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. v. 37) describe Jesus' healing of the demoniac "Legion" and . What do I do about calling a priest father at my Catholic University? P.S. Ewing. But notice, even though Jesus permitted them to enter the swine, they were unable to overcome their evil impulses and drove the swine over the cliff to their death. A few men went on to survey the dead floating herd. The ruins are wide and imposing and are better preserved than any others on the East of Jordan. 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. Jesus allows the fleeing evil spirits to enter a herd of pigs which promptly run into the sea and drown. Rather, they attributed the power of Jesus to Satan (Mark 3:22). xiii. We read at Mk 5:14-17 (NRSVCE), the immediate after-effects of the driving out of evil spirits by Jesus at Gerasene by allowing them to enter pigs: The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. 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. AMP - In contrast, the people of Gerasene are asking him to leave their place. Other demoniacs described in Scripture were bent on self-destruction as well (cf. 123 1. Immediately, the pigs ran into the lake. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. It had nothing to do the farmers losing revenue - at all. The exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac (Matthew 8.28-34; Mark 5.1-20; Luke 8.26-39), frequently known as the Miracle of the (Gadarene) Swine and the exorcism of Legion, is one of the miracles performed by Jesus according to the New Testament. e.g., Matt. (3) Spiritual insight. The King James Version in (Matthew 8:28) has the location as "Gergesenes" which corresponds to the modern "Kursi" (Kheras), the most plausible location of the Gospel event. No men would have written in this manner but those who were acquainted with the facts (1949, p. 91). When you get a chance, please take the, New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI, Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition, Does Jesus show compassion to demons in Mark 5:12-13. And, lastly, this would allow sufficient time for those miracles which took place on that second day in Capernaum after His return thither. He was used to seeing fear in their eyes. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. Gerasa; Gerasenes - Meaning and Verses in Bible Encyclopedia Now they would deal with this One greater than he by doing likewise. So, they asked Him to leave. Be my Lord! The drowning of these pigs has caused a great deal of discussion amongst Bible students, for as a friend of mine once observed, Thats a lot of pork chops! Had our Lord achieved such a miracle today He would have been in deep trouble. 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. So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. 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! In the Gospel of Mark, why does Jesus heal this blind man twice? Even in our sophisticated times, there is an intense interest in the supernatural and the occult. What is the significance of the Sea of Galilee in the Bible? ger'-a-sa, ger'-a-senz (Gerasa; Gerasenon): 1. The crowd's murmuring crescendoed into anxious pleas: "Please leave! A small crowd of people was approaching, with the pig herdsmen leading the way. 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. Contrasting the self-destruction of the herd of pigs with the typical motif of an individual evil-doer being pushed over a cliff by an undifferentiated mob (cf. These, however, are not the problem raised by Bible students. While the Jews had not denied the works of Jesus were supernatural, they had declined to admit they established His deity. But what does that look like practically? This location agrees with the description given by the ancient writers. And those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. This is when the storm arose which threatened to destroy the ship (Mark 4:35-41). Following Jesus with you wherever he calls. Horoscopes and astrological predictions are found in most major newspapers. Can devils entreat in such a manner any highest of angels, be he Michael, Gabriel or Raphael, or any greatest cherub or seraph? Far from this, He had stormed the gates of Hell and prevailed. The pig tenders reported it far and wide, in city and country (verse 14). It indicates full and permanent control. Jesus' visits to the Decapolis can help us understand some aspects of his ministry that would not be as clear if they had occurred in Jerusalem, Capernaum, or some other "orthodox" Jewish site. This was a region east of the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River. One day we will see the Lord face-to-face and enjoy His presence forever. 1 Response A noise made them all turn back toward the hill. 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. With these, however, the Gerasenes dealt mercifully, letting such as wished go free, and escorting them to the border (BJ, II, xviii, 1, 5). 0 Responses Pigs were seen as unclean animals in the eyes of the people of Israel. Demonized individuals are not to be viewed so much as a pigeon hole category, as they are a continuem. 1 Response Jesus' power was clean, holy. how many times did jesus go to gerasenes There is, as we know, the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood. The triumphal arch to the South of the city is almost entire. Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. But Jesus told him to go back. Then the SPCA would have been up in arms over such cruelty to animals. Luke 8:26-38 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (). (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. It should also be observed that nowhere in the Old Testament (except in I Sam. Some have suggested that the words Gergesenes and Gerasenes are not words referring to people from a city other than Gadara, but merely different variations of the word Gadarenes (Youngblood, p. 468; McGarvey, p. 344). Vote Up The story appears to be set close to the Sea of Galilee, since it takes place as soon as Jesus gets out of the boat, but neither Gadara nor Gerasa is nearby; both cities are southeast of the lake, Gadara 10km away or a two-hour walking distance, and Gerasa well over twice as far. He shivered at the disturbing memory. From this it is clear that demon-possession is a phenomenon which occurred almost exclusively, but then to be sure on an amazing scale, during Jesus appearance on earth and to a lesser extent during the activity of the apostles. For years the tomb-man, this one-man barracks of a thousand devils, had terrorized them. This incident in the Gerasenes requires some entry understanding. He did not appear to rush upon the small group of men to attack them (as he would normally have done), but rather to plead with Jesus. Luke 8:26 They arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. Declare how much God has done for you. Are there things that perplex you? Yet how did the Gerasene people respond? 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. An excellent account of the ruins is given in Thomson's LB, III, 558.There is nothing above ground of older date than the 2nd and 3rd centuries of our era; but there is no reason to doubt that the Greek city of Gerasa stood on the same site. Once naked, he is now clothed. (Jos. 1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. Why typically people don't use biases in attention mechanism? Bible Map: Gerasa Contributors: Mark D. Roberts Published by The High Calling, March 11, 2011. You are being sent because there are other tomb-people to free. If we put ourselves in their place, and use empathy to feel how we might have reacted if we were confronted with the loss of our next year's source of feeding our families, it will be easier to understand that they were afraid to suffer any other loss that might result if Jesus stayed in their area. Though Legion bowed before Jesus (verse 6), it was no act of worship (as the King James Version would seem to indicate). The pagan religions continued among the Gentile population as is evidenced by the ruins of the temple of Artemis. The demoniac further evidenced demon activity by the depth of his spiritual insight. When addressed, the person was the mouthpiece of the demon (such as Legion, Mark 5:9). 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.