The Greek word commonly accepted in Mark 5:1 and Luke 8:26 as the basis for the name of the people who inhabited the place where Jesus and the disciples went is rendered Gerasenes in English (Metzger, 1975, pp. Thank you for giving him new hope. Contrasting the self-destruction of the herd of pigs with the typical motif of an individual evil-doer being pushed over a cliff by an undifferentiated mob (cf. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Was Aristarchus the first to propose heliocentrism? The man is grateful. Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac - Wikipedia Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. What was it that they saw? Gerasa is mentioned next by Josephus in connection with the Jewish rebellion against the Romans in a.d. 70. To the evildoer, anonymity is always preferable to identification. As has been said before, look for Satans man behind the pulpit. Definition of Gadarenes (Gergesenes) in the Bible - Bible Study Paul tells us that our struggle is, at bottom, a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12). In the Gospel of Mark, why does Jesus heal this blind man twice? Jon Bloom serves as teacher and cofounder of Desiring God. In retaliation for the massacre of the Jews at Caesarea, the Jews sent several raiding parties into the Gentile cities of the Decapolis. The Maniac Who Became a Missionary, Part 1. Acts 16:16), while others were the virtual pawns of these spirits, losing their own identity and autonomy. 1. First of all, the EPA would have been investigating the pollution of Lake Galilee with decaying pigs. Thus an economic lose of revenue was involved. Though Legion bowed before Jesus (verse 6), it was no act of worship (as the King James Version would seem to indicate). Spam, November 04 2019 Luke 8:26-38 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (). 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. GERASA, GERASENES ( , ). They include several splendid temples, theaters, basilica, palaces and baths, with hippodrome and naumachia. Horoscopes and astrological predictions are found in most major newspapers. His soul was clean. This agrees with the general description of the site (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26). Jesus has lead me away from my old life. The story was interpreted by Saints Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas to mean that Christians have no duties to animals. By your Spirit, help me to welcome you into my life, all of you. Then any greatest of men, like any prophet, hero or king? They are unclean spirits, (vss. Some appeared not to be oppressed by them so much as exploiting their powers (cf. If they would just listen to what he had to say. 9. Gerasa, one of the cities of Decapolis and the capital of the country of the Gerasenes, lay around 37 miles/60 kilometres away from the Sea of Galilee in what is today the city of Jerash in Jordan.3The country of the Gerasenes did not reach the Sea of Galilee (an important point that we'll get to in a bit). No torment. Most scholars today would agree with Origen that near Gergesa was the precise site for the healing of Legion. It was a small village about midway along the E shore of the Sea of Galilee. Mark 5:16 says the thoughts of the people were on the swine. All accounts involve Jesus exorcising demons, identified collectively in Mark and Luke as "Legion". 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one . Asked December 18 2016 Q. ", Jesus looked hard at him without speaking. Romans 9:19-23). The ruins are wide and imposing and are better preserved than any others on the East of Jordan. One is to disbelieve in their existence. e.g., Matt. Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More. The particular focus of this mans testimony was the Decapolis region. They were jumping to the wrong conclusions. 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. He himself earnestly desired to stay with Jesus, knowing that Jesus had saved him an otherwise completely hopeless and unremediable condition. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. xvi. v. 37) describe Jesus' healing of the demoniac "Legion" and . The next allusion to Gerasa concerns its capture during Vespasians campaign. Peace, like the quiet sea. A Witness to the Decapolis | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. The whole story is a myth. Textual variations have compounded the problem. Contributors: Mark D. Roberts Published by The High Calling, March 11, 2011. A contradiction occurs only when one statement makes the other impossible. As indicated in the textual note, the best Greek text reads Gerasenes in Mark and Luke, Gadarenes in Matthew. Image by This episode plays a key role in the literary critic Ren Girard's theory of the Scapegoat. This location agrees with the description given by the ancient writers. 22, xvii. Now he knew better. Such was the case with this man (cf. And now, with the demons gone, nothing he had ever experienced came close to the safety and peace he felt simply being near Jesus. Gergesa may have been a variant spelling of Gerasa. Ralph Earle, The Gospel According to Mark (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1957), p. 70. 4. Mark 9:17-29). This fact probably accounts for the presence of a large herd of swine near Gadara when Jesus visited that region to heal the demon-possessed men (Matthew 8:30-33; Mark 5:1-17). The site is identified today with the town of Kersa, or Gersa, just below Wadi es-Samak. The man is now seen, dressed and restored to sanity: he asks to be included among the disciples who travel with Jesus, but he is refused and instructed to remain in the Decapolis region, to tell of "the great things the Lord has done and [how he] has had compassion on you". Jesus, Go Away! 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. There is no contradiction, therefore, in the evangelists. Vote Up It was Jesus they were afraid of. Acts 19:16). The tomb-man had beaten off much larger men in his demonic rages. How Many Times Did Jesus Go To Gerasenes - Foxwell Tindin John 8:32; Matthew 11:28-30), or to be the pawns of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-2). This is when the storm arose which threatened to destroy the ship (Mark 4:35-41). Jesus asks the demon for his name and is told "My name is Legion, for we are many". The people (nations) were divided up, and boundaries allocated' and the sons of god were put over these nations. In the 2nd cent. Neither is it only a kind of physical disease, although spiritual and physical disease often accompany it (e.g. It is almost 20 miles from Amman (Philadelphia), and 22 from Fahil (Pella). Then he put his reassuring hand on the man's shoulder again and said, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.". One man: Mark 5:1-2, "And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the . [ a] 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. As an alternative to confinement, the demons posed the option of being permitted to enter the pigs, some 2,000 in number, feeding nearby. Life & Ministry of Jesus: Demoniacs of Gadara - Associates for Biblical 6:1-13. The precise place where the miracle occurred is not as essential to our understanding of the narrative as is the realization that Christ has control over the spiritual realm (Lenski, 1946, p. 205). Luke seems to base this fear solely upon what happened to the demoniac, not on the loss of their pigs. That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. Another indication of demonic control is the fact that this man was continually doing harm to himself by gashing himself with stones (verse 5). 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. v. 37) describe Jesus healing of the demoniac Legion and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee (cf. Yet how did the Gerasene people respond? What is the significance of the blind man seeing tree-like people walking in Mark 8:22-25? It is in no way certain, however, that the pig raisers were Jews. The crowd should remain on top of the cliff and the victim fall over; instead, in this case, the crowd plunges and the victim is saved. In the King James Version it is called the country of the Gadarenes in Mark and Luke, and of the Gergesenes in Matthew. What is the significance of Decapolis in the Bible? 2 And as soon as He got out of the boat, there met Him out of the tombs a man [under the power] of an unclean spirit. Until then, we have been commissioned to preach the gospel and declare God's saving gr 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. 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. Probably Capernaum . Mark 5 MSG - The Madman - They arrived on the other - Bible Gateway For the first time in a long time he was in full control of his mind. Jesus approaches and calls the demon to come out of the man, who replies "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Matt. Gadara). Earles comments are helpful: The difference in names for the destination on the east side of the take has caused considerable comment. In my head, I know that your ways are always best. This request was granted and the entire herd rushed headlong to their own destruction. 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. The presence of holiness and, moreover, the most intense divine holiness is undesirable; I mean, unless you are an angel or a saintly recluse in his ascetic toils in a cave or a top of a pillar. Why did the demon-possessed Gadarene bow down before Jesus? Two men: Matt. 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. Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. Unfortunately, like anyone who feels wrongfully yet feasibly accused, the Gerasenes protest violently, they protest their good faith with violence, thereby reinforcing the terror of the possessed. In other words, Jesus had caused a loss to them of 2,000 swine already; what else would His presence cost? Spam, Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army, Raised Lutheran MD former Family Physician. 112 Skeptics and liberals have made much of the differences between the Gospel writers as to the place Jesus landed with His disciples. (it should be added that Plummer himelf does not hold to any of these views.). You should not suggest in any way that The High Calling or Theology of Work endorses you or your use of the work. Whereas he had been a slave, he was now delivered from demon possession. Other textual variations include "Gadarenes" and "Gergesenes". 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. Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. [15] In his analysis, the opposition of the entire city to the one man possessed by demons is the typical template for a scapegoat. 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. What Jesus wants us to know is that his salvation and his protection extend to those old, horrible haunts. Gergesa (). Acts 5:1-6). Others are absolutely controlled (hooked) by the drug and totally dependent upon it. 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. The Response of the People - Mt. 127 The view of Greek philosophy was that these were the spirits of those who lived in the Golden Age. Theology of Work Project Online Materials by The High Calling are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. So, Jews think that God does not want them to keep pigs. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. [14], Similarly, Thomas Aquinas argued that Jesus allowed the demons to destroy the pigs in order to make the point that his purpose was primarily for the good of men's souls, not their bodies or property (including their animals). They were not looked upon as necessarily evil in all cases. It is Geldenhuys who gives us the most concise description of demon-possession: in the New Testament demon-possession means that a person is dominated by the spirit of a demon and tormented by him. 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. 40, vii. On the other hand, Gadara is only six miles from the southern tip of the lake and could easily have given its name to the district. The King James Version in (Matthew 8:28) has the location as "Gergesenes" which corresponds to the modern "Kursi" (Kheras), the most plausible location of the Gospel event. And now here was someone even more powerful. And the people there were scared, they recognised this, but more, they realised the significance of this. 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. May the Spirit of God be so evident in us that men may see God in our lives. 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! Lenski, Robert C.H. Accordingly this was not merely an ordinary form of mental disease as some writers have alleged, but a special phenomenon which was particularly frequent during Jesus earthly sojourn and thus was directly connected with His coming to destroy the power of darkness. (1) Severe personality change. Holiness hurts! Did they open their hearts to hear the good news of the kingdom of God? Like the Samaritans who followed the woman at the well to see this One who had told her all she had done, so these residents came to see for themselves what had happened. Are we welcoming him into our lives? But it was there that the grace of God in his life would shine the brightest. In the third chapter of Marks Gospel, our Lords miraculous works were attributed by His opponents to the power of Satan (verse 22). [3] However, other commentators have attempted to make the story consistent with a Jesus who shows "care and concern for animals," as John Austin Baker wrote. 6:45-56 6:14-21. The lesson of this passage is that Satan is a defeated foe. The simple fact is that Matthew mentions two of the demoniacs while Mark and Luke only mention one. The Maniac Who Became a Missionary, Part 1 - Grace to You 8). 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. 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. You are being sent because there are other tomb-people to free. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. If total energies differ across different software, how do I decide which software to use? CARM |P.O. He did not appear to rush upon the small group of men to attack them (as he would normally have done), but rather to plead with Jesus. We do not know why they chose to mention only one. We see people in other places where he worked miracles, endeavoring to make him their king (Jn 6:15) . 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. 1 Response iii. Jesus is conscious that He now breaks the power of the devil and his angels because He is the One in whom the dominion of God is present on behalf of humanity. W. Foerster, as quoted by Lane, Mark, fn. The possessed pigs plunged down a hillside into the lake, where they drowned. 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. Those demons were terrified of Him! about a.d. 65. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. 125 This is the position of Lane, Mark, p. 187. Apostles return from preaching tour; Jesus feeds 5,000 men. A main street with columns on both sides leads out of the forum. 84,145). and 1 Kings xxii. The exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac (Matthew 8.28-34; Mark 5.1-20; Luke 8.26-39), frequently known as the Miracle of the (Gadarene) Swine and the exorcism of Legion, is one of the miracles performed by Jesus according to the New Testament. Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience. [citation needed]. It hit them hard in the pocketbook. Ananias and Sapphira did so by allowing their greed to grip their hearts (cf. Mark 3:14). How many men came out to meet Jesus in Gerasene? Soon, they gathered around Jesus and the man who had been set free from the demons. 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. Jesus' visits to the Decapolis can help us understand some aspects of his ministry that would not be as clear if they had occurred in Jerusalem, Capernaum, or some other "orthodox" Jewish site. Although the manifestations of demonization vary widely, this man115 evidenced several of the classic symptoms. Home was a place of memories so dark and pain-filled that he likely just wanted to escape them and never go back. His lucid mind mulled over the words, "Son of the Most High God.". (3) Spiritual insight. What Is hyssop and why Is It so significant in the Bible? The ruins of the town are not considerable; but there are remains of a strong wall which must have surrounded the place. Gergesa [probably a variation of GerasaCC] was a city about 12 miles to the south-east of Gadara, and about 20 miles to the east of the Jordan. The story of Jesus casting out the demons from a human and into a herd of swine is well-known, but where it happened, and what it means, are more contentious questions and deserve fuller analysis and discussion. An excellent account of the ruins is given in Thomson's LB, III, 558.There is nothing above ground of older date than the 2nd and 3rd centuries of our era; but there is no reason to doubt that the Greek city of Gerasa stood on the same site. 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. Dr. Thomson discovered on the eastern shore the ruins of a village called Khersa. Jesus, be my healer. 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. 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.
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