He felt Jesus' reassuring hand on his shoulder. Norval Geldenhuys, Commentary on the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1951), p. 174. I have always wondered what my Christian brothers had to say to the police officers by way of explanation. They were content where they were. For more information, please see our 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. The ego is so impaired that the spirits speak through him. (2) Anti-social behavior. Some today have given demons far more than their due by blaming demons for every malady of mankind. If he was a pagan, why did Jesus cast out his demons? I would like to invite you to return to where we left off a few weeks ago in our studies in the gospel of Mark. or school. He could just as easily commanded them to return to the deepest, darkest pit of Hell. He said unexpected things and lived by a high ethical standard. April 2018 15; Mark ix. Nevertheless, for consideration. September 2016 The demonically possessed man who came to Jesus cried out his name was Legion. xx. EIN 27-4581132 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. October 2021 First let us see what the Sacred Texts says: The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Author of The Gnostic Notebook series, stand-up comedian, and Gnostic. Evil is self-defeating in the end. 8ff.). June 2015 The price tag of possession was high, for those who fell victim to the demons agonized in constant torment. Pastor Chrissy is a native of East Tennessee. 9. Those demons were terrified of Him! 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. The lose of the pigs meant loose of partial income in the area. Others are absolutely controlled (hooked) by the drug and totally dependent upon it. For more information about Glenn Davis see our About Glenn page and/or his Author's Page. Matthew 8:28 - 29, 31, 34And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. 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) verse 5). Why is that. He pleaded with Jesus not to be tormented. 28); Mark the country of the Gerasenes (v. 1), and Luke, probably, the country of the Gergesenes (viii. and our We see the first reaction to this in the storm MARK 4:7 And a great windstorm arose [snip]. In this account we, by inference, learn much about the demonic spirits. (4) Super-human strength. In recent years the matter has been getting uncomfortably close to home. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? We owe it to Josephus, from whom it has passed into ecclesiastical language. Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. Yet, conversely, the known can be just as scaryif not more. Acts 19:16). When the Gadarenes saw what Christ was capable of, they panicked. Ananias and Sapphira did so by allowing their greed to grip their hearts (cf. The pig shepherds had gone and spread the news of what had happened all around. But, the pigs were a part of their economic wealth. He who feared His arrival now dreaded His departure. 125 This is the position of Lane, Mark, p. 187. When the townspeople arrived on the scene, they saw the formerly demon-possessed men, clothed, in their right mind and sitting at the feet of Jesus. 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 city of Gadara owned some territory round about Khersa, so that the district and the pigs could properly also be called Gadarene. F. F. Bruce, Are the New Testament Documents Reliable? While he was once wild and uncontrollable, he was sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus. 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. Oh Hye-son recently published a Korean-language memoir on how she and her husband Thae Yong-ho, then deputy ambassador at North Korea's London embassy, defected in 2016. Similar to the storm we see in the book of Job that killed Jobs sons - and Satan was the instigator of that as well. They became as afraid of Jesus as the demons were. April 2017 That is not the choice at all. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. July 2015 Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus? According to another theory, the Chapati movement of 1857 was an attempt to prevent a cholera outbreak in central India. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. It was opposite Galilee. Significantly, the demons are called unclean spirits (verse 2,9). 22ff. Embedded into both stories are people who were afraid of Jesus. The entrance of the term into colloquial speech indicates that the Roman occupation was a heavy burden. Now they were delivered and ready to be productive members of society. It is very appropriate that these two incidents . The people were gentiles who had not yet any interest in the Messiah. What did Jesus do? Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus to leave them alone, for they were seized . Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. So who was afraid? Swine were unclean animals according to the Torah. Ouija boards are found in many American homes. Their influence and control leads to untold agony and destruction. August 2018 No matter where you are on life's journey you are welcome here! 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. especially fn. Also, frequently associated with demon possession was a super-human strength (cf. But then also Christ will triumph, and finally put an end to the evil one and all his powers of darkness (Rev. Note: 'had the legion', i.e., the many unclean spirits inhabiting him. Thus, it is not always used of one specific country (nation), but rather, usually to regions or areas of either small (Bethlehem) or large (Judaea and Samaria) size, including regions surrounding large cities. Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs In Gerasenes Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? (5) What our Lord could have given the people of this territory was much greater than what He took away. Why is this sentence from The Great Gatsby grammatical? And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). August 2021 Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Jesus had simply sailed across the Lake of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. Vote Up Luke seems to base this fear solely upon what happened to the demoniac, not on the loss of their pigs. Romans 9:19-23). Why did the demons ask to be cast into the herd of pigs, and why did the pigs then run into the water to be drowned? In other words, Jesus had caused a loss to them of 2,000 swine already; what else would His presence cost? They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.110. Confusion, fear in moments after crash "There were many big pieces of steel," said Vassilis Polyzos, a local resident who said he was one of the first people on the scene. November 2022 What were the women in Mark 16:8 afraid of? November 2014. The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. 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). Today, it is identified with El-Koursi or Kursi. January 2016 Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? November 2016 March 2018 Perhaps they clenched their fists or picked up driftwood with which to defend themselves. Gerasenes could have had a sense of reference to the entire region (as well as to a city: just as New Yorker can refer to the state or city), and Gadarenes likely was a reference to the most prominent city of the region at the time. His website/blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, has been online since March 1997. Catholic Church. He shivered at the disturbing memory. Events that are important to our Church Community, Mark 5:1-20 Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac. And those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. The people were afraid when they saw the possessed man healed. 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.