why do you think there were pigs there?]. They are out to steal, kill, and destroy, so we dare not trifle with evil spirits. WebWell pretend with him that the folks in Gerasenes were placid Gentile farmers happily raising their gentle Gentile pigs. I dont see anything of that sort in the story. The Syrians made reprisals, and took many prisoners. Because of his righteousness and his love for God, Peter and Andrew and John and thousands more loved Jesus and followed him. It pains them to admit that Jesus was/is a, Sixth Fact: True identity of the pig farmers. But should you also doubt, my friendly blog reader, read on. led to the substitute reading Gergesenes, a reading that was suggested by a study of the geography of the area. The other, Deuteronomy 22:6-7, protects wild mother birds in a similar way, forbidding us from killing them along with their young at the same time. WebRoman Empire Map - Large Map of the Roman Empire in the Early First Century - Click around on the Places. Jesus helped a Syrophoenician woman and commended her faith ( Matthew 15:2128 ). This mother-baby law actually takes priority over another command which requires all first-born calves and lambs to be offered up to God on His altar (Numbers 18:17; Deuteronomy 15:19.) The book ends on that very point. 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? (, Still, Jesus was not in Gadarenes for judging; he was there, Not contrary, but consistent with Christs Character, Here is a prophesy that Christians love to quote: , The LORD has sworn it and He will not change his mind: You are a priest forever, after the nature of Melchizedek. The LORD is upon your right hand. 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. In retaliation for the massacre of the Jews at Caesarea, the Jews sent several raiding parties into the Gentile cities of the Decapolis. and what Jesus showed here was a love and a grace towards a man in captivity to sin who didn't deserve to be freed and didn't deserve to be forgiven, but Jesus did it anyway. This page from an Orthodox website partially shows how Judaism views their responsibility. Executive Committee of the Editorial Board. Because God is so steady, and doesnt reverse or repeal, He can be trusted to do what He promises; good or evil. This means that these miracles are especially meant to teach believers something. They could, at least, admit to the possibility of what has been discussed here and about the other facts. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was Acting as Israels Messiah, Jesus was carrying out actions that were predicted by the prophets, like when Zechariah said that no merchants in the house of the LORD (Zechariah 14:21).. And it is reveals a great deal comparing the reactions of the Gentiles in the two towns. But it struck me as interesting that Bertrand Russell had the exact same reaction to this miracle that the people of the Gerasenes had. The pastors precious-people useless-swine principle was previously dreamed up by the 3rd century church father, St. Augustine of Hippo (quoted by Spalde and Strindlund), and he ran with it. Origen says this is a good example of how Biblical writers simply were not concerned to precisely identify certain sites. Such a pat answer to such a serious question is as irritating as it is ridiculous. This passage is fundamentally about Jesus. Overall, when it comes to any animal being selected for food or for sacrifice, God sees only two types. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! 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. Apparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. 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. This, by the way, is 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? What do you have that youre captive to, that youre enslaved to? Jesus victory over the devils army results in the man being dressed and in his right mind, a different kind of setting things right with the world and a foretaste of the age to come. But when the pigs need to be explained, he immediately seems lost and turns to heartless comedy. WebGentiles [N] [T] [B] [S] (Heb., usually in plural, goyim), meaning in general all nations except the Jews. Johns words seem to apply to all of Scripture. Swine are considered unclean and unholy in the Jewish tradition, and Jesus was Jewish.This miracle, witnessed by his disciples, also shows Jesuss wisdom in teaching the Word of God among non Jewish people. * If one believes demons exists, why invent a false story to make the point that Jesus has power over demons? At least Im man enough to admit possible weaknesses in my arguments and to talk about the elephants in the room. 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? Gods altar was also separate and distinct and holy. 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. 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. So he had to live according to the truth that had already revealed and to get everyone else in line with the program. But Jesus still ministered to them: crowds from Tyre and Sidon came to see and listen to Him ( Mark 3:78 ). And Jews are forbidden by God and His eternal commands to own pigs. Both Gerasa and Gadara were cities to the east of the Sea of Galilee and the River Jordan. And it's the glorious picture of the value that He puts on an immortal soul. (Matt 15:24). Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion, for many demons had entered him. in which he transferred the demons afflicting a man to a number of swine, that thereupon And so this man comes to Jesus, he seeks Him out, and Jesus says to him, What is your name? And the man doesn't know his name. It's a picture of His great commission outreach, not just to Jews but to Gentiles also. It's this man who is in bondage to these demons. .hide-if-no-js { It's all Gentile territory, so just bear that in mind. 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. He didnt give any new commandment. 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). Look again at John 15:10. They have therefore made important decisions about the proper treatment of animals. So he gave them permission. 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. After this long, careful study, it should be crystal clear that the heartless Bishop of Hippo was mistaken, as were our two good pastors. Such a contradiction in character! 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. This is a noteworthy fact because not every event in Jesuss ministry was thrice written down. 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. The entire herd ran straight off a cliff and drowned. 1), and apparently occupied these cities with Jewish patriots. But what does Leviticus says about ham? 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, Isaiah 44:9; Isaiah 44:19 Pigs were the required sacrifice on the altar in the temples of Zeus Olympus (Greek) or Jupiter Capitolinus (Roman), the same supreme god of all Hellenic theology known as the "king of Were in the same story. End of story. 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. He was incapable of changing his circumstances. Thats right, adding or subtracting from Scripture, according to Scripture, is illegal. The real irritation is people saying the Law was impossible to obey, when Scripture says the opposite it true. 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. So lets not laugh these verses off. 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? Two thousand pigs dead for one person to live is not an even tradeand that is the point. 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? about a.d. 65. Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, [Let me just pause right there. The bottom line is, I don't know why Jesus did that and neither do you and neither does anyone else. This solution is as old as Origen (Commentary on John, VI, 24) who, faced with the textual problem, suggested that the precise site of the healing of Legion was Gergesa, the small town in the territory of Gadara, but hardly in the more remote territory of Gerasa. Therefore, by associating the two commandments together, and you catch some of the character of our Heavenly Father. ITS LIKE THE WITCH ON TGE WIZARD OF OZ All of these commandments and more are still taken literally by many Jews today. 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. These three verse from John really are earth-shattering. Oh, you mean THOSE pigs!! Where He goes, they show up and they say things to Him. WebInhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus (Matt. city in Pal. Additionally, it would have been foolish for the Apostles to claim hundreds and thousands of witnesses (1 Cor 15:1-6). Instead, his conscious act of casting the demons into the swine resulted in the entire herds destruction. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). 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! conquest of Syria in 65 b.c. GotQuestions has three articles alone on the subject: here is their best. = Even city officials who were Pauls friends were scared for Pauls life (Acts 19:31). The Word of God cant change any more than God can. For centuries, land wars are a type of a national sport among Middle Eastern nations. It was a region of 10 Greco-Roman cities, a Gentile region. Israel was to be a nation of priests, prophets, and missionaries to the world (Exodus 19:46). With or without graves? The jokes are a smoke screen. 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. They are unclean for you. God told Jonah that it was not just all the people, but also so much livestock (Jonah 4:11). It was a leading city of Syria in commerce, culture, and religion. Sproul also agrees with this preference of people over pigs when he writes, a man is worth more than 2,000 pigs.. The man howled day and night and cut himself with stones. Interestingly, if you obey the latter, and take just the babies or the eggs but release the dame, God promises you a long and successful life. to biblical Galilee, regarded, in opposition to Judaea, as a country of Gentiles (as in Matthew 4:15) What was Jairus occupation? ; Mark v.; Luke 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. 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). He couldnt introduce a new religion. Were in the same story, my friends. (But that may sadly describe a good number of Christians.) But let me just suggest that one thing that might be happening here is a picture of Jesus future judgment on the demonic forces that are arrayed against God. So how on earth could they dictate to the Son of God where they wished to go? 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. See more comments below.). Gods Law even has two commands that equate domestic livestock with wild animals. That is exactly what is happening here. It pains them to admit that Jesus was/is a Jewish Messiah and not a Christian one. Reading the whole account in Acts 19:23 to 41, we see that it was not hard for the sore silversmith to drum up anti-Jewish anger in the crowd that day. I want you to see a person in the thrall of sin. Doesn't Jesus Treat Animals as Property? In York, T.; Alexis-Baker, A.; Bekoff, M.; McLaren, B. take a dump and be cleaned.lol. 7). 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. Does he really believe Mark 5 is Biblical material just for laughs? (, 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. 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? 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. Plus, when Jesus chased the sellers out of the Temple courts (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48; John 12:13-16), there is a small, but wonderful, detail that is in complete harmony with Matthew 10:29. It is a wonderful fact, but unlike you and I, Gods character is constant and consistent I AM that I AM and understanding His unchanging nature is at the center of forming the right interpretation of Mark 5. He's the friend of sinners. Luke means it to be an extraordinary event. Lets return again to when Jesus cleaned up the Temple courtyard of merchants and merchandise. And because these repeated commands are at the end of the Christian Bible, but the original commands are at the beginning of the Hebrew Bible, we get the impression that no new commands are allowed in the whole of Scripture, and no more books either. These pastors have added to Scripture that the God of the Old Testament is different in the New and taken away from it Mosess 613 commandments are now reduced to 2. You don't have to look very far. borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin galilea, probably after Galilea, Galilaea galilee, from a monastic and clerical comparison of the church porch, where the laity gathered, to biblical Galilee, regarded, in opposition to Judaea, as a country of Gentiles (as in Matthew 4:15) Jesus made him whole. : A similar remark came from Mosess lips when he described God as eternally faithful and then connected Gods faithfulness to His faithful love. When this passage begins, we have a man who is possessed by demons who had gone about naked, who had lived in the tombs, who was out of his mind, and who did not even know his name. This location agrees with the description given by the ancient writers. What have You to do with me, Jesus, the Son of the Most High God? Therefore, I repeat again that I believe the pastors are dishonest for not admitting this fact. Lets use his recording to the event as our jumping off point: Every Bible passage is either a historical narrative piece (such as the one we just read), a legal and/or procedural document (the majority of the Five Books of Moses), or it is a poetic passage (like Psalms, Proverbs and much of the Prophets). (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. When Jesus healed the possessed man, He allowed Legion to possess the nearby herd of swine. But with all this talk about tenderness, what on Earth could have changed Jesuss tune and made him treat the swine the way he did? If you have your Bibles I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 8 and this great story of the man who was possessed by demons, liberated by the Lord Jesus Christ. The demons sent the pigs off the banks of the sea and into the water, where they drowned (Mark 5:1213). Them there pigs were trying to hog Jesus limelight! In fact, they beg Jesus to leave. We pray that he would find liberation in Jesus Christ and see his life and family restored, but my friends, any one of us, any one of us, can be in the same thralldom today. 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. It's this man who doesn't even remember his name who's possessed by a host of demons. 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). WebThe name Gergesa has led to the supposition that the Girgashites, one of the seven Canaanitish nations, originally occupied this territory. In Luke 4 and 5, great multitudes are following Jesus Christ when He does His miracles. It's in Luke chapter 8, verse 18. The miracle referred to took place, without doubt, near the town of Gergesa, the modern Kersa , close by the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and hence in the country of Gergesenes. Three witnesses! One Bible expositor said the pigs the demons sought refuge in were black. 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 * And if one doesnt believe demons exist ..same question: why invent a false story to make the point that Jesus has power over demonic creatures that dont exist? Most Christians believe Messiah is the Second Person of the Trinity. Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities north of Israel, and Jesus had been sent to the Jews ( Matthew 15:24 ). Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? If you're carrying a sheep, is it still a "piggy" back ride? Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. It is true that we discover new thoughts or extra meaning over time, but Gods Word is permanent and cannot change. ESV - 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. The only other commandment with this same specific promise is the command to honour thy mother and father (Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16; c.f., Ephesians 6:2-3 where Paul copies out the entire commandment and the promise). Matthew tells us there were two demoniacs, while Mark and Luke only And he was the one who said that the Father doesnt miss the falling of a sparrow. Oops. v. 37) describe Jesus healing of the demoniac Legion and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee (cf. The Matthew account mentions two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke only mention one. One day the prophet Samuel angrily told his king that God would not go back on His decision. Doesn't Jesus Treat Animals as Property? In York, T.; Alexis-Baker, A.; Bekoff, M.; McLaren, B. Its not possible for either of them to change, and therefore, inconceivable that Jesus would modify one iota of what he helped write. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) And then God Himself repeated it five more times in the same book: Leviticus 11:45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:2, Leviticus 20:7-8 and Leviticus 20:26! 3). Demetrius wasnt afraid to stand up for his rights. In Marks thinking, the mans extraordinary strength is evidence of supernatural bondage. So now they don't even bother to read it.]. Also, Orthodox Jews see a clear connection between Deuteronomy 12:32, do not add, and what happened in the Garden of Eden. They sort of seek Him out. We are pleased to launch our new product Money Maker Software for world's best charting softwares like AmiBroker, MetaStock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4. 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. Pork is the most infamous of all-things-not-Jewish and the bad press that pigs receive in Scripture, and in contemporary Western society, is another reason why I accuse both pastors of being less than honest in their explanations about Mark 5. 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. Jesus was a Jew. And repeatedly, these miracles will focus us in on Who is Jesus? and What do His deeds tell us about what He has come to do and the power that He has? And so this passage helps us in this way. The heart set free from sin by Jesus. 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. 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 this is not the full explanation or the main 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. He says that the demon expulsions are just unenlightened men of the first century trying to explain illnesses being healed. So He got into the boat and returned. There is no captivity that you can be captive to that is not captive to Jesus Christ for He has ascended on high and led captivity captive and He makes a sport and a spoil of the forces of darkness which are arrayed against God and against heaven. But John is more precise, saying none should add or remove words. Such alternative readings include arguments that the swine were meant to represent the Roman army or "unclean and unfaithful" people; that pigs were considered "unclean", so destroying them might be consistent with care for other animals; and that Jesus did not actually "send" the devils into the pigs. We usually think of Jesus as the loving, forgiving guy from Galilee, right? If ever there was a small and weak proof-text, this is the one. The Gemara on the passage gives a historical foundation for the practise in the times of Aristobulus. Originally published in Tabletalk, our daily Bible study magazine. Well that's the first thing we see in this passage. 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. Pingback: The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg. 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. 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. In course of time, as the Jews began more and more to pride themselves on their peculiar privileges, it acquired unpleasant associations, and was used as a term of contempt. 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. One unambiguous (but hotly debated) verse that supports this doctrine is, If we agree Messiah wrote the Law of God, we should then wonder, (Please dont hide behind that sensational dispensational chart. This Priceless People Interpretation comes from another sunny California pastor, John Piper. What happened to the demons when the pigs died? (, But MacArthurs logical is funny for another reason. As to the second question, there is no doubt of the illegality, from a ritual point of view, of Jews keeping swine (B. In a pigs eye. Last week, we were crossing over with Jesus to the other side, weathering a fierce storm until he woke up and calmed the sea. And in Malachi 4:4, why did God say remember the Law of Moses if God had His own law? 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. 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?
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