But here's the second thing. Very interesting. What is the significance of Decapolis in the Bible? being the eternal Son of God. 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? But what does Leviticus says about, And also the pig; although it has a hoof splitting in half and it has a hoof clearly tearing in two, the pig doesn't bring back up its cud to chew. Besides the jokes being in poor taste, they make his sermon seem less than professional. 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. 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. 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. Saying God reverses a verdict or compromises a promise soils His Name. The Gerasenes, however, was located in the territory of the Decapolis, a group of ten cities with a majority population of Gentiles. absolutely anne..there are a few scenarios..nothing more exciting than digging into the Word of God!! 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. 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! Food cant affect our salvation, nor disqualify us from being saved.Pork might not be very healthy,but as long as its USDA approved and deemed good by health inspectors from feeder hogs tat eat corn to clean the mess out of them of the last few bowel movements, then you should be good to go. The Greek clause literally says, End of law is Christ but why bother finishing the sentence? Its true! ITS LIKE THE WITCH ON TGE WIZARD OF OZ Other than that my friends, I don't know. (, David, the son of Jesse, was another selfless, compassionate shepherd. War IV. 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). Another title that didn't make it was Demons, Pigs, and a Request to Leave. Now I think actually that beautifully outlines what happens in this passage, but for a specific reason I've wanted to zero your attention in on this man, this nameless man, who is afflicted by demons and who is liberated by Jesus Christ because there is a Gospel message for all of us. II. Unfortunately, Pastor John is not alone, joking at the expense of this tragedy. WebThe name Gergesa has led to the supposition that the Girgashites, one of the seven Canaanitish nations, originally occupied this territory. Throughout the book, the author uses direct quotes, various and mostly verifiable place names and clear descriptions of mostly plausible actions. But when Jesus explained that the commandment was the old one from Leviticus, Love one another, they signed with relief, seeing how he was just underscoring the command that God already gave (Leviticus 19:18). Also oral tradition in this area talks of Christ coming and preaching the gospel there but being asked to leave shortly afterwards. They could, at least, admit to the possibility of what has been discussed here and about the other facts. Pastor MacArthur would do well to learn from his Jewish counterparts. My research shows swine kill poisonous snakes. A city in Transjordania, situated about thirty-five m. SE of the S end of the Sea of Galilee, one of the cities of the Decapolis; the inhabitants of the city. But isnt it a funny coincidence that pork happens to be on Gods list of forbidden food. The best text in Matthew reads Gadarenes, in Mark and Luke it reads Gerasenes, whereas some MSS preserve Gergesenes and Gergustenes (cf. For the moment, Jesus was just being ironic. 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 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. The Jewish Messiah rid himself of two defiling groups in one blow. The shortest distance between two thoughts. Pretty quickly the whole city was in an uproar. And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. viii. One was, His Name Was Legion, Not Ligon. I have been confused with Legion all my life and it worries me that it's not just the sound of the name, but I want to make it clear that Legion is not in any way related to Ligon. Gadarenes, Girgesenes, Gerasenes: (These three names are used indiscriminately to designate the place where Jesus healed two demoniacs. It is repeated over and over. So many beautiful verses and motivating passages are in Scripture. Let's pray. In the story of the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus invades enemy territory and defeats a powerful army to deliver people from bondage. Answer: the impurity of the swine. You must there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one thats only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. 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. (Please dont hide behind that sensational dispensational chart. The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. get to know the Bible better! 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. In the three Synoptic Gospels and, None of the verses below refute any of the. Because they cared more about what they had lost than what that man had gained or what they could gain in Jesus themselves. Therefore, when it came to sacrifices on it, the menu was even shorter. Most Christians believe Messiah is the Second Person of the Trinity. 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. 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 Jewish, living in a Jewish town surrounded by Jewish-owned pigs. To be honest, all the bad humour honestly makes me believe the pastor is being dishonest. We are pleased to launch our new product Money Maker Software for world's best charting softwares like AmiBroker, MetaStock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4. This Priceless People Interpretation comes from another sunny California pastor, John Piper. As well, every place the Master went on his travels was inside of the Land of Israel; he never went to Gentile territory. 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. Gods Law even has two commands that equate domestic livestock with wild animals. WebBlog Uncategorized were the gerasenes gentiles Uncategorized were the gerasenes gentiles They were to teach the Gentiles about Him (Acts 13:4647). Demons do not care about the person they possess hence all the cutting and harm the man did to himself. HDB, II, p. 158, 159 for a detailed description.). They dont care about about the demon possessed men, they want their pigs back, (My opinion) Jesus was raised with sacrifice so animals were thought of for food, not so much as pets like today. 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?! So I figure we could speculate a little and see where this goes. why do you think there were pigs there?]. In delivering the man from his bondage, Jesus restored creations promise. Show us the sins of our hearts that we are captive to. Yet a number of objections immediately spring to mind. For one, Remember that the Law reveals to us the mind and personality of God. We have it all down on paper exactly how gentle Gentiles can get when they get annoyed by a Jew. Gods Law has a law that you cannot change Gods Law. 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. For our Creator, one lost person saved is worth the death of many animals. Amen. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Herod had massive building projects all over Israel. And guess what this week's focus is on? Unsurprisingly in such a place, Jesus finds a man possessed by unclean spirits. Jesus was teaching the way to live life so demons would not have a place in us to possess. It was like, Read my lips, Saul! Apparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. Good Pastor John MacArthur's funny option, The real Author(s) of the Law and the Commandments. (Later, in Genesis 8:20, Noah sacrificed some of the clean animals to God as thank you offerings because their ship had come in! Obviously, they were Jewish pig farmers seeing judgement for flagrant disobey Gods Word and keeping and eating pig meat. Therefore, I repeat again that I believe the pastors are dishonest for not admitting this fact. Ill take Mark at his word; hes thinking of an army of demons, not an army of human soldiers. As to the second question, there is no doubt of the illegality, from a ritual point of view, of Jews keeping swine (B. That is, they appear contrary, except for one thing: Gods Law forbids righteous people from eating pork. It was situated some 30 miles southeast of Gadara, on the borders of Peraea and a little north of the river Jabbok. But should you also doubt, my friendly blog reader, read on. WebWho were the gerasenes in the bible? 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? Thats right, adding or subtracting from Scripture, according to Scripture, is illegal. And they are no more capable of liberating themselves than this man was capable of liberating himself from this host of demons. He also said after much work with people that was possess that most of them dealt in occult practices. What is going to happen, we are told by John the book of Revelation, is that God Himself is going to cast Satan and his demons into the lake of fire. take a dump and be cleaned.lol. Jesus came to teach a better way of life that you could have abundantly! A main street with columns on both sides leads out of the forum. Does he really believe Mark 5 is Biblical material just for laughs? You understand that Legion is not his name. All you need to know right now, if youre interested in that I'm happy to talk about it until the cows come home, but all you need to know is each of those places the regions of the Gergesenes, the Gadarenes, and the Gerasenes it's all on the other side of the Lake of Galilee. These three verse from John really are earth-shattering. a Gentile and What Does the Bible Say about Would you not agree that theres a certain permanent feeling about a law like that? And in Malachi 4:4, why did God say remember the Law of Moses if God had His own law? Commentary on Luke 8:26-39 - Working Preacher from Luther 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. Can we imagine our Jew receiving a mostly positive reaction or a negative one? 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.. And this identical detail was written down in three different texts to remind us of the Son of Mans normally tender nature. The Man Jesus Renamed | Reformed Theological Seminary 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? He was getting everyone on board with what was started at Sinai. It's all Gentile territory, so just bear that in mind. Dont demons like sheep? Instead of dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, we see dead pigs, an intentional insult to the minions of Satan. 2023 Christianity.com. The demons, who in this man have terrified the whole countryside to the point that they had tried to retrain this man with chains they were so frightened of Him, those demons are now afraid of Jesus because they know who Jesus is and they know where Jesus can cast them. I am but a man possessed by an innumerable host of demons. Gerasenes | Biblical Training Theories of men that attack statements made by God evolution for example are sadly creeping into the minds of Christian leaders. Such a contradiction in character! WebWell pretend with him that the folks in Gerasenes were placid Gentile farmers happily raising their gentle Gentile pigs. 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. 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. He's converted. He's a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ now. Mark Driscoll also generated some chuckles when he callously said the death of the pigs created a bacon famine.. (photo by Jean Pierre, Pexels), Reading the Word of God is wonderful. By Your Holy Spirit, show us our need of grace. The forum, with a semicircle of columns still standing, was paved with large cut stones. Lots of non-Jews lived there. Last week, we were crossing over with Jesus to the other side, weathering a fierce storm until he woke up and calmed the sea. Therefore, when it came to sacrifices on it, the menu was even shorter. Because of his righteousness and his love for God, Peter and Andrew and John and thousands more loved Jesus and followed him. Last Update: Jan 03, 2023 And thirdly, they are forgetting the fate of this man with an immortal soul who was in danger not only of a continuous life of torment, but an eternal separation from God. 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? At least Im man enough to admit possible weaknesses in my arguments and to talk about the elephants in the room. 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 And that permanence of the Law matches well with the fact that the first time, and the second, He wrote the Ten Commandments in stone: Exodus 31:18 and again, Exodus 34:1. He says that the demon expulsions are just unenlightened men of the first century trying to explain illnesses being healed. And wild animals are not forget because farmers in the Land of Israel are commanded in Exodus 23:11 to leave parts of their fields for food for wildlife. The land of the Gerasenes was on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. GotQuestions has three articles alone on the subject: here is their best. (, But MacArthurs logical is funny for another reason. Some of my Christian brothers and sisters see this as coded language referring to a confrontation with the political and military power of Rome. I will say that I struggled with the title to this sermon. 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. And while its not true God pairs animals with people every where in Scripture, He does in this statement. He was Jewish and tragically lost. Also, wouldnt that be a type of sin and another example of how he may not have perfectly kept the Law? So he gave them permission. display: none !important; Johns Entertaining LOL Interpretation shows me that he sees cracks in his theology, but is unwilling to own up to them. The mountainside has caves and hewn tombs where, according to Mark and Luke, the demoniac had taken shelter. But this is not the full explanation or the main one. But what are its implications? In Marks thinking, the mans extraordinary strength is evidence of supernatural bondage. The Law of God states that the Sabbath is a day of rest for all livestock (Deuteronomy 5:14). What pigs?? Youll notice at the beginning of the passage that they go across the lake to the east side and that puts them outside the bounds of Galilee and outside the bounds of Israel and over into Gentile territory on the other side. Did Jesus really sacrifice the swine for the man? First of all theyre forgetting that Jesus Himself has already said that His Heavenly Father cares even about the sparrows that fall from their nests. I beg You, do not torment me. For He (that is, Jesus) had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. 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. So instead of working or hammering away at the embarrassing elephant in the room, the good pastors spoon out interpretations to us that are not biblical, or dish up corny one-liners, all in the hope that well swallow them or be too busy laughing to connect the dots ourselves. In other words, they believe the one who killed the pigs with the demons is equal to the Father. And what about trees or rocks? Perhaps that is his point. 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. With such a track record, what difference would Legions size or strength make? He should know that centuries before the prophet Isaiah spoke against Jews eating pork and hanging around in tombs. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. Matt 8:28). biblegateway.com And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. Wasnt this just a temporary fix to a bigger problem? It's in Luke chapter 8, verse 18. Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? That is exactly what is happening here. The good pastor actually believes that a Jewish man can rationally decide the best sleeping quarters , In the end, the good pastors assumptions keep us, Just remember the wonderful folks in Jesuss hometown? With these, 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. WebNoun. Luckily, they didnt find Paul anywhere, but they did haul a number of Pauls colleagues down to city hall. Gadarenes, Girgesenes, Gerasenes - Smiths Bible Dictionary He loves our souls. Look at the prophets; they also prove Scripture doesnt change. Dr. Ligon Duncan | December 13, 2009. 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. * If one believes demons exists, why invent a false story to make the point that Jesus has power over demons? At the end of the gospel, however, Jesus tactic changes. 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 good pastor actually believes that a Jewish man can rationally decide the best sleeping quarters Tomb or no tomb? 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. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Kursi - The Gerasene Site of Jesus' Miracle on the East Side of Lake 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. 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).
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