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. I wonder why?). Don't be surprised if none of them want the spotl One goose, two geese. Yet the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke actually report that the towns people many would have been the owners or friends of the pig owners or people who were connected to the trade in the swine were frightened of the Jewish rabbi. All these inescapable facts are so important to getting the right interpretation of Mark 5 and the other gospel records of the same event. Why should this surprise us? GERASA, GERASENES (, ). Nothing we have belongs to us. founders day speech by students were the gerasenes gentiles. 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. Being made in God's image, we are more important to the Lord than any animal. The power of the Lord Jesus Christ over Satan. In other words, they believe the one who killed the pigs with the demons is equal to the Father. They forget that all scripture is inspired of God and all of it is established in the heavens and none of it can change. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 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. Also in a side note theres a rock with what looks like a human footprint in it, it is said this is Christs footprint. Basically, a vision told Peter three times to eat defiling animal meat (at least that was how it seemed to him) so Peter logically replied that he had never eaten anything , Once more, we have half of an unclear verse, that people use to make up a, Gods Word has to agree with Gods Word. His sermon should have given us some point, some excuse, or some logical explanation for it all. The good pastor actually believes that a Jewish man can rationally decide the best sleeping quarters , In the end, the good pastors assumptions keep us, Just remember the wonderful folks in Jesuss hometown? No one cares where he sleeps when hes busy trying to keep himself from killing himself. Regrettably, what were about to study the Big Pig Splash Down isn't one of them. Over the years, Ive had to prove all this to myself first, and it took soul-searching and tons of Scripture research. Go be a witness to Me as My disciple.. Mark and Luke call it Gerasenes and some English versions translate it as Gergesenes. It is all the same place. Why? The tricky bit is finding the correct reason why gentle Jesus dumped hundreds of murderous, unclean spirits on so many swine. WebWho were the gerasenes in the bible? The final battle requires a different strategy, one that involves a cross. There's a total change of nature in this man. Ligon Duncan (MDiv, Covenant Theological Seminary; PhD, University of Edinburgh) is the Chancellor & CEO of Reformed Theological Seminary, the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, and the President of RTS Jackson. But as for God, what reason did He give Mr. Merciless for not destroying Nineveh? That's why Jesus's motivation to kill the herd was more than obvious to the Tedious Twelve and the gospel writers. The Jewish Messiah rid himself of two defiling groups in one blow. End of story. 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. WebGERASA, GERASENES (, ). 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. The majority admits they are clueless and throw their hands up, stating the herd was just a casualty of war. Another who admits he has no idea why the gentle Jesus jettisoned all those unclean demons unto the swine is John MacArthur. For you Tolkien fans it reminds me of a character in the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. The fact anyone dreamed up dispensationalism in the first place shows how some attentive folk saw contradictions within traditional interpretations of Scripture, but were unwilling to admit to them directly, but instead they desperately concocted those nonsense charts. He seen himself demon possessed people that had extrodinary powers. 'Hiemal,' 'brumation,' & other rare wintry words. Most translations interpret the Hebrew to say, Canaanite, but both are more than possible and perhaps the double meaning was intended by the prophet. I want you to see a person in the thrall of sin. Again, these classifications come from God, not man, and show up in Scripture as early as Genesis 7:1-9. 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. It was part of the Greco-Roman region known as the Decapolis, or ten towns. It was Gentile territory, the land of foreign gods, a place of idolatry. Thats why there was a herd of two thousand The Matthew account mentions two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke only mention one. 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? Matthew 12:43 and Luke 11:24 mention demons going to a dry place. And what about just sending the killers into the air (Ephesians 2:2)? The conversation showed that the illness had a will, a coherent sense of past, present and future, knowledge of the supremacy and authority of Jesus Christ, and a compulsion to worship Jesus. Doesn't Jesus Treat Animals as Property? In York, T.; Alexis-Baker, A.; Bekoff, M.; McLaren, B. But Gods Spoken Word will endure for all time. This is clearly an extraordinary event. And opposite to normal flowers, our lovely Scripture-flower will never dry out or wither away (Isaiah 40:8). We come to understand that the God of the Universe is willing to wait and to stall our own behaviour so as to give mother cows and mother sheep more time together with their babies. 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). p. 102. Wasnt this just a temporary fix to a bigger problem? ]. He also makes excursions into Gentile territory, such as when he exorcizes the Gerasene/Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5:1-20). But the Jews were promised and re-promised their land by God throughout the Law: Genesis 15:7, Leviticus 20:24, Numbers 33:52-53, Deuteronomy 1:8 are just a few examples. 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. Its inconceivable that the pigs were owned by Gentiles. 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 absolutely anne..there are a few scenarios..nothing more exciting than digging into the Word of God!! Some will respond to my rhetorical question, Why on earth would Jesus come to earth, by giving me the usual pat answer. 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 5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their 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! Any other conclusion, in light of the seven facts just presented, is breathtakingly irresponsible, and we should just laugh it off. The thinking behind each chart is contrary to the unity and oneness of God. 2023. And the only real bargaining chip according to this interpretation was offering them the two thousand big pink chips. Instead, his conscious act of casting the demons into the swine resulted in the entire herds destruction. Jesus is the lover of our souls. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged Him to let them enter these. (Matt 15:24). And he was the one who said that the Father doesnt miss the falling of a sparrow. Oops. It is true that we discover new thoughts or extra meaning over time, but Gods Word is permanent and cannot change. WebHealing of a Demoniac. Would you not agree that theres a certain permanent feeling about a law like that? So now they don't even bother to read it.]. The jokes are a smoke screen. This, 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. He's liberated. The demons inhabit the bodies of this herd of pigs and the pigs cast them into the Lake of Galilee. 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. The Gospels tell us that Jesus did most of His work among the Jewish people. The normally merciful Messiah destroyed the pigs in accordance with Gods Law about clean and unclean meat. 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. 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. Incredible. Asked by: Isidro Boehm V. Score: 4.9/5 to biblical Galilee, regarded, in opposition to Judaea, as a country of Gentiles (as in Matthew 4:15) What was Jairus occupation? Demetrius had to do something with the Jew or go bust. (Pastor Piper was right after all, almost!) We gotta git us some!, 1 ) [your turn. 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. Do you remember? We do not say that to cast the first stone. To any Jew, Jesuss actions were crystal clear. 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. [Israels] real enemy isnt Rome, which barely figures into the gospel story. In delivering the man from his bondage, Jesus restored creations promise. Sadly, our two good pastors seem oblivious to the fact that under the Law of Moses, animals have benefits too, and this fact should have bearing on any interpretation of Mark 5. We do not find demons under every pew and under every rock. Notice how Gods, Plus, when Jesus chased the sellers out of the Temple courts (. The pastors attempts to laugh off the haunting question about the meek and lowly Son of Man killing all the pigs is pathetic. 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? David ran after the lion that had grabbed his sheep and with just his staff, and his wits, he forced the lion to drop it. He also said after much work with people that was possess that most of them dealt in occult practices. 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. Jesus was teaching the way to live life so demons would not have a place in us to possess. Luke is telling you here that Jesus is sovereign over everything. 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. Its one thing to understand that He personally never changes. 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. That's even more unexpected than not being angry because in Paul's case, it was the other way around. Ruins of the temple of Artemis, some columns still standing, are on another hillside above the ruins. (So much for those latter revelations or new religions arriving centuries later.). 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. 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. Also oral tradition in this area talks of Christ coming and preaching the gospel there but being asked to leave shortly afterwards. They have therefore made important decisions about the proper treatment of animals. 10 ) It was the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the area of the Decapolis. To be honest, all the bad humour honestly makes me believe the pastor is being dishonest. Who owned the pigs? For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. The first two are in the Authorized Version. He was incapable of changing his circumstances. The Greek clause literally says, End of law is Christ but why bother finishing the sentence? If you're carrying a sheep, is it still a "piggy" back ride? Next, what if our imaginary Jew damaged a ton of Gentile property under their very noses. The demons freak out that Jesus is there because its not time for them to be tormented by Him yet. And did the Gospels writers believe the explanation was so obvious they didn't need to write one? It pains them to admit that Jesus was/is a, Sixth Fact: True identity of the pig farmers. In this immediate area, steep hills come down to the shoreline and fit the story of the swine rushing headlong into the sea. May He write its eternal truth upon all our hearts. 5 So they came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. Thus, in him, God found a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and 1 Samuel 16:1). The thinking behind each chart is contrary to the unity and oneness of God. If our faithful, unchanging Heavenly Father God made a straightforward decisive yet divisive decision and repeated it over and over and over, then why cant the good pastors connect the dots and figure out Jesuss real relationship to the pigs? Out of the three, Marks gospel presents the most information about the herd. Let\'s see if you\'re really a human: * Do you see how Jesuss Gentiles dont act like Gentiles! 4 ) As R. Sol Urbin Ohel Moed teaches us, Technically, the greek word for swine is choiros, which many people think means swine, but in the Akkadian, and so with the Syriac, it really refers to an indigenous type of little lamb owned by sea-faring peasants, suitable for pets, grazing, shishkabob and MLT (Mutton, Lettuce and Tomato) sandwiches., 3 ) Pigs?? it depends on the text you read, but one of the four Greek words is sometimes neuter, sometimes masculine a big deal in this language and in this verse. The entire herd ran straight off a cliff and drowned. The Son of God mercifully cast thousands of. And then you see in this passage the change of a heart set free. Luke doesn't think that it's an every day occurrence for a person to be possessed by a host of demons. These three verse from John really are earth-shattering. Jesus' action also shows the importance of human beings relative to animals. I would think that it shows that demons would enter anything that could be unclean including a human being. It's just 8 or 9 verses before this passage. It's amazing Jesus comes to shore and it's obvious that He has immediately commanded the spirits to leave the man because they remonstrate with Him. Accessed 4 Mar. Seven Forgotten Facts clarify our interpretation, One possible reason the Son of David chose the pigs was that he had, 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. (. The distinction between the two is clear (now). He knew how bad it was going to go for the pigs. My question is: Why explain something that is as plain as the nose on your face? Well that's the first thing we see in this passage. He showed mercy to the men who were possessed and brought judgement on the pig farmers. Wnsche, Neue Beitrge zur Erluterung der Evangelien aus Talmud und Midrasch, p. 119. WebNoun. WebApparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. He also wrote the poem Greatheart. And you can ask yourself a lot of questions Why did Jesus do that? At the end of the gospel, however, Jesus tactic changes. And as Palmer approached him at the fireside, the man identified Palmer before he got there. 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). Fourthly, Jesus specifically went to the land of the Gentile Gadarenes or Gerasenes, east of the Sea of Galilee, to minister to them. Jesus though he was The Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-18 and John 1:21) had to play by the same laws. If the interpretation from, 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? There was a logic in this. 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 (Joshua 13:11-13). After this long, careful study, it should be crystal clear that the heartless Bishop of Hippo was mistaken, as were our two good pastors. Only this interpretation explains the farmers restrained reaction over the slaughter of the swine, and their tremendous terror of the Messiah. They have therefore made important decisions about the proper treatment of animals. The next allusion to Gerasa concerns its capture during Vespasians campaign. ; Mark v.; Luke viii.) (eds.). He was getting everyone on board with what was started at Sinai. In actual fact, when you stop to think about it, If our faithful, unchanging Heavenly Father God made a straightforward decisive yet divisive decision and repeated it, Fourth Fact: Gods Enduring, Unchangeable Word, As was just so elegantly discussed, the destruction of the herd, Your word, O LORD, is everlasting; it is firmly fixed in the heavens. The vision had nothing to do with shrimp rings or BLTS. It seems to happen a lot in the gospels. 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. in which he transferred the demons afflicting a man to a number of swine, that thereupon rushed down a steep hill and perished. Gods Law even has two commands that equate domestic livestock with wild animals. Dr. Ligon Duncan | December 13, 2009. It goes like this: These are the people of Gerasene speaking to Jesus Rabbi be gone. 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. 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. Two thousand pigs dead for one person to live is not an even tradeand that is the point. WebGenesis 10:5 Context. Jesus made him whole. Instead of dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, we see dead pigs, an intentional insult to the minions of Satan. (Please dont hide behind that sensational dispensational chart. If ever there was a small and weak proof-text, this is the one. 3. Also, Johns emphasis do not take away from the words is stronger than Mosess original statement. He's set free. The entire herd ran straight off a cliff and drowned. Jesus ministered to and did miracles for the Gentiles there. Scripture presents us with all we need to know. 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. The following Scripture wont disprove Gods love for all animals, deny the Almightys unalterable character, declare the commandments null and void, nor claim all meats clean (kosher). Not that I believe my case has holes. And at the end of the passage, look how he is described. Christ's primary focus was on "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 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. IV. What do you want? WebThe name Gergesa has led to the supposition that the Girgashites, one of the seven Canaanitish nations, originally occupied this territory. WebRoman Empire Map - Large Map of the Roman Empire in the Early First Century - Click around on the Places.