Barry Rhodes Obituary, Blockchain Projects With Source Code Github, Trevino Funeral Home Palo Alto San Antonio Obituaries, How Many Sunny Days In San Francisco, What Happens When You Reset Firestick To Factory Settings, Articles W

--ED.). 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. Thus, we are not surprised that there was "a great herd of pigs" feeding near the tombs where the Gerasene demoniac was living (5:11). Post the Definition of Gerasene to Facebook, Share the Definition of Gerasene on Twitter, More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary, Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes. It's His person and His power that we're having our attention draw to and there are four things in particular that I want you to see in this passage. Worse yet, dont trust one who says Scripture evolves. And you can ask yourself a lot of questions Why did Jesus do that? Indeed, some believe that Jesuss single option was to let Legion loose on the animals. Regrettably, what were about to study the Big Pig Splash Down isn't one of them. But if one cared to examine all of Gods Word, the only possible reason for Jesus to destroy the pigs in the exorcism seems to be connected to Gods opinion about ham. 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. The shortest distance between two thoughts. 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? A main street with columns on both sides leads out of the forum. Who were the gerasenes in the bible? The action is no different than, Lets return again to when Jesus cleaned up the Temple courtyard of merchants and merchandise. He's the friend of sinners. While animal-abuse cases arent normally rampant among church-goers, its no thanks to this bishops official policy. With or without graves? Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. It all belongs to God. Luke means it to be an extraordinary event. Compared to the accounts of the same event in Matthew and Luke also written in simple narrative prose some details vary. A city in Transjordania, situated about thirty-five m. SE of the S end of the [[Sea of Galilee]], one of the cities of the Decapolis; the Good Pastor John MacArthur's funny option, The real Author(s) of the Law and the Commandments. 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. 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. Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. 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? Two thousand pigs together is quiet unimaginable. Last Update: Jan 03, 2023 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). Marks Jesus is a warrior who conquers Gods enemies. Neither common sense, nor the text, let Jesus off the hook. 11:78). (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. Jewish rabbis, when interpreting the Word of God, follow an important principle: no word in Gods Word is superfluous or pointless. Thats right, adding or subtracting from Scripture, according to Scripture, is illegal. But Jesus still ministered to them: crowds from Tyre and Sidon came to see and listen to Him ( Mark 3:78 ). Because the writer of the story wanted to make sure that everyone would know that the Garasenes were not Jewish. (, For I tell you truly, until the passing away of Heaven and the Earth, not the smallest letter nor the smallest comma will pass away from the Law until everything has happened. 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. 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. Instead of dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, we see dead pigs, an intentional insult to the minions of Satan. I trust the Lord Jesus to know what to do with demons and what ought to be done. And sadly, neither of the two Johns considered Gods extreme love for His Creation when giving their interpretations. No, I've checked my facts, anticipated the arguments, remembered my own arguments from he past, and now Im ready to present my conclusions for Christians to consider. 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. 2 Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came WebThey came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. The man could break his earthly chains; he could not break his spiritual ones. The action is no different than Revelation 14:14-15 where we see the Son of Man brandishing a sharp sickle. They do not bother mentioning Scriptures emphasis on being holy before God. Amen. He had a new name and he had a new nature to go along with it. viii. 2 And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. 7 ) The pigs werent for eating. (Cf. The Word of God cant change any more than God can. War I. iv. These three verse from John really are earth-shattering. Gergesa - Wikipedia Facts are piling up. So did the demons surprise him? Issues are listed below: we are using four Greek words to eliminate entire chapters of Scripture. These forces plundered Gerasa, Philadelphia, Pella, and others (Jos. Yet a complete interpretation of Mark 5 needs to clear up one last point: the pigs were forbidden but did they have to be destroyed? Now do you see how silly the Jesus-kept-the-Law-perfectly statement is? Also, Johns emphasis do not take away from the words is stronger than Mosess original statement. The Greek clause literally says, End of law is Christ but why bother finishing the sentence? Luke doesn't think that it's an every day occurrence for a person to be possessed by a host of demons. For these reasons, the writers of the gospels gave no explanation and the Twelve asked no question about why Jesus destroyed all the swine. Their dead bodies you must not touch. And what about trees or rocks? Be circumspect. It was exactly due to his righteousness and his love for God that he killed two thousand pigs. Very interesting. Jesus is equating his commandments which can only be the ones in the Law of Moses, because he gave no commandments in the Gospels with his Fathers commandments in the Five Books of Moses. Wed obey Him. He has authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to numerous books. It is a wonderful fact, but unlike you and I, Gods character is constant and consistent I AM that I AM and understanding His unchanging nature is at the center of forming the right interpretation of Mark 5. It's interesting isn't it Jesus crosses the river, the lake, and no sooner has He set His foot on the other side but this man shows up to meet Him. 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. If pigs were considered unclean then would the demons not wanted unclean to possess. Jesus helped a Syrophoenician woman and commended her faith ( Matthew 15:2128 ). Am I forgiven by saying, I just allowed the kids to have the grenade? Regrettably, what were about to study the, And he answers him, saying, My name is Legion because there are many of us. Also he begs Jesus many times that he'd not send them away, out of the. The most plausible reason Jesus chose the pigs was because he regarded people as precious and priceless, but not swine. Mark and Luke call it Gerasenes and some English versions translate it as Gergesenes. It is all the same place. And John nicely parallels Jesus who said, not the smallest letter nor the smallest comma will pass away from the Law (Matthew 5:18). They were people who knew him. 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. Most translations interpret the Hebrew to say, Canaanite, but both are more than possible and perhaps the double meaning was intended by the prophet. So much for sola scriptura. The land of the Gerasenes was on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. This is the only sensible interpretation which remains consistent with all Scripture. (For many a time it had seized him. The church fathers treated them as literal history. They ask Him if they can enter some nearby pigs, and He lets them. And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. The prophet Jonah is held up as the merciless messenger of God; not a great title. It was like, Read my lips, Saul! (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). 10 ) It was the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the area of the Decapolis. The majority admits they are clueless and throw their hands up, stating the herd was just a , The pastors attempts to laugh off the haunting question about the meek and lowly Son of Man killing all the pigs is, Besides the jokes being in poor taste, they make his sermon seem less than professional. Once there, Jesus encounters a man possessed by demons. The list in the first chapter of Leviticus contains only bovine, sheep, goats and pigeons; all typified later, in Leviticus 11, as clean/pure animals. And he is sent out to negotiate with Aragorn and Gandalf, and the others. Luke 1:6 says, [Zachariah and Elisabeth] were both righteous before God, walking in all of the commandments and judgements of the LORD, guiltless. Sound like perfect obedience to me. Don't be surprised if none of them want the spotl One goose, two geese. (Please dont hide behind that sensational dispensational chart. He does. Even city officials who were Pauls friends were scared for Pauls life (Acts 19:31). (photo by Jean Pierre, Pexels), Reading the Word of God is wonderful. To run Money Maker Software properly, Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1 or higher version is required. city in Pal. 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 wild animals, as discussed below. Instead they joke around and give pat answers. Take the first chapter of Genesis for example; ones interpretation of it depends on whether one thinks its a historical retelling of creation, or just a poem. Gods Law has a law that you cannot change Gods Law. were the gerasenes gentiles It's all Gentile territory, so just bear that in mind. The story is about the power of Jesus and, even his name, to rid humans of demons and also to show that his power was for Gentiles as well. Their line of reasoning supposes that Jesus wanted to save the man (men) but too many unclean spirits meant Jesus had to negotiate to get them to move out. He loves our souls. (Sidebar: During the whole Rob Bell Love Wins craze, I had a friend who claimed to believe the Bible, but denied that demons exist. Yet there was no fury. What do you want? 1), and apparently occupied these cities with Jewish patriots. That is why (Take that, Darwin.). These demons of the Gadarene Demoniac wanted to stay in this territory where worship of Baal was predominant. As I hear, I judge and My judgment is righteous because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. At the beginning of the gospel, he wins these victories with acts of visible, recognizable power. Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac Mark I will say that I struggled with the title to this sermon. Definition of Gadarenes (Gergesenes) in the Bible - Bible He says that the demon expulsions are just unenlightened men of the first century trying to explain illnesses being healed. This agrees with the general description of the site (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26). Therefore we know that when Jesus helped the Syrophoenician woman (not a Jewess, but she came to him), he and the woman were both in Israeli territory. The fact that Matthew places the healing of Legion in the country of the Gadarenes whereas Mark and Luke place it in the country of the Gerasenes may be harmonized on the historical grounds that geographical boundaries overlapped, and on the exegetical consideration that country embraced a wide area around the cities. Jesus was Jewish and He said He came for the lost sheep of Israelthe 10 cities of Decapolis were Roman cities but also contained some Jews who were most likely not keeping the Torah or mixing paganism with Judaism..Romans had many pagan gods and sacrifice pigs especially a certain black pig..I believe the man with the unclean spirits was a Jew.a Jew would never hang out in a tomb because that would make him unclean according to Jewish law..satan probably got a kick out of a Jew being forced by his demons to live in one.interesting that unclean spirits went into a unclean animal according to Judaismwhat a sight to see and then told by to go and tell what happened to you and to those pigs to your fellow Jewish friends and family who may not be keeping the Torah..just my opinion. 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. 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.). Either way, dispensational charts ultimately commit both acts against the Word of God. 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. Jesus is the lover of our souls. 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.) 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. 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. Diana (Artemis) of Ephesuslovely without a nose! WebAll three Synoptic Gospels ( Mark 5:120; Luke 8:2639; Matthew 8:2834) mention the swine miracle, although with variations. II. 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. And what about trees or rocks? Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, [Let me just pause right there. Show us the sins of our hearts that we are captive to. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight." This means that these miracles are especially meant to teach believers something. Mark 5:1 Commentaries: They came to the other side of the sea, She needs someone strong enough to cast a legion of demons into the sea, like Pharaoh and his hosts. This solution is as old as Origen (Commentary on John, VI, 24) who, faced with the textual problem, suggested that the precise site of the healing of Legion was Gergesa, the small town in the territory of Gadara, but hardly in the more remote territory of Gerasa. And he sends out his representative, a man who is known only as the Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dr, the black gate. That's what disciples do, they sit at their master's feet. Over the centuries, many scribes spent an enormous amount of time, energy and resources copying them, thereby lending credibility to them. Furthermore, the play-by-play presents no reason to be judged as a parable or an allegory. That is how valuable human life is." (eds.). The demons are aware that He is there and they are frightened. Its one thing to understand that He personally never changes. However, the silversmith was a smart cookie and knew that the more people bought into Pauls line of thinking, the less theyd be buying his souvenir Diana statues. But MacArthurs logical is funny for another reason. 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. 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. Also, this study shows that Jesuss actions in Mark 5 were on the surface contrary to the deep-rooted Jewish respect for domestic and/or wild animals. 5 ) They werent real Jews They were JINOs! R.C. He made a covenant with them and revealed His commandments to them, which they were to live according to. Let\'s see if you\'re really a human: * Reading the Word of God is wonderful. Before the war it was a Gentile settlement. As regards the first question, it would appear that that section of the country was chiefly inhabited by pagans in the first century, and Gerasa is at any rate included by Schrer among the Hellenistic cities ("Geschichte," ii. 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. Theres another interesting question in the sidelines: if Jews detested pigs, why were there pigs in the area? What need have we of further witnesses? The Gemara on the passage gives a historical foundation for the practise in the times of Aristobulus. What happened to the demons when the pigs died? He didnt give any new commandment. He wouldnt have lived long enough to get to a cross to die. Dr. Ligon Duncan | December 13, 2009. It goes like this: These are the people of Gerasene speaking to Jesus Rabbi be gone. Obviously the man with the demon was Jewish or Jesus would not have gone there. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! (. Unfortunately, Pastor John is not alone, joking at the expense of this tragedy. Sproul also agrees with this preference of people over pigs when he writes, a man is worth more than 2,000 pigs.. 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). And the thing that I love the most is the utter contrast in his attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ. And so the fact that youre in a country with a herd of pigs lets you know that youre in Gentile territory and that's part of the point of the story. Money Maker Software enables you to conduct more efficient analysis in Stock, Commodity, Forex & Comex Markets. Where He goes, they show up and they say things to Him. Pigs, of course, were unclean for the Jews (Lev. The last now appears. The heart set free from sin by Jesus. Third, I want you to see the change that results in this man after he is not only liberated from these demons, but after he clearly, because of a change of heart, becomes a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. I'm the man who Jesus saved by casting out the demons from me.. 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. If Jesus had done anything less, he could not have been the Messiah. I asked him how could it be that Jesus carried on an intelligent, protracted, two-way conversation with an illness after the illness was excised out of the man. Add to that that recent studies claim 25% of the world today is antisemitic and ask yourself if racism was better or worse in the past? Not that I believe my case has holes. And he was the one who said that the Father doesnt miss the falling of a sparrow. Oops. John Oxenham1 wrote a poem about this passage. and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. And this identical detail was written down in three different texts to remind us of the Son of Mans normally tender nature. 5 So they came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. Jesus is going to tell him, You can't come with Me, but I do want you to go back and tell them what great things God has done for you. The Messiah gave every Jew there that day a glimpse of the judgement to come. B. vii. Also in a side note theres a rock with what looks like a human footprint in it, it is said this is Christs footprint. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met Him a man from the city who had demons. Webwere the gerasenes gentiles. But just a theory. Does he really believe Mark 5 is Biblical material just for laughs? 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? Just like in the Garden, when God judged Adam, he didn't strike him directly, but the ground soil instead. It was part of the Greco-Roman region known as the Decapolis, or ten towns. or ten biblegateway.com 8 ) Their pork was kosher, kept out of the camp for 7 days, and circumcised. Such a contradiction in character! The lectionary reading for Trinity 1, Year C, is Luke's version of Jesus meeting and healing the demon-possessed man in the 'region of the Gerasenes' (Luke 8.2639). Seven Biblical facts await you that prove Jesus was obliged to love all creatures, except that a higher command forced him to partially judge the Jews who owned the two thousand poor pigs. Another title that didn't make it was Demons, Pigs, and a Request to Leave. Now I think actually that beautifully outlines what happens in this passage, but for a specific reason I've wanted to zero your attention in on this man, this nameless man, who is afflicted by demons and who is liberated by Jesus Christ because there is a Gospel message for all of us. You know that because the people tell Him to leave. "It became one of the proudest cities of Syria." As for Matthew, he quoted Jesus as commanding the demons, and used the plural form of the verb, go. Pig meat, according to Scripture, is as unclean as the demons that Jesus sent into the swine. Doesnt Pastor MacArthur know his Bible? To any Jew, Jesuss actions were crystal clear. Read it for yourself. 141-144). William Arthur Dunkerley (November 12, 1852 January 23, 1941) was a prolific English journalist, novelist and poet. He's converted. Learn a new word every day. Am I forgiven by saying, I just, The Land of Israel is/was no place for two thousand pigs.