Gerasa. Fear and selfishness prompted the prayer. In some of your Bibles, it may say Gergesenes or Gadarenes in the parallel passages in the gospels. Its totally contrary to what we would expect. Well the first thing I want you to see is this picture of a person in the thrall of sin. And the only real bargaining chip according to this interpretation was offering them the two thousand big pink chips. HDB, II, p. 158, 159 for a detailed description.). In a, If Paul got himself into hot water because of a Gentile, To top it off, Jesuss farmers see Jesus and see their property floating belly up in the surf, but they dont throw him after them! 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! (Pastor Piper was right after all, almost!) 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. Who owned the pigs? Being teachable is a great avenue for learning! I would think that it shows that demons would enter anything that could be unclean including a human being. why do you think there were pigs there?]. So I figure we could speculate a little and see where this goes. In actual fact, when you stop to think about it, because God denounced pork in Leviticus, and then Jesus destroyed two thousand, and that event is thrice repeated by Matthew, by Mark, by Luke it all adds up to a big confirmation of the fact that God doesn't change. His sermon should have given us some point, some excuse, or some logical explanation for it all. GotQuestions has three articles alone on the subject: here is their best. When He speaks, they obey. He is utterly sovereign. 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). That's even more unexpected than not being angry because in Paul's case, it was the other way around. WebGerasene: [noun] an inhabitant of the ancient Palestinian town Gerasa. WebWho do you care more about, people or pigs? With these, And while its not true God pairs animals with people every where in Scripture, He does in this statement. Herod had massive building projects all over Israel. 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. However, the pastors assumptions are perplexing. Being made in God's image, we are more important to the Lord than any animal. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 Three of the Comedian Harmonists were Jewish, three were gentile. Demetrius wasnt afraid to stand up for his rights. Interested in joining the Ligonier team? Additionally, the encounter takes place among the tombs, an earthly realm of the dead, so to speak. It's this man who doesn't even remember his name who's possessed by a host of demons. * And if one doesnt believe demons exist ..same question: why invent a false story to make the point that Jesus has power over demonic creatures that dont exist? I've ended up, and Ill explain it later, giving the title The Man Jesus Renamed. Now that may peak your interest because in the passage no name is ever given for the man, either before or after his conversion, so you may be wondering why I've named it that. 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) If you eat a swine/hog that has killed eaten a poisonous snake and you eat that hog, you will be poisoned and die. Another problem with the Catch-22 interpretation is the sheer number of other animals or places that Jesus could have negotiated for. So I don't know how seventeen interpretations of this particular story got circulated. WebGERASA, GERASENES (, ). Those outside of the nation of Israel were considered gentiles. 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.) Suddenly, Mark 5 is clear. 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. These pastors have, Look at the prophets; they also prove Scripture doesnt change. Gods Word has to agree with Gods Word. 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?? Luke doesn't think that it's an every day occurrence for a person to be possessed by a host of demons. It's almost like the demons are inexorably drawn to Jesus. Johns words seem to apply to all of Scripture. Mark 5 is truly very simple: being a righteous Jew, the Law commands Jesus to abhor pigs as food. The Garasenes were not Jewish but the country was close to Galilee and Jesus had been to that side of the sea before. Why? But the sad thing I want you to see at the end is the reaction of the majority of his countrymen, because unlike him, they do not beg to be with Jesus. And wild animals are not forget because farmers in the Land of Israel are commanded in Exodus 23:11 to leave parts of their fields for food for wildlife. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Why doesn't the good pastor entertain that avenue of possibility or is he too busy making one-liners to connect any dots? 7). 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. Demons, Jesus, and the Pigs The Outlaw Bible Student, http://www.linearconcepts.com/archives/2011. Well, this happens in the gospel with Jesus. Again, these classifications come from God, not man, and show up in Scripture as early as Genesis 7:1-9. They need to face the cracks in their theologies. Can we imagine our Jew receiving a mostly positive reaction or a negative one? 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. 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. 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. One day the prophet Samuel angrily told his king that God would not go back on His decision. 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. So He gave them permission. ; Mark v.; Luke viii.) 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. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town. Is there actually a real reason why the Gospel accounts shouldnt be taken as factual history? 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). Its totally contrary to what we would expect. Most Christians believe Messiah is the Second Person of the Trinity. For centuries, land wars are a type of a national sport among Middle Eastern nations. When this passage begins, we have a man who is possessed by demons who had gone about naked, who had lived in the tombs, who was out of his mind, and who did not even know his name. Instead of dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, we see dead pigs, an intentional insult to the minions of Satan. Other than that my friends, I don't know. Without a question, if Jesuss pig-farmers had been Gentiles, there would have been bloodshed. ___________________________________________________________________. were the gerasenes gentiles (Please dont hold up Mark 7:19b, Jesus made all food clean. Relying on that isolated, half-verse with textual problems makes God look flippant, and therefore, unpredictable and untrustworthy. 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. Heavenly Father this is Your Word. were the gerasenes 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. And the good pastor doesnt give any rationale for a slaughter that huge. IV. display: none !important; Sadly, the rest of the verse is not quoted in GotQuestions best article and preachers rarely preach it, though it reveals more about the true character of the Messiah. In other words, the Roman Catholic Church took four Greek words torn out of mid-sentence and declared them to mean, the end (read, death) of the law [of Moses], although numerous verses declare the fixed, eternal character of Gods Perfect Law. Almost there. 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. One unambiguous (but hotly debated) verse that supports this doctrine is, 1 John 5:7: For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. So if we agree Messiah is part of the Godhead, then logically we agree Messiah also co-authored, with the Father, the Law of God. That's why Jesus's motivation to kill the herd was more than obvious to the Tedious Twelve and the gospel writers. What about sheep? So its a fair comparison to place Pauls actions in Ephesians side-by-side with Jesuss actions by the Lake of Galilee. iii. If there was a difference, why do they read the Law of Moses but call it the Law of God in Nehemiah 8:8? 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. 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. Sadly, GotQuestions misses the point, or they lie, saying that being distinct was all important to God. 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. (Cf. 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. 3). 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. The Messiah has the same nature and character was the Father, as discussed in the Fourth Fact above. 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. 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. So whats the point because Pastor John Piper feels the pigs were less important and John LOL MacArthur just jokes about the slaughter neither reaction seems sensible. Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. It was interesting that Palmer had gone out without any announcement but this man knew who he was and he was obviously disturbed that he was there and he began to make threats. Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way. Also, the land where the Master walked and the swine were feeding belonged to Israel. Yes, you read that right. Now that's interesting isn't it? But pay attention to the body count. Gods altar was also separate and distinct and holy. To save this word, you'll need to log in. I dont see anything of that sort in the story. Early in the video, he is very factual and seems sure of himself. Israel doesnt [need] a savior who can fight off a legion of Roman soldiers. Late Latin Gerasenus, Gergesenus, from Greek Gerasnos, Gergesnos, from Gerasa, Gergesa ancient town in Palestine. Legion probably comes from the fact that Roman legions had four to six thousand men in them and this name, Legion, indicates that he is possessed by a host of demons. Amen. Jesus enters enemy territory in two ways. "Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged [Jesus], saying, 'Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.' 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. a Gentile and What Does the Bible Say about 'Hiemal,' 'brumation,' & other rare wintry words. WebNoun. 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. There was a logic in this. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Such a contradiction in character! Excavations at the modern Jarash (by the British and American Schools of Oriental Research and Yale University) clearly show that Gerasa was a large and important city already in Jesus time. And if he missed one, he didnt do it perfectly. The prophet Jonah is held up as the merciless messenger of God; not a great title. 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. The man could break his earthly chains; he could not break his spiritual ones.
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