about a.d. 65. three (wait for it) turning the swine to the water! Did Jesus really sacrifice the swine for the man? Without a doubt, its only and exactly the Creators negative view of swine that properly spells out to us why Jesus destroyed an entire herd of swine in Mark 5. And Luke intends this to be a display of an extraordinary case. The nearby shepherds were sheep shepherds, not hog herders. I'm the man who Jesus saved by casting out the demons from me.. Matthew tells us there were two demoniacs, while Mark and Luke only Then again, who needs to imagine anything? 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. But these differences are typical of eye-witness reports and only irritate skeptics. Webwere the gerasenes gentiles. And why werent they demanding compensation for their pigs? He prefers we stay laughing so no one can reflect on this coincidence. And Jews are forbidden by God and His eternal commands to own pigs. were the gerasenes gentiles Why are there two demon-possessed men in the Gerasene tombs in . And because they did not hear Him, they lost even what they had. For heavens sake, why cant the good pastor try to explain the incompatibility of our loving Jesus wiping out hundreds of innocent creatures without a punch line? I would have wanted a herd of swine had I been an Israelite in the desert. The other part of the eastern shoreline was controlled by Og, king of Bashan, but it and sixty walled cities were taken from them by Moses and given to the tribes of Israel (Deuteronomy 3:1-7, 16; compare with 1 Kings 4:13). 10:31). 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. He specifically banned pig in. 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. Gergasa (modern name Kersa) was a small village nearby, and Gadara was the larger region of which the village was a part, with Gerasa as the regional capital. If the interpretation from one vague verse contradicts several unambiguous verses, which is wrong? 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. Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac 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? That is exactly what is happening here. Therefore, even though folks from the Bishop of Hippo down to our two good California pastors have tried to persuade us that the Creator has shifted His views on pork, God did not, can not, and will not vary or alter or adjust any word spoken about any decision let alone His views on ham sandwiches. 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 vision stumped the poor apostle; clearly, Peter forgot about the amazing four Greek words of Mark 7:19b. And he was the one who said that the Father doesnt miss the , Everyone's wondering why the pigs got the raw end of the deal. Additionally, it would have been foolish for the Apostles to claim hundreds and thousands of witnesses (1 Cor 15:1-6). 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. In the three Synoptic Gospels and, None of the verses below refute any of the. And so the demons call out His name Jesus, the Son of the Most High God and it has no effect on Him. Jesus is saying that Jesuss commandments are the same as the Fathers. Be circumspect. Saying God reverses a verdict or compromises a promise soils His Name. Later, Leviticus 11 explains to His Chosen People that He had chosen only ritually clean/pure animals for them to eat. 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. 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. But isnt it a funny coincidence that pork happens to be on Gods list of forbidden food. But just a theory. And the only real bargaining chip according to this interpretation was offering them the two thousand big pink chips. And it is a shame that the good pastors dont take these relevant Scripture passage into consideration. These four miracle stories, also we said, in contrast to the miracles in Luke 4 and 5, are focused on settings where a small group of the disciples witness the miracles. ix. Gentiles Learn how your comment data is processed. Only this interpretation explains the farmers restrained reaction over the slaughter of the swine, and their tremendous terror of the Messiah. Of course not. Inhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus ( Matthew 8; Mark 5; Luke 8) in which he transferred the demons How Many Places Did Jesus Visit were badly damaged in major Luke means it to be an extraordinary event. 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! So many beautiful verses and motivating passages are in Scripture. Can we imagine our Jew receiving a mostly positive reaction or a negative one? The most plausible reason Jesus chose the pigs was because he regarded people as precious and priceless, but not swine. WebThey came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. Oh, you mean THOSE pigs!! Ba-dum-tsss.). Many will rush for cover behind the last four Greek words of this verse, despite all of its textual, translation and interpretation problems. This food is unclean and defiling for you. He also makes excursions into Gentile territory, such as when he exorcizes the Gerasene/Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5:1-20). Add to that that recent. He should know that centuries before the prophet Isaiah spoke against Jews eating pork and hanging around in tombs. His sermon should have given us some point, some excuse, or some logical explanation for it all. All Rights Reserved. The gospels. If there was a difference, why do they read the Law of Moses but call it the Law of God in Nehemiah 8:8? 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. War III. Matt 8:28). were After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. Secondly, theyre forgetting that Jesus also says that people are more important than sparrows. Ptolemy says Gerasa was a city in Coele-Syria, thirty-five travel m. from Pella. The Gemara on the passage gives a historical foundation for the practise in the times of Aristobulus. 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. 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. 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. William Arthur Dunkerley (November 12, 1852 January 23, 1941) was a prolific English journalist, novelist and poet. }. 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. The Feeding of the Four Thousand | Catholic Answers (, 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. Some of Jesus's reputation for being normally meek and merciful comes from statements like: 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. Most scholars today would agree with Origen that near Gergesa was the precise site for the healing of Legion. It was a small village about midway along the E shore of the Sea of Galilee. And then they beg to go into the herd of pigs. God never said dont touch. She added that bit. From the start, the evil spirits wanted to bring death and destruction, and they finally got their chance. So he gave them permission. James Gibson. --ED.). Acting as Israels Messiah, Jesus was carrying out actions that were predicted by the prophets, like when Zechariah said that no merchants in the house of the LORD (Zechariah 14:21).. Thats right, adding or subtracting from Scripture, according to Scripture, is illegal. Not that I believe my case has holes. Commentary on Luke 8:26-39 - Working Preacher from Luther This town is not to be confused with either Gerasa or Gadara. Because God is so steady, and doesnt reverse or repeal, He can be trusted to do what He promises; good or evil. 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. "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.' 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. He wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. 8:513) and the Syrophoenician woman whose daughter was possessed (Mark 7:2430), the Jews received the bulk of His attention, and He spent most of His time in the predominantly Jewish regions of Galilee and Judea. Instead, his conscious act of casting the demons into the swine resulted in the entire herds destruction. Here is a prophesy that Christians love to quote: You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110.4) because it connects to Messiah Jesus. We usually think of Jesus as the loving, forgiving guy from Galilee, right? The man howled day and night and cut himself with stones. Because in all of Holy Writ, the phrase first appears in Leviticus 11 (Leviticus 11:44) right after God talks about clean/pure meats. No, the Gentiles are not simply non-Jews. Gentiles are loved by God and redeemed by Jesus. But we should never get too smug, thinking that we have corned the market on truth. Lets return again to when Jesus cleaned up the Temple courtyard of merchants and merchandise. 7 ) The pigs werent for eating. It deeply disturbed Bertrand Russell that Jesus allowed a herd of two thousand pigs to be destroyed. Gentiles Were in the same story. This made them fit for consumption. Jerash The power of the Lord Jesus Christ over Satan. Wasnt this just a temporary fix to a bigger problem? These forces plundered Gerasa, Philadelphia, Pella, and others (Jos. But when the pigs need to be explained, he immediately seems lost and turns to heartless comedy. Johns Entertaining LOL Interpretation shows me that he sees cracks in his theology, but is unwilling to own up to them. 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. Such a pat answer to such a serious question is as irritating as it is ridiculous. The Gadarenes Rejection | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals 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. 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. He changed the subject. Go be a witness to Me as My disciple.. 4. Two thousand pigs together is quiet unimaginable. Over the years, Ive had to prove all this to myself first, and it took soul-searching and tons of Scripture research. 141-144). But here's the second thing. 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. 1). Its a weird story, but its in the Gospels a couple of times, so we have to accept it as truth. From the brook beside the road he will drink and for this reason, he will lift high his head. When Jesus said that he had not came to destroy the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), he was not talking to the Jews who already knew the Law was permanent, he was looking into future centuries and talking to those Christians who would try to destroy it. Scripture presents us with all we need to know. p. 102. They had the exact same reaction to Jesus that Bertrand Russell would manifest two thousand years later. 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. Its flesh you must not eat. These three verse from John really are earth-shattering. 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. 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. 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. He's a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ now. They sort of seek Him out. Well let's pray before we read God's Word together. For the sake of the argument, lets start by assuming that the pastors assumption is right and he is a Gentile (though we know he could have been Jewish). WebWhy were there pigs in gerasenes? The fact anyone dreamed up dispensationalism, They say, None, but Jesus, kept the Law perfectly. (Please dont hide behind that sensational dispensational chart. 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.
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