Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon
Jesus came to Gerasenes and found a demon possessed man. He was very strong and couldn't be shackled by anyone, he would break free. He saw Jesus and asked him to help, he said "my name is legion for we are many". He saw a herd of pigs and asked to be sent to them. Jesus gave permission and the spirits entered the pigs and then drowned themselves. People saw what happened and were scared and asked Jesus to leave. The healed man went around telling what Jesus had done for them, and everyone marveled.
Something I find a little confusing about this, people who saw what Jesus did were afraid, but people who heard about it later marveled. I feel like this says something but I don't know what it is.
It seems strange to me that the demons are so desperate to kill themselves. Are the possessing the guy on accident? Did they get put in there by someone else and they are stuck? How is this supposed to have worked? This story is just strange.
One last thing, this story in Matthew has two people, not just one. Seems like a fairly important detail to me.
Jesus Heals a Woman and Jairus's Daughter
Jesus came to a new place and Jairus came to him and asked him to come to his house and heal his daughter. On the way, a woman who had been sick for 12 years touched Jesus' garments which she believed would cure her. It did, and Jesus felt the power that healed her go out of him and he asked who touched him. She was scared but told him the whole truth, and he said that her faith made her well.
Very minor difference between this and the Matthew 9 version, in this version she is healed first then Jesus notices, in the Matthew version she is healed before he is even aware of her. I feel like this is something that 2 different witnesses could see differently. On the other hand, it does make a difference and if it was divinely inspired they should be able to get it right.
While they are on the way to the first girl that he was going to heal, someone says that she is dead and there is no reason to bother Jesus now. Jesus heard this and went anyway, he asked why everyone was crying since the girl was not dead but asleep. They laugh at him, but he went to the girl and told her to get up and she did.
I still don't know why he said she is just asleep. Was she supposed to be dead or not? Is he saying effectively, "she isn't dead anymore."?
I don't really have much more to contribute for this chapter. You have most of the same differences that I do.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame the town for asking him to leave after the pig "incident." Their lives were dependent on livestock I'm sure. As we will see later in Luke 8:30-31, it says "into the deep" but here he drives them out of the country.
With the last story, it really appears that the doctors not only were unable to help her, but made her even worse. While medicine was a joke by today's standards, it was only her faith that made her better. Even 1500+? years later, doctors were bloodletting. This can be a dangerous message. I think about reading about children who die unnecessarily because their parents won't take them to seek medical attention because their particular interpretation of the bible does not allow them to do so. It makes me physically sick.
interesting points, you are right, the pigs getting killed would screw up their livelihood, I hadn't really thought about that aspect of it. I don't follow what you are saying about luke 8, it seems like in that story they get put into the pigs and drown just like the others.
ReplyDeleteYou also make an interesting point about the doctors of the time doing harm. Could it be that at the time, it was actually better to have faith (in other words, do nothing and let the body heal itself) than to go to doctors. If it ever had utility the time have certainly passed.
Sorry I wasn't really clear lol. In Mark, he says that the pigs are driven out of town. In Luke, he says that they were "driven into the deep." I always remember as a kid the Luke version, where they drowned themselves. I guess daemons are just so crazy and evil they will kill anything they no longer need. *shrugs shoulders*
ReplyDeleteI actually hadn't thought about a doctor being worse than no doctor at all back then. Touche..
In Mark 5:10 the demons "begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country"
ReplyDeleteBut in verse 13 they drown just like the other versions
13 "So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the sea."
>_< You are totally right.. I must have been confused when making my notes. Thanks for the fact check :)
ReplyDelete