Ouija boards are found in many American homes. Some today have given demons far more than their due by blaming demons for every malady of mankind. "The trains were . First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. January 2017 3 When the centurion 2 heard about Jesus, c he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his . The region is located east of the Jordan River and southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Winthrop Congregational Church, UCC No matter who you are. The house that is left swept and clean is a likely target for Satanic influence (cf. Matt. 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. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. 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. And, lastly, this would allow sufficient time for those miracles which took place on that second day in Capernaum after His return thither. 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). Matthew 8:4; Luke 8:56). What did we miss because we allowed fear instead of faith to drive our lives? Yet, conversely, the known can be just as scaryif not more. He who feared His arrival now dreaded His departure. Luke 8 36 Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. As an alternative to confinement, the demons posed the option of being permitted to enter the pigs, some 2,000 in number, feeding nearby. Why would Jesus ask, "Who touched Me?" 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? Others cited unfaithfulness, lack of seriousness, and the lack of confidence to sustain a relationship. (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. More from Medium Jameson Steward in. September 2016 They had been unable to control these two men [Luke only mentions one man, but Matthew tells us there were two]. It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126. 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. The capital of the region was Gerasa, and the largest city in the region was Gadera. The country of the Gadarenes (Gergesenes) is one of the few areas Jesus visited where Gentiles (non-Jews) composed the majority of the population. What about us, as Christians, are we afraid of Jesus? If they dare to open up their lives to Jesus what will happen? When the pigs were sent into the sea, the people of Gadara lost money. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met Him a man from the city who had demons. Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), p. 174. Here in Mark, he purposely set out to travel into another land. xiii. He shivered at the disturbing memory. and our 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. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.110. 2). Its ruins include two amphitheaters, a basilica, temple, a hippodrome, aqueducts and colonnades, showing its importance and stature. I used to want the longest life, perfect health and happiness, but really it is that feeling that I am so glad that this isnt all there is and that we have heaven to wait for, and that well be with Jesus, and there will be no more tears Amber VanVickle (1982-2023), The headquarters of the charity, which serves as a consecrated family to 46 disabled children, were badly damaged in major flooding near Rio de Janeiro last year. Jesus had been performing miracles in Gods nation - Israel. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. The particular focus of this mans testimony was the Decapolis region. 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. This incident in the Gerasenes requires some entry understanding. But here we speak not about a bishop, but about Christ who made His Godhead revealed through devils beseeching Him not to cast them to hell but enter the swine. These people did not want to change. Far from this, He had stormed the gates of Hell and prevailed. People who have no appr Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. Why did Jesus not allow demons to proclaim his name, Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs. Until we decide on a new comic, you'll likely see a gray box where "Dilbert" had appeared. The lesson of this passage is that Satan is a defeated foe. Another reason could be as Dr. R.C. Based on all the evidence we have seen over the past four months with regards to ChatGPT and how it can be manipulated or even how it will lie . Jesus never interacted with people as they were, but as He knew they were created to be. 13ff.). Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? She is a graduate of the Divinity School at Wake Forest University and Chicago Theological Seminary. It didnt take long for the word to spread quickly. 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. Most people confessed to having the fear of things not working out, an inability to trust and others said they . It is noteworthy that it is distinguished (especially in the Gospel of the physician, Luke) from cases of ordinary sickness, insanity (lunacy), leprosy, blindness, lameness, deafness and other natural defects and diseases (cf. (1) As Lord of all, God has the right to make use of His creation any way that He deems best, and this includes not only pigs, but people (cf. This was a power far beyond anything they had seen or even imagined. Fear that you might do something that would embarrass you? Though Legion bowed before Jesus (verse 6), it was no act of worship (as the King James Version would seem to indicate). Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. Or they are too afraid of what the change might bring. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. It is a violent tempest, that is, outside of the natural. But, the context is not going to be comfortable (accepted by) to some traditional understandings. Romans 9:19-23). According to another theory, the Chapati movement of 1857 was an attempt to prevent a cholera outbreak in central India. The sons of god ended up becoming the gods of these nations. The expression to be with Jesus is used particularly of His disciples (cf. It is now called Jerash and is a deserted ruin. 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. Vote Up Verse 1. The entrance of the term into colloquial speech indicates that the Roman occupation was a heavy burden. December 2021 The drowning of the swine was an accident, possibly simultaneous with the healing, and report mixed up the two incidents. 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. It is ironic that while the demons didnt want to leave the country, the dwellers of that land didnt want the Messiah to stay. Acts 19:16). May 2022 14. And the people there were scared, they recognised this, but more, they realised the significance of this. The drowning of these pigs has caused a great deal of discussion amongst Bible students, for as a friend of mine once observed, Thats a lot of pork chops! Had our Lord achieved such a miracle today He would have been in deep trouble. 110 C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1971), p. 3. Demonized individuals are not to be viewed so much as a pigeon hole category, as they are a continuem. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. recognizes the military background of the term, pointing out that in the imperial period a legion consisted of 6000 foot soldiers, 120 horsemen and technical personnel. They had heard what had happened to the pigs and knew the Jews considered Gentiles unclean, too. April 2022 The people were more terrified of Jesus and His authority than they were of this crazed and demonized man living among the tombs. or by some form of self-emptying (such as various forms of eastern meditation) in my opinion, they are in a precarious position. What scared them was a power so fierce it could free a man. 606-607. It only takes a minute to sign up. Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. 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. 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 . Was it fear that a secret sin might be exposed? Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. April 2016 I understand why," the HBO "Real Time" host told Jake Tapper on Tuesday as part . March 2020 (3) Spiritual insight. Many times people - Non-Christians and Christians - push Jesus away because they do not want to change. 21,22). DEUT 32:8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples, according to the number of the sons of God. July 2020 Now they would deal with this One greater than he by doing likewise. 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. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. 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? 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. Jesus had just performed an incredible miracleand one they desperately needed, at that! For more information about Glenn Davis see our About Glenn page and/or his Author's Page. Both Gerasa and Gadara were cities to the east of the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan. 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. 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. Here is one of the few times that a miracle drove people away, rather than to draw them to Jesus. What were the women in Mark 16:8 afraid of? The Lord refused this request and commissioned this delivered man to return to his own people and declare to them what God had done for him. This makes sense, I couldn't believe they asked Jesus to leave. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. We should be warned that fooling with these Satanic fronts is like experimenting with drugs. This was a region east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. A land that was essentially under another god (lower case g). xvii. The lose of the pigs meant loose of partial income in the area. Sermon for July 26, 2020: Why Were They So Afraid: Mark 5:1-20. I have always wondered what my Christian brothers had to say to the police officers by way of explanation. It was scary. when He was the only One Who truly knew what had happened. Asked October 24 2014 Neither is it only a kind of physical disease, although spiritual and physical disease often accompany it (e.g. August 2017 HELPING CHRISTIANS BUILD POSITIVE, GODLY FAMILIES, CHURCHES, AND NATIONS, Follow us on social media for daily Scripture comments and more at. Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. Satan loves those Christians. This was a federation of ten cities (deka = ten, polis = city). At first we may deceive ourselves into thinking that we are controlling them, but the ultimate likelihood is that they will master us. to sign up for our free Water Of The Word newsletter at the top of any page! 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. (it should be added that Plummer himelf does not hold to any of these views.). 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.
