why were the gerasenes afraid

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. Mark 9:17-29). The people were more terrified of Jesus and His authority than they were of this crazed and demonized man living among the tombs. One is to disbelieve in their existence. If Jesus had that kind of power, then He could not be controlled. 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. The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. April 2022 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). Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Those possessed are depicted throughout as unfortunate sufferers who by no fault of their own are dominated by evil spirits and who, when the spirits are cast out by Jesus, accept their deliverance with joy and gratitude (Mark v. 18-20, Luke viii. Although it is likely that the larger towns of Galilee were predominantly Gentile, as was the Decapolis, the first-century civilian diet did not . or by some form of self-emptying (such as various forms of eastern meditation) in my opinion, they are in a precarious position. His website/blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, has been online since March 1997. 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. The destructive desires of the demons were dramatically carried out in the drowning of the swine. We see the first reaction to this in the storm MARK 4:7 And a great windstorm arose [snip]. March 2015 Verse 1. The capital of the region was Gerasa, and the largest city in the region was Gadera. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 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? man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 'Return home and tell how much God has done for you.' So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus (Luke 8:26-39, NIV) 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. We should know from other Scriptures that our present spiritual experience is one of spiritual warfare. Mark and Luke, on the other hand, write to more general audiences, and Gerasa was the main Greek-Roman city of the area. In the third chapter of Marks Gospel, our Lords miraculous works were attributed by His opponents to the power of Satan (verse 22). 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. The first two are in the Authorized Version. . October 2015 Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! That is not the choice at all. 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. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. The pleas of Legion were in response to the command of Jesus for the demons to come out of him (verse 8). xx. The US Congress is currently debating whether TikTok should be banned for everyone in the US, not just government officials. For the reason why this is so we refer the reader to the introduction preceding the exposition of verses 33-7. I felt somewhat guilty, particularly fearing that I may have created an unintentional hardship for some classmate. ii. As indicated in the textual note, the best Greek text reads Gerasenes in Mark and Luke, Gadarenes in Matthew. 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. The Politics of Luke 8:26-39. Why did Jesus not allow demons to proclaim his name, Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs. Putting all of these factors together the term demon-possessed inplies too much. Demonized individuals are not to be viewed so much as a pigeon hole category, as they are a continuem. Yes, I know that Easter was weeks ago in April. 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? It only takes a minute to sign up. It didnt take long for the word to spread quickly. The best known Gerasa was a Greek city nearly forty miles southeast of the lake (modern village of Khersa, on the east shore of the lake. They look forward to their future with great dread. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear (Luke 8:35-37). Life with him would be heaven on earth. The pigs had been driven mad and rushed down a steep slope plunging into the lake and drowning. 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. May 2016 Unfortunately, Christians [or those using the name] can be harsh, condemning and critical driving people further into sin and away from God. (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. It is ironic that while the demons didnt want to leave the country, the dwellers of that land didnt want the Messiah to stay. But then also Christ will triumph, and finally put an end to the evil one and all his powers of darkness (Rev. and our This reveals to us that demons have an intuitive knowledge of their impending doom.117. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. 26). 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. This name (Strong's #G3003) is a reference to a Roman military regiment that varied in soldier strength from 4,000 to 6,000. His greatest impact would be on those who knew his former state. This was surely not so in every case, and perhaps in none. I think all these attempts to harmonize what may at first seem like a contradiction are plausible, respectable, and adequate. It is very appropriate that these two incidents . art thou come hither to torment us before the time? They were willing to post guards and chain and shackle their neighbor to keep him from hurting someone. "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. In addition, Matthew includes the comment, Have You come here to torment us before the time? (Matthew 8:29). And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? This was a federation of ten cities (deka = ten, polis = city). 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. 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. February 2016 They liked Him and wanted to be with Him. 8ff.). Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. You can like Jesus for two different reasons. December 2016 On several occasions, when Jesus forgave someone, He specifically said, Go and sin no more. That only works for people who are sick of their sin and want to change. It was not the loss of their property or investment that caused them to be afraid of Jesus. This was a region east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. Why were the Romans afraid of the Christians? 40, vii. Far from this, He had stormed the gates of Hell and prevailed. Thus an economic lose of revenue was involved. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known. seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. And, lastly, this would allow sufficient time for those miracles which took place on that second day in Capernaum after His return thither. 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. Another indication of demonic control is the fact that this man was continually doing harm to himself by gashing himself with stones (verse 5). This story is a little bit of an Easter story. April 2018 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. It indicates full and permanent control. 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). Embedded into both stories are people who were afraid of Jesus. 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. (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. June 2021 He said unexpected things and lived by a high ethical standard. Luke 8:26-39 Mark 5:1-20 ESV - 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 61-62. March 2016 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. Finally, there is in demon possession a counterpart to the filling (or control) of the Holy Spirit. 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. 14. But for most of us, the world and the flesh are all that are necessary to cause us to stumble. . What purposes did Mark intend to achieve by the inclusion of this event? People who have no appr The man looked out on the Tiberius. 2). Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. 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. They had dealt with Legion (I suspect) by forcing him from their presence. 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. vi. 2 Now a centurion had a servant 1 who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. And they were afraid. No matter who you are. Jesus had actually helped them.