Such an entreaty can be addressed by them to only God. No matter where you are on life's journey you are welcome here! It didnt take long for the word to spread quickly. March 2016 127 The view of Greek philosophy was that these were the spirits of those who lived in the Golden Age. Ananias and Sapphira did so by allowing their greed to grip their hearts (cf. In fact the region was known as the Gadarenes-Gerasenes region. The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. Thus, all the circumstances lead us to regard the healing of the demonized at Gerasa as a night scene, immediately on Christs arrival from Capernaum, and after the calming of the storm at sea. Alford Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965), I, pp. November 2015 The people were gentiles who had not yet any interest in the Messiah. April 2021 13; Luke iv. By His power, we, too, are able to overcome Satans treacheries. Once naked, he is now clothed. 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. . Jesus had simply sailed across the Lake of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. There is the so-called demon of doubt, of anger, of overindulgence, of drunkenness, laziness and so on. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). It indicates full and permanent control. Immediately, as this weary group disembarked from the ship, they were met by what appeared to be a madman. They have three sons and a daughter (all homeschooled) and reside in southeast Michigan. August 2022 The spectrum ranges from those who seem to control the demonic powers to those who are utterly controlled by them. Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? Even in our sophisticated times, there is an intense interest in the supernatural and the occult. Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. Why did Jesus not allow demons to proclaim his name, Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs. June 2021 Preisker, TWNT IV (1942), pp. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. We read at Mk 5:14-17 (NRSVCE), the immediate after-effects of the driving out of evil spirits by Jesus at Gerasene by allowing them to enter pigs: The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Although demon-possession after that time no longer occurs on such a devastating and noticeable scale, the absolute form of demon-possession will appear at the end of the age in the Antichrist and in his followers (2 Thess. June 2015 The subject of demons and demon possession has always seemed somewhat remote and academic to sophisticated 20th century Americans. Mark 3:14). This was a power far beyond anything they had seen or even imagined. and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. 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. The house that is left swept and clean is a likely target for Satanic influence (cf. (5) What our Lord could have given the people of this territory was much greater than what He took away. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus? and thank you for your contribution. seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. In Mark 1:5 it is used of the land of Judaea (KJV) and in Acts 10:39, to land of the Jews (KJV). Far from this, He had stormed the gates of Hell and prevailed. If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. Can devils entreat in such a manner any highest of angels, be he Michael, Gabriel or Raphael, or any greatest cherub or seraph? So much pain, so much sin. 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. The demonically possessed man who came to Jesus cried out his name was Legion. More from Medium Jameson Steward in. 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. 22ff. Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 6:12), whose leader and prince is Satan (Matthew 12:24). When our Lord confronted the demons, they had to submit to His power and authority. And, lastly, this would allow sufficient time for those miracles which took place on that second day in Capernaum after His return thither. Such seems to be a similar case with Judas (John 13:1-2). So he got into a boat and returned. His website/blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, has been online since March 1997. Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). Acts 16:16), while others were the virtual pawns of these spirits, losing their own identity and autonomy. Gergesa, also Gergasa ( in Byzantine greek) or the Country of the Gergesenes, is a place on the eastern ( Golan Heights) side of the Sea of Galilee located at some distance to the ancient Decapolis cities of Gadara and Gerasa. 68f. 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. 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. Men and women (as well as children) were demonized in that they fell under the influence of these unclean spirits. April 2017 Mark 5:1And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 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. Or they are too afraid of what the change might bring. 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. 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. Fear that you would not be in control? 18). 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). 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. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 991. to sign up for our free Water Of The Word newsletter at the top of any page! When once he was an instrument of Satanic opposition against the Messiah, now he is a witness to His power. 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. December 2022 It is amazing to think that people could be fearful of Jesus. I understand why," the HBO "Real Time" host told Jake Tapper on Tuesday as part . It should also be observed that nowhere in the Old Testament (except in I Sam. 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. They had heard what had happened to the pigs and knew the Jews considered Gentiles unclean, too. And he said to them, Where is your faith? 13ff.). 3); they are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day (Jude 6); and what the unclean spirits deprecate here, is the bringing in, by anticipation, of that final doom. R. C. Trench, Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1949), p. 100. There is no true freedom and fulfillment apart from Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer of men. You can flip a coin hoping for heads, but you know that tails is a very real probability. 61-62. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. 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. Luke 8:26And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. to men facing fear and death. 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. October 2020 HELPING CHRISTIANS BUILD POSITIVE, GODLY FAMILIES, CHURCHES, AND NATIONS, Follow us on social media for daily Scripture comments and more at. That would be a strong message, by allowing them to be possessed and then drowned. August 2016 The passage in Daniel especially suggests specific geographical boundaries within which spirit beings must abide. It is something like the behavior and personality change in a man who is totally intoxicated. Some appeared not to be oppressed by them so much as exploiting their powers (cf. There was no such danger in Perea, and thus the mercy of the Lord was to be heralded. man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 'Return home and tell how much God has done for you.' So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus (Luke 8:26-39, NIV) 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 exercising of authority over demons, in the land under another god, was a message. 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. vi. The region and polygon don't match. What did we miss because we allowed fear instead of faith to drive our lives? 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. Jesus never interacted with people as they were, but as He knew they were created to be. In addition, Matthew includes the comment, Have You come here to torment us before the time? (Matthew 8:29). Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Jesus had just performed an incredible miracleand one they desperately needed, at that! February 2015 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. Romans 9:19-23). 8; Mark vi. While he was once wild and uncontrollable, he was sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus. It was significant. They are happy in their sin and the consequences seem far away. December 2021 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? It is mentioned in some ancient manuscripts of the . Demonized individuals are not to be viewed so much as a pigeon hole category, as they are a continuem. Early Christians like St. Polycarp clearly held the Catholic view on salvation. 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. ii. They likely were Gentiles and had been under the influence of the demonic principality of the region their whole life. What would happen to them? I was in a dialogue with an atheist regarding what he believes is one of many so-called biblical contradictions. Odd guy that I am, I actually find this sort of thing fun. 128 In most of the stories of possession what is at issue is not merely sickness but a destruction and distortion of the divine likeness of man according to creation. He said unexpected things and lived by a high ethical standard. They are unclean spirits, (vss. 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). However, the point was clearly made; Jesus, the Son of God, has power over all things, including the powers of darkness. Wikipedia states about it: In the second half of the 1st century AD, the city of Jerash achieved great prosperity.. This name (Strong's #G3003) is a reference to a Roman military regiment that varied in soldier strength from 4,000 to 6,000. Have we stepped back, in effect asking Jesus to leave us alone, only to discover, as a Gentleman, He did? Men in their unbelief suppose that the choice is either to be free (independent of God) or to be the slaves of Christ. These men were a danger to themselves and others. It is ironic that while the demons didnt want to leave the country, the dwellers of that land didnt want the Messiah to stay. September 2020 It might be better to hide behind masks than risk being hurt again After all, if God rejects youwhere else can you go? September 2021 May 2018 The spread of cholera was linked to the movements of . For more information, please see our NEW STAR WARS MERCH PAGE: https://bit.ly/3baWVZv For all sponsorship and business inquiries please contact: thestupendousscrub@gmail.com NEW CHANNEL: https:/. EWTN News, Inc. is the worlds largest Catholic news organization, comprised of television, radio, 8ff.). of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were So he got into the boat and left. Why is this sentence from The Great Gatsby grammatical? Unbelieving men may not rave and carry on like the Gerasene demoniac, but they are nevertheless under Satans control, doing his bidding. Demons are highly organized (cf. No one was strong enough to subdue him (verses 3,4). Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), p. 174. We are seeking a replacement and hope to have it in your newspaper soon. Why as the question? (4) Super-human strength. The confrontation of Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac made it clear that Jesus was no servant of Satan. (2) Pork was a food forbidden to Jews, and as such, those who raised these pigs may have done so knowingly in violation of divine injunction. All of this sure seems perfectly consistent with calling the same area the country (chra) of either the Gerasenes or the Gadarenes, after the two major cities. 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 trains were . November 2020 December 2020 - And they came to the other side of the sea.The other side of the sea would be the south-east side of the sea. 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. Why is that. There seems to be no excuse here for the charge of contradiction. 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. He obviously attracted crowds. Lets face it, we all like to be in control. Why did the demons ask to be cast into the herd of pigs, and why did the pigs then run into the water to be drowned? In other words, Jesus had caused a loss to them of 2,000 swine already; what else would His presence cost? Matthew 9:2-8 Why was "This man is blaspheming" considered an evil thought without knowing Jesus' identity? 7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, b he entered Capernaum. 9. The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. Gergesenes is also in some manuscripts (Khersa or Gersa was a town actually on the shore of the sea). (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. As always, we must begin with the principle: Interpretation is one, application is many. Slain Los Angeles auxiliary bishop was remembered at the Mass of Christian burial as friend of Jesus Christ and of Mary, our Blessed Mother.. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Such was the case with this man (cf. She is a graduate of the Divinity School at Wake Forest University and Chicago Theological Seminary. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. When you get a chance, please take the, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. March 2017 Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. . Give a Gift SubscriptionBless friends, family or clergy with a gift of the Register. "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." Thus an economic lose of revenue was involved. It was opposite Galilee. How many demons possessed the man in Mark 5:6? "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. 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. Dr. Thomson discovered on the eastern shore the ruins of a village called Khersa. The fear of the unknown, the uncontrollableof change. First of all, the EPA would have been investigating the pollution of Lake Galilee with decaying 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. 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). But for most of us, the world and the flesh are all that are necessary to cause us to stumble. The US Congress is currently debating whether TikTok should be banned for everyone in the US, not just government officials. Holy Communion From the Chalice Reintroduced in the UK: What About the US? What scared them was a power so fierce it could free a man. November 2021 These people from the region of the Gerasenes had undoubtedly felt the anger or disgust of Jews for making a career out of such unclean animals, but Jesus had not criticized them for their profession. 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. Flavius Josephus and Steve Mason, Flavius Josephus: Life of Josephus (Boston; Leiden: Brill, 2003), 47. Your comment will be posted after it is approved. F. F. Bruce adds additional helpful insight: According to the best texts, Matthew calls it the country of the Gadarenes (viii. 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. January 2017 The Lord granted the only request of these residents, which was for Him to leave. when He was the only One Who truly knew what had happened. 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.. If anything, that would have made them angry. They had dealt with Legion (I suspect) by forcing him from their presence. How ironic, as others have noted, that the tormentor pleads not to be tormented. Dave Armstrong Dave Armstrong is a full-time Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981. 3 When the centurion 2 heard about Jesus, c he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his . May 2020 His animal-like shrieks must have sent chills up the spines of any who were nearby. These, however, are not the problem raised by Bible students. August 2021 The word translated windstorm here, and storm in the KJ, is the word lailaps, which is more than just a storm. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. 122 Quoted by Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to Saint Luke, (Edinburg: T. and T. Clark, 5th ed., 1969): p. 228. (1) Severe personality change. Embedded into both stories are people who were afraid of Jesus. Why did the demon-possessed Gadarene bow down before Jesus?