As indicated in the textual note, the best Greek text reads Gerasenes in Mark and Luke, Gadarenes in Matthew. But it was different this time. William of Tyre calls the city Jarras, and places it 16 miles East of Jordan (Hist, xii, 16). 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. 5. 23, 24, viii. They greatly desire to enter and control a physical body, whereby they may reflect their character and attributes. They didn't understand! Bob was born and raised in a Christian home i More. 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. It is also a possibility that in the handing down of New Testament manuscripts over many years, slightly different readings of the same word have developed. Such was the case with this man (cf. CARM |P.O. Modern Jerash lies on both banks of Wady Jerash, about 6 miles from its confluence with Wady ez-Zerqa (the Jabbok). xvi. Josephus mentions it with Pella and Golan as being taken by storm during Alexander Jannaeus campaign E of the Jordan in about 83 b.c. The Maniac Who Became a Missionary, Part 1 - Grace to You Ched Myers, Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Marks Story of Jesus (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1988) p. 192; Richard A. Horsley, Hearing the Whole Story: The Politics of Plot in Marks Gospel (Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox, 2001); Gerd Thiessen, Miracle Stories of the Early Christian Tradition (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1983); Hollenbach, P. W. (1981). 0 Responses Some today have given demons far more than their due by blaming demons for every malady of mankind. Vote Up The house that is left swept and clean is a likely target for Satanic influence (cf. Apparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. verse 5). 4.1K views, 50 likes, 28 loves, 154 comments, 48 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from 7th District AME Church: Thursday Morning Opening Session 84,145). 7. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. He was used to seeing fear in their eyes. 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. Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. It shows that the writers had not agreed to impose on the world; for if they had, they would have mentioned the same city; and it shows, also, they were familiar with the country. Lenski, Robert C.H. Another reason could be as Dr. R.C. The price tag of possession was high, for those who fell victim to the demons agonized in constant torment. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. Before the war it was a Gentile settlement. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. As always, we must begin with the principle: Interpretation is one, application is many. What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? recognizes the military background of the term, pointing out that in the imperial period a legion consisted of 6000 foot soldiers, 120 horsemen and technical personnel. The thought of returning there conjures up fears of our old demons and the people who knew us as we were back then. The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. But the most strangely wonderful thing of all was his sense of cleanness. xiii. And, lastly, this would allow sufficient time for those miracles which took place on that second day in Capernaum after His return thither. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. 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. iii. Men and women (as well as children) were demonized in that they fell under the influence of these unclean spirits. Luke seems to base this fear solely upon what happened to the demoniac, not on the loss of their pigs. Jesus, be my healer. 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. It is a fascinating by Matt Slick | Apr 4, 2023 | Genesis - Deuteronomy, Bible Difficulties. Published Image by 4. We should be warned that fooling with these Satanic fronts is like experimenting with drugs. Immediately, as this weary group disembarked from the ship, they were met by what appeared to be a madman. Such must have been the response of those with our Lord. 14:13-21. Archeologists identify it with the modern Jarash. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? The best human analogy might be in the area of drug abuse. As these people began to piece together the previous events, not only of the destruction of the pigs, but also the deliverance of Legion, they began to sense that there was One far more awesome, much more to be feared, than Legion. If we had a video livestream of a clock being sent to Mars, what would we see? It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126. The herdsmen who witnessed this event spread the news to the people living in that area. 5 1-5 They arrived on the other side of the sea in the country of the Gerasenes. It would be hard to imagine a more horrible state] c and for a long time he had worn no clothes, It opens our eyes to a world that is largely unknown and frankly unsettling. We are not by Matt Slick | Apr 6, 2023 | Bible Studies. Like it or not, demons and demonic activity are likely to become much more of a concern to you in days to come. went through a storm to help one person, that is, the wild man of Gadara. 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. The Lord Jesus pointed out that "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." This response is probably an allusion to the rejection that occurred the night before by the Scribes and Pharisees and in preparation by the Gentiles of Gadara on the next day. The ruins are wide and imposing and are better preserved than any others on the East of Jordan. 9. Pastor John gets to the heart and offers practical suggestions for growing in evangelism. 13ff.). The miracle of Gerasa reverses the universal schema of violence fundamental to all societies of the world. What Jesus wants us to know is that his salvation and his protection extend to those old, horrible haunts. 1 Response I felt somewhat guilty, particularly fearing that I may have created an unintentional hardship for some classmate. For many Christians today, the horrifying experience of Legion should be sufficient testimony of the reality of the Satanic underworld. But it was there that the grace of God in his life would shine the brightest. Acts 5:1-6). Then any greatest of men, like any prophet, hero or king? One man: Mark 5:1-2, "And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the . (1) As Lord of all, God has the right to make use of His creation any way that He deems best, and this includes not only pigs, but people (cf. If Mark or Luke said that only one demoniac came to Jesus while Matthew says that two came out, that would be a contradiction. The time of this event was before Jesus' crucifixion, and before the gentiles were grafted in to the promise (Acts 10). These, however, are not the problem raised by Bible students. The textual evidence shows that the MSS preserve three variant spellings of the name in each gospel. Romans 9:19-23). I beg you in the name of God never to torment me!". Jesus' arrival on the scene introduced a spiritual power stronger than Legion, which upset the social balance by removing the scapegoat. His lucid mind mulled over the words, "Son of the Most High God.". Luke 8:26-38 They sailed on to the country of the Gerasenes, directly 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. As a herdsman recounted what happened, they kept looking at him and then to Jesus. I realize that opening myself fully to you threatens my comfortable status quo. 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. 1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. Did they bring their sick to Jesus so that he might heal them? 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? [3] This interpretation has been shared by a long line of commentators up to the present day, including I. Howard Marshall and Mark Driscoll. [1] 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 themselves. And now, with the demons gone, nothing he had ever experienced came close to the safety and peace he felt simply being near Jesus. v. 37) describe Jesus' healing of the demoniac "Legion" and . The man is now seen, dressed and restored to sanity: he asks to be included among the disciples who travel with Jesus, but he is refused and instructed to remain in the Decapolis region, to tell of "the great things the Lord has done and [how he] has had compassion on you". He could just as easily commanded them to return to the deepest, darkest pit of Hell. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. Yet how did the Gerasene people respond? 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.". 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. Unbelieving men may not rave and carry on like the Gerasene demoniac, but they are nevertheless under Satans control, doing his bidding. The healing of the demoniacs and the repulse of the Healer by the inhabitants are historical, but the incident of the swine is a later figment. 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. HDB, II, p. 158, 159 for a detailed description.). Gergesa is located, with relative certainty, midway along the E bank of the Sea of Galilee; Gadara is six m. SE from the S end of the Sea of Galilee; and Gerasa is some thirty-five m. SE. 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. Can devils entreat in such a manner any highest of angels, be he Michael, Gabriel or Raphael, or any greatest cherub or seraph? 1 THEY CAME to the other side of the sea to the region of the Gerasenes. This supposition would be further confirmed, if the evening when Jesus embarked was what the Jews were wont to call the first evening, that is, the time when the sun was declining in the heaven, but before it had actually set, the latter time being the second evening. For it seems most unlikely that multitudes would have resorted to Jesus at Capernaum after the second evening, or that either the disciples or other boats would have put to sea after nightfall. But the distance is so short that, even making allowance for the delay by the tempest, the passage could scarcely have occupied the whole night. They are unclean spirits, (vss. When our Lord confronted the demons, they had to submit to His power and authority. 16, x. As if he is trying to avoid being expelled and stoned in reality, the possessed brings about his own expulsion and stoning; he provides a spectacular mime of all the stages of punishment that Middle Eastern societies inflict on criminals whom they consider completely defiled and irredeemable. For the reason why this is so we refer the reader to the introduction preceding the exposition of verses 33-7. If you are able tosupport usthis month we will invest your gift in making the hope of the gospel freely available to others who are wandering in the tombs of despair. 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. Matt 10:5-6; 15:24). Bible Map: Gerasa [3] However, other commentators have attempted to make the story consistent with a Jesus who shows "care and concern for animals," as John Austin Baker wrote. 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. What scares you away from being fully sold-out as a disciple of Jesus? The lose of the pigs meant loose of partial income in the area. This and hundreds of other resources are available free on our site due to the Lord's provision of generous financial supporters. about a.d. 65. 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. [The natural spirit of the man seeking to throw off the dominion of the demons would cry out in agony, and the demons themselves, in their own misery, would use him as a vehicle to express their own grief. The Secret behind Jesus Healing the Gerasene Demoniac Barnes, Albert (1949), Notes on the New Testament: Matthew and Mark (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker). The spectrum ranges from those who seem to control the demonic powers to those who are utterly controlled by them. So Jesus had to cross the lake twice. The story was interpreted by Saints Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas to mean that Christians have no duties to animals. No! Jerash, ancient Gerasa Yet, on a deeper level, they we afraid of how Jesus might impact their lives. Did the scribes realize that God gave Jesus the authority in Mark 11:33? If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. 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. But Christianity early became important in the city; several churches were built during these centuries, so that by the 5th cent., Gerasa could send a bishop to the Council of Chalcedon. 6:30-44. The demoniac was uncontrollable by any of the normal means of human confinement. The modern village Jarash is situated on the hillside above the ruins, built with stones from the ruins. He could think! There is no contradiction, therefore, in the evangelists. Although the manifestations of demonization vary widely, this man 115 evidenced several of the classic symptoms. The Matthew account mentions two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke only mention one. 5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. It is almost 20 miles from Amman (Philadelphia), and 22 from Fahil (Pella). Daily Reflection / Produced by The High Calling, 10 Key Points About Work in the Bible Every Christian Should Know, Beyond Rank and Power: What Philemon Tells Us About Leadership, Learning From the Psalms How to Pray Through Your Work, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. I have never actually begged Jesus to go away and leave me alone. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus among them? Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. The choice is to be free by submission to Christ (cf. 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. It is in no way certain, however, that the pig raisers were Jews. Ananias and Sapphira did so by allowing their greed to grip their hearts (cf. Thank you for your interest in supporting CARM. 3. There probably were not many who had been told yet of the Messiah, and so were not yet believers. Further, the conclusion seems warranted that there was confusion in some MSS of Gerasa with the more likely site for the miracle near Gergesa. How Many Times Did Jesus Go To Gerasenes. e.g., Matt. ', referring to the nuclear power plant in Ignalina, mean? A main street with columns on both sides leads out of the forum. (4) Our Lord did not command the demons to enter into the pigs and bring about their destruction; He only permitted it.124. Matt. Jesus was saying, (demonstrating) that He had all authority, in any land. 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. Similar to the storm we see in the book of Job that killed Jobs sons - and Satan was the instigator of that as well. It would seem that these people had no Messianic expectations, and therefore wanted nothing to do with One Who had such awesome power, a power over which they had no control. The forum, with a semicircle of columns still standing, was paved with large cut stones. In contrast, the people of Gerasene are asking him to leave their place. Gerasa; Gerasenes - Meaning and Verses in Bible Encyclopedia This makes sense, I couldn't believe they asked Jesus to leave. P.S. No men would have written in this manner but those who were acquainted with the facts (1949, p. 91). 26). 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). It had nothing to do the farmers losing revenue - at all. 2ff., xvv. . Acts 19:16). The people (nations) were divided up, and boundaries allocated' and the sons of god were put over these nations. Two paved streets with double colonnades cut through the city at right angles, four massive pedestals still marking the point of intersection. The best known Gerasa was a Greek city nearly forty miles southeast of the lake (modern village of Khersa, on the east shore of the lake. 17, pp. As soon as Jesus disembarked from the boat that carried him here, a man possessed by demons approached, shrieking and falling before him. Over his son GAD he said: "Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last." Now WHERE in the New Testament do you remember hearing about something like a 'troop'? And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to depart from them; for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat, and returned (Luke 8:35-37). 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. The pagan religions continued among the Gentile population as is evidenced by the ruins of the temple of Artemis. 9:10-17. As has been said before, look for Satans man behind the pulpit. Matthew, Mark, and Luke were writing of the same general area. 3. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. 127 The view of Greek philosophy was that these were the spirits of those who lived in the Golden Age. No rage. Luke 8:26 They arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. By your Spirit, help me to welcome you into my life, all of you. It was significant. 111 Edersheim maintains that it must have been late the same night of the storm: Most writers have, indeed, suggested, that the healing of the demonized on the other side took place at early dawn of the day following the storm on the lake. Holiness hurts! The before and after descriptions of the demoniac reveal that he was a totally different person under demonic influence. The exercising of authority over demons, in the land under another god, was a message. During the time of Christ, the ten cities of Decapolis and the surrounding region were inhabited mostly by Gentiles, not Jews, and the area had a strong Greek influence. 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. You should not suggest in any way that The High Calling or Theology of Work endorses you or your use of the work. The destructive desires of the demons were dramatically carried out in the drowning of the swine. In the King James Version it is called the country of the Gadarenes in Mark and Luke, and of the Gergesenes in Matthew. city in Pal. Spam, December 19 2016 And now, with the demons gone, nothing he had ever experienced came close to the safety and peace he felt simply being near Jesus. The gospels. Even in our sophisticated times, there is an intense interest in the supernatural and the occult. A Jewish exorcist with such authority in the region, risked to damage the beliefs and reputation of the local pagan inhabitants. There was no such danger in Perea, and thus the mercy of the Lord was to be heralded. On Girard's account, then, the uneasy truce that the Gaderenes and the demoniac had worked out was that the evil power in him was contained and thereby neutralized. Jesus, Go Away! He himself earnestly desired to stay with Jesus, knowing that Jesus had saved him an otherwise completely hopeless and unremediable condition. As to the candidate for the location of the Gospel event, the most common consensus[weaselwords] is that the miracle took place near the town of Gergesa, the modern Kursi, close by the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and therefore in the country of Gergesenes. tar command with and without --absolute-names option. Here is where Satan can use a man to influence scores of people, blinding minds and hearts to the truths of the Word of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). Journal of the American Academy of Religion, XLIX(4), 567588; Burdon, Christopher. [9], The revealing of the demon's name has parallels with other examples in Jewish exorcism lore in the Second Temple period. Did they open their hearts to hear the good news of the kingdom of God? Finally, there is in demon possession a counterpart to the filling (or control) of the Holy Spirit. Those demons were terrified of Him! To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader.
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