Healing of Legion: Theology + Teaching Flashcards
Intro: General overview of story
- In all 3 gospels, this story follows immediately after The Calming of the Storm.
- Jesus went to a largely Gentile region, called Gersenesm. It is here where he meets a man possessed by many powerful spirits who seemed to know exactly who Jesus was. The spirits asked for mercy, obviously aware of the extent of Jesus’ divine power: “what do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God”. Jesus cast the demons out of the man and into a flock of pigs, who then charged down the cliff and into the lake and drowned. The man was healed, and the people who watched were amazed but also frightened and asked Jesus to leave. The man asked Jesus to go with him but Jesus told him to stay where he as and to tell people ‘all that God has done for you’ (Luke 8:39). So the man went off and spread throughout the town what Jesus had done for him.
Para 1:
- Link with gentile background of the region they were in, as this is where it happened.
- The term demons used to reference Jesus is the same used for ‘YahWeh’ by Gentiles elsewhere. He is given the title ‘Son of the most High God’ which was they way the Gentiles described God.
- Nineham suggests that Jesus was commissioning the man to begin preaching to the Gentiles, which was the first step towards Jesus’ message worldwide.
- Also quite unusual for Jesus to tell someone to go and spread the message as he usually keeps wth the Messianic Secret e.g. Mark 1:34. Maybe Jesus only intended for hm to tell a few people but the man sets out on a preaching mission and all who hear are amazed.
- Marks story emphasises the terrible state the man was in, at the beginning with a lot of detail. However, Marks description of it being set in Geresa highlights his confused geography of the region (He was probably writing in rome) (Reliability questioned.
- In like, the story anticipates the later entire mission, which the evangelists records in Acts.
Para 2:
Scholars say that its possible the detail of the coins and shackles represent the burden of Roman occupation and that people who wanted Jesus out of their area were worried about him being a political threat.
- Also, in Luke, the main is sent out to spread the message, but we do not hear how the news was taken. The main emphasis in Like is on the mission rather than the reaction.
Para 4:
- Myer suggests that his story - along with the rest in Mark - is a response to the occupation of Israel by the romans. He says that the drowning of the “legion” of demons is a reference to the drowning of the soldiers of Egypt in Exodus 15:4.
- The demons being referred to as “legion” ((a roman term for 6000 soldiers) is interesting.
- Myer also suggests that the term used for “herd” is unusual, one as pigs don’t usually travel in herds, but also the term “agile” was used to refer to a band of military recruits and that when Jesus dismissed them (“gave them permission”) they charged into the sea, as thought they were troops rushing into battle.
- (Huge political implications!)
- Pigs charging into the sea is also interesting as in Greek mythology the sea was associated with the underworld, a place where evil went after death.
Conc:
A key factor of this healing is that Jesus healed this man without any sign of faith but out of his love for humanity. This healing can teach us that in Jesus’ eyes & therefore Gods eyes everyone is equal. Jesus once said ‘if a man is well he does not need a doctor, I have come to call all outcasts…” .
Therefore from this healing we can learn a lot about Jesus: he is kind and forgiving and loves everyone. We also learn about the Kingdom of God.
