The ego is so impaired that the spirits speak through him. 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. We should know from other Scriptures that our present spiritual experience is one of spiritual warfare. It is almost 20 miles from Amman (Philadelphia), and 22 from Fahil (Pella). November's featured resource is an Advent poem that John Piper delivered in 1993 at Bethlehem titled "The Gadarene." First let us see what the Sacred Texts says: The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. The Gospel of Luke's version (Luke 8:2639) is shorter than Mark's, but agrees with most of its details. xx. 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. Mark 5:1-20,Luke 8:26-39 NIV - Jesus Restores a Demon - BibleGateway Journal of the American Academy of Religion, XLIX(4), 567588; Burdon, Christopher. For less than $5/mo. 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. 606-607. At times, my honest prayer might be: Lord, yes, do in me the things I want you to do. The ruins also show evidence of a dozen churches, dating in the Byzantine period (4th-7th centuries) indicating that this once was a large Christian community. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. Luke 8:26-38 They sailed on to the country of the Gerasenes, directly Like it or not, demons and demonic activity are likely to become much more of a concern to you in days to come. To the evildoer, anonymity is always preferable to identification. This man demonstrated all four characteristics. Lane, Mark, p. 182, fn. I realize that opening myself fully to you threatens my comfortable status quo. [4], The Gospel of Matthew shortens the story dramatically (Matthew 8:2834) and writes not of one possessed man, but of two. The Maniac Who Became a Missionary, Part 1. Romans 9:19-23). QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: How do you respond to this story in Luke? There seems to be no excuse here for the charge of contradiction. The ruins of the town are not considerable; but there are remains of a strong wall which must have surrounded the place. Gerasa was rebuilt in splendor and remained prosperous for several centuries. If it is a feminine spirit, the voice will be a feminine one, if masculine then very manly. The site is identified today with the town of Kersa, or Gersa, just below Wadi es-Samak. The pagan religions continued among the Gentile population as is evidenced by the ruins of the temple of Artemis. People try to make Jesus king; he walks on sea; heals many. Image by Journeys of Jesus: Capernaum to Gadara - SDG Games It was a leading city of Syria in commerce, culture, and religion. At the side of Kersa the shore is level, and there are no tombs. Modern Jerash lies on both banks of Wady Jerash, about 6 miles from its confluence with Wady ez-Zerqa (the Jabbok). A Jewish exorcist with such authority in the region, risked to damage the beliefs and reputation of the local pagan inhabitants. xii. What does 'They're at four. He actually wanted to keep his clothes on. 112 Skeptics and liberals have made much of the differences between the Gospel writers as to the place Jesus landed with His disciples. 115 While Mark and Luke describe only one demoniac, Matthew informs us that there were two. [citation needed]. History:The great and splendid city in the Decapolis is first mentioned as taken after a siege by Alexander Janneus, 85 B.C. But for most of us, the world and the flesh are all that are necessary to cause us to stumble. The thought of returning there conjures up fears of our old demons and the people who knew us as we were back then.
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