The stamp of a ship on Gadarene coins suggests that the region called Gadara probably extended to Galilee (McGarvey, n.d., p. 344; McClintock and Strong, 1969, 3: 706). The Lord granted the only request of these residents, which was for Him to leave. There seems to be no excuse here for the charge of contradiction. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. 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. Jesus showed to the local population the inferiority of pagan life. [3], The earliest account, assuming the theory of Marcan priority is correct, is in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 5:120). It only takes a minute to sign up. The ruins are wide and imposing and are better preserved than any others on the East of Jordan. It was the terror of the damned. June 15, 2004. 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.". Origen says this is a good example of how Biblical writers simply were not concerned to precisely identify certain sites. (it should be added that Plummer himelf does not hold to any of these views.). 22ff. I know that your will for me leads to the most full and fruitful life. This and hundreds of other resources are available free on our site due to the Lord's provision of generous financial supporters. ), you also need to understand the significance of this - to the people in Gerasene. One day we will see the Lord face-to-face and enjoy His presence forever. If he was a pagan, why did Jesus cast out his demons? Gergesa (). get to know the Bible better! 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. I am wondering if the demoniac was pagan or an Israelite. Jesus allows the fleeing evil spirits to enter a herd of pigs which promptly run into the sea and drown. 2ff., xvv. Home was a place of memories so dark and pain-filled that he likely just wanted to escape them and never go back. The time of this event was before Jesus' crucifixion, and before the gentiles were grafted in to the promise (Acts 10). If we had a video livestream of a clock being sent to Mars, what would we see? You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work), under the condition that you must give appropriate credit to The High Calling, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. Some were already hurrying back toward the city. 0 Responses Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. The whole story is a myth. While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. The Greek word in Matthew 8:28, however, reveals that Jesus went to the country of the Gadarenes (p. 23). 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. If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. First, the man is hunted, then stoned, and finally he is killed; this is why the possessed lived among the tombs. The ego is so impaired that the spirits speak through him. The words "return to your home" must have made this man's heart sink. Like it or not, demons and demonic activity are likely to become much more of a concern to you in days to come. 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. Published His lucid mind mulled over the words, "Son of the Most High God.". Having been properly warned of the demonic underworld, let us not fall into the opposite error of absolute paranoia. I will not look for a reason to return to it. But sometimes, like the man in Luke 8:26-39, the more difficult call is to go back home. But the rest stopped some twenty feet away. No fear. Gerasa. When you get a chance, please take the, New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI, Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition, Does Jesus show compassion to demons in Mark 5:12-13. His animal-like shrieks must have sent chills up the spines of any who were nearby. These, however, are not the problem raised by Bible students. There is a lot we do not know about the Decapolis, but we know enough to be enlightened concerning Jesus' visits to this Hellenistic area. Jesus asks the demon for his name and is told "My name is Legion, for we are many". McClintock, John and James Strong (1969 reprint), Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker). The story was interpreted by Saints Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas to mean that Christians have no duties to animals. 9. [a] There, a man "possessed by a demon" comes from the caves to meet him. As Jesus got out of the boat, a madman from the cemetery came up to him. The Synoptic Gospels record one episode of Jesus calming a violent storm: "Then [Jesus] got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ET on EWTN: Holy Mass and Rosary on Sunday, April 23, 2023 Tell us where you're. 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. This reversal of the scapegoat mechanism by Jesus is central to Girard's entire reading of Christianity, and this reversal is on display in this story as well. 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. Or are we saying, in effect, Jesus, go away!? Let's open our Bibles to the 8th chapter of Luke's gospel. And, lastly, this would allow sufficient time for those miracles which took place on that second day in Capernaum after His return thither. led to the substitute reading Gergesenes, a reading that was suggested by a study of the geography of the area. 61-62. The Gospel of Luke's version (Luke 8:2639) is shorter than Mark's, but agrees with most of its details. Now he knew better. They had dealt with Legion (I suspect) by forcing him from their presence. This is probably the Gerasa of Mark and Luke. The demoniac was uncontrollable by any of the normal means of human confinement. The ruins of the town are not considerable; but there are remains of a strong wall which must have surrounded the place. None of the accounts indicate why Jesus allowed the demons to go into the swine, but certainly it was better that they go into the pigs than into people. 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. Soon, they gathered around Jesus and the man who had been set free from the demons. 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. 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. You are being sent because there are other tomb-people to free. 4. Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. Excavations at the modern Jarash (by the British and American Schools of Oriental Research and Yale University) clearly show that Gerasa was a large and important city already in Jesus time. Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), p. 174. The story of the Gerasene demoniac is surely one of the strangest in the Gospels. Where Did Jesus Miracle Occur? The forum, with a semicircle of columns still standing, was paved with large cut stones. 3. 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. Why did the demon-possessed Gadarene bow down before Jesus? Gergesa, Gerasa, or Gadara? The scene which Mark presents is deliberately dark. Vote Up The Matthew account mentions two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke only mention one. xx. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. This reveals to us that demons have an intuitive knowledge of their impending doom.117. Jesus has lead me away from my old life. 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. We should be warned that fooling with these Satanic fronts is like experimenting with drugs. But Jesus was sleeping. No ostracism hangs over you.' Can you relate to the people who sent Jesus away? The story begins in the region of the Gerasenes on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. In the past several weeks, there has come to light the case of a man arrested for various crimes who has several of the symptoms of demon possession, including multiple personalities, even multiple IQs. They were sacrificed by being thrown off a cliff. It is a violent tempest, that is, outside of the natural. And the people there were scared, they recognised this, but more, they realised the significance of this. Declare how much God has done for you. The Cross And Christs Suffering For Sins (1 Peter 3:18-22), 6. The presence of a copious spring of sweet water makes it probable that the site has been occupied from olden time; but no trace remains of any ancient city. He was used to seeing fear in their eyes. The Lord refused this request and commissioned this delivered man to return to his own people and declare to them what God had done for him. There probably were not many who had been told yet of the Messiah, and so were not yet believers. 6:1-13. Demon possession, such as that of the Gerasene demoniac is the crudest and cruelest form of Satanic control, but by and large also one of the less common manifestations of Satans work in the world today. Did they bring their sick to Jesus so that he might heal them? 6:45-56 6:14-21. 5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 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. tar command with and without --absolute-names option. We don't want any more trouble here!" 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. He seemed to view Jesus approach as the launching of a direct attack on the demonic forces. 8:28, "And when He had come to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs; they were so exceedingly violent that no one could pass by that road.". It would be hard to imagine a more horrible state] c and for a long time he had worn no clothes, The New Testament writers chose to refer to the area in different ways. (1995), New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Nelson). Demons are highly organized (cf. We owe it to Josephus, from whom it has passed into ecclesiastical language. 4. Even in our sophisticated times, there is an intense interest in the supernatural and the occult. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! What was it that they saw? Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? There is no contradiction, therefore, in the evangelists. I realize that opening myself fully to you threatens my comfortable status quo. The city was large and well planned. Why would God condemn Balaam for doing what God told him to do with the Moabites? xii. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one . He recognized most of them. What does it mean that the name of the demon was Legion? The before and after descriptions of the demoniac reveal that he was a totally different person under demonic influence. It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. There is, as we know, the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Daily Reflection / Produced by The High Calling Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. To understand this event, you need consider the incident at Babel, and Deuteronomy. With your gift of any size, youll enable us to continue equipping Christians with high-quality biblically-based content. 3. The best human analogy might be in the area of drug abuse. In the third chapter of Marks Gospel, our Lords miraculous works were attributed by His opponents to the power of Satan (verse 22). All Scripture agrees with this, that the judgment of the angels is yet to come (1 Cor. Vote Up iii. Holiness hurts! In his description of the boundaries of Perea, Josephus mentions Gerasa as one of the cities on the eastern boundary between Perea and Arabia, the other border cities being Philadelphia and Sebonitus (Jos. 32, after Passover. This is just five miles from Capernaum, where Jesus had previously been, so it makes sense. The demoniacs frightened the swine, and the transfer of demons from them to the swine was imagined. The herdsmen who witnessed this event spread the news to the people living in that area. Luke 8:26-38 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (). 8ff.). Because some confusion exists in the gospel MS evidence and perhaps in other source material, absolute certainty cannot be attained; but the following identification seems correct. The ruins are wide and imposing and are better preserved than any others on the East of Jordan. Start for FREE. The triumphal arch to the South of the city is almost entire. Q. 1 Response It became the seat of a bishopric, and one of its bishops attended the Council of Chalcedon. Luke 4:29), Girard comments: "But in these cases, it is not the scapegoat who goes over the cliff, neither is it a single victim nor a small number of victims, but a whole crowd of demons, two thousand swine possessed by demons. 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. 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. There is no conflict, however, for Mark and Luke have apparently focused their attention on the most striking of the two. 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. 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. Afterwards, the man Jesus had rescued from the demons wanted to go with Him, but Jesus sent him to share the good news of the gospel with his own people: "Return to your house, and declare what great things God has done for you." He went his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. Lenski, Robert C.H. Gerasa was a city situated near the Jabbok River about eighteen m. E of the Jordan, about twenty m. SE of Pella, and twenty m. N of Philadelphia. 18). What Is hyssop and why Is It so significant in the Bible? Jesus was saying, (demonstrating) that He had all authority, in any land. While he was once wild and uncontrollable, he was sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus. 8). Were on a mission to change that. ger'-a-sa, ger'-a-senz (Gerasa; Gerasenon): 1. These forces plundered Gerasa, Philadelphia, Pella, and others (Jos. Matt 8:28). 110 C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1971), p. 3. 14ff. 84,145). What happened to the evil spirits Jesus cast out of the man named "Legion" after the swine drowned? The commission of our Lord is considerably different from His instructions to the Israelites whom He had delivered. 128 In most of the stories of possession what is at issue is not merely sickness but a destruction and distortion of the divine likeness of man according to creation. What is this brick with a round back and a stud on the side used for? Vector Projections/Dot Product properties. [5] One detail that is unique to Luke's version is a reference to both the demoniacs nakedness and his subsequent clothing. The distance is about 19 miles from the river. 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. The people were afraid when they saw the possessed man healed. Image by How Many Times Did Jesus Go To Gerasenes. Welcome to Biblical Hermeneutics! Lucius Annius, at the instance of Vespasian, sacked and burned the city, with much slaughter (BJ, IV, ix, 1). Modern Jerash lies on both banks of Wady Jerash, about 6 miles from its confluence with Wady ez-Zerqa (the Jabbok). It didnt take long for the word to spread quickly. I'll follow you anywhere! (1) Severe personality change. 2). The tomb-man from Gadara looked up at Jesus again. It is ironic that while the demons didnt want to leave the country, the dwellers of that land didnt want the Messiah to stay. Such seems to be a similar case with Judas (John 13:1-2). 13ff.). I will not ask him to leave. 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. We should know from other Scriptures that our present spiritual experience is one of spiritual warfare. The tomb-man had beaten off much larger men in his demonic rages. At the side of Kersa the shore is level, and there are no tombs. I have never actually begged Jesus to go away and leave me alone. (Cf. 1. Ptolemy says Gerasa was a city in Coele-Syria, thirty-five travel m. from Pella. We dismiss it the more readily, that, in our view, it conveys a wrong impression. And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. 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. 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. These ruins date from the 2nd to the 7th centuries and show that the city flourished during this period as a center for religion, culture, and commerce. (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. Why does Jesus tell several people that He heals not to tell anyone, but in John 8:39 He tells the man healed of a legion to go and tell everyone? But Jesus told him to go back. More than this, however, is the fact that the mans own identity and individuality were swallowed up by the demons with him. This was a region east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. rev2023.5.1.43404. Now appreciate the reaction - another God was messing with their god - and demonstrating authority! Vote Up 40, vii. Every resource on our site was made possible through the financial support of people like you. QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: How do you respond to this story in Luke? Normal relationships are reversed. Here in Mark, he purposely set out to travel into another land. A contradiction occurs only when one statement makes the other impossible. War I. iv. Their first question is a rather pragmatic one, namely, How can demons possess animals? To this we must confess that we know too little to understand the mechanism of demon possession but the reality is very evident. Thus an economic lose of revenue was involved. 7. Who would have thought that the Son of God looked so much like other Jewish men? The Gerasenes must have had some understanding of why they are reproached or they would not respond as they do. As Jesus began to get back into the boat, the delivered demoniac pleaded with Him that he might accompany Him. The Roman city Gerasa was a famous city that would have been familiar to a Gentile audience, but Gadara, as the capital city of the Roman province of Perea, was the chief of the ten cities in Decapolis (Lenski, 1946, p. 205; Coffman, 1975, p. 85; Youngblood, 1995, p. 468), so even those who lived in Gerasa could have been called Gadarenes. Earles comments are helpful: The difference in names for the destination on the east side of the take has caused considerable comment. how many times did jesus go to gerasenes [1] Jesus, now about 30 years old (Lk 3:23) travels from his home-town of Nazareth in Galilee. Traces of ancient buildings in the vicinity show that there must have been a fairly numerous population in the district.2. He wasn't very big. 14:22-36. [15] In his analysis, the opposition of the entire city to the one man possessed by demons is the typical template for a scapegoat. War III. Matt 10:5-6; 15:24). The passage in Daniel especially suggests specific geographical boundaries within which spirit beings must abide. Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. In contrast, the people of Gerasene are asking him to leave their place. Unbelieving men may not rave and carry on like the Gerasene demoniac, but they are nevertheless under Satans control, doing his bidding. It was like being attacked by two Hulks. They probably thought of quickly getting aboard ship and pushing off. AMP - The price tag of possession was high, for those who fell victim to the demons agonized in constant torment. But here we speak not about a bishop, but about Christ who made His Godhead revealed through devils beseeching Him not to cast them to hell but enter the swine. He calls the inhabitants Syrians, when, at the beginning of the Jewish revolt, the district round Gerasa was laid waste. especially fn. (1946), The Interpretation of St. Marks Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg). Girard notes that, in the demoniac's self-mutilation, he seems to imitate the stoning that the local villagers would likely have attempted to use against him to cast him out of their society, while the villagers themselves show by their reaction to Jesus that they are not primarily concerned with the good of the man possessed by demons: Notice the mimetic character of this behavior. [8] The city of Gerasa had been a major urban center since its founding and during the Roman period it was the more widely known among the ten-city league known as the Decapolis. It opens our eyes to a world that is largely unknown and frankly unsettling. 16, x. Other demoniacs described in Scripture were bent on self-destruction as well (cf. PRAYER: Dear Lord, first of all, I want to thank you for your healing, restoring power. Joseph blessed his 12 sons and prophesied over each. Thank you for your interest in supporting CARM. At Luke 8:27, the gospel writer notes that the demoniac wore no clothes. Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. 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. [4], The Gospel of Matthew shortens the story dramatically (Matthew 8:2834) and writes not of one possessed man, but of two. It is noteworthy that Jesus nowhere speaks of forgiveness of sins or of purification-sacrifices, that have to be brought after His curing of such cases (as He did in some cases of physical illness). verse 5). [14][3] Such alternative readings include arguments that the swine were meant to represent the Roman army or "unclean and unfaithful" people because pigs were considered "unclean" for the Jews in this image, and the loss of these animals was not dangerous. Following Jesus with you wherever he calls. 13; Luke iv. 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). (4) Super-human strength. Yet, on a deeper level, they we afraid of how Jesus might impact their lives. He had been tied up many times with chains and ropes, but . xvi. Asked December 18 2016 [6], The location is also changed to the region of the "Gadarenes" (Gadara) as in most Bible translations.

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