Here in this Gentile land, we meet the man known as the demoniac. For people within such a system of values Jesus, by this act, has defied the forces of the Gentile world and exorcised the Gentile land. The sea was a place a danger, an abode of demonic powers. The one stationed in Palestine had a boar on its standard. ‘Legion’ was not a term meaning many, but a designation for one of Rome’s armies.
Cemeteries were the abode of spirits, to be avoided in darkness. This was a miracles to the Gentile world and the audience of Luke’s gospel would know that… Just notice the characteristics of the story: “Pigs are unclean animals.
This miracle took place in Gentile territory, not the place for devout Jews. They wake Jesus up in a panic and Jesus calms the storm.Īnd as they arrive on the shore, they are now in Gentile territory…. While on the lake, Jesus falls asleep in the boat and the disciples are left to deal with the sailing when a tremendous storm hits the lake and they begin to panic. Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.īut one of the important elements of the text happens before verse 26: We come to the story as Jesus and his disciples were traveling throughout the region, teaching and healing and he decided that they should go across the lake to the other side. So, in order to do that, we need to understand the story in its own context: So we start with the text, from Luke chapter 8. Today, I’d like to bring the story into our time, into our context, to try and understand it from where we stand, from our own unique interpretations, to see the gift of healing in a new way. That man was lucky.” And we keep the story isolated in its own bubble. One of the challenges of bible study is that we tend to examine all the details of the event as keep the story in its time and place, in its own context and leave it there. A gift of physical healing for a needy soul. Many of these miracles we studied were healings – times when those with illness and desperation approach Jesus and removes the disease, the illness, the pain, bleeding or fever instantly, without requirement, payment or consequence.
Our Wednesday Bible Study has just finished a study of the Miracles of Jesus, examining the various ways Jesus shows and shares his divine power with others.