Gadara is about six miles from the sea. He also maintains a popular Facebook page. 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. September 2018 The miracle referred to took place, without doubt, near the town of Gergesa, the modern Kersa, close by the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and hence in the country of Gergesenes. Romans 9:19-23). (4) Our Lord did not command the demons to enter into the pigs and bring about their destruction; He only permitted it.124. 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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Have you even been in a service where the Spirit of God was moving and felt fear? May 2021 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). 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). What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? Ananias and Sapphira did so by allowing their greed to grip their hearts (cf. 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! Mark 5:1And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. Why is there a voltage on my HDMI and coaxial cables? February 2015 Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus? 26). May 2016 Men and women (as well as children) were demonized in that they fell under the influence of these unclean spirits. By His power, we, too, are able to overcome Satans treacheries. And, it can not be understood properly out of this context. It is amazing to think that people could be fearful of Jesus. EIN 27-4581132 No! October 2015 At their request, He left. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? He seemed to view Jesus approach as the launching of a direct attack on the demonic forces. 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. 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. When once he was an instrument of Satanic opposition against the Messiah, now he is a witness to His power. Acts 19:16). Matthew is habitually more oriented to a Jewish readership, and so he refers to Gadarenes because Gadara was the most important Jewish city in the area. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. There was no such danger in Perea, and thus the mercy of the Lord was to be heralded. January 2016 It is even possible that his request was to become one of our Lords disciples.125. The price tag of possession was high, for those who fell victim to the demons agonized in constant torment. December 2016 The people (nations) were divided up, and boundaries allocated' and the sons of god were put over these nations. Jesus asked a sick man if he wanted to get well. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Why would the Gerasene people beg Jesus to leave their region after He cast the demons into the pigs? 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). He said unexpected things and lived by a high ethical standard. May 2022 He was Someone Who could control the spirit realm. (3) Spiritual insight. March 2021 The difference between the phonemes /p/ and /b/ in Japanese, Is there a solutiuon to add special characters from software and how to do it. 4. 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. Gergesenes is also in some manuscripts (Khersa or Gersa was a town actually on the shore of the sea). Do roots of these polynomials approach the negative of the Euler-Mascheroni constant? . Can devils entreat in such a manner any highest of angels, be he Michael, Gabriel or Raphael, or any greatest cherub or seraph? April 2022 13; Luke iv. 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. But then also Christ will triumph, and finally put an end to the evil one and all his powers of darkness (Rev. 8ff.). The pig tenders reported it far and wide, in city and country (verse 14). What purposes did Mark intend to achieve by the inclusion of this event? The lose of the pigs meant loose of partial income in the area. 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. Sign-up for E-NewsletterGet Register Updates sent daily or weeklyto your inbox. Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. Lets learn why. Neither is it only a kind of physical disease, although spiritual and physical disease often accompany it (e.g. I think all these attempts to harmonize what may at first seem like a contradiction are plausible, respectable, and adequate. 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. You are welcome here. As we pass from this section to the next, let us not end on the note of the death of the pigs, but on the deliverance of the demoniac. Now they were delivered and ready to be productive members of society. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. Also, frequently associated with demon possession was a super-human strength (cf. Rev. Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? The city of Gadara and its surrounding area are referred to as the Gadarenes. The commission of our Lord is considerably different from His instructions to the Israelites whom He had delivered. 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. Pig carcasses were washing ashore and drifting out to sea. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Demon possession, such as that of the Gerasene demoniac is the crudest and cruelest form of Satanic control, but by and large also one of the less common manifestations of Satans work in the world today. Why is that. 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. (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. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. August 2017 When Jesus asked his name the man answered, Legion, for we are many (Mark 5:9). 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. 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. December 2022 No matter who you are. 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. 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. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. There is the so-called demon of doubt, of anger, of overindulgence, of drunkenness, laziness and so on. Jesus was saying, (demonstrating) that He had all authority, in any land. 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. Welcome to Biblical Hermeneutics! print and digital media outlets, dedicated to reporting the truth in light of the Gospel and the They had heard what had happened to the pigs and knew the Jews considered Gentiles unclean, too. (2) Anti-social behavior. 10). Our Lord responded sternly by calling this accusation blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and as such was the one unpardonable sin (verses 28-30). . They have three sons and a daughter (all homeschooled) and reside in southeast Michigan. In any event, they were not Israelites, as indicated by the fact that a herd of swine was being kept nearby, which would have been forbidden by the Mosaic Law, since swine were unclean animals (Leviticus 11:7-8). August 2022 November 2014. How many demons possessed the man in Mark 5:6? August 2020 Jesus asked some crazy questions like "Why are you afraid?" Lets face it, we all like to be in control. February 2017 The occult and every front for demonic influence and activity should be avoided like the plague. John 8:32; Matthew 11:28-30), or to be the pawns of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-2). Why did the demon-possessed Gadarene bow down before Jesus? 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. September 2016 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. Other demoniacs described in Scripture were bent on self-destruction as well (cf. March 2020 No! 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 Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. What was it that caused these people to react in such a way? Even the demons confessed that He was the Son of the Most High (Mark 5:7). 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. 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.