They need to face the cracks in their theologies. (, Worse yet, dont trust one who says Scripture. But there are many reasons why Im not keen on the idea of the Gospels as non-historical. Ive heard that the apostles and Christ may have traveled to Spain. 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. They were ..ummm ..for producing manure to fertilize crops. It was situated some 30 miles southeast of Gadara, on the borders of Peraea and a little north of the river Jabbok. Will the demons come back? Lets return again to when Jesus cleaned up the Temple courtyard of merchants and merchandise. These forces plundered Gerasa, Philadelphia, Pella, and others (Jos. 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). Demetrius had to do something with the Jew or go bust. Derek Thomas was reminding me this morning that Ridderbos, in his famous book, The Coming of the Kingdom, records seventeen different interpretations that he had found of this particular parable. But now this is an extraordinary case. And the only real bargaining chip according to this interpretation was offering them the two thousand big pink chips. Take the first chapter of Genesis for example; ones interpretation of it depends on whether one thinks its a historical retelling of creation, or just a poem. The vision stumped the poor apostle; clearly, Peter forgot about the amazing four Greek words of Mark 7:19b. Peaceable Kingdom Series. (Question: If God cares about the mother-child relationship in animals, how does He consider that relationship for people? 2023 Christianity.com. Two thousand pigs together is quiet unimaginable. Josephus mentions it with Pella and Golan as being taken by storm during Alexander Jannaeus campaign E of the Jordan in about 83 b.c. They had the exact same reaction to Jesus that Bertrand Russell would manifest two thousand years later. In fact, the next thing the name did was to take a steel bar, place it in his teeth, and proceed to bend it with his hands and with his teeth. 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? Why? Also, any every person who wants to please God is forbidden the heartless act of boiling a calf in its mothers milk (Exodus 23:19; Exodus 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21), as well as the abominable practice of cutting and eating the leg of a live animal, only to leave the poor creature hobbling around with its three remaining legs (Deuteronomy 12:23; explanation). Now it's not a very profound book. Pig meat, according to Scripture, is as, Suddenly, Mark 5 is clear. xviii. 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? 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. Perhaps that is his point. iii. And then finally, and very, very sadly, I want you to see in contrast to him, the reaction of the majority of the people in his city and country to what Jesus has done. Webwere the gerasenes gentiles. Those outside of the nation of Israel were considered gentiles. Because God is so steady, and doesnt reverse or repeal, He can be trusted to do what He promises; good or evil. 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! II. 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. Wasnt this just a temporary fix to a bigger problem? Besides, it was Christmas! If there was a difference, why do they read the Law of Moses but call it the Law of God in Nehemiah 8:8? Both Johns could conveniently connect the dots between the Law of God which outlaws the swine and the destructive action which Jesus took against the herd, but it would be too inconvenient for their religious views. And as Palmer approached him at the fireside, the man identified Palmer before he got there. That fact must be kept in mind in our ethical discussions. Doesnt Pastor MacArthur know his Bible? This location agrees with the description given by the ancient writers. Thats right, Whatever matter I am commanding you right now, it's what you must be careful to observe to do. Jewish rabbis, when interpreting the Word of God, follow an important principle: no word in Gods Word is superfluous or pointless. His wisecracks are a distraction. You can follow him on Twitter. 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, Well this is a taste of the profound arguments that you will find in that book. But what does Leviticus says about ham? It is now called Jerash and is a deserted ruin. I say that Christians have turned Jews off because church-goers claim Jesus destroyed the Law and that Jews are blind for following the Law of Moses still. This kind of inter-ethnic scenario normally spells d.i.s.a.s.t.e.r. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. The city was large and well planned. 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. This agrees with the general description of the site (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26). Jesus was teaching the way to live life so demons would not have a place in us to possess. In the story of the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus invades enemy territory and defeats a powerful army to deliver people from bondage. When Jesus said, A new commandment I give unto you (John 13:34), he instantly had the undivided attention of the Tedious Twelve disciples because they knew changing the Law was forbidden. That is, they appear contrary, except for one thing: Gods Law forbids righteous people from eating pork. 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. In a pigs eye. He couldnt introduce a new religion. May God grant us the liberation through Jesus Christ to become what that nameless man became. Dr. R.C. 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. (Later, in Genesis 8:20, Noah sacrificed some of the clean animals to God as thank you offerings because their ship had come in! Matthew tells us there were two demoniacs, while Mark and Luke only So I figure we could speculate a little and see where this goes. We do not say that to cast the first stone. Look at the prophets; they also prove Scripture doesnt change. Over the years, Ive had to prove all this to myself first, and it took soul-searching and tons of Scripture research. 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. This made them fit for consumption. take a dump and be cleaned.lol. 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. Two Sundays ago Take care then, how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away. They thought those pigs were theirs. (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. Israel doesnt [need] a savior who can fight off a legion of Roman soldiers. And opposite to normal flowers, our lovely Scripture-flower will never dry out or wither away (Isaiah 40:8). Sinai. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of any other person, religious organization or governmental entity. Was He asking us the impossible because He had nothing better to do or is He sadistic? I think so. 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. 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. After all, racism wasnt invented in the 21st century. It all belongs to God. The best text in Matthew reads Gadarenes, in Mark and Luke it reads Gerasenes, whereas some MSS preserve Gergesenes and Gergustenes (cf. neither the four Greek words, nor any idea similar to them, are ever repeated in Scripture, whereas the destruction of the swine herd is thrice-repeated and uses a few more than four words. No products in the cart. To run Money Maker Software properly, Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1 or higher version is required. 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. Almost there. 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. Sinai. The Word of God cant change any more than God can. God designated the descendants of Abraham, the Israelites, as His chosen people. III. Problem was, not even the pigs could withstand the madness these demonic forces manifested. Knowing the correct genre of what you are studying is a major step toward getting a correct message or interpretation. Such a contradiction in character! and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. Logically we understand that no person on Earth could say something in strong terms over and over, and then just one day say, Oops, can I retract that? So could or would God Almighty flip flop? The nearby shepherds were sheep shepherds, not hog herders. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). He was no longer naked and he was no longer babbling and he was no longer living amongst the tombs, but when they came, he was clothed and in his right mind and sitting at the Savior's feet. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. Mark Driscoll also generated some chuckles when he callously said the death of the pigs created a bacon famine.. Also, Orthodox Jews see a clear connection between Deuteronomy 12:32, do not add, and what happened in the Garden of Eden. 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. In the three Synoptic Gospels and, None of the verses below refute any of the. The church fathers treated them as literal history. They sailed to the country of the Gerasenes which is opposite Galilee. If the pig farmers were Gentile, why would non-Jewish farmers be so gentle with a Jew (who was also an outsider) who was messing around with their farm animals? 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)? There was a logic in this. The concept of Gentiles is found in the Old Testament. Its kinda like the difference between a Disney movie, a TV documentary and/or an infomercial; normally each is dissimilar from the other. All Rights Reserved. Jesus was also a prophet. And Jews are forbidden by God and His eternal commands to own pigs. I love irritating those charlatans who pretend the Law of God is somehow different than the Law of Moses. We do not find demons under every pew and under every rock. The Garasenes were not Jewish but the country was close to Galilee and Jesus had been to that side of the sea before. He is the freest man in the world. But today, if you said to anybody, Tiger Woods is a slave to his desires, they would recognize it. The History of Rome - Brief Overview Of Roman History from Her Dawn to the First Punic War. No cumbered chamber will the Master share,But one swept bare By cleansing fires, then plenished fresh and fairWith meekness, and humility, and prayer.There will He come, yet, coming, even thereHe stands and waits, and will no entrance winUntil the latch be lifted from within. Pliny described it as a city of the Decapolis founded after the Rom. Its totally contrary to what we would expect. WebGerasene: [noun] an inhabitant of the ancient Palestinian town Gerasa. Every place the Master went on his travels it was to minister to a Jew, just as Paul said, To the Jew first (Romans 1:16 and Romans 2:9-10; ever notice that the New Testament never mentions Christians, just Jews and Gentiles?! viii. This is a noteworthy fact because not every event in Jesuss ministry was thrice written down. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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 And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. But are these good pastors on the right track? 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. Luke 1:6 says, [Zachariah and Elisabeth] were both righteous before God, walking in all of the commandments and judgements of the LORD, guiltless. Sound like perfect obedience to me. Them there pigs were trying to hog Jesus limelight! And not only that, he's about to be a witnessing disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. THE PIGS DID IT FOR HIM!! Both of our good pastors assume that the people in Gerasene (Gadarene or Gergesene) were Gentiles in Gentile territory, partially because of the pigs, partially because of the demoniacs and partially because it fits their bias. This Priceless People Interpretation comes from another sunny California pastor, John Piper. 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). And he sends out his representative, a man who is known only as the Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dr, the black gate. 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. He was totally dominated by these demonic forces. Fourthly, Jesus specifically went to the land of the Gentile Gadarenes or Gerasenes, east of the Sea of Galilee, to minister to them. Obviously the man with the demon was Jewish or Jesus would not have gone there. Mark as quoted by Spalde, Annika; Strindlund, Pelle (2012). Im wondering While foretelling death and doom was often part of a prophets job description, the real task of each true prophet was to be an example to the people and to get everyone on board, or back on board, with the Law of God. 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. Third, I want you to see the change that results in this man after he is not only liberated from these demons, but after he clearly, because of a change of heart, becomes a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. 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. The good pastor actually believes that a Jewish man can rationally decide the best sleeping quarters Tomb or no tomb? The Matthew account mentions two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke only mention one. Gadarenes, Girgesenes, Gerasenes: (These three names are used indiscriminately to designate the place where Jesus healed two demoniacs. This is the Just-believe-and-receive Hypothesis and the advocates thereof like to stretch Jesuss words, I came to fulfill the Law, and make it say that Jesus needed to destroy or replace the nasty Law, but hope to heaven it still sounds Biblical heres an example of stretchy talking from GotQuestions. Indeed, some believe that Jesuss single option was to let Legion loose on the animals. This was a Gentile town so they had pigs. War I. iv. (eds.). When they ask Jesus to leave, he does so without any objection; Jesus ministry will not be imposed on those unwilling to receive it. No other place on the E side of the sea fits this requirement of the story. We see the power of Christ over Satan, don't we? 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. Compared to the accounts of the same event in Matthew and Luke also written in simple narrative prose some details vary. Demons, Jesus, and the Pigs The Outlaw Bible Student, http://www.linearconcepts.com/archives/2011. Lets dwell on that he added no new commands to his disciples. Look at what he first says when Jesus meets him in verse 28 What do you have to do with me, Jesus? Interested in joining the Ligonier team? 'Hiemal,' 'brumation,' & other rare wintry words. They, like the demons, are afraid of Him and they beg Him to leave and He does. Christ's journey into "the country of the Gerasenes" (Mark 5:1) was somewhat unusual. ; Mark v.; Luke viii.) Gods Law has a law that you cannot change Gods Law. Matt 8:28). The demons sent the pigs off the banks of the sea and into the water, where they drowned (Mark 5:1213). But these differences are typical of eye-witness reports and only irritate skeptics. You don't have to look very far. But what are its implications? He changed the subject. It's just 8 or 9 verses before this passage. 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. Without a doubt, both men know God never came up with the line, Put pork on your fork. 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 Its not possible for either of them to change, and therefore, inconceivable that Jesus would modify one iota of what he helped write. JESUS DIDNT SEND THE DEMONS INTO THE DEEP; Therefore, when it came to sacrifices on it, the menu was even shorter. As out-of-place as the pig-assisted exorcism by the Lake of Galilee was, the awful event is actually recorded in three Gospels; in Matthew 8:2834, Mark 5:120 and Luke 8:2639. Instead of dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, we see dead pigs, an intentional insult to the minions of Satan. But the height of ignorance, the most foolhardy statement is, Jesus fulfilled the whole Law so we dont have to. Only a person who knows absolutely zero about Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy would say such a thing. This man, when Jesus says, What is your name? effectively says, I do not know my name. It may well be a picture of the reverse of what happened in the Garden of Eden. to biblical Galilee, regarded, in opposition to Judaea, as a country of Gentiles (as in Matthew 4:15) What was Jairus occupation? This means that these miracles are especially meant to teach believers something. Paul talked about going to Spain in Rom 15:24-28, so part of this is certainly within the realm of possibilities. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. he has the power and the authority to ameliorate both. But here's the second thing. It was a leading city of Syria in commerce, culture, and religion. The pagan religions continued among the Gentile population as is evidenced by the ruins of the temple of Artemis. I agree the counter-arguments look flawless on the surface and that will be partially exposed now. He is utterly sovereign. 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. 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. 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. Unsurprisingly in such a place, Jesus finds a man possessed by unclean spirits. Because in all of Holy Writ, the phrase first appears in Leviticus 11 (Leviticus 11:44) right after God talks about clean/pure meats. OS Supported: Windows 98SE, Windows Millenium, Windows XP (any edition), Windows Vista, Windows 7 & Windows 8 (32 & 64 Bit). [Israels] real enemy isnt Rome, which barely figures into the gospel story. Because some confusion exists in the gospel MS evidence and perhaps in other source material, absolute certainty cannot be attained; but the following identification seems correct. Just like in the Garden, when God judged Adam, he didn't strike him directly, but the ground soil instead. As regards the first question, it would appear that that section of the country was chiefly inhabited by pagans in the first century, and Gerasa is at any rate included by Schrer among the Hellenistic cities ("Geschichte," ii. Am I forgiven by saying, I just allowed the kids to have the grenade? The pastors attempts to laugh off the haunting question about the meek and lowly Son of Man killing all the pigs is pathetic. Racism: Not a modern invention . (So much for those latter revelations or new religions arriving centuries later.). Three witnesses! 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. The Spectators probably from all over the world! All these inescapable facts are so important to getting the right interpretation of Mark 5 and the other gospel records of the same event. He made a covenant with them and revealed His commandments to them, which they were to live according to. For being kind to birds!? So why pigs? He's been set free by Jesus. And it's the glorious picture of the value that He puts on an immortal soul. One Bible expositor said the pigs the demons sought refuge in were black. 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. 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! Some of my Christian brothers and sisters see this as coded language referring to a confrontation with the political and military power of Rome. Jesus came to teach a better way of life that you could have abundantly! Obviously, they were Jewish pig farmers seeing judgement for flagrant disobey Gods Word and keeping and eating pig meat. For the moment, Jesus was just being ironic. But Gods Spoken Word will endure for all time. 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. object task is not supported in ui api,