Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? February 2015 It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126. Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? This request was granted and the entire herd rushed headlong to their own destruction. Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. So he got into the boat and left. (5) Torment. Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 6:12), whose leader and prince is Satan (Matthew 12:24). xvii. 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. First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. Jesus had simply sailed across the Lake of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. 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. 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. How Satan blinds our minds! October 2015 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. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. 35Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. We will examine two incidents -- the stilling of the storm on the sea of Galilee, and that which follows immediately, the healing of the demoniac. May 2018 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. Is there a single-word adjective for "having exceptionally strong moral principles"? Then the SPCA would have been up in arms over such cruelty to animals. When the townspeople arrived on the scene, they saw the formerly demon-possessed men, clothed, in their right mind and sitting at the feet of Jesus. . Unfortunately, Christians [or those using the name] can be harsh, condemning and critical driving people further into sin and away from God. That would be a strong message, by allowing them to be possessed and then drowned. Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant. While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.110. 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. January 2023 Acts 16:16), while others were the virtual pawns of these spirits, losing their own identity and autonomy. He felt Jesus' reassuring hand on his shoulder. There was no such danger in Perea, and thus the mercy of the Lord was to be heralded. Far from this, He had stormed the gates of Hell and prevailed. They had dealt with Legion (I suspect) by forcing him from their presence. The Politics of Luke 8:26-39. You will receive a monthly newsletter with Scriptural teaching plus notifications of any new articles, courses or books. It was scary. In both the accounts of Mark and Luke, the primary motivation is described as that of fear. 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. 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. Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), p. 174. Who do you care more about, people or pigs? 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. When Jesus asked the demoniac his name, it was not without significance for He was, I believe, asking the demons to reveal their identity. (it should be added that Plummer himelf does not hold to any of these views.). rev2023.3.3.43278. That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. January 2015 When addressed, the person was the mouthpiece of the demon (such as Legion, Mark 5:9). In recent years the matter has been getting uncomfortably close to home. September 2021 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). January 2016 Jesus had actually helped them. Those demons were terrified of Him! 118 H. 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. For more information about Glenn Davis see our About Glenn page and/or his Author's Page. to men facing fear and death. 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 scene which Mark presents is deliberately dark. Other demoniacs described in Scripture were bent on self-destruction as well (cf. 15; Mark ix. HELPING CHRISTIANS BUILD POSITIVE, GODLY FAMILIES, CHURCHES, AND NATIONS, Follow us on social media for daily Scripture comments and more at. Finally, there is in demon possession a counterpart to the filling (or control) of the Holy Spirit. The before and after descriptions of the demoniac reveal that he was a totally different person under demonic influence. No! I think all these attempts to harmonize what may at first seem like a contradiction are plausible, respectable, and adequate. The drowning of the swine was an accident, possibly simultaneous with the healing, and report mixed up the two incidents. Instead of opening themselves up to Jesus and receiving His love and forgiveness, they allowed fear to drive a wedge between them. May the Spirit of God be so evident in us that men may see God in our lives. The Truth is Jesus is a safe Person Who loves them, values them, wants their best and will never force Himself on them. Our Lord responded sternly by calling this accusation blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and as such was the one unpardonable sin (verses 28-30). Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). When once he was an instrument of Satanic opposition against the Messiah, now he is a witness to His power. xii. Demons are highly organized (cf. 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. 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. However, the point was clearly made; Jesus, the Son of God, has power over all things, including the powers of darkness. Where it falls apart for me is why the Bellonas, knowing that only one person is allowed to survive each duel, take the defeat so personally. 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. 14). It is a violent tempest, that is, outside of the natural. July 2017 Jesus has lead me away from my old life. 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. Will they be rejected? The US Congress is currently debating whether TikTok should be banned for everyone in the US, not just government officials. 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. January 2022 110 C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1971), p. 3. Some today have given demons far more than their due by blaming demons for every malady of mankind. 16ff., xix. Have we stepped back, in effect asking Jesus to leave us alone, only to discover, as a Gentleman, He did? Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. 21,22). It didnt take long for the word to spread quickly. No matter who you are. 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. Luke seems to base this fear solely upon what happened to the demoniac, not on the loss of their pigs. Rev. Many times people - Non-Christians and Christians - push Jesus away because they do not want to change. March 2015 Welcome to Biblical Hermeneutics! Textual variations have compounded the problem. And they were afraid. One is to disbelieve in their existence. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. 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. Acts 5:1-6). Matthew 12:43-45). Smiths Bible Dictionary provides what I find to be a quite plausible explanation (not special pleading at all), and analogous to how we still use place names today: These three names are used indiscriminately to designate the place where Jesus healed two demoniacs. March 2021 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). And the people there were scared, they recognised this, but more, they realised the significance of this. When the Gadarenes saw what Christ was capable of, they panicked. Fear that you would not be in control? You can like Jesus for two different reasons. Since the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave in their fear, it seems that Jesus' ability to exorcise Legion was disturbing to the people. I think the coup de grce is to look up the Greek word for country in these passages, to see what latitude of meaning it has. I am wondering if the demoniac was pagan or an Israelite. It is even possible that his request was to become one of our Lords disciples.125. If he was a pagan, why did Jesus cast out his demons? Matt. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known.. The man looked out on the Tiberius. April 2022 It is now called Jerash and is a deserted ruin. Why did Jesus allow the legion of demons to stay in the area when they begged him? December 2016 Horoscopes and astrological predictions are found in most major newspapers. especially fn. 05 /5 Another theory. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? It hit them hard in the pocketbook. Gergesenes is also in some manuscripts (Khersa or Gersa was a town actually on the shore of the sea). "The trains were . He had only known Jesus for a few hours, but had already determined to be Jesus' disciple for life. Note: 'had the legion', i.e., the many unclean spirits inhabiting him. Cookie Notice It was like being attacked by two Hulks. They probably thought of quickly getting aboard ship and pushing off. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. But the city of Gadara owned some territory round about Khersa, so that the district and the pigs could properly also be called Gadarene. F. F. Bruce, Are the New Testament Documents Reliable? There is the so-called demon of doubt, of anger, of overindulgence, of drunkenness, laziness and so on. 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. . Follow Up: struct sockaddr storage initialization by network format-string, How do you get out of a corner when plotting yourself into a corner, Movie with vikings/warriors fighting an alien that looks like a wolf with tentacles. August 2015 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. March 2017 18). The confrontation of Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac made it clear that Jesus was no servant of Satan. . If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. "The name "Gerasenes" is to be associated with the modern city of Jerash, located in Transjordan, 22 miles N of Amman." John McRay, "Gerasenes," ed. Then the Livestock Association and consumer groups would have been greatly distressed over the sudden decrease in the pig population and the resulting impact on pork prices. 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. As has been said before, look for Satans man behind the pulpit. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. and our March 2020 16, x. Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another . Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. Clarify The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. 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). They were afraid and astonished, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey Him?" . As always, we must begin with the principle: Interpretation is one, application is many. The price tag of possession was high, for those who fell victim to the demons agonized in constant torment. In other words, even though he set the bar extremely high, he seemed to be a fascinating man. October 2022 It was not the loss of their property or investment that caused them to be afraid of Jesus. Catholic Church. The pleas of Legion were in response to the command of Jesus for the demons to come out of him (verse 8). 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. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. The first two are in the Authorized Version. Spam. The word translated windstorm here, and storm in the KJ, is the word lailaps, which is more than just a storm. 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 Luke 2:8 it is applied to the city of Bethlehem; in Acts 18:23 to Galatia and Phrygia. No matter what men attempted to bind him with, he broke loose. March 2018 February 2022 Luke 8:26And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. Sign-up for E-NewsletterGet Register Updates sent daily or weeklyto your inbox. Although the manifestations of demonization vary widely, this man115 evidenced several of the classic symptoms. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. when He was the only One Who truly knew what had happened. We are seeking a replacement and hope to have it in your newspaper soon. December 2015 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! Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! This is when the storm arose which threatened to destroy the ship (Mark 4:35-41). While he was once wild and uncontrollable, he was sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus. 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.. Why is that. Whereas he had been a slave, he was now delivered from demon possession. Exercising authority in the land allocated to Abraham, for Israel, the land set aside for God and his people. Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? 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. Why would God tell King David to take a census of the people in verses one through nine, and then cast judgment on him because he did what he told him to do? 40, vii. 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. . 5. July 2020 Another approach is to note the different intentions of the Gospel writers. 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. The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. Sermon for July 26, 2020: Why Were They So Afraid: Mark 5:1-20. Just imagine, a man in a cinema, having bought popcorn and cola and watching an action movie, with a lot of violence and harsh language in it, and then he sees suddenly that a saintly bishop is sitting just next to his seat, not watching the movie, but reading silently psalms with a countenance radiating a deep contemplation; will not the first man be upset and lose all pleasure of watching the movie? The occult and every front for demonic influence and activity should be avoided like the plague. May 2022 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. I will not look for a reason to return to it. July 2018 The commission of our Lord is considerably different from His instructions to the Israelites whom He had delivered. 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. May 2021 There is no conflict, however, for Mark and Luke have apparently focused their attention on the most striking of the two. It should also be observed that nowhere in the Old Testament (except in I Sam. He was also humorous in his answers. ESV - 127 The view of Greek philosophy was that these were the spirits of those who lived in the Golden Age. First of all, the EPA would have been investigating the pollution of Lake Galilee with decaying pigs. People who have no appr Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. The people (nations) were divided up, and boundaries allocated' and the sons of god were put over these nations. 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). Significantly, the demons are called unclean spirits (verse 2,9). This would also give time afterwards for the dispersion, not only into the city, but into the country of them who had fed the swine. They had been unable to control these two men [Luke only mentions one man, but Matthew tells us there were two]. 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. Men in their unbelief suppose that the choice is either to be free (independent of God) or to be the slaves of Christ. (3) Spiritual insight. They valued their pigs more than they valued salvation. 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. Jesus asked a sick man if he wanted to get well. The exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac (Matthew 8.28-34; Mark 5.1-20; Luke 8.26-39), frequently known as the Miracle of the (Gadarene) Swine and the exorcism of Legion, is one of the miracles performed by Jesus according to the New Testament. Winthrop Congregational Church, UCC No matter who you are. May 2020 or school. 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. It indicates full and permanent control. 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. This was a power far beyond anything they had seen or even imagined. 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! 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. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. You can flip a coin hoping for heads, but you know that tails is a very real probability. 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. Embedded into both stories are people who were afraid of Jesus. Pigs were specifically set aside as the animal used in sacrifices to their god. It is very appropriate that these two incidents . The best human analogy might be in the area of drug abuse. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. ), you also need to understand the significance of this - to the people in Gerasene. What was it that caused these people to react in such a way? Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. 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. Our children would probably understand best if I said that his appearance must have been somewhat like that of the television creation, The Incredible Hulk. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 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. 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.
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