Now they would deal with this One greater than he by doing likewise. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. 14ff. Why ChatGPT should be considered a malevolent AI - and be destroyed March 2018 I think that this story is a little bit of an Easter story. January 2021 Pastor Chrissy is a native of East Tennessee. . She is a graduate of the Divinity School at Wake Forest University and Chicago Theological Seminary. 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. Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. It was significant. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. September 2020 The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. And Jesus, being a Gentleman, was not about to force Himself on them. art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 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. Train crash in Greece: 43 dead, stationmaster arrested. Live updates. He could just as easily commanded them to return to the deepest, darkest pit of Hell. Why are you Afraid? | Mark 4:35 - 5:20 | RayStedman.org 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. 8; Mark vi. (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. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. 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. As an alternative to confinement, the demons posed the option of being permitted to enter the pigs, some 2,000 in number, feeding nearby. July 2022 The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. 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. What Does Luke 8:37 Mean? "And all the people of the country of the January 2023 If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. "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. Why were the Romans afraid of the Christians? Thus an economic lose of revenue was involved. And, it can not be understood properly out of this context. We dismiss it the more readily, that, in our view, it conveys a wrong impression. What purposes did Mark intend to achieve by the inclusion of this event? What did Jesus do? 4 Reasons Jesus Cast Demons Into a Herd of Pigs 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. 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. The country of the Gadarenes (Gergesenes) is one of the few areas Jesus visited where Gentiles (non-Jews) composed the majority of the population. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. And, Gerasene was one. May 2020 Welcome to Biblical Hermeneutics! xvii. 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. We should be warned that fooling with these Satanic fronts is like experimenting with drugs. April 2016 How do I connect these two faces together? For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. I think all these attempts to harmonize what may at first seem like a contradiction are plausible, respectable, and adequate. What about us, as Christians, are we afraid of Jesus? No matter who you are. Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs August 2020 Why would God tell King David to take a census of the people in verses one through nine, and then cast judgment on him because he did what he told him to do? His website/blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, has been online since March 1997. monetization of National Catholic Register RSS feeds is strictly prohibited. Rev. It only takes a minute to sign up. 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! The spread of cholera was linked to the movements of . Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. 2. Have we stepped back, in effect asking Jesus to leave us alone, only to discover, as a Gentleman, He did? Like children convinced there are monsters under our beds, the unknown scares us. A Jewish exorcist with such authority in the region, risked to damage the beliefs and reputation of the local pagan inhabitants. 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. You might be thinking back to Easter and not recall very many hogs showing up except for at Easter supper. Now appreciate the reaction - another God was messing with their god - and demonstrating authority! July 2016 These, however, are not the problem raised by Bible students. The pig tenders reported it far and wide, in city and country (verse 14). By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. Why did the demon-possessed Gadarene bow down before Jesus? 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. This reveals to us that demons have an intuitive knowledge of their impending doom.117. Some appeared not to be oppressed by them so much as exploiting their powers (cf. December 2015 NEW STAR WARS MERCH PAGE: https://bit.ly/3baWVZv For all sponsorship and business inquiries please contact: thestupendousscrub@gmail.com NEW CHANNEL: https:/. His greatest impact would be on those who knew his former state. By His power, we, too, are able to overcome Satans treacheries. Acts 16:16), while others were the virtual pawns of these spirits, losing their own identity and autonomy. August 2021 Let me say as graciously as I can, Satan does not need to work on us in those areas as we are doing very well without his exploitation. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? "The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. Small sins lead to big sins, and big sins bring about a terrible spiritual darkness. When Jesus asked his name the man answered, Legion, for we are many (Mark 5:9). Acts 5:1-6). As the servant of Elisha was told, Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them (2 Kings 6:16). 7. 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. 0 Responses The reference could hardly be to the better known Gerasa (Jerash) between thirty and forty miles southeast from the lake. May 2021 Mark 3:14). For more information, please see our But, Im telling you. Chapati Movement 1857: Why were the British afraid of the Roti? That the unclean spirits were personal beings is evident from what is related about their leaving a possessed person, talking or crying out, possessing knowledge concerning Jesus, as well as other supernatural knowledgeshowing fear, and the like. 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. Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). They had heard what had happened to the pigs and knew the Jews considered Gentiles unclean, too. 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. As always, we must begin with the principle: Interpretation is one, application is many. Men and women (as well as children) were demonized in that they fell under the influence of these unclean spirits. 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. In Acts 8:1 we have the regions of Judaea and Samaria (KJV), and in Acts 16:6, Galatia alone. Swine were unclean animals according to the Torah. Why is that. 125 This is the position of Lane, Mark, p. 187. No matter what men attempted to bind him with, he broke loose. It had nothing to do the farmers losing revenue - at all. The subject of demons and demon possession has always seemed somewhat remote and academic to sophisticated 20th century Americans. The district of the Gerasenes probably included that of the Gadarenes; so that the demoniac of Gergesa belonged to the country of the Gadarenes and also to that of the Gerasenes, as the same person may, with equal truth, be said to live in the city or the state, or in the United States. Clarify The whole story is a myth. Have you even been in a service where the Spirit of God was moving and felt fear? 4. He was Someone Who could control the spirit realm. The Lord, in an act of great mercy, freed the Gadarenes' man by casting the demons out of him and allowing them to enter a nearby herd of pigs. Here in Mark, he purposely set out to travel into another land. Gadara, though not directly named in Scripture, was part of the Decapolis. 5:5). In any event, I love defending the Bible and Christianity. 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. Paul tells us that our struggle is, at bottom, a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12). Jesus asked some pretty crazy questions like What Things Happened? The Man Jesus Renamed | Reformed Theological Seminary Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus? March 2021 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. What was the country of the Gerasenes (or Gadarenes) and why is it 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. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. June 2017 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. June 2015 The Politics of Luke 8:26-39. Is there a single-word adjective for "having exceptionally strong moral principles"? The Gospels use different names for the place where this occurred: This is supposedly a contradiction. Gerasa is (as we know) some 30-35 miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee, but may have also been the name of the larger region. The region is located east of the Jordan River and southeast of the Sea of Galilee. Sign-up for E-NewsletterGet Register Updates sent daily or weeklyto your inbox. The pigs had been driven mad and rushed down a steep slope plunging into the lake and drowning. Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs In Gerasenes Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? The lesson of this passage is that Satan is a defeated foe. (5) Torment. Also, the wholesale slaughter of these pigs dramatically illustrated the destructive purposes of the demons. You will receive a monthly newsletter with Scriptural teaching plus notifications of any new articles, courses or books. 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). Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known.. 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). Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? Matthew 9:2-8 Why was "This man is blaspheming" considered an evil thought without knowing Jesus' identity? Having been properly warned of the demonic underworld, let us not fall into the opposite error of absolute paranoia. 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. 4, p. 180. Demonized individuals are not to be viewed so much as a pigeon hole category, as they are a continuem. It was scary. Then the Livestock Association and consumer groups would have been greatly distressed over the sudden decrease in the pig population and the resulting impact on pork prices. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. This is when the storm arose which threatened to destroy the ship (Mark 4:35-41). 110 C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1971), p. 3. There probably were not many who had been told yet of the Messiah, and so were not yet believers. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. 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. The fear of the unknown, the uncontrollableof change. The region was known also as the Decopolis because ten Greek cities were located in the region. . While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. 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. What would happen to them? 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's a curious passage with many unanswered questions. May 2022 How many demons possessed the man in Mark 5:6? The city of Gadara and its surrounding area are referred to as the Gadarenes. 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. All Scripture agrees with this, that the judgment of the angels is yet to come (1 Cor. The most likely answer is to the country of the Gerasenes: i.e., Gerasa, a Greek town thought to be the same as the similarly-named Kersa on the east shore of Lake Tiberias. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. October 2021 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. 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. Known as the Judas Iscariot of Gnosticism for revealing that which is not to be revealed. In this story, we have a demon-possessed Gadarene who saw Jesus from a distance, and immediately he appeared to have felt a strong compulsion to run up to Jesus and bow down before him. But from all of the Gospel accounts, I get the distinct impression that this mans eyes were riveted on Jesus. (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. Whenever a man, woman, or child surrenders control of himself either to fleshly desires (anger, lust, passion, etc.) This was a region east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. Dave Armstrong Dave Armstrong is a full-time Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981. Why did the demon-possessed Gadarene bow down before Jesus? Now' as to the pigs (an unclean animal, so you know Jesus wasnt in Israel! For many Christians today, the horrifying experience of Legion should be sufficient testimony of the reality of the Satanic underworld. It is a violent tempest, that is, outside of the natural. Lets face it, we all like to be in control. The second question is an ethical one: What right had the Lord to inflict this loss on the owners of the swine?121 Put even more crassly, Huxley censored this act with these words: the wanton destruction of other peoples property is a misdemeanour of evil example.122. Is there any archaeological evidence for Joshua entering Israel and conquering cities in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age? 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. He said unexpected things and lived by a high ethical standard. Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 6:12), whose leader and prince is Satan (Matthew 12:24). Read the Scripture: Mark 4:35 - 5:20. Jesus has lead me away from my old life. The people (nations) were divided up, and boundaries allocated' and the sons of god were put over these nations. At the side of Kersa the shore is level, and there are no tombs. We owe it to Josephus, from whom it has passed into ecclesiastical language. 14. 13; Luke iv. What were the women in Mark 16:8 afraid of? More from Medium Jameson Steward in. The drowning of the swine was an accident, possibly simultaneous with the healing, and report mixed up the two incidents. I understand why," the HBO "Real Time" host told Jake Tapper on Tuesday as part . xvi. Jesus was saying, (demonstrating) that He had all authority, in any land. 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? Note that the texts dont say Gerasa or Gadara, so they arent necessarily referring just to one of the cities. EWTN News, Inc. is the worlds largest Catholic news organization, comprised of television, radio, Holiness hurts! Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. This story is a little bit of an Easter story. November 2017 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. 21,22). June 2020 to men facing fear and death. 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. They were not looked upon as necessarily evil in all cases. There is no true freedom and fulfillment apart from Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer of men. . I will not look for a reason to return to it. As C. S. Lewis aptly put it: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. 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. If anything, that would have made them angry. This was surely not so in every case, and perhaps in none. Author of The Gnostic Notebook series, stand-up comedian, and Gnostic. 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! To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. One is to disbelieve in their existence. xiii. 4, p. 102. How to show that an expression of a finite type must be one of the finitely many possible values? In fact the region was known as the Gadarenes-Gerasenes region. 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. That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. Satans most useful instrument is the outstanding, outwardly moral and upright religious man, whose good deeds are done independently of God. Gergesa - Wikipedia As indicated in the textual note, the best Greek text reads Gerasenes in Mark and Luke, Gadarenes in Matthew. Crazy question or.? Putting all of these factors together the term demon-possessed inplies too much. September 2018 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. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. 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. Why would Jesus ask, "Who touched Me?" Series NotesScripture references are based on the King James translation. Evil is self-defeating in the end. Not long after that, while I was still a student in seminary, there was a car parked by the seminary in a somewhat suspicious manner and I called the police to check it out. 112 Skeptics and liberals have made much of the differences between the Gospel writers as to the place Jesus landed with His disciples. We should know from other Scriptures that our present spiritual experience is one of spiritual warfare. or by some form of self-emptying (such as various forms of eastern meditation) in my opinion, they are in a precarious position. 10). A crowd had come to see what had happened for themselves. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi. The confrontation between the powers of heaven and hell are nowhere seen in better perspective than in Marks account of the encounter of the Gerasene demoniac with our Lord Jesus Christ. So he got into the boat and left. That is not the choice at all. and thank you for your contribution. . They were among North Korea's elite, but they fled anyway. Here's why Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! 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. Why did Jesus not allow demons to proclaim his name, Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs. 16, x. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. Nor was it the Jewish population of Galilee. Pigs were specifically set aside as the animal used in sacrifices to their god. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.110. The Secret behind Jesus Healing the Gerasene Demoniac in a crowd in a crowd where many people were bumping into Him?
