Many times people - Non-Christians and Christians - push Jesus away because they do not want to change. Asked October 24 2014 Also, frequently associated with demon possession was a super-human strength (cf. 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. 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. In Mark 1:5 it is used of the land of Judaea (KJV) and in Acts 10:39, to land of the Jews (KJV). He could just as easily commanded them to return to the deepest, darkest pit of Hell. These men were a danger to themselves and others. April 2015 I will not look for a reason to return to it. So who was afraid? The center of personality, the volitional and active ego, is impaired by alien powers which seek to ruin the man and sometimes drive him to self-destruction (Mk. Like children convinced there are monsters under our beds, the unknown scares us. Fear that you might do something that would embarrass you? This makes sense, I couldn't believe they asked Jesus to leave. Instead of opening themselves up to Jesus and receiving His love and forgiveness, they allowed fear to drive a wedge between them. Exercising authority in the land allocated to Abraham, for Israel, the land set aside for God and his people. August 2016 Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. It was scary. Perhaps they clenched their fists or picked up driftwood with which to defend themselves. It was not the loss of their property or investment that caused them to be afraid of Jesus. 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. Though Legion bowed before Jesus (verse 6), it was no act of worship (as the King James Version would seem to indicate). Now they were delivered and ready to be productive members of society. Known as the Judas Iscariot of Gnosticism for revealing that which is not to be revealed. How to show that an expression of a finite type must be one of the finitely many possible values? The region was not poor or economically depressed. Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs In Gerasenes Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? 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. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Why did Jesus not allow demons to proclaim his name, Archaeological or Historical Support for the Gerasene Pigs. 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). 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. So they refer to Gerasenes. Read the Scripture: Mark 4:35 - 5:20. April 2017 Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus to leave them alone, for they were seized . First let us see what the Sacred Texts says: The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. The spectrum ranges from those who seem to control the demonic powers to those who are utterly controlled by them. September 2018 Textual variations have compounded the problem. It is very appropriate that these two incidents . Is there any archaeological evidence for Joshua entering Israel and conquering cities in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age? What they were not willing to accept was the frightening power that could cure him. Brazilian Charity Caring for Children Who Survived Abortions Issues Urgent Appeal, Memento Mori: Remember You Are Going to Die, The Meat of the Matter: St. Patricks Day and the Lenten Fast. At their request, He left. in 1971. Jesus had actually helped them. The scene which Mark presents is deliberately dark. Then the SPCA would have been up in arms over such cruelty to animals. 2). Order Bulk SubscriptionsGet a discount on 6 or more copies sent to your parish, organization 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). It is now called Jerash and is a deserted ruin. They became as afraid of Jesus as the demons were. "I am afraid of Trump on a very personal level because I don't think he likes me. Will they be rejected? French Monastery Survives War and Famine After 885 Years, the Basilica of St. Ambrose in Milan, and More Great Links! Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. to sign up for our free Water Of The Word newsletter at the top of any page! Jesus never interacted with people as they were, but as He knew they were created to be. 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). Or they are too afraid of what the change might bring. The reference could hardly be to the better known Gerasa (Jerash) between thirty and forty miles southeast from the lake. The expression to be with Jesus is used particularly of His disciples (cf. 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. This is probably the Gerasa of Mark and Luke. 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. December 2021 Gadara is about six miles from the sea. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known. June 2022 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. 7. 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. How Satan blinds our minds! The house that is left swept and clean is a likely target for Satanic influence (cf. Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). 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) On the other hand, it may be correct to understand that although there were many demons, they had combined as one force to possess this man.119 While Mark records Legions request as one of not being sent out of the country (verse 10), Luke adds a significant explanation by interpreting the meaning behind this request: And they were entreating Him not to command them to depart into the abyss (Luke 8:31). Mark 9:17-29). The first two are in the Authorized Version. June 2016 You can flip a coin hoping for heads, but you know that tails is a very real probability. For more information about Glenn Davis see our About Glenn page and/or his Author's Page. This reveals to us that demons have an intuitive knowledge of their impending doom.117. "The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). . 8; Mark vi. As has been said before, look for Satans man behind the pulpit. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. With a little knowledge of the geography of the region, this apparent contradiction can be resolved. COMMENTARY: Atheism is generally the expression of a moral attitude more than a real intellectual conviction based on evidence thought through. 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. to men facing fear and death. Jesus had freed the man and for a reason known only to Himself, He had granted the demons request to go into a nearby herd of pigs rather than go into the Abyss [bottomless pit]. Romans 9:19-23). That would be a strong message, by allowing them to be possessed and then drowned. January 2022 . Matthew 12:43-45). It is amazing to think that people could be fearful of Jesus. They had dealt with Legion (I suspect) by forcing him from their presence. First of all, the EPA would have been investigating the pollution of Lake Galilee with decaying pigs. He was also humorous in his answers. July 2020 Pig carcasses were washing ashore and drifting out to sea. Having been properly warned of the demonic underworld, let us not fall into the opposite error of absolute paranoia. The Truth is Jesus is a safe Person Who loves them, values them, wants their best and will never force Himself on them. Vote Up And he said to them, Where is your faith? https://www.ncregister.com/blog/gerasene-or-gadarene-swine, What Archaeology Tells Us About Joshuas Conquest, 50 Verses to Help You Prepare for Pentecost, St. Polycarp, Who Learned the Faith From an Apostle, Did Not Believe in Faith Alone, The Three Kinds of Atheists, and How to Respond to Them, We Know That Hes in Heaven: Thousands Gather for Funeral of Bishop David OConnell in Los Angeles, Archbishop Naumann and Bishop Paprocki Speak Out in Support of Traditional Latin Massgoers in Their Dioceses, Survey: Decline in Vocations to the Priesthood Is Worse Where Priests Serve Larger Flocks, God Really Intervened: How a Catholic Priest Escaped From His Kidnappers in Haiti, Amber and Dave VanVickle on Finding God in the Midst of Suffering. I think all these attempts to harmonize what may at first seem like a contradiction are plausible, respectable, and adequate. But from all of the Gospel accounts, I get the distinct impression that this mans eyes were riveted on Jesus. And the people went out to see what happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. The time of this event was before Jesus' crucifixion, and before the gentiles were grafted in to the promise (Acts 10). Fear that you would not be in control? Do roots of these polynomials approach the negative of the Euler-Mascheroni constant? ), you also need to understand the significance of this - to the people in Gerasene. These, however, are not the problem raised by Bible students. As always, we must begin with the principle: Interpretation is one, application is many. Although God's word does not name which cities were considered part of this region, Pliny's Natural History (c. 77 A.D.) lists these cities as Gerasa, Scythopolis, Hippos, Gadara, Pella, Philadelphia, Capitolias (Dion), Canatha, Raphana and Damascus. We should know from other Scriptures that our present spiritual experience is one of spiritual warfare. Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? And, Gerasene was one. He was a totally safe Person. Commentator R. C. H. Lenski states: The distance of these cities from the lake is immaterial for the narrative since this deals with the region that is near the lake and not with the vicinity of either of the cities to the lake.. So, they asked 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. (it should be added that Plummer himelf does not hold to any of these views.). 61-62. art thou come hither to torment us before the time? There is the so-called demon of doubt, of anger, of overindulgence, of drunkenness, laziness and so on. 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 . Sproul says in his commentary on Mark, When the Holy One is manifest in the midst of unholy people, the only appropriate human response is dread.. The US Congress is currently debating whether TikTok should be banned for everyone in the US, not just government officials. Thayers Greek Lexicon defines it as the space lying between two places or limits region or country. The Sea of Galilee was clearly one of the limits. 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. In recent years the matter has been getting uncomfortably close to home. I felt somewhat guilty, particularly fearing that I may have created an unintentional hardship for some classmate. Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. What did Jesus mean when he said only prayer can cast out this demon? 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.