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). Wed also have to confess that the farmers were not Gentile. Scripture also makes it abundantly clear that God Almighty cannot change, and no one, not even the Lord's Anointed Messiah can change the Law which they both wrote. The two Johns see more than a hint of what I am talking about in the destruction of the swine and it frightens them so they avoid a serious discussion. Here, it may well be that a herd of unclean animals has been used to take thousands of demons to their doom in the lake in anticipation of the final judgment. (Cf. If you have your Bibles I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 8 and this great story of the man who was possessed by demons, liberated by the Lord Jesus Christ. So its a fair comparison to place Pauls actions in Ephesians side-by-side with Jesuss actions by the Lake of Galilee. The Law of God. It seems Jesus allowed the demons to destroy the pigs so that the people could see just what demons are up to when they assault people. Therefore, even though folks from the Bishop of Hippo down to our two good California pastors have tried to persuade us that the Creator has shifted His views on pork, God did not, can not, and will not vary or alter or adjust any word spoken about any decision let alone His views on ham sandwiches. But there are many reasons why Im not keen on the idea of the Gospels as non-historical. And he is sent out to negotiate with Aragorn and Gandalf, and the others. Studying these Scripture passages show us that Jesus only ever walked in the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Israel and Moses. At best, Malachi 4:4 should read as, Remember the Law of Moses, but mine's better. The forum, with a semicircle of columns still standing, was paved with large cut stones. (Jos. What are you doing here, man of God? And then he attempted to intimidate him. We said the last time that we were together that in Luke 8 you begin four miracle stories, all of which either happen in Galilee or in Gentile lands. Those people were Jews in Nazareth. Wed obey Him. There are echoes of exodus in Marks story, and echoes of Davids battle with Goliath. a Gentile and What Does the Bible Say about My question is: In a, If Paul got himself into hot water because of a Gentile, To top it off, Jesuss farmers see Jesus and see their property floating belly up in the surf, but they dont throw him after them! The passage appears to be straightforward historical-narrative writing, like the rest of Marks gospel. Over the centuries, many scribes spent an enormous amount of time, energy and resources copying them, thereby lending credibility to them. Clearly, Luke is telling you this because he wants you to show the amazing power of Jesus Christ, even over demons. He's no longer under the domination of demons or his own sin. But the sad thing I want you to see at the end is the reaction of the majority of his countrymen, because unlike him, they do not beg to be with Jesus. These pastors have, Look at the prophets; they also prove Scripture doesnt change. Secondly, the text is written to show Jesus dunnit. Mark 5 is truly very simple: being a righteous Jew, the Law commands Jesus to abhor pigs as food. Both of our good pastors assume that the people in Gerasene (Gadarene or Gergesene) were Gentiles in Gentile territory, partially because of the pigs, partially because of the demoniacs and partially because it fits their bias. Interested in joining the Ligonier team? And His promise to make a new promise (covenant) with Israel and with Judah in Jeremiah 31:31-32 does not repeal the first promise (the covenant that Israel broke), it strengthens it. We pray that he would find liberation in Jesus Christ and see his life and family restored, but my friends, any one of us, any one of us, can be in the same thralldom today. The Gospels tell us that Jesus did most of His work among the Jewish people. One day the prophet Samuel angrily told his king that God would not go back on His decision. Let\'s see if you\'re really a human: * War II. Doesn't Jesus Treat Animals as Property? In York, T.; Alexis-Baker, A.; Bekoff, M.; McLaren, B. Gadarene Swine Who were the gerasenes in the bible? John Oxenham1 wrote a poem about this passage. On the other hand, the Masters usually thick-headed students, the Tedious Twelve, didnt question him about this! To any Jew, Jesuss actions were crystal clear. Additionally, the encounter takes place among the tombs, an earthly realm of the dead, so to speak. But this is not the full explanation or the main one. And it's the glorious picture of the value that He puts on an immortal soul. facts why Jesus cast the demons I could have come up with better arguments against Christianity than Bertrand Russell, but in the course of this book in one of the chapters, he says it is this story that led him to the conclusion that Jesus was neither the best nor the most virtuous of men. For those near by the local name would be used; but in writing to a distant people, as the Greeks and Romans, the more comprehensive and general name would be given. 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 (, All of these commandments and more are still taken literally by many Jews today. End of story. The Jewish Messiah rid himself of two defiling groups in one blow. 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. Dr. R.C. What care we for his soul?What good to us that Thou hast made him whole,Since we have lost our swine? viii. Reading the whole account in Acts 19:23 to 41, we see that it was not hard for the sore silversmith to drum up anti-Jewish anger in the crowd that day. "Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged [Jesus], saying, 'Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.' That amazing phrase, all of you be holy for I am holy did not start with Peter (1 Peter 1:16), because the apostle is quoting Leviticus. III. Apparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. Gods Word has to agree with Gods Word. The Greeks were believers in the spirit The land of the Gerasenes was on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The gospels. 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. Jesus was a Jew. Youll notice at the beginning of the passage that they go across the lake to the east side and that puts them outside the bounds of Galilee and outside the bounds of Israel and over into Gentile territory on the other side. He specifically banned pig in Leviticus 11:6 but to make sure we heard God repeats the command (Deuteronomy 14:8), adds that eating it makes a person unclean (Leviticus 11:43), adds that touching their carcasses defiles a person (Leviticus 11:28), adds that righteous people must not become defiled (Leviticus 20:25), and then sends His prophet a prophesy like, no one uncircumcised or anything unclean (/tameh) will anymore enter Zion or Jerusalem (Isaiah 52:1), and then openly judges pork-eaters as wicked (Isaiah 65:2-5), and then hotly repeats that identical point (Isaiah 66:15-17), and once more (Ezekiel 44:23-27) and once again, but now in the New Testament (Revelation 21:27), so where is that pastor who dares suppose the Almighty can change His mind about pigs? In turn, they would have a vehicle wherewith to stay in their territory. Living in rural Central Africa villages for ten years, I heard many stories from locals about demon spirits living in streams and trees and boulders. WebWhy were there pigs in gerasenes? There's nothing that they can do to restrain His mighty arm. The distinction between the two is clear (now). But once the door is open, well, we see in this story what can happen when you give in, what can happen when the demonic takes over. Sproul also agrees with this preference of people over pigs when he writes, a man is worth more than 2,000 pigs.. Some will respond to my rhetorical question, Why on earth would Jesus come to earth, by giving me the usual pat answer. Gerasenes | Biblical Training 2 Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came Echoes of Exodus in the Land of theGerasenes, Wesleys Eschatological Optimism Explains itAll, The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg, The Methodist Million Dollar Appeal in World WarII. His sermon should have given us some point, some excuse, or some logical explanation for it all. Why should this surprise us? being the eternal Son of God. Years earlier, when the ancient Israelis came to the border of the Promised Land, part of the eastern shore was controlled by the Geshurites (and the Maakathites) but Joshua told Israel to possess their land (, Last Fact: The coming Judgement Jews First, We have seen that God Almighty loves animals as much as humans, so Jesus randomly killing two thousand swine seems senseless, unless we remember God has commanded righteous people to avoid defiling food, such as pork. Rabbi, begone! Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. If you eat a swine/hog that has killed eaten a poisonous snake and you eat that hog, you will be poisoned and die. Incredible. WATER DESTROYED HER!!!! So now they don't even bother to read it.]. Palmer Robertson was telling me not long after he had arrived in Africa to begin his ministry there he was taken to a nighttime fireside meeting with a witch doctor a man who was possessed of familiar spirits, who had extraordinary powers of strength, prediction, he was hired by people to put curses on other people and to put spells on other people. Accessed 4 Mar. Yet there was no fury. But what does Leviticus says about ham? 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. The book ends on that very point. HDB, II, p. 158, 159 for a detailed description.). absolutely anne..there are a few scenarios..nothing more exciting than digging into the Word of God!! Many year later, Messiah went to Israel as a prophet to get the people of Israel back to, The two Johns see more than a hint of what I am talking about in the destruction of the swine and it frightens them so they avoid a serious discussion. Inhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus (Matt. From the brook beside the road he will drink and for this reason, he will lift high his head. Gods Law even has two commands that equate domestic livestock with wild animals. Look at what he first says when Jesus meets him in verse 28 What do you have to do with me, Jesus? Without a doubt, both men know God never came up with the line, Third Fact: Not a fickle faithless Father. This curse should deter makers of dispensational charts from chopping up Scripture because having my share taken from the Book of Life, or my name wiped out of the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5) doesnt sound very cool. 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. The miracle referred to took place, without doubt, near the town of Gergesa, the modern Kersa , close by the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and hence in the country of Gergesenes. : A similar remark came from Mosess lips when he described God as eternally faithful and then connected Gods faithfulness to His faithful love. 2023 Christianity.com. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. The other, Deuteronomy 22:6-7, protects wild mother birds in a similar way, forbidding us from killing them along with their young at the same time. Pig meat, according to Scripture, is as unclean as the demons that Jesus sent into the swine. Such alternative readings include arguments that the swine were meant to represent the Roman army or "unclean and unfaithful" people; that pigs were considered "unclean", so destroying them might be consistent with care for other animals; and that Jesus did not actually "send" the devils into the pigs. Now the big-mouth irking this Greek artisan was our good friend, the Apostle Paul. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. One can only imagine the insanity the demoniac suffered at the hands of these evil forces. Josephus mentions it with Pella and Golan as being taken by storm during Alexander Jannaeus campaign E of the Jordan in about 83 b.c. were badly damaged in major The apostle had been busy preaching in Demetriuss hometown of Ephesus and Pauls message about the one true God was catching on. Map of the Decapolis and its Cities - Bible History New International Version (NIV), Encyclopedia of The Bible Gerasa, Gerasenes. Did Jesus really sacrifice the swine for the man? Well that's the first thing we see in this passage. 9 ) They were wild Ferrel hogs feeding near the cliffs. 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. He couldnt introduce a new religion. During the time of Christ, the ten cities of Decapolis and the surrounding region were inhabited mostly by Gentiles, not Jews, and the area had a strong Greek influence. Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs in Gerasenes (Lk 8 ) 10 ) It was the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the area of the Decapolis. His sermon should have given us some point, some excuse, or some logical explanation for it all. Yet a number of objections immediately spring to mind. The Psalmist states that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills Because to me belong every beast of the wood, every herd on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10, and were assuming Jesus the Second Person of the triune God had equal rights to those hills and those cattle.). Power over Demons: The Gerasene Demoniac Matthew Derek Thomas was reminding me this morning that Ridderbos, in his famous book, The Coming of the Kingdom, records seventeen different interpretations that he had found of this particular parable. They cannot cast a spell on Him. Not that I believe my case has holes. He said, If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. I want you to see a person in the thrall of sin. In fact in this passage with the demons naming His name, this was often done in the ancient world, if you knew someone's name you could call out that name as a part of casting a spell on them. Of course this kosher interpretation is just as obvious painfully obvious to John MacArthur and Piper, yet I've never seen either refute the issue or deal honestly with their doubts. Don't be surprised if none of them want the spotl One goose, two geese. And then finally, and very, very sadly, I want you to see in contrast to him, the reaction of the majority of the people in his city and country to what Jesus has done. Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with: Gerasene. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gerasene. being the holy Messiah of Israel, Jesus wants the swine out of The Land as much as he wants unclean spirits out of The People, and. When they ask Jesus to leave, he does so without any objection; Jesus ministry will not be imposed on those unwilling to receive it. Can we really point the finger at him? He's not only a person extraordinarily under bondage to demonic activity, but he's actually a picture of everyone who is in the thrall of sin. As was just so elegantly discussed, the destruction of the herd only makes sense if we remember that God never liked unclean food to begin with. Again, Gods anointed one faces down an army, one man against thousands. destroyed) and every perplexing dispensational chart is legit. Diana (Artemis) of Ephesuslovely without a nose! Gerasa, Gerasenes - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible These authors were Biblical (Peter, James, Paul, Hebrews, etc) and to a lesser extent, non-biblical (Josephus, Pliny, etc). You can bet your bottom drachma there is. And the good pastor doesnt give any rationale for a slaughter that huge. Its the exodus that Jesus has come to lead, an exodus from slavery to the prince of this world. take a dump and be cleaned.lol. The story of the Gerasene demoniac thereby foreshadows the mission to the Gentiles that would begin in full force with the conversion of the Apostle Paul and Peter's ministry to Cornelius (Acts 910). 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). WebThe terrified Gerasenes beseeching Jesus to leave them. Out of the three, Marks gospel presents the most information about the herd. As well, every place the Master went on his travels was inside of the Land of Israel; he never went to Gentile territory. Therefore, I repeat again that I believe the pastors are dishonest for not admitting this fact. gerasenes This Priceless People Interpretation comes from another sunny California pastor, John Piper. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town. Gentile document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. Money Maker Software is compatible with AmiBroker, MetaStock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4. Jesus enters enemy territory in two ways. It was exactly due to his righteousness and his love for God that he killed two thousand pigs. The Messiah gave every Jew there that day a glimpse of the judgement to come. At this distance from the Sea of Galilee, Gerasa could not have been the site of the healing of Legion. It is doubtful that Jesus ever visited it. Also, the land where the Master walked and the swine were feeding belonged to Israel. View our current career opportunities. Late Latin Gerasenus, Gergesenus, from Greek Gerasnos, Gergesnos, from Gerasa, Gergesa ancient town in Palestine. The History of Rome - Brief Overview Of Roman History from Her Dawn to the First Punic War. Because in all of Holy Writ, the phrase first appears in Leviticus 11 (Leviticus 11:44) right after God talks about clean/pure meats. 2 And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. (, But MacArthurs logical is funny for another reason. It is repeated over and over. Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, [Let me just pause right there. If I still had some misgivings, Id be man enough to share them here. Such a contradiction in character! WebRoman Empire Map - Large Map of the Roman Empire in the Early First Century - Click around on the Places. It's this man who doesn't even remember his name who's possessed by a host of demons. Also, any every person who wants to please God is forbidden the heartless act of boiling a calf in its mothers milk (Exodus 23:19; Exodus 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21), as well as the abominable practice of cutting and eating the leg of a live animal, only to leave the poor creature hobbling around with its three remaining legs (Deuteronomy 12:23; explanation). Jesus was upholding all the kosher laws within the Land of Israel it was part of his job description. And so this man comes to Jesus, he seeks Him out, and Jesus says to him, What is your name? And the man doesn't know his name. 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
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