"I am afraid of Trump on a very personal level because I don't think he likes me. He obviously attracted crowds. It hit them hard in the pocketbook. 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. Flavius Josephus and Steve Mason, Flavius Josephus: Life of Josephus (Boston; Leiden: Brill, 2003), 47. So who was afraid? The pig shepherds had gone and spread the news of what had happened all around. The time of this event was before Jesus' crucifixion, and before the gentiles were grafted in to the promise (Acts 10). Accordingly this was not merely an ordinary form of mental disease as some writers have alleged, but a special phenomenon which was particularly frequent during Jesus earthly sojourn and thus was directly connected with His coming to destroy the power of darkness. 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). Sign-up for E-NewsletterGet Register Updates sent daily or weeklyto your inbox. Mark 5:16 says the thoughts of the people were on the swine. 37Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. 120 The request is in both cases the same; for, according to Jewish notions, certain countries being assigned to evil as well as to good spirits, whose limits they were unable to overpass, to be sent out of their own country, no other being open to them, implied being sent into the abyss, or bottomless pit, since that remains for them alone. Trench, Miracles , p. 101. Spam. November 2017 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. The Secret behind Jesus Healing the Gerasene Demoniac 3 When the centurion 2 heard about Jesus, c he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his . Earles comments are helpful: The difference in names for the destination on the east side of the take has caused considerable comment. Second, while the death of the pigs is clearly an economic loss for the owner, Jesus is illustrating the infinite value of human life. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known. Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. 14). Verse 1. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known.. Its important to note that this was the first demonstration of Jesuss authority outside of Canaan. 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). (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. (1) Severe personality change. Dr. Thomson discovered on the eastern shore the ruins of a village called Khersa. My office mate of several years back was interrupted by a young and very zealous new Christian teacher accompanied by a student from whom she wanted my friend to cast out a demon. Neither is it only a kind of physical disease, although spiritual and physical disease often accompany it (e.g. No matter who you are. When once he was an instrument of Satanic opposition against the Messiah, now he is a witness to His power. Gadara, though not directly named in Scripture, was part of the Decapolis. December 2014 Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac in Luke 8 | Psephizo That is why the inhabitants of the area are referred to variously in different Bible manuscripts as Gergasenes, Gadarenes, or Gerasenes. Like it or not, demons and demonic activity are likely to become much more of a concern to you in days to come. EWTN News, Inc. is the worlds largest Catholic news organization, comprised of television, radio, Why is there a voltage on my HDMI and coaxial cables? 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). Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. February 2016 March 2017 Both Gerasa and Gadara were cities to the east of the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan. If Jesus had that kind of power, then He could not be controlled. The US Congress is currently debating whether TikTok should be banned for everyone in the US, not just government officials. 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. March 2021 We should know from other Scriptures that our present spiritual experience is one of spiritual warfare. Is it a bug? Why did the Gerasenes become afraid when they saw that the - Reddit EIN 27-4581132 Whenever a man, woman, or child surrenders control of himself either to fleshly desires (anger, lust, passion, etc.) We're no longer publishing the comic strip 'Dilbert.' Here's why Legion of Demons - NeverThirsty Afraid of Jesus? | Sermons | College Park Church Winthrop Congregational Church, UCC No matter who you are. especially fn. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine . 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. He seemed to view Jesus approach as the launching of a direct attack on the demonic forces. When Jesus asked the demoniac his name, it was not without significance for He was, I believe, asking the demons to reveal their identity. He could just as easily commanded them to return to the deepest, darkest pit of Hell. Jesus asked a sick man if he wanted to get well. They found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. The typical explanation for the petition of the residents that Christ leave their country is that they were motivated by materialistic considerations. 125 This is the position of Lane, Mark, p. 187. Order Bulk SubscriptionsGet a discount on 6 or more copies sent to your parish, organization August 2016 May 2015 16ff., xix. The Lord granted the only request of these residents, which was for Him to leave. 2,8) who can possess men and animals. . Afraid of Jesus | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at Ligonier.org 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. 123 1. NEW STAR WARS MERCH PAGE: https://bit.ly/3baWVZv For all sponsorship and business inquiries please contact: thestupendousscrub@gmail.com NEW CHANNEL: https:/. Luke 7 - And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." | ESV.org The spectrum ranges from those who seem to control the demonic powers to those who are utterly controlled by them. No! I have always wondered what my Christian brothers had to say to the police officers by way of explanation. You are welcome here. When you get a chance, please take the, We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. Asked October 24 2014 They all say country of (in the sense of region, not nation). in 1971. 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! Though Legion bowed before Jesus (verse 6), it was no act of worship (as the King James Version would seem to indicate). Why is this even an issue, I wonder? Follow Up: struct sockaddr storage initialization by network format-string, How do you get out of a corner when plotting yourself into a corner, Movie with vikings/warriors fighting an alien that looks like a wolf with tentacles. This makes sense, I couldn't believe they asked Jesus to leave. Yet, conversely, the known can be just as scaryif not more. 36 Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. The commission of our Lord is considerably different from His instructions to the Israelites whom He had delivered. 184-185. And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus: and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts. As He had landed with His disciples He had been confronted with a demon-possessed man - a man that no one had been able to control. 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. On the other hand, Gadara is only six miles from the southern tip of the lake and could easily have given its name to the district. The country of the Gadarenes (Gergesenes) is one of the few areas Jesus visited where Gentiles (non-Jews) composed the majority of the population. 2). It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126. More than this, however, is the fact that the mans own identity and individuality were swallowed up by the demons with him. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs In Gerasenes Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? NET Bible Then all the people of the Gerasenes and the surrounding region asked Jesus to leave them alone, for they were seized with great fear. verse 5). 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. At first we may deceive ourselves into thinking that we are controlling them, but the ultimate likelihood is that they will master us. The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. 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. Ridiculous? 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. Gergesa - Wikipedia One is to disbelieve in their existence. Now they were delivered and ready to be productive members of society. Welcome to Biblical Hermeneutics! Jude 6), no longer to afflict men or resist God. September 2020 Ed, Issue 46, Winter 2023, Highlights in the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ. April 2018 4, p. 180. Jesus had simply sailed across the Lake of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. So they refer to Gerasenes. The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. November 2014. Jesus asked some crazy questions like "Why are you afraid?" To date they have failed to respond in any way. Where it falls apart for me is why the Bellonas, knowing that only one person is allowed to survive each duel, take the defeat so personally. Why were the Romans afraid of the Christians? - Sage-Answers "And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes round about asked him to depart from them, for they were holden with great fear: and he entered into a bo." Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. Sometime after the Lord Jesus miraculously calmed the storm, the ship landed, perhaps late in the evening,111 on the other side of the lake in the country of the Gerasenes.112 If, indeed, it was late at night, the scene must have been an eerie one, with the nerves of the disciples already worn thin by the terrifying experience of the storm.