Archaeologists may have just found the location where Jesus performed one of His greatest miracles.
In a report by The Daily Mail, it was noted that researchers think they found the spot where Jesus cast demons into a herd of pigs close to the Sea of Galilee. As the article discussed, Dr. Scott Stripling, who is the excavations director for Associates of Biblical Research, spoke to Digging for the Truth where he detailed the signs that point to the Israeli town of Kursi as this exorcism site.
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In this biblical account, Jesus cast a legion of demons out of a man into a herd of pigs. The man had been plagued by the demons, being chained and out of his right mind. Upon the demons entering the pigs, the swine jumped off of a cliff into the water.
“All three gospels say there was a cliff nearby…All three say there were tombs nearby. And they tell us that Jesus was coming in on a boat from the west side to the east side,” Stripling said.
As The Daily Mail pointed, Stripling was directed by a “massive fish tank” which was used long ago to preserve fish from the water. Stripling’s team believe that this particular harbor fits the description of the area where Jesus would have landed before performing the miracle. To key in on the clues as to where this massive deliverance may have taken place, Stripling used information that came from a 1985 excavation which had great details about the large stones found in Kursi.
Tombs were also located in this area, reportedly near “where the pigs grazed,” along with a cliff that was about 164 feet from the water. Nearby, a chapel can be found called “Chapel of the Miracle” where mosaic flooring shows imagery related to this particular exorcism performed by Jesus. Kursi is also “in the Decapolis,” which is critical to this biblical story. In Mark 5:20, after the man is free from his demonic oppression, Scripture reads, ” So he departed and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.”
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If this discovery truly marks the place where Jesus cast out a legion of demons, it stands as yet another powerful reminder that the gospel is not a myth—it is history come alive. Every stone unearthed, every artifact found, continues to testify that the Word of God endures and that the power of Jesus Christ to set the captives free is as real today as it was on the shores of Galilee.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment.
