Who owned the pigs? The demons, who in this man have terrified the whole countryside to the point that they had tried to retrain this man with chains they were so frightened of Him, those demons are now afraid of Jesus because they know who Jesus is and they know where Jesus can cast them. 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. 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. The Messiah gave every Jew there that day a glimpse of the judgement to come. 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. Notice how Gods care is cleverly contrasted with mans callousness: men buy birds for next to nothing because they do not value them, yet The Almighty as large and in charge as He is still takes careful notice of frail creatures. 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. 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. And if he missed one, he didnt do it perfectly. For these reasons, the writers of the gospels gave no explanation and the Twelve asked no question about why Jesus destroyed all the swine. Jesus is the lover of our souls. I beg You, do not torment me. Then, if you look in verse 38, he begs Jesus that he might be with him. And her addition to Gods commandment led to her disobedience and to Adams, and then God added some amazing plagues to mankind, just as John says (Revelation 22:18) will happen to those who add to His Word (and not just the book of Revelation). v. 37) describe Jesus healing of the demoniac Legion and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee (cf. Was it correct to destroy so many for just one (or two men). Paul himself said the doers of the Law will be made righteous (Romans 2:13), and that the Law is holy (Romans 7:12) and that the Law is spiritual (Romans 7:14). So its a fair comparison to place Pauls actions in Ephesians side-by-side with Jesuss actions by the Lake of Galilee. It's a picture of His great commission outreach, not just to Jews but to Gentiles also. They were to teach the Gentiles about Him (Acts 13:4647). 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. 2. Maybe it was because they were unclean animals. One possible reason the Son of David chose the pigs was that he had no choice. This verse alone puts an interesting twist on the oft-quoted man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was made for man because originally Scripture makes the point that the Sabbath is for man and mans animals. 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. But this I do know, when people say that because those pigs died it shows that Jesus was not a good and virtuous man theyre forgetting three things. take a dump and be cleaned.lol. Gerasa, Gerasenes - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible in which he transferred the demons afflicting a man to a number of swine, that thereupon rushed down a steep hill and perished. were the gerasenes gentiles Accessed 4 Mar. Lets re-examine the event in the light of seven important Scriptural facts. Not by will, but because they have no choice other than to do as the Administrator of all creation commands them. Pork is the most infamous of all-things-not-Jewish and the bad press that pigs receive in Scripture, and in contemporary Western society, is another reason why I accuse both pastors of being less than honest in their explanations about Mark 5. Interested in joining the Ligonier team? 2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. 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? * If one believes demons exists, why invent a false story to make the point that Jesus has power over demons? Sproul writes in his commentary Mark that the compassion of Jesus "drove Him to destroy the pigs for the sake of one human life. That is the exact opposite of other godly men (compare with, Lastly, even if Mr. Pipers explanation were true, look what its, The hard-hearted views of the Bishop of Hippo are not biblical because righteous people are obliged by God to be considerate to all animals, even, Are not two sparrows sold for the smallest coin, and yet one of them cannot fall to the earth apart from your Father? The vision stumped the poor apostle; clearly, Peter forgot about the amazing four Greek words of Mark 7:19b. WebScripture exhorts us to care for animals and not to be cruel to them. The fact anyone dreamed up dispensationalism, They say, None, but Jesus, kept the Law perfectly. Let's pray. Dedicated Online Support through Live Chat & Customer Care contact nos. (Quite likely David would have let the lion and the bear free, if not for the fact that they came back at him: 2 Samuel 17:35). What have You to do with me, Jesus, the Son of the Most High God? The only other commandment with this same specific promise is the command to honour thy mother and father (Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16; c.f., Ephesians 6:2-3 where Paul copies out the entire commandment and the promise). Instead, his conscious act of casting the demons into the swine resulted in the entire herds destruction. There's nothing that they can do to restrain His mighty arm. Its not clear exactly who is doing more killings, the LORD or Melchizedek, but the picture overall fits the image of Son of God cleaning the land of swine. Also, Orthodox Jews see a clear connection between Deuteronomy 12:32, do not add, and what happened in the Garden of Eden. They tried to kill us. We And what about trees or rocks? 8 ) Their pork was kosher, kept out of the camp for 7 days, and circumcised. What need have we of further witnesses? In the three Synoptic Gospels and John 2:15, Jesus forces all the sellers out of the Temple courts. And Christ went sadly.He had wrought for them a signOf Love, and Hope, and Tenderness divine;They wantedswine.Christ stands without _your_ door and gently knocks;But if your gold, or swine, the entrance blocks,He forces no man's holdhe will depart,And leave you to the treasures of your heart. WebAll three Synoptic Gospels ( Mark 5:120; Luke 8:2639; Matthew 8:2834) mention the swine miracle, although with variations. Well, this happens in the gospel with Jesus. Yet a number of objections immediately spring to mind. Those outside of the nation of Israel were considered gentiles. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Delivered to your inbox! 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. Nevertheless, the interconnections within Scripture, from the beginning, to the middle, and to the very end, are wonderful to see, just like a beautiful flower. 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. War IV. A Faith Embracing All Creatures: Addressing Commonly Asked Questions about Christian Care for Animals. Any other conclusion, in light of the seven facts just presented, is breathtakingly irresponsible, and we should just laugh it off. One Bible expositor said the pigs the demons sought refuge in were black. In course of time, as the Jews began more and more to pride themselves on their peculiar privileges, it acquired unpleasant associations, and was used as a term of contempt. Rabbi, begone! 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. This mother-baby law actually takes priority over another command which requires all first-born calves and lambs to be offered up to God on His altar (Numbers 18:17; Deuteronomy 15:19.) (eds.). Ive not heard that theory before. And it's the glorious picture of the value that He puts on an immortal soul. led to the substitute reading Gergesenes, a reading that was suggested by a study of the geography of the area. Gods Law has a law that you cannot change Gods Law. Show us the only hope of deliverance from those sins and teach us these things from this passage. At least Im man enough to admit possible weaknesses in my arguments and to talk about the elephants in the room. 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. Incredible. For one, Leviticus 22:28 forbids righteous farmers from killing a cow and its calf on the same day. Thats right, adding or subtracting from Scripture, according to Scripture, is illegal. His poetry includes Bees in Amber: a little book of thoughtful verse (1913) which became a bestseller. But as for God, what reason did He give Mr. Merciless for not destroying Nineveh? That is why He stabbed in the day of his wrath the kings. Legion Destroys Some Swine | Reformed Bible Studies 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. 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. Gergesa is located, with relative certainty, midway along the E bank of the Sea of Galilee; Gadara is six m. SE from the S end of the Sea of Galilee; and Gerasa is some thirty-five m. SE. 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 good pastor John MacArthur assumes in his video Dominating Powers, Part 2 (Mark 5:1-20), that Jesus must have been in Gentile territory because, as everyone knows, Jewish men and women dont hang around tombs even if they are demon possessed! But wait, realize how deep Gods affection for animals goes. The real irritation is people saying the Law was impossible to obey, when Scripture says the opposite it true. But now this is an extraordinary case. Additionally, it would have been foolish for the Apostles to claim hundreds and thousands of witnesses (1 Cor 15:1-6). Jesus ministered to and did miracles for the Gentiles there. Israels real enemy is Satan. When Jesus and his disciples landed on the other side, it was in a region known as the Gerasenes, Gentile territory. 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? GERASA, GERASENES (, ). He is more open with Gentiles because it fits His purpose about revelation to the Gentiles and the new inclusion in the kingdom. Why are there two demon-possessed men in the Gerasene tombs in What is going to happen, we are told by John the book of Revelation, is that God Himself is going to cast Satan and his demons into the lake of fire. In the Book of Acts, Chapter Nineteen, we read about Demetrius, a Greek silver-statue maker, who was connecting a few dots of his own and had reasoned that a certain big-mouthed Jew was bad for business. Such a conclusion will annoy a lot of people, even funny, leaky dispensationalists like John MacArthur. But Gods Spoken Word will endure for all time. Reading the Word of God is wonderful. If the pig farmers were Gentile, why would non-Jewish farmers be so gentle with a Jew (who was also an outsider) who was messing around with their farm animals? in which he transferred the demons afflicting a man to a number of swine, that thereupon He dispatched Lucius Annius with a force of cavalry and an army of foot soldiers, who took the city on the first attack, slaughtering a thousand young men, taking their families captive, plundering and burning the city and the surrounding towns (Jos. Is John really referring to just the plagues of the book of Revelation, or could his words also include other books and plagues? 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. For being kind to birds!? They had the exact same reaction to Jesus that Bertrand Russell would manifest two thousand years later. 9 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. In the three Synoptic Gospels and, None of the verses below refute any of the. Pingback: The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg. John 13:34 was the one single, solitary time that the Master told his disciples, I give you a new commandment. However, the commandment wasnt a new commandment. Interestingly, if you obey the latter, and take just the babies or the eggs but release the dame, God promises you a long and successful life. Don't they know their Bibles? He was totally dominated by these demonic forces. I remember my boyhood pastor, Gordon Reed, preaching through a sermon series on the gospel on Mark coming to a passage about demon possession saying, I don't know much about demon possession, but I've read a lot of books about people on demon possession and they don't know much about demon possession either. Well, before you give counsel to Jesus about what He has done in this passage you may want to take stock about how much you know about demon possession. Web(2) Ye know that ye were Gentiles.--Better (according to the weight of MSS. Therefore, if Jesus gave no commandment (singular), what is he referring to when he talks about commandments (plural) in the following: The answer: when he says, keep my commandments he means the ones he and the Father gave Israel at Sinai. Its inconceivable that the pigs were owned by Gentiles. And not only that, he's about to be a witnessing disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. To that end, may I present. For less than $5/mo. Thy powers bring loss to us and ours. Incredible. Jun 21, 2021. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies. He also makes excursions into Gentile territory, such as when he exorcizes the Gerasene/Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5:1-20). (Sidebar: During the whole Rob Bell Love Wins craze, I had a friend who claimed to believe the Bible, but denied that demons exist. I love irritating those charlatans who pretend the Law of God is somehow different than the Law of Moses. 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. The NT references (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26; cf. The demons freak out that Jesus is there because its not time for them to be tormented by Him yet. This passage is fundamentally about Jesus. And from what I have heard, preferrably pig blood. 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. Gerasa is mentioned next by Josephus in connection with the Jewish rebellion against the Romans in a.d. 70. WebGenesis 10:5 Context. And then God Himself repeated it five more times in the same book: Leviticus 11:45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:2, Leviticus 20:7-8 and Leviticus 20:26! Pig meat, according to Scripture, is as unclean as the demons that Jesus sent into the swine. 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. It may well be a picture of the reverse of what happened in the Garden of Eden. I wouldn't care to speculate how many demons possessed this man, but the man can only identify himself as a person who is possessed by an almost innumerable host of evil spirits and he doesn't even remember his own name. But they dont prove his point. One moose, two moose. These forces plundered Gerasa, Philadelphia, Pella, and others (Jos. We see the power of Christ over Satan, don't we? So much for sola scriptura. Christians never finish reading the chapter. And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. Next, what if our imaginary Jew damaged a ton of Gentile property under their very noses. Bibliography W. A. Thomson, The Land and the Book (1882), 333-338, 353, 359; C. H. Kraeling, Gerasa, City of the Decapolis (1938); The Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1946), 64, 117; M. F. Unger, Archaeology and the NT (1962), 139-141; E. Lohmeyer, Das Evangelium des Markus (1963), 93f; C. F. Pfeiffer, The Biblical World (1966), 252-254. The concept of Gentiles is found in the Old Testament. The Catholic Church's interpretation of this verse is sheer nonsense, because the weight of Scripture contradicts it, so true Reformers need to re-read their Bibles. Ellicotts Commentary, for one, believes the four Greek words were a latter addition. In some of your Bibles, it may say Gergesenes or Gadarenes in the parallel passages in the gospels. were destroyed) and every perplexing dispensational chart is legit. 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. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). If Jesus had done anything less, he could not have been the Messiah. Therefore, when it came to sacrifices on it, the menu was even shorter. were the gerasenes Now the big-mouth irking this Greek artisan was our good friend, the Apostle Paul. Yes, this man is extraordinary. The book ends on that very point. Those people were Jews in Nazareth. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Diana (Artemis) of Ephesuslovely without a nose! Some of my Christian brothers and sisters see this as coded language referring to a confrontation with the political and military power of Rome. The good pastor basically believes that in Jesuss mind, one mans peace, preservation and freedom from unclean spirits is worth the sacrifice of a couple thousand pigs. 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. The demons sent the pigs off the banks of the sea and into the water, where they drowned (Mark 5:1213). Therefore, if Paul had taken a single silver goddess Diana doll and tossed it into the Aegean Sea, what kind of a hornets nest of trouble would the apostle have stirred up for himself? He has authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to numerous books. It was part of the Greco-Roman region known as the Decapolis, or ten towns. or ten My research shows swine kill poisonous snakes. 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. They cannot cast a spell on Him. 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. Learn a new word every day. Wnsche, Neue Beitrge zur Erluterung der Evangelien aus Talmud und Midrasch, p. 119. 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. 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. That's even more unexpected than not being angry because in Paul's case, it was the other way around. However, the silversmith was a smart cookie and knew that the more people bought into Pauls line of thinking, Note: Demetrius was angry only because of, Therefore, were those cool-headed pig-farmers really Gentiles? GADARENES - JewishEncyclopedia.com Although He encountered and ministered to Gentiles such as the centurion who had a paralyzed servant (Matt. We are all responsible for our sins and so no demonic force can take control of a human life and make you sin unless you allow it. Jews don't get the joke either because they don't read the New Testament much given the fact Christians have turned them off of Jesus. 2023. Do you see how Jesuss Gentiles dont act like Gentiles! If we agree Messiah wrote the Law of God, we should then wonder why on earth he would come to Earth to take what he authored out of circulation or to annul it? In light of these facts, Jesus' ministry in the Gerasenes reveals the Lord's remarkable concern not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles. ), No matter how you slice it, the Almightys negative view of ham and bacon cant suddenly switch from one day to the next. In the 2nd cent. three They know that Jesus can cast them into the abyss, into the lake of fire, into the bowels of hell, and theyre frightened. To save this word, you'll need to log in. 3 And while its not true God pairs animals with people every where in Scripture, He does in this statement. Either way, dispensational charts ultimately commit both acts against the Word of God. Also, Johns emphasis do not take away from the words is stronger than Mosess original statement. He was incapable of changing his circumstances. Download Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1 Framework. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Therefore, I repeat again that I believe the pastors are dishonest for not admitting this fact. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! The jokes are a smoke screen. 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. While animal-abuse cases arent normally rampant among church-goers, its no thanks to this bishops official policy. War III. III. 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. And God isnt going to renounce or retract that decision no matter how many dispensational charts they print. Jesus was upholding all the kosher laws within the Land of Israel it was part of his job description. Cant we be candid in our search to know God? Jesus came to teach a better way of life that you could have abundantly! 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. 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. (Take that, Darwin.). Some will respond to my rhetorical question, Why on earth would Jesus come to earth, by giving me the usual pat answer, None can keep the nasty old Law, so Jesus came to fulfill it perfectly, and now I dont have to do anything, at all, whatsoever, just believe, hallelujah! The Gadarenes Rejection | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals Herod had massive building projects all over Israel. My question is: Why did these people respond to Jesus this way? Jesus was teaching the way to live life so demons would not have a place in us to possess. He was Jewish and tragically lost. Issues are listed below: we are using four Greek words to eliminate entire chapters of Scripture.

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