There probably were not many who had been told yet of the Messiah, and so were not yet believers. 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. The best human analogy might be in the area of drug abuse. How ironic, as others have noted, that the tormentor pleads not to be tormented. First of all the Scriptures do not say that the local Pagans were afraid of Jesus, but that they merely begged him to leave their neighbourhood. They greatly desire to enter and control a physical body, whereby they may reflect their character and attributes. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25), Highlights in the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ. If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. No one was strong enough to subdue him (verses 3,4). 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? By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. What purposes did Mark intend to achieve by the inclusion of this event? about a.d. 65. A noise made them all turn back toward the hill. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. 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. 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. Here the slopes descend swiftly almost into the sea, and animals, once started on the downward run, could not avoid plunging into the depths. Spam, Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army, Raised Lutheran MD former Family Physician. 2,8) who can possess men and animals. The tomb-man from Gadara looked up at Jesus again. 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. 22ff. November's featured resource is an Advent poem that John Piper delivered in 1993 at Bethlehem titled "The Gadarene." In the third chapter of Marks Gospel, our Lords miraculous works were attributed by His opponents to the power of Satan (verse 22). If we had a video livestream of a clock being sent to Mars, what would we see? Did they cease to exist? This was a federation of ten cities (deka = ten, polis = city). Gerasa was rebuilt in splendor and remained prosperous for several centuries. But for most of us, the world and the flesh are all that are necessary to cause us to stumble. No! 1), and apparently occupied these cities with Jewish patriots. 14ff. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. However, the point was clearly made; Jesus, the Son of God, has power over all things, including the powers of darkness. The sons of god ended up becoming the gods of these nations. [ a] 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 0 Responses But from all of the Gospel accounts, I get the distinct impression that this mans eyes were riveted on Jesus. "[15], The story is the origin of the English proverbial adjective Gadarene, meaning "involving or engaged in a headlong or potentially disastrous rush to do something".[16]. The differing geographical references to Gadara and Gerasa can be understood in light of the social, economic, and political influence each city exerted over the region. But, the pigs were a part of their economic wealth. Thank you for your interest in supporting CARM. Why was God angry with Balaam for going with the Moabites. 8:28-29 but only one is Mk. Let me say as graciously as I can, Satan does not need to work on us in those areas as we are doing very well without his exploitation. This fact probably accounts for the presence of a large herd of swine near Gadara when Jesus visited that region to heal the demon-possessed men (Matthew 8:30-33; Mark 5:1-17). The Response of the People - Mt. We greatly appreciate your consideration! Jewish theology, at least on this point, seems consistent with biblical revelation. May the Spirit of God be so evident in us that men may see God in our lives. 21,22). Some were already hurrying back toward the city. Having been properly warned of the demonic underworld, let us not fall into the opposite error of absolute paranoia. He was sitting at Jesus feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane (8:35), thus serving as a vivid demonstration of the saving, healing power of Jesus. Theologian Tom Wright calls him "the first apostle to the gentiles". GERASA, GERASENES ( , ). The spectrum ranges from those who seem to control the demonic powers to those who are utterly controlled by them. God has commisioned us to work and create, to develop the resources he has given us and share with those in need. Their mitigated violence is an ineffective protest. First let us see what the Sacred Texts says: The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. They had dealt with Legion (I suspect) by forcing him from their presence. Gergesa, Gerasa, or Gadara? He pleaded with Jesus not to be tormented. You could hear alarm in their voices. The pig tenders reported it far and wide, in city and country (verse 14). 8). Image by (no date), The Fourfold Gospel (Cincinnati, OH: Standard). Bible Map: Gerasa Thank you for all of the ways you have delivered meand still are delivering me. Whatever witchcraft Jesus possessed, they wanted it far away from them. At this distance from the Sea of Galilee, Gerasa could not have been the site of the healing of Legion. It is doubtful that Jesus ever visited it. 606-607. So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. [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. Normal relationships are reversed. Also, frequently associated with demon possession was a super-human strength (cf. It was a leading city of Syria in commerce, culture, and religion. And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them. So, they asked Him to leave. As Jesus began to get back into the boat, the delivered demoniac pleaded with Him that he might accompany Him. It opens our eyes to a world that is largely unknown and frankly unsettling. It was conquered by the Moslems in the time of Omar (Guy le Strange, Palestine under the Moslems, 462). 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. If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at [emailprotected], by Matt Slick | Apr 13, 2023 | Bible Studies. Obviously the writer, Luke, is intending to write a history of Jesus Christ that proves that He . He had only known Jesus for a few hours, but had already determined to be Jesus' disciple for life. 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. That would be a strong message, by allowing them to be possessed and then drowned. get to know the Bible better! Vote Up Here in Mark, he purposely set out to travel into another land. 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. 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. 4.1K views, 50 likes, 28 loves, 154 comments, 48 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from 7th District AME Church: Thursday Morning Opening Session Second (and primarily), Mark employs this event to authenticate the claims of Jesus to be the Son of God and Israels Messiah. Country of the Gerasenes: The town itself is not named in Scripture, and is referred to only in the expression, "country of the Gerasenes" ( Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26,37; see Westcott and Hort, The New Testament in Greek, Appendix, 11). is there such a thing as "right to be heard"? The house that is left swept and clean is a likely target for Satanic influence (cf. The miracle of Gerasa reverses the universal schema of violence fundamental to all societies of the world. 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. The gospels. 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. Why were the people of Gerasene afraid of the presence of Jesus? The Secret behind Jesus Healing the Gerasene Demoniac Gerasa, Gerasenes - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Gateway This makes sense, I couldn't believe they asked Jesus to leave. The story appears in the three Synoptic Gospels, but not the Gospel of John. As Jesus got out of the boat, a madman from the cemetery came up to him. Albert Barnes explained the difference between Gadara and Gerasa: Gadara was a city not far from the Lake Gennesareth, one of the ten cities that were called Decapolis. The Gadarenes' Rejection | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals at The demons beg Jesus not to send them away, but instead to send them into the pigs on a nearby hillside, which he does. On one level, they may have been afraid that Jesus would send their herds into the sea. And, Gerasene was one. In this account we, by inference, learn much about the demonic spirits. Matt. 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. Archeology. Is there an obvious reason why we read of two demoniacs in Matt. They were instructed to keep quiet about what Jesus had done for them (cf. The reference could hardly be to the better known Gerasa (Jerash) between thirty and forty miles southeast from the lake. Now' as to the pigs (an unclean animal, so you know Jesus wasnt in Israel! He was used to seeing fear in their eyes. 22, xvii. The time of this event was before Jesus' crucifixion, and before the gentiles were grafted in to the promise (Acts 10). 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. It only takes a minute to sign up. Metzger, Bruce M. (1975 corrected edition), A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (New York, NY: United Bible Societies). As soon as Jesus disembarked from the boat that carried him here, a man possessed by demons approached, shrieking and falling before him. [10], It has been widely accepted by scholars that several motifs throughout the account refer to the Roman legion. Once a menace to society, now a messenger with words of deliverance and healing. [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. Textual variations have compounded the problem. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. Holiness hurts! You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. That the World May Know | A Far Country Decapolis If he can break the death-grip Satan once had on us and set us free, then he can redeem the places of our former slavery and make them showcases of God's omnipotent grace. Or are we saying, in effect, Jesus, go away!? Pastor John gets to the heart and offers practical suggestions for growing in evangelism. Thats just westernised interpretation which simply doesnt work when interpretating a Jewish book. That is why he was living in the solitude of the tombs, away from civilization. In the Gospel of Mark, why does Jesus heal this blind man twice? 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. 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.
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