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why were the gerasenes afraid
It was greatly influenced by Greek culture.126. 14). The Gadarenes was the place where Jesus confronted a man whose possession by demons gave him a level of superhuman strength like Samson (Mark 5:3 - 5, Luke 8:27). He was received into the Catholic Church in 1991. The region was known also as the Decopolis because ten Greek cities were located in the region. June 2017 Smiths Bible Dictionary provides what I find to be a quite plausible explanation (not special pleading at all), and analogous to how we still use place names today: These three names are used indiscriminately to designate the place where Jesus healed two demoniacs. A land that was essentially under another god (lower case g). For those who are shaken like leaves in the wind at the mention of demons, let us remember from this story that demons cannot even possess pigs without prior permission from our Lord. 10). Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. They look forward to their future with great dread. The region and polygon don't match. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. As we pass from this section to the next, let us not end on the note of the death of the pigs, but on the deliverance of the demoniac. Preisker, TWNT IV (1942), pp. Men and women (as well as children) were demonized in that they fell under the influence of these unclean spirits. Second, while the death of the pigs is clearly an economic loss for the owner, Jesus is illustrating the infinite value of human life. Here is one of the few times that a miracle drove people away, rather than to draw them to Jesus. 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. 61-62. Some appeared not to be oppressed by them so much as exploiting their powers (cf. In all three instances the word is chra (Strongs word #5561). EIN 27-4581132 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. No matter what men attempted to bind him with, he broke loose. When Jesus asked the demoniac his name, it was not without significance for He was, I believe, asking the demons to reveal their identity. So he got into the boat and left., Luke 8:37, NIV, great fear [KJV] thoroughly frightened [Phillips]gripped with great fear [NASB]. 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). Another approach is to note the different intentions of the Gospel writers. monetization of National Catholic Register RSS feeds is strictly prohibited. While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. Why do people like Jesus a lot? Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. He pleaded with Jesus not to be tormented. 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. Jesus Heals a Centurion's Servant. In this context, however, he insists that legion has nothing of its usual Roman military overtones, but is the designation of numerous powers which oppose themselves to Jesus as the embodiment of the power of God. Lane, Mark, fn. Nevertheless, for consideration. In this story, we have a demon-possessed Gadarene who saw Jesus from a distance, and immediately he appeared to have felt a strong compulsion to run up to Jesus and bow down before him. 13; Luke iv. Thanks for contributing an answer to Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange! Why are trials on "Law & Order" in the New York Supreme Court? As an alternative to confinement, the demons posed the option of being permitted to enter the pigs, some 2,000 in number, feeding nearby. As I have been studying this account through the week, it has seemed to me a rather bizarre and remote situation, the liberation of this Gerasene demoniac. September 2021 Although it is likely that the larger towns of Galilee were predominantly Gentile, as was the Decapolis, the first-century civilian diet did not . No matter where you are on life's journey. 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. 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. January 2017 In contrast, the people of Gerasene are asking him to leave their place. November 2015 Dave Armstrong Dave Armstrong is a full-time Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981. Jesus has lead me away from my old life. Jesus deserves the benefit of the doubt even when we don't have all the facts. 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. 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. 116 As Lane observes this title Son of the Most High God, is not a messianic designation but a divine one. Lane, Mark, p. 133, cf. In any event, I love defending the Bible and Christianity. The demons freak out that Jesus is there because it's not time for them to be tormented by Him yet. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. August 2016 People who have no appr Fallen people reject God not because they do not know His power. 36 Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 16, x. August 2017 Satans most useful instrument is the outstanding, outwardly moral and upright religious man, whose good deeds are done independently of God. His website/blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, has been online since March 1997. The Truth is Jesus is a safe Person Who loves them, values them, wants their best and will never force Himself on them. The entire population of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them because they were seized with great fear. All of this sure seems perfectly consistent with calling the same area the country (chra) of either the Gerasenes or the Gadarenes, after the two major cities. When addressed, the person was the mouthpiece of the demon (such as Legion, Mark 5:9). That is why the inhabitants of the area are referred to variously in different Bible manuscripts as Gergasenes, Gadarenes, or Gerasenes. It might be better to hide behind masks than risk being hurt again After all, if God rejects youwhere else can you go? Instead, they reject Him because all they know is His power and purity. Instead of opening themselves up to Jesus and receiving His love and forgiveness, they allowed fear to drive a wedge between them. I think all these attempts to harmonize what may at first seem like a contradiction are plausible, respectable, and adequate. Mark 5:16 says the thoughts of the people were on the swine. This incident in the Gerasenes requires some entry understanding. It is something like the behavior and personality change in a man who is totally intoxicated. July 2022 How Can a Person Get Rid of Evil Spirits. Dr. Thomson discovered on the eastern shore the ruins of a village called Khersa. February 2015 But from all of the Gospel accounts, I get the distinct impression that this mans eyes were riveted on Jesus. Spam. Sproul says in his commentary on Mark, When the Holy One is manifest in the midst of unholy people, the only appropriate human response is dread.. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. 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). December 2021 And, it can not be understood properly out of this context. Do roots of these polynomials approach the negative of the Euler-Mascheroni constant? In that case, of course, it would be in the early morning that the Gerasenes afterwards resorted to Jesus and that He again returned to Capernaum. The whole story is a myth. In Acts 8:1 we have the regions of Judaea and Samaria (KJV), and in Acts 16:6, Galatia alone. Was it fear that a secret sin might be exposed? And Jesus, being a Gentleman, was not about to force Himself on them. The confrontation between the powers of heaven and hell are nowhere seen in better perspective than in Marks account of the encounter of the Gerasene demoniac with our Lord Jesus Christ. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known. This is when the storm arose which threatened to destroy the ship (Mark 4:35-41). Their influence and control leads to untold agony and destruction. The US Congress is currently debating whether TikTok should be banned for everyone in the US, not just government officials. So he got into the boat and left. August 2015 Textual variations have compounded the problem. Christians are to be the answer, but often they are part of the problem. They would have to trust Jesus. It became one of the proudest cities of Syria. It was situated some 30 miles southeast of Gadara, on the borders of Peraea and a little north of the river Jabbok. The religious rulers hated Jesus for exposing their hypocrisy and feared the consequences His actions might have with Rome, but they were not afraid of Jesus as a Person. The man, who was naked when he saw Jesus, had the added ability of enduring both freezing and sweltering temperatures as well as pain he inflicted upon himself! The time of this event was before Jesus' crucifixion, and before the gentiles were grafted in to the promise (Acts 10). 18). We see the first reaction to this in the storm MARK 4:7 And a great windstorm arose [snip]. But for most of us, the world and the flesh are all that are necessary to cause us to stumble. (it should be added that Plummer himelf does not hold to any of these views.). In the form of tongues as of fire, the Holy Spirit rests on the disciples on the morning of Pentecost and fills them with himself. (CCC 696). October 2020 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. As Jesus began to get back into the boat, the delivered demoniac pleaded with Him that he might accompany Him. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. . 110 C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters (New York: The Macmillan Co., 1971), p. 3. The passage in Daniel especially suggests specific geographical boundaries within which spirit beings must abide.
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