Kursi: Demon-Possessed Man Healed

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Introduction

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Welcome to Kursi, also known as the land of the Gadarenes. Several major events from the Bible took place here. Here are the highlights.

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1. It's here that two demon-possessed men were healed.

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2. One of them had a legion of demons in him. Jesus cast these demons out, and they ran down a steep hill into the sea.

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3. It's also in this area that Jesus fed 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few fish (Matt. 15:29-39).

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4. It contains the ruins of Israel's largest Byzantine monastery complex.

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5. It has other churches and monuments marking the key events that happened here.

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Location

 

1. Kursi is the place where two demon-possessed men were healed.

 

2. The demons who lived in these men were cast into a herd of pigs that ran down a steep bank into the sea.

 

3. It took place on the east side of the Sea of Galilee in the region of the Gerasenes or Gadarenes. This place was also called Kurshi in Hebrew and Kursy in Arabic.

 

4. It was in the region of the Decapolis.

 

5. The Decapolis comprised 10 Roman cities that functioned like city-states. It was a region outside Jewish authority inhabited by Jews and Gentiles.

 

6. It was an immoral area representing all that sinful humanity had to offer. Therefore, it was considered unclean to the Jews.

 

7. The caves where the demon-possessed men lived can be seen on the hillside above Kursi.

 

Historical Background

 

Today, this site contains the ruins of Israel's largest Byzantine monastery complex. It dates from the middle of the 5th century and was built to commemorate what took place here. We'll take a look at its history over the years.

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1. Byzantine Period (5th-7th century AD)
The site was established in the middle of the 5th century AD. The monastery was built on a large area and protected by walls. The baptistery near the chapel was added in the 6th century. A watchtower guarded the entrance facing the Sea of Galilee, and a paved road led down to a harbor where pilgrim boats were moored. Once inside the wall, the pilgrims had the choice of going first to a luxurious bathhouse to the left of the entrance or to the centrally placed church. 

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2. Persian Period (614-618 AD)
The Persians defeated the Byzantine rulers in 614 AD. The conquerors were assisted by the Jewish population in Galilee, who seized the moment to reestablish an independent state. During the Persian invasion, the site was severely damaged, and the monks were murdered.  In the excavations of 2002, the archaeologists found Persian weapons in the monastery. This may have been the first Christian site damaged by the Persians in their bloody conquest of the Holy Land, which lasted for a brief time until the Byzantines recaptured the land.

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3. Arab Period (634 – 9th Century AD)
The Omayyad Caliphate Arabs captured the land in 636, allowing Christians to continue worshipping and living in Kursi. The monastery was restored.

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In the 8th century AD, a great earthquake (749) damaged the monastery, and it would never be used again as a place of worship.

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In the 9th century, local Arabs reused the place for residential and storage, and the mosaics may have been damaged at that time (erasing the figures on the magnificent floor).

 

4. Modern Period
In 1970, road work accidentally revealed the monastery's walls and an archaeological expedition was started. The excavations restored the ruins and unearthed the chapel on the hill. The site was opened to the public in 1982 as a National park.

In recent years, the excavations continued. In 2001-2002, a bath complex was found in the north part of the site, with cold and hot pools. This large 100-square-meter complex served the thousands of Christian pilgrims who came to the monastery to witness the site of the miracle. The bath house, dated to the 5th-7th century, is unique – it is the only one found so far inside a monastery. Therefore, the monastery served also as a guest house, offering additional services to the pilgrims.

 

Places of Interest (Please See Maps Above)

 

1. Capernaum

2. Calming the storm and sea

3. Byzantine Monastery Complex
4. Tombs above Kursi
5. Beach where Jesus and His disciples arrived
6. Steep hill the pigs ran down into the sea
7. Decapolis area

 

Kursi in the Bible

 

1. Jesus and His disciples were coming from the Capernaum area, where Jesus had just performed many miracles and preached about the parables of the kingdom.

 

2. On the boat ride to this area, Jesus performed an astounding miracle of calming the sea and storm.
Matthew 8:23–27: And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"

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3. This event is the most detailed account of an exorcism (casting out demons) in the Bible.

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4. When Jesus and His disciples arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, they were greeted by two demon-possessed men.
Matthew 8:28–29:  And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, "What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?"

 

5. The account of this story in Mark focuses on one of the demon-possessed men.
Mark 5:1–2: They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.

 

6. The life of this demon-possessed man was a nightmarish living hell.
Mark 5:3–5: He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

 

7. The legion of demons indwelling this man recognized who Jesus was.
Mark 5:6–9: And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." 8 For he was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" 9 And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "My name is Legion [5,000 demons], for we are many."

 

8. Jesus cast this legion of demons into a herd of pigs who ran into the sea.
Mark 5:10–13: And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, "Send us to the pigs; let us enter them." 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.

 

9. The demon-possessed man was healed, and news spread rapidly throughout the region.
Mark 5:14–17: The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.

 

10. Jesus sent the healed man into the Decapolis region to tell them the great things God had done for him.
Mark 5:18–20: As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

 

Faith Lesson from Kursi

 

1. The demon-possessed man was in deep bondage and torment from the host of demons who lived within him. Do we believe demonic possession is a reality?

 

2. Jesus showed His power over the demonic realm by casting the legion of demons into a herd of 2,000 pigs. Do we believe Christ is Lord over Satan and all demonic rulers and principalities in the universe?

 

3. Jesus told the demon-possessed man to go and tell others how much the Lord had done for him.

 

4. History records that as a result of this man’s obedience, a large community of believers was established in this area and had a great influence on the early church for many centuries.

 

5. One of our best tools in sharing the Gospel is just to tell others what God has done for us. Have we carefully defined our testimony, and are we committed to using it to share Christ with others?