The next allusion to Gerasa concerns its capture during Vespasians campaign. They had the exact same reaction to Jesus that Bertrand Russell would manifest two thousand years later. Who owned the pigs? 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). Demetrius had to do something with the Jew or go bust. 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. 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. And he sends out his representative, a man who is known only as the Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dr, the black gate. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. And it's the glorious picture of the value that He puts on an immortal soul. Now what happens in this passage? Overall, when it comes to any animal being selected for food or for sacrifice, God sees only two types. 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. While animal-abuse cases arent normally rampant among church-goers, its no thanks to this bishops official policy. The most plausible reason Jesus chose the pigs was because he regarded people as precious and priceless, but not swine. Webwere the gerasenes gentiles. 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. Seven Biblical facts await you that prove Jesus was obliged to love all creatures, except that a higher command forced him to partially judge the Jews who owned the two thousand poor pigs. Last week we said the focus was on the power and the person of Jesus Christ. And from what I have heard, preferrably pig blood. 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! 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. Yes, this man is extraordinary. He's set free. John Oxenham1 wrote a poem about this passage. But if one cared to examine all of Gods Word, the only possible reason for Jesus to destroy the pigs in the exorcism seems to be connected to Gods opinion about ham. Now I must say that that really boggles my mind because Luke's main point is so crystal clear and it's set in the context of three other stories that are crystal clear. Cute little silver goddess dolls would have sold for the same price as a full-grown boar or sow in those days. The NT references (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26; cf. 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. Christ's journey into "the country of the Gerasenes" (Mark 5:1) was somewhat unusual. With or without graves? WebBlog Uncategorized were the gerasenes gentiles Uncategorized were the gerasenes gentiles See more comments below.). Ruins of the temple of Artemis, some columns still standing, are on another hillside above the ruins. 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. (, 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. were the gerasenes Pork was a prevalent food staple and as you travel near the gates of Gibraltar the terrain matches the craggy cliffs as well as the placement of aboveground as well as natural cave tombs which show signs of living inhabitants at some point. Also, Johns emphasis do not take away from the words is stronger than Mosess original statement. Yet they tried to throw one of their own off a cliff (Luke 4:29). Well pretend with him that the folks in Gerasenes were placid Gentile farmers happily raising their gentle Gentile pigs. 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. Part of the reason for such a short list is due to the fact that Gods People are special (Exodus 19:5-6) and separate (Deuteronomy 7:6) and unique from others on the earth (1 Peter 2:9). 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. Power over Demons: The Gerasene Demoniac Matthew And low and behold, two gospels specify that Jesus didnt go into Tyre (part of modern Lebanon), but that he was only in the vicinity of the city (Matthew 15:21; Mark 7:24 and Mark 7:31). Gerasenes | Biblical Training He was Jewish and tragically lost. 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. Where? Gerasa, Gadara or Gergesa (Luke 8;26, 37) - Berean Insights Am I forgiven by saying, I just allowed the kids to have the grenade? I dont know of any illness that can do that. Still, Jesus was not in Gadarenes for judging; he was there for mercy and for judgement. Learn how your comment data is processed. Should we accept Mark 5 as literal history? Good Pastor John MacArthur's funny option, The real Author(s) of the Law and the Commandments. 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. 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. It seems to happen a lot in the gospels. Yet there was no fury. 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. It was situated some 30 miles southeast of Gadara, on the borders of Peraea and a little north of the river Jabbok. 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 pastors attempts to laugh off the haunting question about the meek and lowly Son of Man killing all the pigs is pathetic. The good pastor actually believes that a Jewish man can rationally decide the best sleeping quarters Tomb or no tomb? Unsurprisingly in such a place, Jesus finds a man possessed by unclean spirits. She suffers a more oppressive slavery than ever before not to human rulers but to demons, who are bold enough to enter synagogues on the Sabbat. He will judge the Gentiles, filling places with bodies. But this is not the full explanation or the main one. Because they cared more about what they had lost than what that man had gained or what they could gain in Jesus themselves. Lets return again to when Jesus cleaned up the Temple courtyard of merchants and merchandise. The demons are aware that He is there and they are frightened. 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. The Bible doesnt say. 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. Now you understand what sitting at the Savior's feet means? 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. The entire herd ran straight off a cliff and drowned. In, David was a good example of what Jesus meant by , 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. Learn a new word every day. And Tolkien puts it this way The Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dr he was, and his name is remembered in no tale for he himself had forgotten it and said only, I am the mouth of Sauron.. For these reasons, the writers of the gospels gave no explanation and the Twelve asked no question about why Jesus destroyed all the swine. 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? Therefore, if Jesus gave no commandment (singular), what is he referring to when he talks about commandments (plural) in the following: The answer: when he says, keep my commandments he means the ones he and the Father gave Israel at Sinai. Amen. Therefore, when it came to sacrifices on it, the menu was even shorter. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. 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. Other than that my friends, I don't know. Gentiles In the 2nd cent. At best, Malachi 4:4 should read as, Remember the Law of Moses, but mine's better. In other words, to paraphrase what Gertrude told Hamlet, Methinks the good pastor doth protest too much. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged Him to let them enter these. In this immediate area, steep hills come down to the shoreline and fit the story of the swine rushing headlong into the sea. Why doesn't the good pastor entertain that avenue of possibility or is he too busy making one-liners to connect any dots? 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. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. Many year later, Messiah went to Israel as a prophet to get the people of Israel back to his Law. The Son of God mercifully cast thousands of defiling demons out of a lost Jew and purposefully launched the legion killers into two thousand defiling swine. But pay attention to the body count. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him and said with a loud voice, What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? It's all Gentile territory, so just bear that in mind. Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. xviii. Now Jesus grants this permission. He has authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to numerous books. 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. Such a conclusion will annoy a lot of people, even funny, leaky dispensationalists like John MacArthur. Amen. Suddenly, Mark 5 is clear. He didnt give any new commandment. First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. Money Maker Software is compatible with AmiBroker, MetaStock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way. As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of Him. For our Creator, one lost person saved is worth the death of many animals. 2. Now that's interesting isn't it? As a result, our biggest take-away lesson is to never take away from the Word of the Almighty.But dispensational-flavoured pastors ignore this and teach us that Moses and David and even Jesus lived by different rules. Yet a complete interpretation of Mark 5 needs to clear up one last point: the pigs were forbidden but did they have to be destroyed? His actions now make sense in this new light. Diana (Artemis) of Ephesuslovely without a nose! However, the silversmith was a smart cookie and knew that the more people bought into Pauls line of thinking, Note: Demetrius was angry only because of, Therefore, were those cool-headed pig-farmers really Gentiles? Not by will, but because they have no choice other than to do as the Administrator of all creation commands them. What does it say? 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. Money Maker Software may be used on two systems alternately on 3 months, 6 months, 1 year or more subscriptions. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies. And her addition to Gods commandment led to her disobedience and to Adams, and then God added some amazing plagues to mankind, just as John says (Revelation 22:18) will happen to those who add to His Word (and not just the book of Revelation). WebHe calls the inhabitants Syrians, when, at the beginning of the Jewish revolt, the district round Gerasa was laid waste. They ask Him if they can enter some nearby pigs, and He lets them.
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