And they were afraid. And, Gerasene was one. 1, pp. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. For more information about Glenn Davis see our About Glenn page and/or his Author's Page. Legion of Demons - NeverThirsty Although the manifestations of demonization vary widely, this man115 evidenced several of the classic symptoms. For more information, please see our Gerasa, Gadara, Gergesa - from where did the pigs stampede? Dave Armstrong Dave Armstrong is a full-time Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981. Will they be rejected? 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. Some appeared not to be oppressed by them so much as exploiting their powers (cf. 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. 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. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. December 2022 Jesus deserves the benefit of the doubt even when we don't have all the facts. Thats why also Peter having realized who Christ was, was dreaded and asked Him to leave him for he said to be a sinful man (Luke 5:8). Similar to the storm we see in the book of Job that killed Jobs sons - and Satan was the instigator of that as well. The Secret behind Jesus Healing the Gerasene Demoniac Yet, conversely, the known can be just as scaryif not more. 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. 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. April 2020 Renew or manage your subscription here. I think that this story is a little bit of an Easter story. "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. March 2022 Ridiculous? Until we decide on a new comic, you'll likely see a gray box where "Dilbert" had appeared. The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. to men facing fear and death. A friend of mine told me later that two students were attempting to cast a demon out of a fellow. You can flip a coin hoping for heads, but you know that tails is a very real probability. She and her wife moved to Maine from Illinois. I have always wondered what my Christian brothers had to say to the police officers by way of explanation. February 2015 He was a totally safe Person. Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. 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. in 1971. November 2022 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. These people did not want to change. This would also give time afterwards for the dispersion, not only into the city, but into the country of them who had fed the swine. 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. July 2015 SubscribeStart your Register subscription today. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Asked October 24 2014 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. Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. Why as the question? They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. But, the context is not going to be comfortable (accepted by) to some traditional understandings. The fear of the unknown, the uncontrollableof change. 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. In the form of tongues as of fire, the Holy Spirit rests on the disciples on the morning of Pentecost and fills them with himself. (CCC 696). Both Gerasa and Gadara were cities to the east of the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan. 2. 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. People who have no appr More than this, however, is the fact that the mans own identity and individuality were swallowed up by the demons with him. That is not the choice at all. It is mentioned in some ancient manuscripts of the . Series NotesScripture references are based on the King James translation. Those who have witnessed demon possession tell us that each demon has its own distinct personality and that the individual possessed begins to manifest the distinct personality of the demon by which he is possessed. Most people confessed to having the fear of things not working out, an inability to trust and others said they . Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. It only takes a minute to sign up. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. December 2016 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. The subject of demons and demon possession has always seemed somewhat remote and academic to sophisticated 20th century Americans. Flavius Josephus and Steve Mason, Flavius Josephus: Life of Josephus (Boston; Leiden: Brill, 2003), 47. Another approach is to note the different intentions of the Gospel writers. Why would Jesus ask, "Who touched Me?" 9. March 2017 This was a region east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? They were willing to post guards and chain and shackle their neighbor to keep him from hurting someone. Privacy Policy. For example, He didnt condemn a prostitute for her actions, He saw a daughter of God who was valuable beyond measure and only needed genuine love and forgiveness. xii. How do I connect these two faces together? 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. The nearby townspeople, upon hearing of the great miracle (and not wanting to suffer further economic loss), begged Christ to leave the Gadarenes and never come back! A Summary and Analysis of Jesus and the Gadarene Swine 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. He shivered at the disturbing memory. No one was strong enough to subdue him (verses 3,4). The pleas of Legion were in response to the command of Jesus for the demons to come out of him (verse 8). Was it fear that a secret sin might be exposed? 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. The Gadarene: When Following Jesus Means Going Home There is no true freedom and fulfillment apart from Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer of men. In the wake of new restrictions on the traditional Latin Mass, two American bishops spoke with EWTNs Raymond Arroyo Thursday about how their dioceses have responded. Afraid of Jesus | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org 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. Why ChatGPT should be considered a malevolent AI - and be destroyed HELPING CHRISTIANS BUILD POSITIVE, GODLY FAMILIES, CHURCHES, AND NATIONS, Follow us on social media for daily Scripture comments and more at. Romans 9:19-23). Winthrop Congregational Church, UCC No matter who you are. 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. As C. S. Lewis aptly put it: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. They liked Him and wanted to be with Him. (2) Anti-social behavior. The Truth is Jesus is a safe Person Who loves them, values them, wants their best and will never force Himself on them. December 2021 There was no such danger in Perea, and thus the mercy of the Lord was to be heralded. 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 . 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. Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? At first we may deceive ourselves into thinking that we are controlling them, but the ultimate likelihood is that they will master us. It was like being attacked by two Hulks. They probably thought of quickly getting aboard ship and pushing off. Jesus was saying, (demonstrating) that He had all authority, in any land. or school. 4 Reasons Jesus Cast Demons Into a Herd of Pigs Gergesenes is also in some manuscripts (Khersa or Gersa was a town actually on the shore of the sea). (5) What our Lord could have given the people of this territory was much greater than what He took away. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. Lets face it, we all like to be in control. When Jesus asked his name the man answered, Legion, for we are many (Mark 5:9). Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. Gerasenes, Gadarenes, Pigs and "Contradictions" - NCR 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. Now they were delivered and ready to be productive members of society. 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. Order Bulk SubscriptionsGet a discount on 6 or more copies sent to your parish, organization 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. 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. The New Testament speaks of those who had a spirit, or a demon, or demons, or an unclean spirit, or the spirit of an unclean demon, but chiefly of persons who were demonised. Edersheim, Life and Times, I, p. 479. and 1 Kings xxii. In fact the region was known as the Gadarenes-Gerasenes region. October 2020 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. I will not ask him to leave. Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. . The entrance of the term into colloquial speech indicates that the Roman occupation was a heavy burden. August 2020 Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. No matter where you are on life's journey you are welcome here! The swine then immediately killed themselves by rushing off a cliff. 31. The Demonized Man of the Garasenes (Luke 8:26-39) - JesusWalk Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). Gadara, though not directly named in Scripture, was part of the Decapolis. September 2020 Another reason they may have been afraid of Jesus was the realization that if they accepted Him, it would mean a radical change of lifestyle. Mark 3:14). He obviously attracted crowds. Embedded into both stories are people who were afraid of Jesus.