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. Perhaps even ask who might that future group of individuals be to whom Jesus will say, Depart, I never knew you (Matthew 7:22) because even though they called him, Lord, Lord [and had gone to seminary and made dispensational charts] they somehow were on the wrong path. It's just 8 or 9 verses before this passage. They ask Him if they can enter some nearby pigs, and He lets them. Theres got to be a a good one about. Now what happens in this passage? So you not only see the power of Christ over Satan in this passage in the miracle that He performs in casting these demons out of this man, but you also see Jesus compassion towards sinners. 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). ]. Sproul also agrees with this preference of people over pigs when he writes, a man is worth more than 2,000 pigs.. Jesus is the lover of our souls. Owning those defiling animals was illegal and having two thousand head, the farmers were more than flouting the Law that Jesus had not came to destroy but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17). 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 But what does Leviticus says about, And also the pig; although it has a hoof splitting in half and it has a hoof clearly tearing in two, the pig doesn't bring back up its cud to chew. These demons of the Gadarene Demoniac wanted to stay in this territory where worship of Baal was predominant. Thats right, Whatever matter I am commanding you right now, it's what you must be careful to observe to do. Two thousand pigs together is quiet unimaginable. I would think that it shows that demons would enter anything that could be unclean including a human being. Clearly, Luke is telling you this because he wants you to show the amazing power of Jesus Christ, even over demons. Therefore, as we have seen from the Deuteronomy and Revelation, and Jesuss own words, he was not allowed to adjust the Law of God and he had no intention of doing so. borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin galilea, probably after Galilea, Galilaea galilee, from a monastic and clerical comparison of the church porch, where the laity gathered, to biblical Galilee, regarded, in opposition to Judaea, as a country of Gentiles (as in Matthew 4:15) All of us may be so concerned with our own livelihoods that we fail to serve other people and help those in desperat 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. Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities north of Israel, and Jesus had been sent to the Jews ( Matthew 15:24 ). And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. JESUS DIDNT SEND THE DEMONS INTO THE DEEP; were the gerasenes Gentile Pig meat, according to Scripture, is as, Suddenly, Mark 5 is clear. 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. So instead of working or hammering away at the embarrassing elephant in the room, the good pastors spoon out interpretations to us that are not biblical, or dish up corny one-liners, all in the hope that well swallow them or be too busy laughing to connect the dots ourselves. That sure does smell good! Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. 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. WebInhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus (Matt. Many year later, Messiah went to Israel as a prophet to get the people of Israel back to his Law. Demetrius had to do something with the Jew or go bust. Of course not. 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. Jesus to leave But isnt it a funny coincidence that pork happens to be on Gods list of forbidden food. noted the official establishment of Christianity and discontinuance of pagan worship in the 5th cent. He's converted. 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. I love irritating those charlatans who pretend the Law of God is somehow different than the Law of Moses. Am I forgiven by saying, I just allowed the kids to have the grenade? Because the writer of the story wanted to make sure that everyone would know that the Garasenes were not Jewish. 3 He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; 4 for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and WebApparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. p. 102. Besides Johns cute play on words dont add or God will add consider what plagues he might be talking about and what book he might be talking about. Money Maker Software is compatible with AmiBroker, MetaStock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4. Both Johns could conveniently connect the dots between the Law of God which outlaws the swine and the destructive action which Jesus took against the herd, but it would be too inconvenient for their religious views. 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. And if I remember correctly, I think there is some tradition about other Apostles going to Spain. Jesus ministered to and did miracles for the Gentiles there. The gospels. 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. At least Im man enough to admit possible weaknesses in my arguments and to talk about the elephants in the room. This kind of inter-ethnic scenario normally spells d.i.s.a.s.t.e.r. The real irritation is people saying the Law was impossible to obey, when Scripture says the opposite it true. 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. Apparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. Wipf & Stock Publishers. How and why did this happen in the first place? Most Christians believe Messiah is the Second Person of the Trinity. Well pretend with him that the folks in Gerasenes were placid Gentile farmers happily raising their gentle Gentile pigs. This agrees with the general description of the site (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26). Should we accept Mark 5 as literal history? The Gemara on the passage gives a historical foundation for the practise in the times of Aristobulus. Its all so reminiscent of John MacArthur joking and John Piper giving pat answers because n body wants to be honest with the Word of God and face facts and Jesus killing pigs is one of those uncomfortable contradictions.). there was never a prophecy that the kosher laws would be removed, so the verse is coming completely from left field. The demons inhabit the bodies of this herd of pigs and the pigs cast them into the Lake of Galilee. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. ), No matter how you slice it, the Almightys negative view of ham and bacon cant suddenly switch from one day to the next. 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. 2 Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came It goes like this: These are the people of Gerasene speaking to Jesus Rabbi be gone. And Tolkien puts it this way The Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dr he was, and his name is remembered in no tale for he himself had forgotten it and said only, I am the mouth of Sauron.. Many of you have seen, maybe fewer of you have read, a book by the famous British philosopher and skeptic, Bertrand Russell. 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. Both Gerasa and Gadara were cities to the east of the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan. So I figure we could speculate a little and see where this goes. And from what I have heard, preferrably pig blood. Its not possible for either of them to change, and therefore, inconceivable that Jesus would modify one iota of what he helped write. He does. I think Jesus was trying to give to all the sight to see the wrong things in this world we can overcome by walking with Him and His Way of life. Worse yet, dont trust one who says Scripture evolves. And do you believe for one minute that God told us to obey something that He knew full-well we couldnt obey? Gergesa (). I dont see anything of that sort in the story. The entire herd ran straight off a cliff and drowned. Web(2) Ye know that ye were Gentiles.--Better (according to the weight of MSS. Heavenly Father, we thank You that the name of Jesus is sweet in the ears of believers, but we know, O Lord, that those who love this world do not know the sweetness of the sound of His name. GotQuestions has three articles alone on the subject: here is their best. And sadly, neither of the two Johns considered Gods extreme love for His Creation when giving their interpretations. 8). Sinai. And repeatedly, these miracles will focus us in on Who is Jesus? and What do His deeds tell us about what He has come to do and the power that He has? And so this passage helps us in this way. Once there, Jesus encounters a man possessed by demons. The three passages that describe the incident with the demoniacs in the country of the Gerasenes, also called Gadarenes, are Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, and Luke 8:26-39. 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. Matt 8:28). Who owned the pigs? WebThe Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. city in Pal. Its architecture was of the Corinthian order, quite lavish and imposing, with columns from three to four ft. in diameter and about thirty ft. high. The pastors attempts to laugh off the haunting question about the meek and lowly Son of Man killing all the pigs is pathetic. But they dont prove his point. The Son of God mercifully cast thousands of. There's a total change of nature in this man. In other words, to paraphrase what Gertrude told Hamlet, Methinks the good pastor doth protest too much. And what can we take away from the second part of the commandment not to take away from Gods Word? ___________________________________________________________________. The exorcism and the slaughter: Did they happen? Theyre written as factual history. 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. Where? Gerasa, Gadara or Gergesa (Luke 8;26, 37) - Berean Insights Jerash Also, He is sometimes more open with outsiders/Gentiles than Jews because the negative reaction by the Jewish leaders would hinder his ministry more than rejection by Gentiles. One can only imagine the insanity the demoniac suffered at the hands of these evil forces. The first two are in the Authorized Version. And the only real bargaining chip according to this interpretation was offering them the two thousand big pink chips. and therefore the good pastor declares the demoniac to be a Gentile since, as everyone also knows, Gentiles are better tomb-dwellers.. I wonder why?). The most likely answer is to the country of the Gerasenes: i.e., Gerasa, a Greek town thought to be the same as the similarly-named Kersa on the east shore of Lake Tiberias. He doesnt want to connect the dots and he doesn't want us to either. 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. Accessed 4 Mar. Executive Committee of the Editorial Board. After a dramatic journey across the lake (Luke 8:22-25), Jesus steps for the first and last time into Gentile territory. Every creature on land, or in the water, or in the air is classified by either the Hebrew term, (, The main reason God limits righteous people to a select group of clean/pure animals is for, Gods altar was also separate and distinct and holy. He changed the subject. Now the big-mouth irking this Greek artisan was our good friend, the Apostle Paul. But Jesus still ministered to them: crowds from Tyre and Sidon came to see and listen to Him ( Mark 3:78 ). Just as God defeated Pharaohs army at the Red Sea, so Jesus defeats Satans army in the land of the Gerasenes. The Greeks were believers in the spirit when hes rolling around with a thousand killer-demons inside. Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion, for many demons had entered him. 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). ix. Because of his righteousness and his love for God, Peter and Andrew and John and thousands more loved Jesus and followed him. 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. 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. This location agrees with the description given by the ancient writers. And not only that, he's about to be a witnessing disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, Pastor John is not alone, joking at the expense of this tragedy. Demetrius wasnt afraid to stand up for his rights. They were people who knew him. WebWho do you care more about, people or pigs? Throughout the book, the author uses direct quotes, various and mostly verifiable place names and clear descriptions of mostly plausible actions. were the gerasenes 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.". The real irritation is people saying the Law was impossible to obey, when Scripture says the opposite it true. Gerasa, Gerasenes - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Similarly, as God incarnate, Jesus knows the future. A great deal of the Law applies only to priests (Leviticus 6:3) and to Levites (Numbers 7:9), so how could Jesus, of the tribe of Judah, keep one of those commandments? 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. (, Therefore you should understand that the LORD your God, Because God is so steady, and doesnt reverse or repeal, He can be trusted to do what He promises; good or, If the Eternal One, blessed be He, had said just, But the Almighty said it so many times. Peter, the thick-headed captain of the Tedious Twelve, needed a hammer of a vision to get it across to him that Gentiles not ham and back bacon are clean and Jews could fellowship with them. Wed obey Him. Secondly, the text is written to show Jesus dunnit. Gods Everlasting Word is not something evolving or morphing into a strange new unusual thing, like some rose turning into a radish, or a carrot into a carnation. biblegateway.com 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. They were not. v. 37) describe Jesus healing of the demoniac Legion and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee (cf. There are echoes of exodus in Marks story, and echoes of Davids battle with Goliath. Why did Jesus mention Tyre and Sidon Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. 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. 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. (Matt 15:24). I'm the man who Jesus saved by casting out the demons from me.. 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? The Gadarenes Rejection | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals Who owned the pigs? IV. 8 ) Their pork was kosher, kept out of the camp for 7 days, and circumcised. Over the years, Ive had to prove all this to myself first, and it took soul-searching and tons of Scripture research. He specifically banned pig in. And while its not true God pairs animals with people every where in Scripture, He does in this statement. We are pleased to launch our new product Money Maker Software for world's best charting softwares like AmiBroker, MetaStock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4. He used another pseudonym, Julian Ross. Besides, each of the synoptic gospels quotes the demons saying out loud that Jesus had the power to torture them all at will (Matthew 8:29, Mark 5:7 and Luke 8:28). If pigs were considered unclean then would the demons not wanted unclean to possess. 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. (, Worse yet, dont trust one who says Scripture. 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). He was completely in the thrall of sin. He has authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to numerous books. And he was the one who said that the Father doesnt miss the falling of a sparrow. Oops. Scripture exhorts us to care for animals and not to be cruel to them. led to the substitute reading Gergesenes, a reading that was suggested by a study of the geography of the area. 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? 1. (, 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. And Jews are forbidden by God and His eternal commands to own pigs. 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. ESV - 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. What about cattle? 5 ) They werent real Jews They were JINOs! His sermon should have given us some point, some excuse, or some logical explanation for it all. 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. But there is a message in this for all of us and it is simply this we may not be possessed by demons, but if we are possessed by what we want or by what we have and if what we want or what we have is not God in the Gospel of His dear Son, Jesus Christ, then we are no less in the thrall of sin that this man. WebWhy were there pigs in gerasenes? 4. Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac The Law of God states that the Sabbath is a day of rest for all livestock (Deuteronomy 5:14). Ill take Mark at his word; hes thinking of an army of demons, not an army of human soldiers. Map of the Decapolis and its Cities - Bible History That's why Jesus's motivation to kill the herd was more than obvious to the Tedious Twelve and the gospel writers. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. But what are its implications? Gods Word has to agree with Gods Word. The last now appears. You understand that Legion is not his name. 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. What do you love? The thinking behind each chart is contrary to the unity and oneness of God. God designated the descendants of Abraham, the Israelites, as His chosen people. But when Jesus explained that the commandment was the old one from Leviticus, Love one another, they signed with relief, seeing how he was just underscoring the command that God already gave (Leviticus 19:18). 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. Cute little silver goddess dolls would have sold for the same price as a full-grown boar or sow in those days. Gerasa is identified from various sources as a city in Arabia, Decapolis, Gilead, or Perea. The Bible doesnt say. 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. In the 2nd cent. His actions now make sense in this new light. If you watch the short clip (above) and compare it to the one hour source video Dominating Powers, Part 2 (Mark 5:1-20) you will notice how MacArthurs speaking style changes as soon as he addresses the matter of the pigs. The demons freak out that Jesus is there because its not time for them to be tormented by Him yet. 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? There's nothing that they can do to restrain His mighty arm. War IV. He loves our souls. Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? GERASA, GERASENES (, ). (Question: If God cares about the mother-child relationship in animals, how does He consider that relationship for people? 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. First of all theyre forgetting that Jesus Himself has already said that His Heavenly Father cares even about the sparrows that fall from their nests. The power and the person of Jesus Christ. And were you aware that the New Testament repeats the same two commands from Deuteronomy? The account occurs in all three Synoptic gospels; in Mark (the shortest gospel) the story is in the longest and most detailed version; Matthew 8.2834 is the shortest, Yes, you read that right. Also, Orthodox Jews see a clear connection between Deuteronomy 12:32, do not add, and what happened in the Garden of Eden. It pains them to admit that Jesus was/is a Jewish Messiah and not a Christian one. 7). And guess what this week's focus is on? 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. Do not add upon it and do not reduce it. Two thousand pigs dead for one person to live is not an even tradeand that is the point. However, it is anticipated that the following verses will be thrown up as excuses, as pat answers, and as proof that God has changed, the Law is fulfilled (a.k.a. Gerasa was rebuilt in splendor and remained prosperous for several centuries. Its totally contrary to what we would expect. The Matthew account mentions two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke only mention one. 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. 9. The Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20) | Bible.org Almost there. 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? Its true! And you know what the most frightening thing of all is? Inhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus ( Matthew 8; Mark 5; Luke 8) in which he transferred the demons 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.