One day the prophet Samuel angrily told his king that God would not go back on His decision. One Bible expositor said the pigs the demons sought refuge in were black. Now do you see how silly the Jesus-kept-the-Law-perfectly statement is? That amazing phrase, all of you be holy for I am holy did not start with Peter (1 Peter 1:16), because the apostle is quoting Leviticus. Besides Johns cute play on words dont add or God will add consider what plagues he might be talking about and what book he might be talking about. Since demons are by most accounts fallen angels to begin with, they already know to Whom they are ultimately accountable. Jesus was Jewish and He said He came for the lost sheep of Israelthe 10 cities of Decapolis were Roman cities but also contained some Jews who were most likely not keeping the Torah or mixing paganism with Judaism..Romans had many pagan gods and sacrifice pigs especially a certain black pig..I believe the man with the unclean spirits was a Jew.a Jew would never hang out in a tomb because that would make him unclean according to Jewish law..satan probably got a kick out of a Jew being forced by his demons to live in one.interesting that unclean spirits went into a unclean animal according to Judaismwhat a sight to see and then told by to go and tell what happened to you and to those pigs to your fellow Jewish friends and family who may not be keeping the Torah..just my opinion. (Please dont hide behind that sensational dispensational chart. 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. Throughout the book, the author uses direct quotes, various and mostly verifiable place names and clear descriptions of mostly plausible actions. In delivering the man from his bondage, Jesus restored creations promise. 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. That is the exact opposite of other godly men (compare with 1 Samuel 24:24 and 1 Chronicles 21:24). p. 102. He does. But when the pigs need to be explained, he immediately seems lost and turns to heartless comedy. When people start putting a value on animal life equal to or higher than the value they put on human life, something is seriously wrong with the culture. WebGerasa, Gadara or Gergesa (Luke 8;26, 37) As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet Him. Yet they tried to throw one of their own off a cliff (Luke 4:29). Lets re-examine the event in the light of seven important Scriptural facts. He didnt give any new commandment. And what about trees or rocks? Read it for yourself. In the three Synoptic Gospels and, None of the verses below refute any of the. 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. 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. Its odd that dispensationalist preachers dont preach this obvious, permanent truth. Be circumspect. Well, Ill try and explain that before the end of the sermon, but there were several titles that didn't get included in the sermon bulletin today. Connect the dots. founders day speech by students were the gerasenes gentiles. Sadly, the rest of the verse is not quoted in GotQuestions best article and preachers rarely preach it, though it reveals more about the true character of the Messiah. I wonder why?). It was a region of 10 Greco-Roman cities, a Gentile region. 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. WebWell pretend with him that the folks in Gerasenes were placid Gentile farmers happily raising their gentle Gentile pigs. 4. Gods altar was also separate and distinct and holy. Many year later, Messiah went to Israel as a prophet to get the people of Israel back to, 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. They even allowed themselves to go ballistic on the Sabbath, which shows how angry they really were. 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. Perhaps even ask who might that future group of individuals be to whom Jesus will say, Depart, I never knew you (Matthew 7:22) because even though they called him, Lord, Lord [and had gone to seminary and made dispensational charts] they somehow were on the wrong path. Well pretend with him that the folks in Gerasenes were placid Gentile farmers happily raising their gentle Gentile pigs. Was He asking us the impossible because He had nothing better to do or is He sadistic? This story is a technicolor picture of Luke 8:18, and my friends, there don't have to be demons around for us to be facing the same challenge. In other words, to paraphrase what Gertrude told Hamlet, Methinks the good pastor doth protest too much. 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. being the holy Messiah of Israel, Jesus wants the swine out of The Land as much as he wants unclean spirits out of The People, and. It is true that we discover new thoughts or extra meaning over time, but Gods Word is permanent and cannot change. 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. Apparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. At this distance from the Sea of Galilee, Gerasa could not have been the site of the healing of Legion. It is doubtful that Jesus ever visited it. As to the second question, there is no doubt of the illegality, from a ritual point of view, of Jews keeping swine (B. 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? 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. It's almost like the demons are inexorably drawn to Jesus. 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. 2 And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. JESUS DIDNT SEND THE DEMONS INTO THE DEEP; The real irritation is people saying the Law was impossible to obey, when Scripture says the opposite it true. 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? This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was Its all a matter of being logical. My research shows swine kill poisonous snakes. We do not find demons under every pew and under every rock. So much for sola scriptura. We gotta git us some!, 1 ) [your turn. No, I've checked my facts, anticipated the arguments, remembered my own arguments from he past, and now Im ready to present my conclusions for Christians to consider. He also said after much work with people that was possess that most of them dealt in occult practices. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met Him a man from the city who had demons. ITS LIKE THE WITCH ON TGE WIZARD OF OZ three WebGerasene: [noun] an inhabitant of the ancient Palestinian town Gerasa. Is John really referring to just the plagues of the book of Revelation, or could his words also include other books and plagues? Maybe it was because they were unclean animals. Some of my Christian brothers and sisters see this as coded language referring to a confrontation with the political and military power of Rome. Out of the three, Marks gospel presents the most information about the herd. The vision had nothing to do with shrimp rings or BLTS. Learn how your comment data is processed. Doesnt Pastor MacArthur know his Bible? In a recent online essay on the Gospel of Mark, Peter Leithart wrote. The demons are aware that He is there and they are frightened. 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. 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. 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. 7 ) The pigs werent for eating. Money Maker Software may be used on two systems alternately on 3 months, 6 months, 1 year or more subscriptions. If you watch the short clip (above) and compare it to the one hour source video Dominating Powers, Part 2 (Mark 5:1-20) you will notice how MacArthurs speaking style changes as soon as he addresses the matter of the pigs. And the only real bargaining chip according to this interpretation was offering them the two thousand big pink chips. That's what disciples do, they sit at their master's feet. 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)? Cant we be candid in our search to know God? The last now appears. All of these commandments and more are still taken literally by many Jews today. 2. Ptolemy says Gerasa was a city in Coele-Syria, thirty-five travel m. from Pella. If the interpretation from one vague verse contradicts several unambiguous verses, which is wrong? : A similar remark came from Mosess lips when he described God as eternally faithful and then connected Gods faithfulness to His faithful love. 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. This page from an Orthodox website partially shows how Judaism views their responsibility. Do you remember when a serpent, an animal, came and exercised authority over God's man and woman, Adam and Eve, who had been made in His image so that instead of them ruling over the animals, the animals ruled over them? In other words, the Roman Catholic Church took four Greek words torn out of mid-sentence and declared them to mean, the end (read, death) of the law [of Moses], although numerous verses declare the fixed, eternal character of Gods Perfect Law. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. If Paul got himself into hot water because of a Gentile speculating about declining silver sales, how could Jesus have avoided a ton of hot water for killing hundreds of Gentile-owned swine? iii. Look at what he first says when Jesus meets him in verse 28 What do you have to do with me, Jesus? In the story of the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus invades enemy territory and defeats a powerful army to deliver people from bondage. View our current career opportunities. Marks Jesus is a warrior who conquers Gods enemies. A wonderful verse that reveals Him to us and probably the most heartwarming is the commandment in the Torah that mother animals are allowed to stay with their newborns for at least seven days before the offspring can be taken for food or for sacrifice (, All of these commandments and more are still taken literally by many Jews today. Its totally contrary to what we would expect. (Quite likely David would have let the lion and the bear free, if not for the fact that they came back at him: 2 Samuel 17:35). Also, He is sometimes more open with outsiders/Gentiles than Jews because the negative reaction by the Jewish leaders would hinder his ministry more than rejection by Gentiles. Christians never finish reading the chapter. Most translations interpret the Hebrew to say, Canaanite, but both are more than possible and perhaps the double meaning was intended by the prophet. 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 The Messiah has the same nature and character was the Father, as discussed in the Fourth Fact above. The Gerasenes, however, was located in the territory of the Decapolis, a group of ten cities with a majority population of Gentiles. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged Him to let them enter these. A discussion occurred between Professor Huxley and Mr. Gladstone in "The Nineteenth Century" for 1892 as to the morality of the act, the critical questions being whether (1) Gerasenes were Jews; and (2) if so, was it lawful for them to keep swine? WebThe terrified Gerasenes beseeching Jesus to leave them. 5 So they came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. Remember, Jesus took direct, extensive action against a significant group of Gentile pig farmers he didnt just say something bad against the pigs. Over the years, Ive had to prove all this to myself first, and it took soul-searching and tons of Scripture research. If the interpretation from, 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? WebThe Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. These are tremendously important facts that GotQuestions is ignorant of, or they prefer to spread disinformation about, this important Biblical truth that, in the mind of the Almighty, holiness is bound to what we eat. 10:31). Herod had massive building projects all over Israel. Inhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus ( Matthew 8; Mark 5; Luke 8) in which he transferred the demons (eds.). Will the demons come back? He has stabbed the heads of many lands. The thinking behind each chart is contrary to the unity and oneness of God. Would you not agree that theres a certain permanent feeling about a law like that? in which he transferred the demons afflicting a man to a number of swine, that thereupon He said, If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). 7). And guess what this week's focus is on? 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. But this is not the full explanation or the main one. Theories of men that attack statements made by God evolution for example are sadly creeping into the minds of Christian leaders. Being made in God's image, we are more important to the Lord than any animal. Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities north of Israel, and Jesus had been sent to the Jews ( Matthew 15:24 ). He doesnt want to connect the dots and he doesn't want us to either. So why did the meek n merciful Son of Man cast countless defiling demons into two thousand piglets, sows and boars? The excavations uncovered what is to date the best preserved Rom. And lastly, because the herd was within the Land of Israel and owned by Jews (the joke about Gentiles owning them is cleared up below), the unclean swine had to go and the unclean demons did the work. Gergesa (). They were not. How could they say Christians not need be concerned about the welfare of animals or that they have little value, or even laugh about the death of thousands, when such beliefs are set side-by-side with Gods Word? A Faith Embracing All Creatures: Addressing Commonly Asked Questions about Christian Care for Animals. Problem was, not even the pigs could withstand the madness these demonic forces manifested. Israels real enemy is Satan. 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. Late Latin Gerasenus, Gergesenus, from Greek Gerasnos, Gergesnos, from Gerasa, Gergesa ancient town in Palestine. Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs in Gerasenes (Lk 8 ) 10 ) It was the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the area of the Decapolis. For the moment, Jesus was just being ironic. Not by will, but because they have no choice other than to do as the Administrator of all creation commands them. Wasnt this just a temporary fix to a bigger problem? And because they did not hear Him, they lost even what they had. Gergesa is located, with relative certainty, midway along the E bank of the Sea of Galilee; Gadara is six m. SE from the S end of the Sea of Galilee; and Gerasa is some thirty-five m. SE. Accessed 4 Mar. This is the only sensible interpretation which remains consistent with all Scripture. Dr. Ligon Duncan | December 13, 2009. it depends on the text you read, but one of the four Greek words is sometimes neuter, sometimes masculine a big deal in this language and in this verse. 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. Just as God defeated Pharaohs army at the Red Sea, so Jesus defeats Satans army in the land of the Gerasenes. In Luke 4 and 5, great multitudes are following Jesus Christ when He does His miracles. Amen. WebAll three Synoptic Gospels ( Mark 5:120; Luke 8:2639; Matthew 8:2834) mention the swine miracle, although with variations. 3. Scripture also makes it abundantly clear that God Almighty cannot change, and no one, not even the Lord's Anointed Messiah can change the Law which they both wrote. We are all responsible for our sins and so no demonic force can take control of a human life and make you sin unless you allow it. Did Jesus really sacrifice the swine for the man? 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). 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). Jews don't get the joke either because they don't read the New Testament much given the fact Christians have turned them off of Jesus. He says that the demon expulsions are just unenlightened men of the first century trying to explain illnesses being healed. So many beautiful verses and motivating passages are in Scripture. That is, they appear contrary, except for one thing: Gods Law forbids righteous people from eating pork. Therefore they should be taken as such. Doesn't Jesus Treat Animals as Property? In York, T.; Alexis-Baker, A.; Bekoff, M.; McLaren, B. Therefore, hiding behind a few vague statements like the pat answer verses listed here is not sound. Yet this is exactly what Christians believe; Jesus came to fulfill (but think annul) the Law and then start a whole new religion. And John nicely parallels Jesus who said, not the smallest letter nor the smallest comma will pass away from the Law (Matthew 5:18).