The occult and every front for demonic influence and activity should be avoided like the plague. It was significant. 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. The Politics of Luke 8:26-39. Then the SPCA would have been up in arms over such cruelty to animals. All Scripture agrees with this, that the judgment of the angels is yet to come (1 Cor. He was Someone Who could control the spirit realm. So who was afraid? 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. Jesus asked some crazy questions like "Why are you afraid?" (5) Torment. Whereas he had been a slave, he was now delivered from demon possession. 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. xiii. This man demonstrated all four characteristics. Lane, Mark, p. 182, fn. 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. Unbelieving men may not rave and carry on like the Gerasene demoniac, but they are nevertheless under Satans control, doing his bidding. The story shows Jesus exorcising a demon or demons out of a man and into a herd of swine, causing the swine to run down a hill into a lake and drown . Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. So he got into the boat and left. Mark 5:16 says the thoughts of the people were on the swine. 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?" . Satans most effective tool is not the demoniac wandering about the desolate places. 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. Spam. 40, vii. He pleaded with Jesus not to be tormented. June 2020 Gadara is about six miles from the sea. 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. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. The best human analogy might be in the area of drug abuse. 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. Exercising authority in the land allocated to Abraham, for Israel, the land set aside for God and his people. The lose of the pigs meant loose of partial income in the area. How to show that an expression of a finite type must be one of the finitely many possible values? May 2016 The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. (4) Super-human strength. 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. Mark 9:17-29). 2). It is ironic that while the demons didnt want to leave the country, the dwellers of that land didnt want the Messiah to stay. April 2016 14). Is there any archaeological evidence for Joshua entering Israel and conquering cities in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age? In both the accounts of Mark and Luke, the primary motivation is described as that of fear. Christians are to be the answer, but often they are part of the problem. "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." Instead, they reject Him because all they know is His power and purity. That is not the choice at all. For these demons to be sent out of the country would have meant that they would then be confined along with other fallen angels (cf. To date they have failed to respond in any way. Pigs were seen as unclean animals in the eyes of the people of Israel. (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. Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. 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. What they were not willing to accept was the frightening power that could cure him. EWTN News, Inc. is the worlds largest Catholic news organization, comprised of television, radio, What did we miss because we allowed fear instead of faith to drive our lives? 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? 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. March 2018 Your comment will be posted after it is approved. 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. Five squad cars converged on it. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. This incident in the Gerasenes requires some entry understanding. April 2021 NET Bible Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus to leave them alone, for they were seized with great fear. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known.. Have you even been in a service where the Spirit of God was moving and felt fear? March 2020 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. As has been said before, look for Satans man behind the pulpit. What were the women in Mark 16:8 afraid of? 111 Edersheim maintains that it must have been late the same night of the storm: Most writers have, indeed, suggested, that the healing of the demonized on the other side took place at early dawn of the day following the storm on the lake. He was a totally safe Person. June 2022 art thou come hither to torment us before the time? Pope Francis Inexhaustible Font of Words: 10 Gems From the Heart Over 10 Years, Pope Francis, Biden Commend Peacemaker Bishop OConnell as Memorial Services Begin. But let us return to the gist of the matter: if Christ showed them His Divinity through the reason given above, is it easy to be in the presence of God? In other words, even though he set the bar extremely high, he seemed to be a fascinating man. June 2021 There is, as we know, the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Now appreciate the reaction - another God was messing with their god - and demonstrating authority! We see people in other places where he worked miracles, endeavoring to make him their king (Jn 6:15) . 21,22). Even in our sophisticated times, there is an intense interest in the supernatural and the occult. Some today have given demons far more than their due by blaming demons for every malady of mankind. At the conclusion of this day of teaching by parables, the Lord had instructed His disciples to cross over the Sea of Galilee to the other side. 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. While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. March 2017 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. 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. August 2021 When the Gadarenes saw what Christ was capable of, they panicked. 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. The man looked out on the Tiberius. These men were a danger to themselves and others. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? The scene which Mark presents is deliberately dark. January 2015 The pigs had been driven mad and rushed down a steep slope plunging into the lake and drowning. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? Other demoniacs described in Scripture were bent on self-destruction as well (cf. Wasn't the answer obvious? Now they would deal with this One greater than he by doing likewise. 2,8) who can possess men and animals. Textual variations have compounded the problem. His animal-like shrieks must have sent chills up the spines of any who were nearby. The whole story is a myth. print and digital media outlets, dedicated to reporting the truth in light of the Gospel and the Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? . Demonized individuals are not to be viewed so much as a pigeon hole category, as they are a continuem. The people were afraid when they saw the possessed man healed. October 2018 Such seems to be a similar case with Judas (John 13:1-2). Although Gadarenes and Gergesenes are derived from a different Greek word, they are essentially referring to the same area. No matter where you are on life's journey. Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. A land that was essentially under another god (lower case g). In that case, of course, it would be in the early morning that the Gerasenes afterwards resorted to Jesus and that He again returned to Capernaum. Who was afraid of Jesus and why? One is that he was a fascinating man. Jesus had just performed an incredible miracleand one they desperately needed, at that! By His power, we, too, are able to overcome Satans treacheries. November 2020 April 2022 9. What did Jesus mean when he said only prayer can cast out this demon? They were instructed to keep quiet about what Jesus had done for them (cf. How ironic, as others have noted, that the tormentor pleads not to be tormented. 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. When you get a chance, please take the, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. Although his symptoms would have appeared to be those of an insane man,113 the Gospel writers inform us that he was demon-possessed.114. 15; Mark ix. The pig tenders reported it far and wide, in city and country (verse 14). This story is a little bit of an Easter story. So who was afraid? Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. In Luke 2:8 it is applied to the city of Bethlehem; in Acts 18:23 to Galatia and Phrygia. While he was once wild and uncontrollable, he was sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus. 18). It is not difficult to imagine what was going through the minds of the disciples as their ship landed and as these two demon possessed men rushed to them. How many demons possessed the man in Mark 5:6? July 2016 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. 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. Matthew 8:28 - 29, 31, 34And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs In Gerasenes Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? Jesus never interacted with people as they were, but as He knew they were created to be. It is mentioned in some ancient manuscripts of the . Known as the Judas Iscariot of Gnosticism for revealing that which is not to be revealed. Neither is it only a kind of physical disease, although spiritual and physical disease often accompany it (e.g. rev2023.3.3.43278. 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! 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. Like it or not, demons and demonic activity are likely to become much more of a concern to you in days to come. Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. As Jesus began to get back into the boat, the delivered demoniac pleaded with Him that he might accompany Him. 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). 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. As an alternative to confinement, the demons posed the option of being permitted to enter the pigs, some 2,000 in number, feeding nearby. I will not ask him to leave. No! The first two are in the Authorized Version. Unfortunately, Christians [or those using the name] can be harsh, condemning and critical driving people further into sin and away from God. It is very appropriate that these two incidents . He was also humorous in his answers. Here is where Satan can use a man to influence scores of people, blinding minds and hearts to the truths of the Word of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). There probably were not many who had been told yet of the Messiah, and so were not yet believers. Why is that. What purposes did Mark intend to achieve by the inclusion of this event? He was received into the Catholic Church in 1991. Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? And he said to them, Where is your faith? They greatly desire to enter and control a physical body, whereby they may reflect their character and attributes. He had only known Jesus for a few hours, but had already determined to be Jesus' disciple for life. 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. 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. It had nothing to do the farmers losing revenue - at all. 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. March 2021 If anything, that would have made them angry. Gergesenes is also in some manuscripts (Khersa or Gersa was a town actually on the shore of the sea). May 2021 Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. 36 Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. vi. First let us see what the Sacred Texts says: The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. When addressed, the person was the mouthpiece of the demon (such as Legion, Mark 5:9). 14ff. 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. and our Fear that you might do something that would embarrass you? What did Jesus do? What scared them was a power so fierce it could free a man. Bill Maher says he's scared of former President Trump "on a very personal level" and "what he would do" to the comedian if he were to win the 2024 White House race. Slain Los Angeles auxiliary bishop was remembered at the Mass of Christian burial as friend of Jesus Christ and of Mary, our Blessed Mother.. For the reason why this is so we refer the reader to the introduction preceding the exposition of verses 33-7. 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. 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. The commission of our Lord is considerably different from His instructions to the Israelites whom He had delivered. If they dare to open up their lives to Jesus what will happen? It indicates full and permanent control. 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. There was no such danger in Perea, and thus the mercy of the Lord was to be heralded. Winthrop Congregational Church, UCC No matter who you are. . August 2022 For many Christians today, the horrifying experience of Legion should be sufficient testimony of the reality of the Satanic underworld. It was like being attacked by two Hulks. They probably thought of quickly getting aboard ship and pushing off. NEW STAR WARS MERCH PAGE: https://bit.ly/3baWVZv For all sponsorship and business inquiries please contact: [email protected] NEW CHANNEL: https:/. There is the so-called demon of doubt, of anger, of overindulgence, of drunkenness, laziness and so on. 120 The request is in both cases the same; for, according to Jewish notions, certain countries being assigned to evil as well as to good spirits, whose limits they were unable to overpass, to be sent out of their own country, no other being open to them, implied being sent into the abyss, or bottomless pit, since that remains for them alone. Trench, Miracles , p. 101. 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? 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. He could just as easily commanded them to return to the deepest, darkest pit of Hell. 2. of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were So he got into the boat and left. Acts 16:16), while others were the virtual pawns of these spirits, losing their own identity and autonomy. First of all the Scriptures do not say that the local Pagans were afraid of Jesus, but that they merely begged him to leave their neighbourhood. The pig shepherds had gone and spread the news of what had happened all around. They look forward to their future with great dread. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. According to another theory, the Chapati movement of 1857 was an attempt to prevent a cholera outbreak in central India. The people who witnessed this are . No! 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.
