Luke 8:25 "Where is your faith?" He asked. Frightened and amazed, they Although it is likely that the larger towns of Galilee were predominantly Gentile, as was the Decapolis, the first-century civilian diet did not . No matter what men attempted to bind him with, he broke loose. 34When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Now they were delivered and ready to be productive members of society. 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. Wikipedia states about it: In the second half of the 1st century AD, the city of Jerash achieved great prosperity.. July 2017 116 As Lane observes this title Son of the Most High God, is not a messianic designation but a divine one. Lane, Mark, p. 133, cf. Jesus asked some pretty crazy questions like What Things Happened? They greatly desire to enter and control a physical body, whereby they may reflect their character and attributes. Why did the Gerasenes become afraid when they saw that the - Reddit 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. It only takes a minute to sign up. The word translated windstorm here, and storm in the KJ, is the word lailaps, which is more than just a storm. So who was afraid? Only 30 of 175 dioceses ordained an average number of priests at or above replacement level over the five years from 2016 to 2021, according to the report. Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? He shivered at the disturbing memory. rev2023.3.3.43278. A land that was essentially under another god (lower case g). She and her wife moved to Maine from Illinois. April 2021 Though Legion bowed before Jesus (verse 6), it was no act of worship (as the King James Version would seem to indicate). Who was afraid of Jesus and why? I felt somewhat guilty, particularly fearing that I may have created an unintentional hardship for some classmate. This was surely not so in every case, and perhaps in none. ), you also need to understand the significance of this - to the people in Gerasene. 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. Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. It is a violent tempest, that is, outside of the natural. April 2020 Why is Darrow's victory in the Passage taken so personally? 125 This is the position of Lane, Mark, p. 187. At their request, He left. 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). or by some form of self-emptying (such as various forms of eastern meditation) in my opinion, they are in a precarious position. 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. Privacy Policy. Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi. Yet, conversely, the known can be just as scaryif not more. Putting all of these factors together the term demon-possessed inplies too much. The Lord granted the only request of these residents, which was for Him to leave. Hence it would be called the land of the Gadarenes.. November 2016 September 2015 When you get a chance, please take the, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. No matter who you are. March 2016 Slain Los Angeles auxiliary bishop was remembered at the Mass of Christian burial as friend of Jesus Christ and of Mary, our Blessed Mother.. Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, Highlights in the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ. A Jewish exorcist with such authority in the region, risked to damage the beliefs and reputation of the local pagan inhabitants. Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant. January 2022 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. August 2022 The region is located east of the Jordan River and southeast of the Sea of Galilee. 05 /5 Another theory. April 2017 Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. 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. (2) Anti-social behavior. March 2018 March 2022 Was it fear that a secret sin might be exposed? 10). 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). This incident in the Gerasenes requires some entry understanding. He was also humorous in his answers. 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. All of us may be so concerned with our own livelihoods that we fail to serve other people and help those in desperat April 2015 What would happen to them? A Lesson From the Gadarenes - Sabbath Thoughts We see the first reaction to this in the storm MARK 4:7 And a great windstorm arose [snip]. art thou come hither to torment us before the time? PDF A Legion of Fears It hit them hard in the pocketbook. Although the manifestations of demonization vary widely, this man115 evidenced several of the classic symptoms. Embedded into both stories are people who were afraid of Jesus. That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. In the third chapter of Marks Gospel, our Lords miraculous works were attributed by His opponents to the power of Satan (verse 22). The occult and every front for demonic influence and activity should be avoided like the plague. From this it is clear that demon-possession is a phenomenon which occurred almost exclusively, but then to be sure on an amazing scale, during Jesus appearance on earth and to a lesser extent during the activity of the apostles. The Politics of Luke 8:26-39. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. when He was the only One Who truly knew what had happened. The drowning of the swine was an accident, possibly simultaneous with the healing, and report mixed up the two incidents. 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. Why is there a voltage on my HDMI and coaxial cables? 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! Anonymous, October 25 2014 September 2021 February 2018 I am wondering if the demoniac was pagan or an Israelite. When once he was an instrument of Satanic opposition against the Messiah, now he is a witness to His power. 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. Your comment will be posted after it is approved. 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. 2). It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126. (3) Spiritual insight. COMMENTARY: Atheism is generally the expression of a moral attitude more than a real intellectual conviction based on evidence thought through. 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. Does a barbarian benefit from the fast movement ability while wearing medium armor? 113 According to the Talmud there were four characteristics of madness: walking abroad at night; spending the night on a grave; tearing ones clothes and destroying what one was given. February 2022 The demoniacs frightened the swine, and the transfer of demons from them to the swine was imagined. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. When the pigs were sent into the sea, the people of Gadara lost money. First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. This supposition would be further confirmed, if the evening when Jesus embarked was what the Jews were wont to call the first evening, that is, the time when the sun was declining in the heaven, but before it had actually set, the latter time being the second evening. For it seems most unlikely that multitudes would have resorted to Jesus at Capernaum after the second evening, or that either the disciples or other boats would have put to sea after nightfall. 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). Mark 9:17-29). Yes, I know that Easter was weeks ago in April. A crowd had come to see what had happened for themselves. Then any greatest of men, like any prophet, hero or king? They had been unable to control these two men [Luke only mentions one man, but Matthew tells us there were two]. You might be thinking back to Easter and not recall very many hogs showing up except for at Easter supper. 2,8) who can possess men and animals. 7 After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, b he entered Capernaum. March 2017 May 2015 These people did not want to change. In Luke 2:8 it is applied to the city of Bethlehem; in Acts 18:23 to Galatia and Phrygia. Now appreciate the reaction - another God was messing with their god - and demonstrating authority! May 2020 How Satan blinds our minds! We owe it to Josephus, from whom it has passed into ecclesiastical language. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. This is when the storm arose which threatened to destroy the ship (Mark 4:35-41). Holy Communion From the Chalice Reintroduced in the UK: What About the US? 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). 36 Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Jesus had actually helped them. 8ff.). Why did Jesus have the authority to forgive sins, why did the scribes take it as a blasphemy, and was this authority also given to men in general? HELPING CHRISTIANS BUILD POSITIVE, GODLY FAMILIES, CHURCHES, AND NATIONS, Follow us on social media for daily Scripture comments and more at. Swine were unclean animals according to the Torah. Since the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave in their fear, it seems that Jesus' ability to exorcise Legion was disturbing to the people. Once naked, he is now clothed. 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. The people were gentiles who had not yet any interest in the Messiah. Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? The people of Gerasenes were willing to live with the devils they knew - quite literally. They had dealt with Legion (I suspect) by forcing him from their presence. (3) Spiritual insight. People who have no appr It had nothing to do the farmers losing revenue - at all. Author of The Gnostic Notebook series, stand-up comedian, and Gnostic. 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. If he was a pagan, why did Jesus cast out his demons? Then the SPCA would have been up in arms over such cruelty to animals. Catholic Church. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. If an Israelite, why was he in Gerasene in the first place and why was he living so near a large herd of swine? Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! 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. Who Was Afraid Of Jesus And Why? They were among North Korea's elite, but they fled anyway. Here's why May 2016 Renew or manage your subscription here. In Acts 8:1 we have the regions of Judaea and Samaria (KJV), and in Acts 16:6, Galatia alone. He felt Jesus' reassuring hand on his shoulder. This makes sense, I couldn't believe they asked Jesus to leave. . Christians are to be the answer, but often they are part of the problem. e.g., Matt. Jesus asked Mary why she was crying at the grave site. Pigs were seen as unclean animals in the eyes of the people of Israel. Winthrop Congregational Church, UCC No matter who you are. November 2015 There probably were not many who had been told yet of the Messiah, and so were not yet believers. He who feared His arrival now dreaded His departure. 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. 36Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. He was Someone Who could control the spirit realm. 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. My office mate of several years back was interrupted by a young and very zealous new Christian teacher accompanied by a student from whom she wanted my friend to cast out a demon. 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. Why as the question? 1) He Exposes Evil (v 28-30) . Even the demons confessed that He was the Son of the Most High (Mark 5:7). 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. There is no conflict, however, for Mark and Luke have apparently focused their attention on the most striking of the two. 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. 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? Known as the Judas Iscariot of Gnosticism for revealing that which is not to be revealed. in a crowd in a crowd where many people were bumping into Him? 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA.