Chapati Movement 1857: Why were the British afraid of the Roti? SubscribeStart your Register subscription today. A land that was essentially under another god (lower case g). They ask Him if they can enter some nearby pigs, and He lets them. At their request, He left. 28); Mark the country of the Gerasenes (v. 1), and Luke, probably, the country of the Gergesenes (viii. The people were gentiles who had not yet any interest in the Messiah. November 2017 The center of personality, the volitional and active ego, is impaired by alien powers which seek to ruin the man and sometimes drive him to self-destruction (Mk. Luke seems to base this fear solely upon what happened to the demoniac, not on the loss of their pigs. So, they asked 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. 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. Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? Why are you Afraid? | Mark 4:35 - 5:20 | RayStedman.org People who have no appr Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus to leave them alone, for they were seized . June 2017 Women, children and defenceless people all admired Him and felt comfortable in His presence. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), p. 174. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Luke 8:37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked 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. It didnt take long for the word to spread quickly. September 2018 At the side of Kersa the shore is level, and there are no tombs. These people did not want to change. Acts 16:16), while others were the virtual pawns of these spirits, losing their own identity and autonomy. Will they be condemned like unclean animals? Clarify Our Lord responded sternly by calling this accusation blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and as such was the one unpardonable sin (verses 28-30). January 2018 Why did Jesus allow the legion of demons to stay in the area when they begged him? Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight.". 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. October 2015 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. For example, He didnt condemn a prostitute for her actions, He saw a daughter of God who was valuable beyond measure and only needed genuine love and forgiveness. Wasn't the answer obvious? August 2021 June 2015 All of us may be so concerned with our own livelihoods that we fail to serve other people and help those in desperat Luke 7 - And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." | ESV.org 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. We're no longer publishing the comic strip 'Dilbert.' Here's why They likely were Gentiles and had been under the influence of the demonic principality of the region their whole life. 2ff., xvv. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. December 2020 The people of Gerasenes were willing to live with the devils they knew - quite literally. Mark and Luke, on the other hand, write to more general audiences, and Gerasa was the main Greek-Roman city of the area. Or they are too afraid of what the change might bring. 4 Reasons Jesus Cast Demons Into a Herd of Pigs But having recalled a passage in Ephesians, I realize now that this man is a reminder of the dilemma of every man, woman, and child who have not come to a saving dependence upon the work of Jesus Christ for sinners on the cross. 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. That is not the choice at all. 8; Mark vi. As Jesus began to get back into the boat, the delivered demoniac pleaded with Him that he might accompany Him. 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. October 2021 Ouija boards are found in many American homes. Its important to note that this was the first demonstration of Jesuss authority outside of Canaan. If he was a pagan, why did Jesus cast out his demons? To understand this event, you need consider the incident at Babel, and Deuteronomy. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. 15; Mark ix. 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. We dismiss it the more readily, that, in our view, it conveys a wrong impression. No matter where you are on life's journey. 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. Nevertheless, for consideration. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known. The price tag of possession was high, for those who fell victim to the demons agonized in constant torment. 40, vii. The subject of demons and demon possession has always seemed somewhat remote and academic to sophisticated 20th century Americans. 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. The spread of cholera was linked to the movements of . He was Someone Who could control the spirit realm. Life with him would be heaven on earth. The scene which Mark presents is deliberately dark. The Truth is Jesus is a safe Person Who loves them, values them, wants their best and will never force Himself on them. 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). The district of the Gerasenes probably included that of the Gadarenes; so that the demoniac of Gergesa belonged to the country of the Gadarenes and also to that of the Gerasenes, as the same person may, with equal truth, be said to live in the city or the state, or in the United States. July 2022 They greatly desire to enter and control a physical body, whereby they may reflect their character and attributes. (3) Our Lord was moved with compassion by the torment of Legion and the loss of these pigs should in no way dim our view of the deliverance of the demoniac. The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. It was significant. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus - Quora I think that this story is a little bit of an Easter story. Was there some sort of unwritten rule that Darrow (or any non-Bellona) was supposed to throw the fight? 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. 36 Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. In Acts 8:1 we have the regions of Judaea and Samaria (KJV), and in Acts 16:6, Galatia alone. 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. We are seeking a replacement and hope to have it in your newspaper soon. 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. In fact the region was known as the Gadarenes-Gerasenes region. Another reason could be as Dr. R.C. Others are absolutely controlled (hooked) by the drug and totally dependent upon it. Neither is it only a kind of physical disease, although spiritual and physical disease often accompany it (e.g. In Luke 2:8 it is applied to the city of Bethlehem; in Acts 18:23 to Galatia and Phrygia. July 2018 or by some form of self-emptying (such as various forms of eastern meditation) in my opinion, they are in a precarious position. Demons are highly organized (cf. April 2021 Another approach is to note the different intentions of the Gospel writers. What they were not willing to accept was the frightening power that could cure him. to men facing fear and death. Region of the Gerasenes - Fire and Light 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. The demoniacs frightened the swine, and the transfer of demons from them to the swine was imagined. to sign up for our free Water Of The Word newsletter at the top of any page! March 2016 His greatest impact would be on those who knew his former state. They liked Him and wanted to be with Him. First of all, the EPA would have been investigating the pollution of Lake Galilee with decaying pigs. Flavius Josephus and Steve Mason, Flavius Josephus: Life of Josephus (Boston; Leiden: Brill, 2003), 47. He could just as easily commanded them to return to the deepest, darkest pit of Hell. I will not ask him to leave. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. (5) What our Lord could have given the people of this territory was much greater than what He took away. Even in our sophisticated times, there is an intense interest in the supernatural and the occult. No! seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Dave Armstrong Dave Armstrong is a full-time Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981. So much pain, so much sin. Have you even been in a service where the Spirit of God was moving and felt fear? vi. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Luke 8:25 "Where is your faith?" He asked. Frightened and amazed, they HELPING CHRISTIANS BUILD POSITIVE, GODLY FAMILIES, CHURCHES, AND NATIONS, Follow us on social media for daily Scripture comments and more at. Jesus never interacted with people as they were, but as He knew they were created to be. 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. The demonically possessed man who came to Jesus cried out his name was Legion. Renew or manage your subscription here. 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). Definition of Gadarenes (Gergesenes) in the Bible - Bible Study Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. They had dealt with Legion (I suspect) by forcing him from their presence. They became as afraid of Jesus as the demons were. 3. 21,22). You can flip a coin hoping for heads, but you know that tails is a very real probability. 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. Is it a bug? The pleas of Legion were in response to the command of Jesus for the demons to come out of him (verse 8). Since the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave in their fear, it seems that Jesus' ability to exorcise Legion was disturbing to the people. The whole story is a myth. 23, 24, viii. Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. 14. 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). This was a region east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. Horoscopes and astrological predictions are found in most major newspapers. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. February 2016 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). July 2017 When Jesus asked the demoniac his name, it was not without significance for He was, I believe, asking the demons to reveal their identity.
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