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? (5) Torment. 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. 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. Earles comments are helpful: The difference in names for the destination on the east side of the take has caused considerable comment. Some today have given demons far more than their due by blaming demons for every malady of mankind. 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. 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! Demons are highly organized (cf. Life with him would be heaven on earth. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met Him a man from the city who had demons. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Understand the meaning of Luke 8:37 using all available Bible versions and commentary. when He was the only One Who truly knew what had happened. The destructive desires of the demons were dramatically carried out in the drowning of the swine. 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. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. Exercising authority in the land allocated to Abraham, for Israel, the land set aside for God and his people. 4. And, yes, Dana did just read us something about a man possessed by a whole bunch of demons that later go and possess a bunch of hogs. January 2023 And the people there were scared, they recognised this, but more, they realised the significance of this. He had only known Jesus for a few hours, but had already determined to be Jesus' disciple for life. Unbelieving men may not rave and carry on like the Gerasene demoniac, but they are nevertheless under Satans control, doing his bidding. It was opposite Galilee. Why as the question? 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. Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. It would seem that these people had no Messianic expectations, and therefore wanted nothing to do with One Who had such awesome power, a power over which they had no control. The Lord granted the only request of these residents, which was for Him to leave. 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. They greatly desire to enter and control a physical body, whereby they may reflect their character and attributes. They liked Him and wanted to be with Him. Instead of opening themselves up to Jesus and receiving His love and forgiveness, they allowed fear to drive a wedge between them. They were willing to post guards and chain and shackle their neighbor to keep him from hurting someone. Although Gadarenes and Gergesenes are derived from a different Greek word, they are essentially referring to the same area. (1) As Lord of all, God has the right to make use of His creation any way that He deems best, and this includes not only pigs, but people (cf. Luke 8:26And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. Known as the Judas Iscariot of Gnosticism for revealing that which is not to be revealed. December 2020 Five squad cars converged on it. 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. Is there a single-word adjective for "having exceptionally strong moral principles"? Catholic Church. As C. S. Lewis aptly put it: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. xvii. The word translated windstorm here, and storm in the KJ, is the word lailaps, which is more than just a storm. December 2022 He was a totally safe Person. . Its ruins include two amphitheaters, a basilica, temple, a hippodrome, aqueducts and colonnades, showing its importance and stature. (5) What our Lord could have given the people of this territory was much greater than what He took away. If Jesus had that kind of power, then He could not be controlled. Luke seems to base this fear solely upon what happened to the demoniac, not on the loss of their pigs. The demonically possessed man who came to Jesus cried out his name was Legion. If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. October 2020 There is no conflict, however, for Mark and Luke have apparently focused their attention on the most striking of the two. Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. 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. The healing of the demoniacs and the repulse of the Healer by the inhabitants are historical, but the incident of the swine is a later figment. 37Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). It should also be observed that nowhere in the Old Testament (except in I Sam. It only takes a minute to sign up. Even in our sophisticated times, there is an intense interest in the supernatural and the occult. 122 Quoted by Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to Saint Luke, (Edinburg: T. and T. Clark, 5th ed., 1969): p. 228. August 2022 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. 2 Now a centurion had a servant 1 who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. Like it or not, demons and demonic activity are likely to become much more of a concern to you in days to come. 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. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.110. November 2015 Is it a bug? This name (Strong's #G3003) is a reference to a Roman military regiment that varied in soldier strength from 4,000 to 6,000. How to show that an expression of a finite type must be one of the finitely many possible values? xvi. People who have no appr Pigs were specifically set aside as the animal used in sacrifices to their god. I will not look for a reason to return to it. "Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear." (Luke 8:37a) Fear plagues us. ESV - The region was not poor or economically depressed. For many Christians today, the horrifying experience of Legion should be sufficient testimony of the reality of the Satanic underworld. 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. Like children convinced there are monsters under our beds, the unknown scares us. Whenever a man, woman, or child surrenders control of himself either to fleshly desires (anger, lust, passion, etc.) Others are absolutely controlled (hooked) by the drug and totally dependent upon it. There probably were not many who had been told yet of the Messiah, and so were not yet believers. 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). Can devils entreat in such a manner any highest of angels, be he Michael, Gabriel or Raphael, or any greatest cherub or seraph? 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. 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. He also maintains a popular Facebook page. 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. When you get a chance, please take the, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. 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. In Mark 1:5 it is used of the land of Judaea (KJV) and in Acts 10:39, to land of the Jews (KJV). The Lord, in an act of great mercy, freed the Gadarenes' man by casting the demons out of him and allowing them to enter a nearby herd of pigs. November 2014. 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. Wasn't the answer obvious? (4) Super-human strength. It became one of the proudest cities of Syria. It was situated some 30 miles southeast of Gadara, on the borders of Peraea and a little north of the river Jabbok. Gadara, though not directly named in Scripture, was part of the Decapolis. 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. We dismiss it the more readily, that, in our view, it conveys a wrong impression. . to men facing fear and death. May 2018 Will they be rejected? Why is this even an issue, I wonder? This man demonstrated all four characteristics. Lane, Mark, p. 182, fn. That would be a strong message, by allowing them to be possessed and then drowned. Thus an economic lose of revenue was involved. So he got into the boat and left. 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 . August 2015 The people were gentiles who had not yet any interest in the Messiah. 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.. 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. It's a curious passage with many unanswered questions. The demoniac was uncontrollable by any of the normal means of human confinement. Reproduction of material from this website without written permission, or unlicensed commercial use 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. But then also Christ will triumph, and finally put an end to the evil one and all his powers of darkness (Rev. August 2020 If anything, that would have made them angry. Who was afraid of Jesus and why? and 1 Kings xxii. Will they be condemned like unclean animals? Finally, there is in demon possession a counterpart to the filling (or control) of the Holy Spirit. August 2021 September 2018 Fear that you would not be in control? They became as afraid of Jesus as the demons were. "And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes round about asked him to depart from them, for they were holden with great fear: and he entered into a bo." The capital of the region was Gerasa, and the largest city in the region was Gadera. Have you even been in a service where the Spirit of God was moving and felt fear? The demons in the man recognize Jesus and the man bows before him. 21,22). 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). Did Jesus command the demon before he fell on his knees in Mark 5:6? Although it is likely that the larger towns of Galilee were predominantly Gentile, as was the Decapolis, the first-century civilian diet did not . And Jesus, being a Gentleman, was not about to force Himself on them. 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. where something similar occurs) is a demon-possession mentioned, and that outside the Gospels it is referred to only twice in the New Testament (Acts xvi. 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. How much more sinful than Peter were the Geraseneans, who because of love of money did not shun even to engage in a non-Jew business of herding swine; how much more unbearable and dreadful must have been for them the Lords presence! Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. 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. He was received into the Catholic Church in 1991. The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. It is now called Jerash and is a deserted ruin. 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. The reference could hardly be to the better known Gerasa (Jerash) between thirty and forty miles southeast from the lake. So much pain, so much sin. She and her wife moved to Maine from Illinois. Neither is it only a kind of physical disease, although spiritual and physical disease often accompany it (e.g. He felt Jesus' reassuring hand on his shoulder. And when the man spoke to Jesus, it looks like the demons inside the man were the ones doing the speaking. Paul tells us that our struggle is, at bottom, a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12). So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine . This reveals to us that demons have an intuitive knowledge of their impending doom.117. Also, frequently associated with demon possession was a super-human strength (cf. September 2022 It is something like the behavior and personality change in a man who is totally intoxicated. The US Congress is currently debating whether TikTok should be banned for everyone in the US, not just government officials. Perhaps they clenched their fists or picked up driftwood with which to defend themselves. 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. They all say country of (in the sense of region, not nation). This was a power far beyond anything they had seen or even imagined. They were instructed to keep quiet about what Jesus had done for them (cf. 5. The price tag of possession was high, for those who fell victim to the demons agonized in constant torment. June 2022 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. Jesus has lead me away from my old life. Holiness hurts! March 2017 Even as the purpose of Roman legions was to enforce the will of the emperor, the goal of the multiple evil spirits was to carry out the devil's will of bringing pain, destruction and chaos to humans! 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). They had dealt with Legion (I suspect) by forcing him from their presence. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. A crowd had come to see what had happened for themselves. (it should be added that Plummer himelf does not hold to any of these views.). . 118 H. Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? But notice, even though Jesus permitted them to enter the swine, they were unable to overcome their evil impulses and drove the swine over the cliff to their death. The region was known also as the Decopolis because ten Greek cities were located in the region. And they were afraid. June 2015 EWTN News, Inc. is the worlds largest Catholic news organization, comprised of television, radio, (2) Anti-social behavior. Sproul says in his commentary on Mark, When the Holy One is manifest in the midst of unholy people, the only appropriate human response is dread.. 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. Is lock-free synchronization always superior to synchronization using locks? Jesus had simply sailed across the Lake of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. They were sacrificed by being thrown off a cliff. 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. rev2023.3.3.43278. March 2016 A land that was essentially under another god (lower case g). Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? 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. 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. 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. It was like being attacked by two Hulks. They probably thought of quickly getting aboard ship and pushing off. 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. September 2020 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). 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. 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). October 2021 There seems to be no excuse here for the charge of contradiction. Was it fear that a secret sin might be exposed? No matter where you are on life's journey. 15; Mark ix. Acts 5:1-6). Treasury of Scripture. Why would Jesus ask, "Who touched Me?" The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. The pleas of Legion were in response to the command of Jesus for the demons to come out of him (verse 8). Christians are to be the answer, but often they are part of the problem. Such an entreaty can be addressed by them to only God. Acts 16:16), while others were the virtual pawns of these spirits, losing their own identity and autonomy. 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. Far from this, He had stormed the gates of Hell and prevailed. 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. Instead, they reject Him because all they know is His power and purity. Is there any archaeological evidence for Joshua entering Israel and conquering cities in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age? 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. 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! In Jewish thinking, spirit beings were assigned to certain geographical territories.120. In any event, I love defending the Bible and Christianity. A friend of mine told me later that two students were attempting to cast a demon out of a fellow. How do I connect these two faces together? 23, 24, viii. Jesus was saying, (demonstrating) that He had all authority, in any land. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, Highlights in the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ. The people who witnessed this are . In the King James Version it is called the country of the Gadarenes in Mark and Luke, and of the Gergesenes in Matthew. September 2016 Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. 110 C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1971), p. 3. It is mentioned in some ancient manuscripts of the . HELPING CHRISTIANS BUILD POSITIVE, GODLY FAMILIES, CHURCHES, AND NATIONS, Follow us on social media for daily Scripture comments and more at. As always, we must begin with the principle: Interpretation is one, application is many. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus? to sign up for our free Water Of The Word newsletter at the top of any page! The spectrum ranges from those who seem to control the demonic powers to those who are utterly controlled by them. Clarify February 2015 And those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. July 2015 127 The view of Greek philosophy was that these were the spirits of those who lived in the Golden Age. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. April 2017 We are seeking a replacement and hope to have it in your newspaper soon. To date they have failed to respond in any way. SubscribeStart your Register subscription today. 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. Jesus had actually helped them. Those who had seen it told them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. 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. No matter who you are. 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. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known. Mark 9:17-29). 13; Luke iv. It is a violent tempest, that is, outside of the natural. 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. Mark 5:1And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. Similar to the storm we see in the book of Job that killed Jobs sons - and Satan was the instigator of that as well. 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. ), you also need to understand the significance of this - to the people in Gerasene. They are unclean spirits, (vss. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. A Jewish exorcist with such authority in the region, risked to damage the beliefs and reputation of the local pagan inhabitants. You will receive a monthly newsletter with Scriptural teaching plus notifications of any new articles, courses or books. It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126.

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