The destructive desires of the demons were dramatically carried out in the drowning of the swine. The before and after descriptions of the demoniac reveal that he was a totally different person under demonic influence. The man, who was naked when he saw Jesus, had the added ability of enduring both freezing and sweltering temperatures as well as pain he inflicted upon himself! Instead of opening themselves up to Jesus and receiving His love and forgiveness, they allowed fear to drive a wedge between them. 2ff., xvv. When Jesus asked his name the man answered, Legion, for we are many (Mark 5:9). 9. It became one of the proudest cities of Syria. It was situated some 30 miles southeast of Gadara, on the borders of Peraea and a little north of the river Jabbok. monetization of National Catholic Register RSS feeds is strictly prohibited. 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. I asked why people are afraid of commitment and relationships and some said they are afraid because they fear being hurt again. Why is this even an issue, I wonder? And they were afraid. Jesus asked Mary why she was crying at the grave site. Catholic Church. and thank you for your contribution. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. At their request, He left. Men and women (as well as children) were demonized in that they fell under the influence of these unclean spirits. Into the country of the Gadarenes, or rather, Gera-senes, which is now generally admitted to be the true reading, from Gerasa, Gersa, or Kersa.There was another Gerasa, situated at some distance from the sea, on the borders of Arabia Petraea. 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. The conduct of this pathetic individual was obviously anti-social. The account occurs in all three Synoptic gospels; in Mark (the shortest gospel) the story is in the longest and most detailed version; Matthew 8.28-34 is the shortest, 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). 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! But let us return to the gist of the matter: if Christ showed them His Divinity through the reason given above, is it easy to be in the presence of God? 68f. The people were afraid when they saw the possessed man healed. Asked October 24 2014 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). 34When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Acts 19:16). They were instructed to keep quiet about what Jesus had done for them (cf. No! vi. Where did the demons go after they went into the pigs and caused them to jump to their death. Having been properly warned of the demonic underworld, let us not fall into the opposite error of absolute paranoia. Why would the Gerasene people beg Jesus to leave their region after He cast the demons into the pigs? 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. For these demons to be sent out of the country would have meant that they would then be confined along with other fallen angels (cf. Have we stepped back, in effect asking Jesus to leave us alone, only to discover, as a Gentleman, He did? June 2020 November 2022 What were the women in Mark 16:8 afraid of? October 2021 Verse 1. November 2017 December 2014 This request was granted and the entire herd rushed headlong to their own destruction. 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. Now appreciate the reaction - another God was messing with their god - and demonstrating authority! 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. Known as the Judas Iscariot of Gnosticism for revealing that which is not to be revealed. 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. All of us may be so concerned with our own livelihoods that we fail to serve other people and help those in desperat Sign-up for E-NewsletterGet Register Updates sent daily or weeklyto your inbox. Why did Jesus allow the demons to enter the herd of pigs? It had nothing to do the farmers losing revenue - at all. Now' as to the pigs (an unclean animal, so you know Jesus wasnt in Israel! Preisker, TWNT IV (1942), pp. If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. Jesus showed to the local population the inferiority of pagan life. Satans most effective tool is not the demoniac wandering about the desolate places. 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. By His power, we, too, are able to overcome Satans treacheries. 40, vii. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. You will receive a monthly newsletter with Scriptural teaching plus notifications of any new articles, courses or books. He had only known Jesus for a few hours, but had already determined to be Jesus' disciple for life. 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. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. 116 As Lane observes this title Son of the Most High God, is not a messianic designation but a divine one. Lane, Mark, p. 133, cf. Jesus deserves the benefit of the doubt even when we don't have all the facts. Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. 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. Was it fear that a secret sin might be exposed? The region and polygon don't match. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee? 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. A land that was essentially under another god (lower case g). For those who are shaken like leaves in the wind at the mention of demons, let us remember from this story that demons cannot even possess pigs without prior permission from our Lord. The fear of the unknown, the uncontrollableof change. Pigs were seen as unclean animals in the eyes of the people of Israel. They were content where they were. For more information, please see our I will not ask him to leave. The man, who was naked when he saw Jesus, had the added ability of enduring both freezing and sweltering temperatures as well as pain he inflicted upon himself! At first we may deceive ourselves into thinking that we are controlling them, but the ultimate likelihood is that they will master us. What they were not willing to accept was the frightening power that could cure him. But from all of the Gospel accounts, I get the distinct impression that this mans eyes were riveted on Jesus. 5:5). Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. When our Lord confronted the demons, they had to submit to His power and authority. 122 Quoted by Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to Saint Luke, (Edinburg: T. and T. Clark, 5th ed., 1969): p. 228. 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. 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. December 2016 If an Israelite, why was he in Gerasene in the first place and why was he living so near a large herd of swine? 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. A friend of mine told me later that two students were attempting to cast a demon out of a fellow. 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. No matter where you are on life's journey. So who was afraid? 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. Mark and Luke, on the other hand, write to more general audiences, and Gerasa was the main Greek-Roman city of the area. . Even in our sophisticated times, there is an intense interest in the supernatural and the occult. The time of this event was before Jesus' crucifixion, and before the gentiles were grafted in to the promise (Acts 10). June 2021 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. But, the pigs were a part of their economic wealth. The typical explanation for the petition of the residents that Christ leave their country is that they were motivated by materialistic considerations. 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. When addressed, the person was the mouthpiece of the demon (such as Legion, Mark 5:9). The US Congress is currently debating whether TikTok should be banned for everyone in the US, not just government officials. (4) Our Lord did not command the demons to enter into the pigs and bring about their destruction; He only permitted it.124.
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