iii. Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. 5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their Thats really why they were sent. (wait for it) turning the swine to the water! Being teachable is a great avenue for learning! 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. ix. Obviously, they were Jewish pig farmers seeing judgement for flagrant disobey Gods Word and keeping and eating pig meat. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. 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. I would have wanted a herd of swine had I been an Israelite in the desert. War IV. What about cattle? Gerasa, Gerasenes - Encyclopedia of The Bible - Bible Being made in God's image, we are more important to the Lord than any animal. But it struck me as interesting that Bertrand Russell had the exact same reaction to this miracle that the people of the Gerasenes had. ; Mark v.; Luke viii.) 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. SO Jesu said later in the NT, that meats going in the mouth does not defile because we excrete it out in the draught, solid and liquids, so physically our body cleans itself if there were toxins, and It is whatever comes out of the mind, is what taints a person, whatever he or she thinks. Wasnt this just a temporary fix to a bigger problem? Its totally contrary to what we would expect. It was like, And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent for He is not a man that He should relent. 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. Christians never finish reading the chapter. The mountainside has caves and hewn tombs where, according to Mark and Luke, the demoniac had taken shelter. 5 ) They werent real Jews They were JINOs! How and why did this happen in the first place? Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! 2023 Christianity.com. First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. The district of the Gerasenes probably included that of the Gadarenes; so that the demoniac of Gergesa belonged to the country of the Gadarenes and also to that of the Gerasenes, as the same person may, with equal truth, be said to live in the city or the state, or in the United States. get to know the Bible better! Maybe it was because they were unclean animals. Remember that the Law reveals to us the mind and personality of God. A may also be a combination of two or more genres. 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? 9 ) They were wild Ferrel hogs feeding near the cliffs. So why pigs? As to the second question, there is no doubt of the illegality, from a ritual point of view, of Jews keeping swine (B. This picking and choosing is completely unbiblical. So He got into the boat and returned. However, the pastors assumptions are perplexing. 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. (. But now this is an extraordinary case. The action is no different than Revelation 14:14-15 where we see the Son of Man brandishing a sharp sickle. Jesus was teaching the way to live life so demons would not have a place in us to possess. Besides the jokes being in poor taste, they make his sermon seem less than professional. From the brook beside the road he will drink and for this reason, he will lift high his head. The forum, with a semicircle of columns still standing, was paved with large cut stones. When He speaks, they obey. noted the official establishment of Christianity and discontinuance of pagan worship in the 5th cent. But the Almighty said it so many times. 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. That is, they appear contrary, except for one thing: Gods Law forbids righteous people from eating pork. And it is a shame that the good pastors dont take these relevant Scripture passage into consideration. It may well be a picture of the reverse of what happened in the Garden of Eden. Lets re-examine the event in the light of seven important Scriptural facts. 141-144). Demetrius had to do something with the Jew or go bust. It deeply disturbed Bertrand Russell that Jesus allowed a herd of two thousand pigs to be destroyed. Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, [Let me just pause right there. Therefore, I repeat again that I believe the pastors are dishonest for not admitting this fact. James Gibson. He stabbed in the day of his wrath the kings. 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. Most translations interpret the Hebrew to say, Canaanite, but both are more than possible and perhaps the double meaning was intended by the prophet. In fact, they are afraid of him and beg him to leave. Instead they joke around and give pat answers. 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. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you. And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.. They belonged to God. And Christ went sadly.He had wrought for them a signOf Love, and Hope, and Tenderness divine;They wantedswine.Christ stands without _your_ door and gently knocks;But if your gold, or swine, the entrance blocks,He forces no man's holdhe will depart,And leave you to the treasures of your heart. Demons do not care about the person they possess hence all the cutting and harm the man did to himself. Ha, ha.. yeah lemme ummm.. tell ya about those pigs.., 2 ) Like any rational redneck, they smelled their Gentile neighbors having a pork BBQ and said DAAAANG, Hoss! That is how valuable human life is." ITS LIKE THE WITCH ON TGE WIZARD OF OZ HDB, II, p. 158, 159 for a detailed description.). ___________________________________________________________________. Besides this Biblical evidence that Jesus and the woman were within Israels inheritance, there is also a prophesy that God will settle His People in the future in Gilead (a sizeable part of todays Kingdom of Jordan) and in Lebanon too (Zechariah 10:9-10). I definitely dont want to be near that doctor on Judgement Day.). Even city officials who were Pauls friends were scared for Pauls life (Acts 19:31). 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. His fellow citizens tried to restrain him in chains a horrible way to treat mental illness, by the way but he always broke free. Inhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus ( Matthew 8; Mark 5; Luke 8) in which he transferred the demons The Greek clause literally says, End of law is Christ but why bother finishing the sentence? His soul, what care we for his soul? 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. The site is identified today with the town of Kersa, or Gersa, just below Wadi es-Samak. The modern village Jarash is situated on the hillside above the ruins, built with stones from the ruins. Scripture makes it clear that Ashers tribal land-boundary ended around the coastal city of Tyre (Joshua 19:29). The normally merciful Messiah destroyed the pigs in accordance with Gods Law about clean and unclean meat. Its inconceivable that the pigs were owned by Gentiles. In fact, they are, 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, Also, wouldnt that be a type of sin and another example of how he may not have, All in all, after Jesus had trashed the livelihood of so many, we have to agree that they were, Every place the Master went on his travels it was to minister to a Jew, just as Paul said, To the Jew first (, Answering, he said, I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. (, As well, every place the Master went on his travels was inside of the, Scripture makes it clear that Ashers tribal land-boundary ended around the coastal city of Tyre (, Besides this Biblical evidence that Jesus and the woman were within Israels inheritance, there is also a prophesy that God will settle His People in the future in Gilead (a sizeable part of todays Kingdom of Jordan) and in, The real-estate on the east side of the lake of Galilee where Jesus met the demons and the swine was also part of Israel-proper. Seen in this light, Jesuss actions against the herd were more than appropriate and neither Matthew, Mark nor Luke bothered to explain or rationalize the Masters actions. So much for sola scriptura. 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). Them there pigs were going to try to hog the limelightthat Jesus was famous for but ended up being lost in more ways than one! 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. Oh get you hence, Omnipotence, and take this foul of Thine. Flower blossoms wither. Pliny described it as a city of the Decapolis founded after the Rom. 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, Gadara 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.). For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. So its a fair comparison to place Pauls actions in Ephesians side-by-side with Jesuss actions by the Lake of Galilee. 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. I would think that it shows that demons would enter anything that could be unclean including a human being. He also makes excursions into Gentile territory, such as when he exorcizes the Gerasene/Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5:1-20). There was a logic in this. 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. 9. The Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20) | Bible.org gerasenes WebGenesis 10:5 Context. And from what I have heard, preferrably pig blood. It's entitled, Why I Am Not A Christian. 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). This now then is our fifth fact in a nutshell. Why? Please note how John repeats the commands, adding a zinger curse to both. And you know what the most frightening thing of all is? I will say that I struggled with the title to this sermon. The main reason God limits righteous people to a select group of clean/pure animals is for the purpose of holiness. Lastly, based on culture, human-nature and most importantly, on specific Scripture passages, we know the demoniac could not have been a Gentile but was most assuredly, Yet a complete interpretation of Mark 5 needs to clear up one last point: the pigs were forbidden but did they, Christ kept kosher and cleaned up the town, I can of Myself do nothing. He should know that centuries before the prophet Isaiah spoke against Jews eating pork and hanging around in tombs. And because he said it one single, solitary time, and he didnt actually present anything new, we have clear proof that he didnt add anything to the Law and his joke underscores the fact that he didnt add (or delete) from the Law! We do not find demons under every pew and under every rock. The Gemara on the passage gives a historical foundation for the practise in the times of Aristobulus. The last now appears. 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? You don't have to look very far. And what about trees or rocks? Because in all of Holy Writ, the phrase first appears in Leviticus 11 (Leviticus 11:44) right after God talks about clean/pure meats. It is a logical thesis based on historic accounts (Josephus, etc) Feel free to challenge this thought or pursue it from another angle. v. 37) describe Jesus healing of the demoniac Legion and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee (cf. Sadly, Luther and other Reformed theologians repeat the same theological rubbish, despite Jesus saying he did not come to destroy the Law. Pingback: The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg. His wisecracks are a distraction. 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. Gentiles Actually, killing the pigs was also out of his mercy because instead of judging the farmers directly, the Messiah threw his anger against the pigs. Mark as quoted by Spalde, Annika; Strindlund, Pelle (2012). But MacArthurs logical is funny for another reason. Some will respond to my rhetorical question, Why on earth would Jesus come to earth, by giving me the usual pat answer. One possible reason the Son of David chose the pigs was that he had no choice. Jesus was wise to use what God gives us, for a teachable moment. Lots of non-Jews lived there. Do you remember? Now you understand what sitting at the Savior's feet means? *sigh*). This, by the way, is the miracle story that happens in Gentile land. Nothing we have belongs to us. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies. If the interpretation from one vague verse contradicts several unambiguous verses, which is wrong? Jesus though he was The Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-18 and John 1:21) had to play by the same laws. Well Ill explain that too, later on. I listen to a pyschiatrist that said he never believed in demon possession until a exorcist ask him to work with him. All four gospel writers repeatedly testify to Jesuss power over storm, waves and gravity (Matthew 8:22-27, Mark 4:3541 and Luke 8:2225, passages immediately before the pig-demon accounts! But isnt it a funny coincidence that pork happens to be on Gods list of forbidden food. On the other hand, the Masters usually thick-headed students, the Tedious Twelve, didnt question him about this! We use cookies to provide you with a great user experience. B. vii. http://archive.ligonduncan.com/mp3/12.13.2009_Dr_J_Ligon_Duncan_The_Man_Jesus_Renamed_Luke_8_26-39.mp3. The best text in Matthew reads Gadarenes, in Mark and Luke it reads Gerasenes, whereas some MSS preserve Gergesenes and Gergustenes (cf. 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. 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 Any other conclusion, in light of the seven facts just presented, is breathtakingly irresponsible, and we should just laugh it off. Also, wouldnt that be a type of sin and another example of how he may not have perfectly kept the Law? Pigs, of course, were unclean for the Jews (Lev. Throughout the book, the author uses direct quotes, various and mostly verifiable place names and clear descriptions of mostly plausible actions. It's a picture of His great commission outreach, not just to Jews but to Gentiles also. His poetry includes Bees in Amber: a little book of thoughtful verse (1913) which became a bestseller. 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! It's almost like the demons are inexorably drawn to Jesus. This passage is fundamentally about Jesus. This agrees with the general description of the site (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26). Jesus is going to tell him, You can't come with Me, but I do want you to go back and tell them what great things God has done for you.
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