Marcos 5
J.C. Ryle · Citado em PreceptAustin
Marcos 5
Ryle comments that "Prodigious muscular strength has often been remarked as accompanying some cases of mania." I am not sure what Ryle means here -- do these cases of mania with superhuman strength suggest a superhuman source? I am not sure.
Marcos 5
Ryle - Let us mark/// the absolute power which the Lord Jesus Christ possesses over Satan. We are told that he “commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man,” whose miserable condition we have just head described. At once the unhappy sufferer was healed. The “many devils” by whom he had been possessed were compelled to leave him. Nor is this all. Cast forth from their abode in the man’s heart, we see these malignant spirits beseeching our Lord that He would “not torment” them, or “command them to go out into the deep,” and so confessing His supremacy over them. Mighty as they were, they plainly felt themselves in the presence of One mightier than themselves. Full of malice as they were, they could not even hurt the “swine” of the Gadarenes until our Lord granted them permission. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s dominion over the devil should be a cheering thought to all true Christians. Without it, indeed, we might well despair of salvation. To feel that we have ever near us an invisible spiritual enemy, laboring night and day to compass our destruction, would be enough to crush out every hope, if we did not know a Friend and Protector. Blessed be God! The Gospel reveals such an One. The Lord Jesus is stronger than that “strong man armed,” who is ever warring against our souls. The Lord Jesus is able to deliver us from the devil. He proved his power over him frequently when upon earth. He triumphed over him gloriously on the cross. He will never let him pluck any of His sheep out of His hand. He will one day bruise him under our feet, and bind him in the prison of hell. (Rom. 16:20; Rev. 20:1, 2.) Happy are they who hear Christ’s voice and follow Him! Satan may vex them, but he cannot really hurt them! He may bruise their heel, but he cannot destroy their souls. They shall be “more than conquerors” through Him who loved them. (Rom. 8:37.) Mark 5:9 And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” NET Mark 5:9 Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "My name is Legion, for we are many." GNT Mark 5:9 καὶ ἐπηρώτα αὐτόν, Τί ὄνομά σοι; καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ, Λεγιὼν ὄνομά μοι, ὅτι πολλοί ἐσμεν. NLT Mark 5:9 Then Jesus demanded, "What is your name?" And he replied, "My name is Legion, because there are many of us inside this man." KJV Mark 5:9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. ESV Mark 5:9 And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." NIV Mark 5:9 Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." ASV Mark 5:9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he saith unto him, My name is Legion; for we are many. CSB Mark 5:9 "What is your name?" He asked him. "My name is Legion," he answered Him, "because we are many." NKJ Mark 5:9 Then He asked him, "What is your name?" And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many." NRS Mark 5:9 Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion; for we are many." YLT Mark 5:9 and he was questioning him, 'What is thy name?' and he answered, saying, 'Legion is my name, because we are many;' NAB Mark 5:9 He asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "Legion is my name. There are many of us." NJB Mark 5:9 Then he asked, 'What is your name?' He answered, 'My name is Legion, for there are many of us.' GWN Mark 5:9 Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He told Jesus, "My name is Legion Six Thousand, because there are many of us." BBE Mark 5:9 And Jesus said, What is your name? And he made answer, My name is Legion, because there are a great number of us. What is your name: Lu 8:30 Lk 11:21-26 Legion: Mt 12:45 26:53 Mark 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passages: Luke 8:30+ And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. SOME DEMONS HAVE NAMES And He was asking him, “What is your name?” - Asked is in the imperfect tense which may reflect Christ's repeatedly asking, suggesting the demon was hesitating to disclose his identity (as if Christ did not already know!) It is interesting that in Jesus' day, the popular opinion was that one had to know the name of a demon in order to undertake exorcism successfully. Clearly that was not the case with Jesus Who had the power to expel the demon independent of the revelation of the demon's identity. Asking (1905)(eperotao from epí = an intens. + erōtáō = to ask, inquire of, beg of) in the NT means "to interrogate, inquire" (Zodhiates). Name (3686)(onoma) means that by which something or someone is called or known. Thus a name constitutes the distinctive designation of a person or thing. We use a name as little more than a distinguishing mark or label to differentiate one person from another. But in the ancient world the name signified not only the person's identity but the inherent character of the person designated by the name. Stated another way, in ancient times, one's whole character (title, reputation, person) was implied in the name. And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many” - My name is Legion seems to be the name of the "head" demon, with the implication being that he had other unclean spirits under his leadership. Notice that as is often the case in Scripture a name is followed by a description that relates to the meaning of the name (Legion...many). For example, in Ex 2:10 Pharaoh's daughter "named him Moses ("something drawn out"), and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.” Similarly, in Mt 1:21+ we read "you shall call His name Jesus ("Jehovah is Salvation"), for He will save His people from their sins." As noted below a Roman legion was about 6000 and Mk 5:13 mentions 2000 swine as the demonic "hosts." So either way, clearly there were many demons in this many! Hiebert commenting on Legion says that "As the representative of the foreign power that dominated them, the term had impressed itself upon the Jewish mind as signifying vast numbers, complex organization, invincible strength, and relentless oppression. The man was possessed by a veritable army of militant spirits." (Ibid) The use of the name Legion a common Roman military term congers up the idea of a military battle, and indeed there were two opposing forces represented, the Kingdom (and King) of light (and God) and the Kingdom of darkness (and Satan). Related Passages: Mt 12:45+ Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.” Lk 11:26+ “Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” Remember that the battle we face today as Christians is not a power struggle with the demons but a truth struggle, for Satan is the father of lies (Jn 8:44) and if the demons can shoot lying fiery missiles into our minds (cf Eph 6:16+), they can potentially deceive and delude us. This is just another reason to let the Word of Christ (daily) dwell in you richly (Col 3:16+, Lk 4:4+), so that the Spirit might use the Word of Truth to renew our mind, transform us from glory to glory and set us apart (Eph 4:23+, 2 Cor 3:18+, Jn 17:17). Legion (3003)(legion is related to a Latin loanword legio) is literally a Roman military unit of about 6,000 foot soldiers and 120 on horse, plus auxiliaries. Figuratively in the NT, as powerful supernatural forces, whether angels (Mt 26.53) or demons. " The underlying idea is that of extremely powerful demonic or angelic forces. But Jesus, as the Son of God, can drive out the demonic legion and has the angelic legions at his command." (TDNT) Vine - otherwise spelled legeon, "a legion," occurs in Matthew 26:53 , of angels; in Mark 5:9,15 , and Luke 8:30 , of demons. Among the Romans a "legion" was primarily a chosen (lego, "to choose") body of soldiers divided into ten cohorts, and numbering from 4,200 to 6,000 men (Gk. speira). In the time of our Lord it formed a complete army of infantry and cavalry, of upwards of 5,000 men. The "legions" were not brought into Judea till the outbreak of the Jewish war (A.D. 66), as they were previously employed in the frontier provinces of the Empire. Accordingly in its NT use the word has its other and more general significance "of a large number." Legion - 4x in 4v - Matt. 26:53; Mk. 5:9; Mk. 5:15; Lk. 8:30. No uses in the Septuagint. Related Resources on Legion: American Tract Society Legion Easton's Bible Dictionary Legion Fausset Bible Dictionary Legion Holman Bible Dictionary Legion Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Legion Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Legion Kitto - Legion Wikipedia Roman Legion Question: "What does it mean that the name of the demon was Legion?" Answer: In Mark 5, Jesus visits the region of the Gerasenes and is immediately confronted by a demon-possessed man who lived among the tombs, cut himself with stones, and could not be kept in captivity (Mark 5:1–5). When Jesus asked the demon what its name was, the demon replied, “My name is Legion . . . for we are many” (verse 9). In common usage, a legion was the largest unit in the Roman army. At that time, a legion averaged about 5,000 fighting men, though it could have thousands more or fewer. So the term legion refers to any large number of beings; a multitude. When the demon in Mark 5 said that its name was Legion, it meant that the demoniac of the Gerasenes was possessed by a large number of unclean spirits. Scripture does not say exactly how many demons comprised the Legion within the man. However, when Jesus cast them out, they entered a herd of pigs feeding nearby. Legion caused the pigs to rush down a hillside and into the sea, where they were all drowned (Mark 5:13). The number of pigs killed was “about two thousand.” That detail suggests that Legion was composed of about two thousand demons. The large number of demons may account for the afflicted man’s untamable nature and great strength—strength that was no match for God, of course. There is one other mention of a “legion” in the context of spirit beings, this time of good angels. When Jesus was being arrested, Peter pulled out a sword and wounded a nearby member of the mob. Jesus healed the wound (Matthew 26:51) and told Peter to put away his sword. The Lord reminded Peter that, if He needed help, He could have God send “more than twelve legions of angels” (verse 53). That might total 60,000 angels, but the exact number wasn’t the point Jesus was making. Rather, it was to remind the terrified disciples that God is always in control of all circumstances, even during the horrible injustice of the murder of his own Son. It is interesting that the Bible refers to both holy angels and demons as forming legions. Legion is a military term, one that fits the Bible’s descriptions of spiritual warfare in several places (Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 12:7). (See What was a Roman legion?) How can we stand against such numerous and powerful foes? God completely equips believers for battle against satanic forces: “Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground” (Ephesians 6:13). As Christians, we are “more than conquerors” through Christ (Romans 8:37). Jesus is our Commander. He is the One who dispatched the demons named Legion with just a word. He it is who will some day throw Legion and all the other demons “into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41; cf. Revelation 20:10). (Gotquestions) Mark 5:10 And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. NET Mark 5:10 He begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of the region. GNT Mark 5:10 καὶ παρεκάλει αὐτὸν πολλὰ ἵνα μὴ αὐτὰ ἀποστείλῃ ἔξω τῆς χώρας. NLT Mark 5:10 Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place. KJV Mark 5:10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. ESV Mark 5:10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. NIV Mark 5:10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. ASV Mark 5:10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. CSB Mark 5:10 And he kept begging Him not to send them out of the region. NKJ Mark 5:10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country. NRS Mark 5:10 He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. YLT Mark 5:10 and he was calling on him much, that he may not send them out of the region. NAB Mark 5:10 And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. NJB Mark 5:10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the district. GWN Mark 5:10 He begged Jesus not to send them out of the territory. BBE Mark 5:10 And he made strong prayers to him not to send them away out of the country. Mk 5:13 3:22 Mark 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passages: Matthew 8:31+ The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” Luke 8:32+ They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. A PRAYING DEMON And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country (chora) - Implore is in the imperfect tense indicating the demon was repeatedly begging Him. He kept on pleading with Jesus. Earnestly (polus - much) serves to emphasize the intensity of the demon's request. One has to wonder what the disciples were thinking as they listened to this dialogue between good and evil! NLT says he "begged Him again and again." Notice he is singular (supporting thought that "Legion" was the speaker for the demons) and them is plural indicating there were other demons. Some think that Mark's phrase out of the country is the parallel of Luke's phrase into the abyss (Lk 8:31+), but that seems less likely than that the demons simply wanted to be dispatched to the country of the Gerasenes (Mk 5:1), the area of Decapolis. They had experienced "success" in this area! Implore (3870) see note on parakaleo Send (649)(apostello from apo = from, away from + stello = to withdraw from, avoid) means to send off, to send forth, to send out. This is the same verb referring to sending out the disciples (Mk 3:14+, Mt 10:5). Mark 5:11 Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. NET Mark 5:11 There on the hillside, a great herd of pigs was feeding. GNT Mark 5:11 Ἦν δὲ ἐκεῖ πρὸς τῷ ὄρει ἀγέλη χοίρων μεγάλη βοσκομένη· NLT Mark 5:11 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. KJV Mark 5:11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. ESV Mark 5:11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, NIV Mark 5:11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. ASV Mark 5:11 Now there was there on the mountain side a great herd of swine feeding. CSB Mark 5:11 Now a large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. NKJ Mark 5:11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. NRS Mark 5:11 Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; YLT Mark 5:11 And there was there, near the mountains, a great herd of swine feeding, NAB Mark 5:11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. NJB Mark 5:11 Now on the mountainside there was a great herd of pigs feeding, GWN Mark 5:11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on a mountainside nearby. BBE Mark 5:11 Now on the mountain side there was a great herd of pigs getting their food. herd: Lev 11:7,8 De 14:8 Isa 65:4 66:3 Mt 8:30 Lu 8:32 Mark 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passages: Matthew 8:30+ Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. Luke 8:32+ Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. PREPARATION FOR "DEVILED HAM" Deviled ham is a favorite dish of many people, and in Mark 5 the porkies were the dish preferred by the devils over their alternative destination which would be their future abode. Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain - Mark says nearby and Matthew says at a distance (Mt 8:30+). Either way, the large herd was close enough to be visible to Jesus. Since swine were unclean, there would not have been a herd on the eastern side (Jewish territory). The gospel writers do not divulge the identity of the owners of this heard, which could have been Gentiles, but could have been Jews who lived on the eastern side who raised the swine to sell to the Gentiles in the cities of Decapolis (deca = 10 + polis = city). Swine (5519)(choiros) refers to a pig, a hog, a poker, a young swine. Swine were detestable creatures being classified with the dog (cf. Lk 8:32ff.; Lk 15:15). They were considered unclean according to the laws of purification - Lev 11:7-8+, Dt 14:8. The ancient Canaanites sacrificed and ate swine before their so-called "gods." Despite their being a popular sacrificial animal among the Greeks at special events, the Old Testament paints them as destructive, undesirable creatures (Ps 80:13; Pr 11:22). Most of the NT uses are in the story of Jesus casting out the demons and sending them into the swine (Mt 8:30, 31, 32, Mk 5:11, 12, 13, 16, Lk 8:32, 33+) To protect themselves from defilement for worship on the Sabbath day, Jews would not even touch pigs. In an act of brazen disrespect to the Jews, the despicable ruler Antiochus Epiphanes raided the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, stealing its treasures, setting up an altar to Zeus, and sacrificing swine on the altar. When the Jews expressed their outrage over the profaning of the temple, Antiochus responded by slaughtering a great number of the Jews and selling others into slavery. He issued even more draconian decrees: performing the rite of circumcision was punishable by death, and Jews everywhere were ordered to sacrifice to pagan gods and eat pig flesh. Feeding (1006)(bosko) is used only in the Gospels and most often describe literal feeding of animals (especially the feeding of the swine) and twice is used figuratively where people are compared to lambs and sheep (Jn 21:15, 17). Related Resources: Torrey Topical Textbook Swine Easton's Bible Dictionary Swine Holman Bible Dictionary Swine Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Swine Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Swine Smith Bible Dictionary Swine International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Swine Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Swine McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Swine The Jewish Encyclopedia Swine Mark 5:12 The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” NET Mark 5:12 And the demonic spirits begged him, "Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them." GNT Mark 5:12 καὶ παρεκάλεσαν αὐτὸν λέγοντες, Πέμψον ἡμᾶς εἰς τοὺς χοίρους, ἵνα εἰς αὐτοὺς εἰσέλθωμεν. NLT Mark 5:12 "Send us into those pigs," the spirits begged. "Let us enter them." KJV Mark 5:12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. ESV Mark 5:12 and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them." NIV Mark 5:12 The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." ASV Mark 5:12 And they besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. CSB Mark 5:12 The demons begged Him, "Send us to the pigs, so we may enter them." NKJ Mark 5:12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them." NRS Mark 5:12 and the unclean spirits begged him, "Send us into the swine; let us enter them." YLT Mark 5:12 and all the demons did call upon him, saying, 'Send us to the swine, that into them we may enter;' NAB Mark 5:12 And they pleaded with him, "Send us into the swine. Let us enter them." NJB Mark 5:12 and the unclean spirits begged him, 'Send us to the pigs, let us go into them.' GWN Mark 5:12 The demons begged him, "Send us into the pigs! Let us enter them!" BBE Mark 5:12 And they said to him, Send us into the pigs, so that we may go into them. Job 1:10-12 2:5 Lu 22:31,32 2Co 2:11 1Pe 5:8 Mark 5 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passages: Matthew 8:31+ The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” Luke 8:32+ Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. UNCLEAN SPIRITS SEEK "SWINE DIVE" They sought a "swine dive" to commit "suey-cide." (Bad joke! Sorry!) The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” - Notice from now on in this story the demons are described in the plural (us...we). Send is in the aorist imperative a command, but these unclean creatures could hardly in truth command the Creator, so the sense is that this was an urgent, even frantic request by the demons calling for a specific act. This is the first of three strange "prayers" (so to speak) in this section, the second recorded only by Mark where the man delivered of demons "was imploring Him that He might accompany Him," (asking to be a disciple!) and the third being the horrible prayer of the whole city in Mt 8:34+ where they implored Jesus to leave. He answered the first and third "prayers" affirmatively and the second He denied, telling the man to return to Decapolis and "report to them what great things the Lord (JESUS) has done for you and how He (Jesus) had mercy on you." Notice that Jesus was in essence telling this man to tell them He was the Lord! How often I hear the lame excuse from skeptics that Jesus never claimed to be God! Clearly they have never really read the Scriptures!