Pliny described it as a city of the Decapolis founded after the Rom. But now this is an extraordinary case. This one verse alone, without all the extra proof from Jesuss joke, should convince us that his commandments are the 613 commandments of the Law of Moses. He stabbed in the day of his wrath the kings. Answer: the impurity of the swine. There is no captivity that you can be captive to that is not captive to Jesus Christ for He has ascended on high and led captivity captive and He makes a sport and a spoil of the forces of darkness which are arrayed against God and against heaven. He is the dividing line here. Such a statement is irresponsible because the Law was not written for a single person. Ligon Duncan (MDiv, Covenant Theological Seminary; PhD, University of Edinburgh) is the Chancellor & CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary, the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, and the President of RTS Jackson. I say that Christians have turned Jews off because church-goers claim Jesus destroyed the Law and that Jews are blind for following the Law of Moses still. Therefore, I repeat again that I believe the pastors are dishonest for not admitting this fact. Pork was a prevalent food staple and as you travel near the gates of Gibraltar the terrain matches the craggy cliffs as well as the placement of aboveground as well as natural cave tombs which show signs of living inhabitants at some point. conquest of Syria in 65 b.c. Since all of these areas overlap, one may take the references as meaning the same place. It pains them to admit that Jesus was/is a, Sixth Fact: True identity of the pig farmers. And it is a shame that the good pastors dont take these relevant Scripture passage into consideration. Mark Driscoll also generated some chuckles when he callously said the death of the pigs created a bacon famine.. But with all this talk about tenderness, what on Earth could have changed Jesuss tune and made him treat the swine the way he did? Those outside of the nation of Israel were considered gentiles. Without a doubt, both men know God never came up with the line, Put pork on your fork. 10 ) It was the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the area of the Decapolis. Many of the events are corroborated by other authors. The most plausible reason Jesus chose the pigs was because he regarded people as precious and priceless, but not swine. Similarly, as God incarnate, Jesus knows the future. The Greeks were believers in the spirit Lots of non-Jews lived there. Additionally, it would have been foolish for the Apostles to claim hundreds and thousands of witnesses (1 Cor 15:1-6). First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. He was Jewish and tragically lost. Working with the Law, and not against it, Jesus is shown to be completely in character and not out of his mind. 1). Out of the three, Marks gospel presents the most information about the herd. Now you understand what sitting at the Savior's feet means? Oh get you hence, Omnipotence, and take this foul of Thine. He is a billionaire, he is about to break Jack Nicklaus record, he's married to a model, he has two beautiful children, he has everything that anybody in the world could possibly want to have. Secondly, theyre forgetting that Jesus also says that people are more important than sparrows. founders day speech by students were the gerasenes gentiles. You must there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one thats only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. The conversation showed that the illness had a will, a coherent sense of past, present and future, knowledge of the supremacy and authority of Jesus Christ, and a compulsion to worship Jesus. The vision had nothing to do with shrimp rings or BLTS. They were people who knew him. Food cant affect our salvation, nor disqualify us from being saved.Pork might not be very healthy,but as long as its USDA approved and deemed good by health inspectors from feeder hogs tat eat corn to clean the mess out of them of the last few bowel movements, then you should be good to go. The demons are aware that He is there and they are frightened. Here is a prophesy that Christians love to quote: You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110.4) because it connects to Messiah Jesus. Secondly, I want you to look at the Lord Jesus Christ Himself because His power over Satan is on display full force in this passage. Note: Demetrius was angry only because of speculation of what Pauls preaching might do to business Paul had not physically caused any damage. Why does the herd of swine go over the cliff? Maybe it was because they were unclean animals. Jesus to leave Definition of Gadarenes (Gergesenes) in the Bible - Bible He always followed Gods Law. The modern village Jarash is situated on the hillside above the ruins, built with stones from the ruins. Over the centuries, many scribes spent an enormous amount of time, energy and resources copying them, thereby lending credibility to them. Learn a new word every day. And so the demons call out His name Jesus, the Son of the Most High God and it has no effect on Him. Every creature on land, or in the water, or in the air is classified by either the Hebrew term, (tahor), meaning ritually clean/pure, or by the term, (tameh), unclean/defiling. And the good pastor doesnt give any rationale for a slaughter that huge. There's nothing that they can do to restrain His mighty arm. Our ways are not as Thine. neither the four Greek words, nor any idea similar to them, are ever repeated in Scripture, whereas the destruction of the swine herd is thrice-repeated and uses a few more than four words. WebThe name Gergesa has led to the supposition that the Girgashites, one of the seven Canaanitish nations, originally occupied this territory. So if you have the ears to hear, the Father and the Son both wrote the Law and gave it to 630,000 men (and women and children) at Mt. Its one thing to understand that He personally never changes. Gadarene or Gergesene Demoniacs - Bible Hub e. Why do I say that book? He's set free. Gods altar was also separate and distinct and holy. In fact, they are afraid of him and beg him to leave. about a.d. 65. The city was large and well planned. Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. With such a track record, what difference would Legions size or strength make? Thats why there was a herd of two thousand WebGerasene: [noun] an inhabitant of the ancient Palestinian town Gerasa. He is the strong man who binds Satan and plunders his house. They are out to steal, kill, and destroy, so we dare not trifle with evil spirits. Go be a witness to Me. * And if one doesnt believe demons exist ..same question: why invent a false story to make the point that Jesus has power over demonic creatures that dont exist? But these differences are typical of eye-witness reports and only irritate skeptics. So why do Christians say no one can when these two did? California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. On the other hand, it is unfortunate that the rabbis today dont see the even stronger connection between Genesis 3:3 and Revelation 22:18, because Jews dont read the New Testament all that much. Now it's not a very profound book. Also, wouldnt that be a type of sin and another example of how he may not have perfectly kept the Law? This has been a long blog thanks for sticking with it but because Im going to ruffle feathers, Ive gone the extra mile to explain myself clearly and to plug any holes in my argument. It may well be a picture of the reverse of what happened in the Garden of Eden. Instead of recklessly freeing the doves into the air (as erroneously shown in The Jesus Film and other Bible movies), Scripture records with precise detail that Jesus only knocked over the chairs of the pigeon owners, and/or told them to take their feathered property and leave (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:16) he didnt use his whip on the birds or fling them into the air to be attacked by falcons or eagles. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was Be circumspect. We usually think of Jesus as the loving, forgiving guy from Galilee, right? The forum, with a semicircle of columns still standing, was paved with large cut stones. Pingback: The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg. Now do you see how silly the Jesus-kept-the-Law-perfectly statement is? He made a covenant with them and revealed His commandments to them, which they were to live according to. Don Crowe and Nicholas Gentile direct the Oswego Players Scenes of Crime; Section X: Canton downs Heuvelton for repeat Overall Section 10 title; Section X: Lady Wildcats edge Hammond for Section Overall title; PROPERTY SALES; Local pro hockey: Former Wolves player Liarakos paces Mississippi past visiting Watertown The Feeding of the Four Thousand | Catholic Answers Also, Demetrius only needed to speak a few choice words against the Jew (compare with Act 19:34), to get the crowd all worked up the silversmith didnt have any real evidence that Pauls preaching was going to slow sales. Some of my Christian brothers and sisters see this as coded language referring to a confrontation with the political and military power of Rome. But just a theory. May He write its eternal truth upon all our hearts. Some of Jesus's reputation for being normally meek and merciful comes from statements like: From Jesus's own mouth, we are informed of Gods special love and attention for defenseless animals and we know Jesus has the same heart for the weak. Now we see the missing puzzle piece: God had plainly prohibited pork as food, making it clear that holy people should not eat it all of you be holy for I am holy (Leviticus 11:44-45) and therefore, Gods normally merciful Messiah destroyed an entire herd in total agreement with the commandment. Most Christians believe Messiah is the Second Person of the Trinity. Such a contradiction in character! were the gerasenes were When Eve said that she and hubby were not allowed to touch the [Good and Evil Knowledge Tree] or they would die, she was lying (Genesis 3:3 and Jewish explanation). Therefore, were those cool-headed pig-farmers really Gentiles? That's what disciples do, they sit at their master's feet. He's the friend of sinners. In retaliation for the massacre of the Jews at Caesarea, the Jews sent several raiding parties into the Gentile cities of the Decapolis. Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac in Luke 8 | Psephizo These are tremendously important facts that GotQuestions is ignorant of, or they prefer to spread disinformation about, this important Biblical truth that, in the mind of the Almighty, holiness is bound to what we eat. He's been set free by Jesus. And the only real bargaining chip according to this interpretation was offering them the two thousand big pink chips. I'm the man who Jesus saved by casting out the demons from me.. For the sake of the argument, lets start by assuming that the pastors assumption is right and he is a Gentile (though we know he could have been Jewish). Lets bring in a certain Greek silversmith and see how calmly he handles himself. Instead, his conscious act of casting the demons into the swine resulted in the entire herds destruction. What good to us that Thou hast made him whole, since we have lost our swine? Is that not a picture of people that love what they have or what they want more than they love the One who loves their souls? She suffers a more oppressive slavery than ever before not to human rulers but to demons, who are bold enough to enter synagogues on the Sabbat. (Pastor Piper was right after all, almost!) The Law of God. There are echoes of exodus in Marks story, and echoes of Davids battle with Goliath. The final battle requires a different strategy, one that involves a cross. Doesn't Jesus Treat Animals as Property? In York, T.; Alexis-Baker, A.; Bekoff, M.; McLaren, B. In actual fact, when you stop to think about it, because God denounced pork in Leviticus, and then Jesus destroyed two thousand, and that event is thrice repeated by Matthew, by Mark, by Luke it all adds up to a big confirmation of the fact that God doesn't change. David was a good example of what Jesus meant by the shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Compared to this, Jesuss behaviour toward the pigs appears extremely callous: giving vile demons permission to slaughter swine is not exactly compassionate. The main reason God limits righteous people to a select group of clean/pure animals is for the purpose of holiness. No other place on the E side of the sea fits this requirement of the story. And the good pastor doesnt give any rationale for a slaughter that huge. This made them fit for consumption. Even so, the Bible never puts the worth of animals on the same level as the worth of human Twice he is described this way look at verse 35, the man from whom the demons had gone out and then again the man from whom the demons had gone and then in verse 38, the man from whom the demons had gone. When Jesus had asked him, What's your name? The first time he had answered, I'm the man possessed by a countless host of demons. Now, he's the man from whom those demons have gone out. Lord God, even as we sing this hymn, cause those who do not know Him to love Him and cause those who love Him to love Him more than anything else in this world. Logically we understand that no person on Earth could say something in strong terms over and over, and then just one day say, Oops, can I retract that? So could or would God Almighty flip flop? And he is sent out to negotiate with Aragorn and Gandalf, and the others. (Please dont hide behind that sensational dispensational chart. WATER DESTROYED HER!!!! Demetrius wasnt afraid to stand up for his rights. Without a question, if Jesuss pig-farmers had been Gentiles, there would have been bloodshed. Seven facts why Jesus cast the demons to the pigs in Mark 5, but pastors still miss the point, We usually think of Jesus as the loving, forgiving guy from Galilee, right? 10:31). WebThey land in the country of the Gadarenes which is on the North-east shore of the Sea of Galilee about 6 miles southeast across the sea from Capernaum. In other words, the Roman Catholic Church took four Greek words torn out of mid-sentence and declared them to mean, the end (read, death) of the law [of Moses], although numerous verses declare the fixed, eternal character of Gods Perfect Law. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. Mark and Luke wrote that Jesus /gave the right to them to enter the pigs much stronger wording and more official than allow. (Take that, Darwin.). Jesus is saying that Jesuss commandments are the same as the Fathers. 7). Reading the Word of God is wonderful. Swine there because they could eat pork, just not while it is representing a clean sacrifice, which would be representing Jesus as the real sacrifice not yet available until Jesus actually came and died for all of our sins naturally. We know that two thousand pigs go over the cliff. Why did these people respond to Jesus this way? It was situated some 30 miles southeast of Gadara, on the borders of Peraea and a little north of the river Jabbok. Jesus is the lover of our souls. Yet being part of the Godhead means Messiah cannot not flip-flop his opinions. Mr. Hippo read Mark 5 and convinced himself that Jesus did not care about swine, or any other animals, and therefore, spread a church doctrine that Christians have no genuine duty to animals. Issues are listed below: we are using four Greek words to eliminate entire chapters of Scripture. If a bunch of little children want a ball to play with and I toss them a grenade, am I off the hook if a kid pulls out the pin? facts why Jesus cast the demons No one cares where he sleeps when hes busy trying to keep himself from killing himself. One was, His Name Was Legion, Not Ligon. I have been confused with Legion all my life and it worries me that it's not just the sound of the name, but I want to make it clear that Legion is not in any way related to Ligon. "It became one of the proudest cities of Syria." They dont care about about the demon possessed men, they want their pigs back, (My opinion) Jesus was raised with sacrifice so animals were thought of for food, not so much as pets like today. You know, a month ago, a month ago, if you had said to anyone, You know, Tiger Woods is in slavery. They would have looked at you and said, You've got to be out of your mind. And why werent they demanding compensation for their pigs? This picking and choosing is completely unbiblical. Sadly, GotQuestions misses the point, or they lie, saying that being distinct was all important to God. All you need to know right now, if youre interested in that I'm happy to talk about it until the cows come home, but all you need to know is each of those places the regions of the Gergesenes, the Gadarenes, and the Gerasenes it's all on the other side of the Lake of Galilee. Luckily, they didnt find Paul anywhere, but they did haul a number of Pauls colleagues down to city hall. Nothing we have belongs to us. (, Still, Jesus was not in Gadarenes for judging; he was there, Not contrary, but consistent with Christs Character, Here is a prophesy that Christians love to quote: , The LORD has sworn it and He will not change his mind: You are a priest forever, after the nature of Melchizedek. The LORD is upon your right hand. The Spectators probably from all over the world! Dont demons like sheep? These three verse from John really are earth-shattering. ___________________________________________________________________. But let me just suggest that one thing that might be happening here is a picture of Jesus future judgment on the demonic forces that are arrayed against God. 1), and apparently occupied these cities with Jewish patriots. But pay attention to the body count. The ruins also show evidence of a dozen churches, dating in the Byzantine period (4th-7th centuries) indicating that this once was a large Christian community. Topical Bible: Gerasenes Do you remember at the end of the book, in the sixth book, when the King of Gondor and his captains and the host of Gondor have arrived at the black gates of Sauron Sauron is the evil figure in the book and if you know Tolkien's cosmology, he was actually an apprentice to the Satan figure of Tolkien's writings. These ruins date from the 2nd to the 7th centuries and show that the city flourished during this period as a center for religion, culture, and commerce. It's back just a few verses, the answer is back just a few verses. As well, every place the Master went on his travels was inside of the Land of Israel; he never went to Gentile territory. So lets not laugh these verses off. Show us the sins of our hearts that we are captive to. That is exactly what is happening here. And if I remember correctly, I think there is some tradition about other Apostles going to Spain. and therefore the good pastor declares the demoniac to be a Gentile since, as everyone also knows, Gentiles are better tomb-dwellers.. He has stabbed the heads of many lands. Something else to ponder about the Son of God is his other title, I am the good shepherd. Such a contradiction in character! Gadarene Swine The Matthew account mentions two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke only mention one. David did the same to a bear that took a sheep. Im not saying I totally believed the stories, but I cannot believe that a single other place could not be found to send the legion. Its kinda like the difference between a Disney movie, a TV documentary and/or an infomercial; normally each is dissimilar from the other. Archeologists identify it with the modern Jarash. So why pigs? Look at what he first says when Jesus meets him in verse 28 What do you have to do with me, Jesus? Read it for yourself. For our Creator, one lost person saved is worth the death of many animals. (Question: If God cares about the mother-child relationship in animals, how does He consider that relationship for people? Something else to ponder about the Son of God is his other title, The Good Shepherd: David, the son of Jesse, was another selfless, compassionate shepherd. The pastors precious-people useless-swine principle was previously dreamed up by the 3rd century church father, St. Augustine of Hippo (quoted by Spalde and Strindlund), and he ran with it. Yet they tried to throw one of their own off a cliff (, Now, if a Jew can be treated so badly by fellow Jews, lets put on our thinking caps and imagine what happens to a Jew walking straight into a big group of Gentiles. The best text in Matthew reads Gadarenes, in Mark and Luke it reads Gerasenes, whereas some MSS preserve Gergesenes and Gergustenes (cf. None of the verses below refute any of the Seven Forgotten Facts above. Who were the gerasenes in the bible? Now, if a Jew can be treated so badly by fellow Jews, lets put on our thinking caps and imagine what happens to a Jew walking straight into a big group of Gentiles. WebWho do you care more about, people or pigs? For being kind to birds!? And lastly, because the herd was within the Land of Israel and owned by Jews (the joke about Gentiles owning them is cleared up below), the unclean swine had to go and the unclean demons did the work. This story is a technicolor picture of Luke 8:18, and my friends, there don't have to be demons around for us to be facing the same challenge. It's this man who doesn't even remember his name who's possessed by a host of demons. At least Im man enough to admit possible weaknesses in my arguments and to talk about the elephants in the room. Yet they tried to throw one of their own off a cliff (Luke 4:29). The apostle had been busy preaching in Demetriuss hometown of Ephesus and Pauls message about the one true God was catching on. The action is no different than Revelation 14:14-15 where we see the Son of Man brandishing a sharp sickle. He does. That is, they appear contrary, except for one thing: Gods Law forbids righteous people from eating pork. In a pigs eye. GERASA, GERASENES (, ). Over the years, Ive had to prove all this to myself first, and it took soul-searching and tons of Scripture research. Were in the same story, my friends. Israel was to be a nation of priests, prophets, and missionaries to the world (Exodus 19:46). = You know that because the people tell Him to leave. Please note how John repeats the commands, adding a zinger curse to both. No Jewish farmer would keep swine, and no Jewish region would tolerate the presence of pigs, let alone two thousand of them (Mark 5:13). War IV. However, the pastors assumptions are perplexing. ]. Without a doubt, both men know God never came up with the line, Third Fact: Not a fickle faithless Father. Swine are considered unclean and unholy in the Jewish tradition, and Jesus was Jewish.This miracle, witnessed by his disciples, also shows Jesuss wisdom in teaching the Word of God among non Jewish people. v. 37) describe Jesus healing of the demoniac Legion and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee (cf. In Jesus first trip to that Gentile area: They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes (in Gadara). Matthew tells us there were two demoniacs, while Mark and Luke only Cute little silver goddess dolls would have sold for the same price as a full-grown boar or sow in those days. They are unclean for you. 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 drowned in the sea.". Deuteronomy 4 and 12 only state that none should add or remove what Moses was commanding, which sounds a little nebulous. Does he really believe Mark 5 is Biblical material just for laughs? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Apparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. That is how valuable human life is." I think so. (we dont invent stories to let people know Jesus has power over the Tooth Fairy, do we?). Now that's interesting isn't it? And John nicely parallels Jesus who said, not the smallest letter nor the smallest comma will pass away from the Law (Matthew 5:18). (wait for it) turning the swine to the water! That's why Jesus's motivation to kill the herd was more than obvious to the Tedious Twelve and the gospel writers. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. Oh, you mean THOSE pigs!! And then you see in this passage the change of a heart set free. the obscure phrase, (declaring all food clean), is magically transformed by the New International Version into, In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean, or into even lovelier prose like, By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in Gods eyes, by the New Living Translation (talk about making silk purse out of a sows ear). It's all Gentile territory, so just bear that in mind. Pig meat, according to Scripture, is as unclean as the demons that Jesus sent into the swine. While foretelling death and doom was often, Fifth Fact: The True Author(s) of Scripture. Yet there was no fury. ix. How and why did this happen in the first place? three Lastly, based on culture, human-nature and most importantly, on specific Scripture passages, we know the demoniac could not have been a Gentile but was most assuredly, Yet a complete interpretation of Mark 5 needs to clear up one last point: the pigs were forbidden but did they, Christ kept kosher and cleaned up the town, I can of Myself do nothing. They had rather have their swine than their Saviour, and so, though they saw the demoniac sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus, they in turn beseech that He should take Himself away. From the brook beside the road he will drink and for this reason, he will lift high his head. Seen in this light, Jesuss actions against the herd were more than appropriate and neither Matthew, Mark nor Luke bothered to explain or rationalize the Masters actions. You may simultaneously update Amibroker, Metastock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4 with MoneyMaker Software. Theres got to be a a good one about. For heavens sake, why cant the good pastor try to explain the incompatibility of our loving Jesus wiping out hundreds of innocent creatures without a punch line? Gods Law has a law that you cannot change Gods Law. It's almost like the demons are inexorably drawn to Jesus. And then they beg to go into the herd of pigs. They do not bother mentioning Scriptures emphasis on being holy before God. It's in Luke chapter 8, verse 18. A wonderful verse that reveals Him to us and probably the most heartwarming is the commandment in the Torah that mother animals are allowed to stay with their newborns for at least seven days before the offspring can be taken for food or for sacrifice (Exodus 22:30; Leviticus 22:27). All Rights Reserved. Because the writer of the story wanted to make sure that everyone would know that the Garasenes were not Jewish. But this view is shocking because it places Gods Son on an equal footing with the unclean spirits and thus flies in the face of the normal presentation of Jesus in the Gospels. Knowing the correct genre of what you are studying is a major step toward getting a correct message or interpretation. If ever there was a small and weak proof-text, this is the one. Its the exodus that Jesus has come to lead, an exodus from slavery to the prince of this world. Some will respond to my rhetorical question, Why on earth would Jesus come to earth, by giving me the usual pat answer. why do you think there were pigs there?]. 11:78). I would think that it shows that demons would enter anything that could be unclean including a human being. That sure does smell good! Thus, in him, God found a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and 1 Samuel 16:1). Late Latin Gerasenus, Gergesenus, from Greek Gerasnos, Gergesnos, from Gerasa, Gergesa ancient town in Palestine. The Syrians made reprisals, and took many prisoners.
Record High And Low Temperatures By Zip Code,
Female Army Uniform Regulations,
Jennifer Holliday Parents,
Toro Timemaster Discontinued,
Citizenship In The Nation Merit Badge Workbook,
Articles W
were the gerasenes gentiles