But isnt it a funny coincidence that pork happens to be on Gods list of forbidden food. Does he really believe Mark 5 is Biblical material, To be honest, all the bad humour honestly makes me believe the pastor is being. They have therefore made important decisions about the proper treatment of animals. Why do I say that book? Marks Jesus is a warrior who conquers Gods enemies. Gadarenes, Girgesenes, Gerasenes: (These three names are used indiscriminately to designate the place where Jesus healed two demoniacs. I trust the Lord Jesus to know what to do with demons and what ought to be done. Working with the Law, and not against it, Jesus is shown to be completely in character and not out of his mind. Jesus ministered to and did miracles for the Gentiles there. Heavenly Father this is Your Word. So he's drawing our attention to an extraordinary event, but the reason he's drawing our attention to that extraordinary event is because there are actually truths which transfer across the last 2,000 years, right to where we are today, that we are to learn out of this passage. The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. 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) 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? 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. evidence), Ye know that when ye were Gentiles ye were, &c. In this and the following verse the Apostle reminds his readers that so far from regarding the marvellous manifestations of the Spirit, such as speaking with tongues and prophesying, as the most wonderful miracles, the For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town. I agree the counter-arguments look flawless on the surface and that will be partially exposed now. It is repeated over and over. Since I believe the word of God is our playbook for life, what is Jesus telling us? They were wise enough to figure out if Jesus in His authority over them would allow them to exit of their choosing, they would select the black pigs often used in sacrifice to Baal. So lets not laugh these verses off. In his description of the boundaries of Perea, Josephus mentions Gerasa as one of the cities on the eastern boundary between Perea and Arabia, the other border cities being Philadelphia and Sebonitus (Jos. The Catholic Church's interpretation of this verse is sheer nonsense, because the weight of Scripture contradicts it, so true Reformers need to re-read their Bibles. 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. Suddenly, Mark 5 is clear. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! (, Worse yet, dont trust one who says Scripture. Of course this kosher interpretation is just as obvious painfully obvious to John MacArthur and Piper, yet I've never seen either refute the issue or deal honestly with their doubts. (. The distinction between the two is clear (now). Lots of non-Jews lived there. What good to us that Thou hast made him whole, since we have lost our swine? Is that not a picture of people that love what they have or what they want more than they love the One who loves their souls? May God grant us the liberation through Jesus Christ to become what that nameless man became. and therefore the good pastor declares the demoniac to be a Gentile since, as everyone also knows, Gentiles are better tomb-dwellers.. Now we see the missing puzzle piece: God had plainly prohibited pork as food, making it clear that holy people should not eat it all of you be holy for I am holy (Leviticus 11:44-45) and therefore, Gods normally merciful Messiah destroyed an entire herd in total agreement with the commandment. Oh, you mean THOSE pigs!! That is all I know. Now I want to say very quickly, my friends, that there is no power in this universe that can cause a rationale being to sin. 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. Why does the herd of swine go over the cliff? But as Gergesa was a small village, and little known, the evangelists, who wrote for more distant readers, spoke of the event as taking place in the country of the Gadarenes, so named from its largest city, Gadara; and this country included the country of the Gergesenes as a state includes a county. city in Pal. The Gemara on the passage gives a historical foundation for the practise in the times of Aristobulus. In delivering the man from his bondage, Jesus restored creations promise. Since all of these areas overlap, one may take the references as meaning the same place. Jesus though he was The Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-18 and John 1:21) had to play by the same laws. Johns words seem to apply to all of Scripture. Jesus came to teach a better way of life that you could have abundantly! 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. Studying these Scripture passages show us that Jesus only ever walked in the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Israel and Moses. Without a doubt, both men know God never came up with the line, Third Fact: Not a fickle faithless Father. Not that I believe my case has holes. How and why did this happen in the first place? But MacArthurs logical is funny for another reason. (Please dont hide behind that sensational dispensational chart. So he gave them permission. 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. Fear and selfishness prompted the prayer. Add to that that recent. Show us the sins of our hearts that we are captive to. Again, these classifications come from God, not man, and show up in Scripture as early as Genesis 7:1-9. 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. In turn, they would have a vehicle wherewith to stay in their territory. about a.d. 65. I wonder why?). 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. But this is not the full explanation or the main one. (, Field hay dries. If we agree Messiah wrote the Law of God, we should then wonder why on earth he would come to Earth to take what he authored out of circulation or to annul it? The city was large and well planned. Ba-dum-tsss.). [] Top ten reasons why there were pigs in Gerasenes, (Linear Concepts, 17 October 2012), http://www.linearconcepts.com/archives/2011 []. OS Supported: Windows 98SE, Windows Millenium, Windows XP (any edition), Windows Vista, Windows 7 & Windows 8 (32 & 64 Bit). Explained by Sharing Culture Expert Answers: Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight." 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. 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. 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. Not by will, but because they have no choice other than to do as the Administrator of all creation commands them. 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. This has been a long blog thanks for sticking with it but because Im going to ruffle feathers, Ive gone the extra mile to explain myself clearly and to plug any holes in my argument. God designated the descendants of Abraham, the Israelites, as His chosen people. 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. Israels real enemy is Satan. It's back just a few verses, the answer is back just a few verses. But look at how many times God let it be known in the Law and in very certain terms eating pork was offensive. That's what disciples do, they sit at their master's feet. Gerasa was a city situated near the Jabbok River about eighteen m. E of the Jordan, about twenty m. SE of Pella, and twenty m. N of Philadelphia. 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?? (Take that, Darwin.). Two thousand pigs together is quiet unimaginable. The Law of God. Why explain something that is as plain as the nose on your face? Thats why there was a herd of two thousand A main street with columns on both sides leads out of the forum. This Priceless People Interpretation comes from another sunny California pastor, John Piper. It's almost like the demons are inexorably drawn to Jesus. 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. 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. 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. See more comments below.). 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? Surely He could have demonstrated real power over real demons, right? Its not clear exactly who is doing more killings, the LORD or Melchizedek, but the picture overall fits the image of Son of God cleaning the land of swine. 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, And what about trees or rocks? For these reasons, the writers of the gospels gave no explanation and the Twelve asked no question about why Jesus destroyed all the swine.
Wasnt this just a temporary fix to a bigger problem? WebAll three Synoptic Gospels ( Mark 5:120; Luke 8:2639; Matthew 8:2834) mention the swine miracle, although with variations. Furthermore, how upset must God get seeing a doctor reach into the womb of a mother and murder her unborn child? Mark as quoted by Spalde, Annika; Strindlund, Pelle (2012). For the moment, Jesus was just being ironic. 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. And opposite to normal flowers, our lovely Scripture-flower will never dry out or wither away (Isaiah 40:8). So now they don't even bother to read it.]. Coincidentally, three Gentiles showed up for lunch, and the following day, he met a Roman convert when finally Peter figured it out and declared the Lords view of Gentile believers, But God has shown me that I should not call ritually impure or defiling any man (Acts 10:28). 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. They were not. The vision stumped the poor apostle; clearly, Peter forgot about the amazing four Greek words of Mark 7:19b. Worse yet, dont trust one who says Scripture evolves. Or are we with those who love what we want and what we have more than we love the Word of life from the only One who can give life? about a.d. 65. Therefore, were those cool-headed pig-farmers really Gentiles? And it is reveals a great deal comparing the reactions of the Gentiles in the two towns. For those near by the local name would be used; but in writing to a distant people, as the Greeks and Romans, the more comprehensive and general name would be given. Such a contradiction in character! And if he missed one, he didnt do it perfectly. Those famous four are sufficient to back up the Church's bias and with them one could pretend they say, Christ is the [dead] end of the Law [of Moses] (Luther and Calvin taught this), or maybe it means something very vague like, an end of a law is Christ. For a more advanced discussion of the vague quality of the text have a look at George Howards scholarly article. (This sad fact may have something to do with Christians telling Jews to junk the Law which they love and to just believe and receive.) Pingback: The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg. These pastors have added to Scripture that the God of the Old Testament is different in the New and taken away from it Mosess 613 commandments are now reduced to 2. These forces plundered Gerasa, Philadelphia, Pella, and others (Jos. We know that two thousand pigs go over the cliff. When Jesus healed the possessed man, He allowed Legion to possess the nearby herd of swine. Inhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus (Matt. Even so, the Bible never puts the worth of animals on the same level as the worth of human Late Latin Gerasenus, Gergesenus, from Greek Gerasnos, Gergesnos, from Gerasa, Gergesa ancient town in Palestine. His sermon should have given us some point, some excuse, or some logical explanation for it all. So why did the meek n merciful Son of Man cast countless defiling demons into two thousand piglets, sows and boars? This location agrees with the description given by the ancient writers. They belonged to God. And the thing that I love the most is the utter contrast in his attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ. If they did, they would not see the chapter attacking the research in this blog post, theyd see a defense for it! And so this man comes to Jesus, he seeks Him out, and Jesus says to him, What is your name? And the man doesn't know his name. Demons, Jesus, and the Pigs The Outlaw Bible Student, http://www.linearconcepts.com/archives/2011. 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. Instead of Jesus turning water into wine. But Gods Spoken Word will endure for all time. R.C. The Matthew account mentions two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke only mention one. And John nicely parallels Jesus who said, not the smallest letter nor the smallest comma will pass away from the Law (Matthew 5:18). 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. Archeologists identify it with the modern Jarash. Here, then, Jesus faced two of Gods enemies: hostile spiritual powers and death itself. Incredible. Problem was, not even the pigs could withstand the madness these demonic forces manifested. At the very end of his book The Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Apostle John repeats them. But Christianity early became important in the city; several churches were built during these centuries, so that by the 5th cent., Gerasa could send a bishop to the Council of Chalcedon. THE PIGS DID IT FOR HIM!! They need to face the cracks in their theologies. 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. By Your Holy Spirit, show us our need of grace. You understand that Legion is not his name. And based roughly on current prices, Jesus caused hundred of thousands of dollars in damages. . He seen himself demon possessed people that had extrodinary powers. Since demons are by most accounts fallen angels to begin with, they already know to Whom they are ultimately accountable. And what about commands for married people (Exodus 21:10), or the command that a man gives his wife a bill of divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1)? Should we accept Mark 5 as literal history? And it's the glorious picture of the value that He puts on an immortal soul. The thinking behind each chart is contrary to the unity and oneness of God. For one, Remember that the Law reveals to us the mind and personality of God. Where He goes, they show up and they say things to Him. If the Eternal One, blessed be He, had said just once that pork was unclean and forbidden, that should be enough. Therefore, when it came to sacrifices on it, the menu was even shorter. 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. WebApparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. He has authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to numerous books. We "are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. We ask that You would open our eyes to behold wonderful things in it and open our ears, we pray, to hear Your Word rightly. in which he transferred the demons afflicting a man to a number of swine, that thereupon The apostles arent having a pig roast anywhere. And then God Himself repeated it five more times in the same book: Leviticus 11:45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:2, Leviticus 20:7-8 and Leviticus 20:26! 7). in which he transferred the demons afflicting a man to a number of swine, that thereupon rushed down a steep hill and perished. Thats right, Whatever matter I am commanding you right now, it's what you must be careful to observe to do. The man howled day and night and cut himself with stones. The man could break his earthly chains; he could not break his spiritual ones. He was completely in the thrall of sin. That's even more unexpected than not being angry because in Paul's case, it was the other way around. She needs someone strong enough to cast a legion of demons into the sea, like Pharaoh and his hosts. Last week, we were crossing over with Jesus to the other side, weathering a fierce storm until he woke up and calmed the sea. 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. The demons freak out that Jesus is there because its not time for them to be tormented by Him yet.
The modern village Jarash is situated on the hillside above the ruins, built with stones from the ruins. They cannot cast a spell on Him. Gods Word has to agree with Gods Word. This man, when Jesus says, What is your name? effectively says, I do not know my name. Hello, I dont know the real answer but I have heard from others that Jesus has authority over any demonic presence and there were many in this man (other Gospel says two men), so it clearly shows Jesus Power and Authority and that is probably the main point to show the people and the demon possessed at that time that it doesnt matter how many of you there are your not staying and your leaving now because I say so and you cant do anything and because I say so you can go into them pigs because you are unclean, so it was a demonstration for all, including his Disciples who were with him, I do believe that Jesus went there for that purpose because of his Love for us, Jesus knows why He did it, maybe one day He will tell us or not ? I think so. If the interpretation from one vague verse contradicts several unambiguous verses, which is wrong? Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, [Let me just pause right there. Sproul also agrees with this preference of people over pigs when he writes, a man is worth more than 2,000 pigs.. You can follow him on Twitter. Gadara). Don't be surprised if none of them want the spotl One goose, two geese. Matt 8:28). 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). Being teachable is a great avenue for learning! 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. Such a pat answer to such a serious question is as irritating as it is ridiculous. 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. =
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. The Syrians made reprisals, and took many prisoners. Flower blossoms wither. Its all a matter of being logical. 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? The first two are in the Authorized Version. 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. It goes like this: These are the people of Gerasene speaking to Jesus Rabbi be gone. But there are many reasons why Im not keen on the idea of the Gospels as non-historical. Webwere the gerasenes gentiles. The apostle had been busy preaching in Demetriuss hometown of Ephesus and Pauls message about the one true God was catching on. What about cattle? Nothing we have belongs to us. You may simultaneously update Amibroker, Metastock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4 with MoneyMaker Software. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. 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.
Thou lovest men, we love swine. My research shows swine kill poisonous snakes. Did Jesus really sacrifice the swine for the man? So why do Christians say no one can when these two did? 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. (Question: If God cares about the mother-child relationship in animals, how does He consider that relationship for people? But wait, realize how deep Gods affection for animals goes. The action is no different than Revelation 14:14-15 where we see the Son of Man brandishing a sharp sickle. We do not find demons under every pew and under every rock. If you eat a swine/hog that has killed eaten a poisonous snake and you eat that hog, you will be poisoned and die. He should know that centuries before the prophet Isaiah spoke against Jews eating pork and hanging around in tombs. Look at the prophets; they also prove Scripture doesnt change.
But now this is an extraordinary case. Such a statement is irresponsible because the Law was not written for a single person. The church fathers treated them as literal history. Doesnt Pastor MacArthur know his Bible? 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. Those people were Jews in Nazareth. Was He asking us the impossible because He had nothing better to do or is He sadistic? So He gave them permission. He specifically banned pig in. Its totally contrary to what we would expect. 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.