certain, however, that the pig raisers were Jews. A contradiction occurs only when one statement makes the other impossible. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. The scene which Mark presents is deliberately dark. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. Such was the case with this man (cf. Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. The man is now seen, dressed and restored to sanity: he asks to be included among the disciples who travel with Jesus, but he is refused and instructed to remain in the Decapolis region, to tell of "the great things the Lord has done and [how he] has had compassion on you". 4, p. 180. Lucius Annius, at the instance of Vespasian, sacked and burned the city, with much slaughter (BJ, IV, ix, 1). Generic Doubly-Linked-Lists C implementation, Understanding the probability of measurement w.r.t. 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. (1) Severe personality change. None of the accounts indicate why Jesus allowed the demons to go into the swine, but certainly it was better that they go into the pigs than into people. The sultan of Damascus is said to have fortified it; but there is nothing to show that the Moslems occupied it for any length of time.3. Then he put his reassuring hand on the man's shoulder again and said, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.". 68f. The time of this event was before Jesus' crucifixion, and before the gentiles were grafted in to the promise (Acts 10). In the third chapter of Marks Gospel, our Lords miraculous works were attributed by His opponents to the power of Satan (verse 22). The Greek word in Matthew 8:28, however, reveals that Jesus went to the country of the Gadarenes (p. 23). Gergesa [probably a variation of GerasaCC] was a city about 12 miles to the south-east of Gadara, and about 20 miles to the east of the Jordan. To the Other Side: Construction of Evil and Fear of Liberation in Mark 5.120., 164165. It opens our eyes to a world that is largely unknown and frankly unsettling. Why do you think they were unwilling to engage with him? Paul tells us that our struggle is, at bottom, a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12). It appears that is because the CARM is a nonprofit, non-denominational, multi-staffed Christian Apologetics Ministry that supports evangelism, radio outreach, and provides full-time support for several foreign missionaries. The tomb-man had beaten off much larger men in his demonic rages. When addressed, the person was the mouthpiece of the demon (such as Legion, Mark 5:9). Son of God was their term. get to know the Bible better! The particular focus of this mans testimony was the Decapolis region. Description:Modern Jerash lies on both banks of Wady Jerash, about 6 miles from its confluence with Wady ez-Zerqa (the Jabbok). A spiritual battle ensued, which ended with Jesus casting a whole legion of demons out of the man and sending them into a herd of pigs. The pleas of Legion were in response to the command of Jesus for the demons to come out of him (verse 8). So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. In a cemetery on the eastern shore of the lake, He and the twelve meet a wild, dangerous man controlled by a ''legion'' of demons. Everyone strained for a look at the tomb-man. John imagines what the back-story of this man might have been and explores themes of redemption and reconciliation. We are not by Matt Slick | Apr 6, 2023 | Bible Studies. The Greek word in Matthew 8:28, however, reveals that Jesus went to the country of the Gadarenes (p. 23). 125 This is the position of Lane, Mark, p. 187. Neither is it only a kind of physical disease, although spiritual and physical disease often accompany it (e.g. This is probably the Gerasa of Mark and Luke. Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. And those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. If there are two demoniacs, there is certainly at least one; therefore, there is no contradiction. Now they would deal with this One greater than he by doing likewise. Vote Up Jerash, ancient Gerasa It would be hard to imagine a more horrible state] c and for a long time he had worn no clothes, In the Gospel of Mark, why does Jesus heal this blind man twice? The forum, with a semicircle of columns still standing, was paved with large cut stones. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome 110 C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1971), p. 3. This was surely not so in every case, and perhaps in none. 61-62. And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. I'll follow you anywhere! The site is identified today with the town of Kersa, or Gersa, just below Wadi es-Samak. 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. Luke 8:26-38 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (). 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. A friend of mine told me later that two students were attempting to cast a demon out of a fellow. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Sometimes to follow Jesus means being sent back to a place where we once knew desolation and indescribable pain. [4], The Gospel of Matthew shortens the story dramatically (Matthew 8:2834) and writes not of one possessed man, but of two. The fact that Matthew places the healing of Legion in the country of the Gadarenes whereas Mark and Luke place it in the country of the Gerasenes may be harmonized on the historical grounds that geographical boundaries overlapped, and on the exegetical consideration that country embraced a wide area around the cities. Here is where Satan can use a man to influence scores of people, blinding minds and hearts to the truths of the Word of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). Because some confusion exists in the gospel MS evidence and perhaps in other source material, absolute certainty cannot be attained; but the following identification seems correct. Preisker, TWNT IV (1942), pp. He said he had come to the house of Israel, not to the gentiles. Does a password policy with a restriction of repeated characters increase security? This topical nine-session Bible study contains tips and encouragement to live a life of generosity and fruitfulness, helping us to redeem our use of resources by nurturing biblical attitudes. It should also be observed that nowhere in the Old Testament (except in I Sam. 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. 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. But, the pigs were a part of their economic wealth.
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