were the gerasenes gentiles

Demons do not care about the person they possess hence all the cutting and harm the man did to himself. Amen. 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, in which he transferred the demons afflicting a man to a number of swine, that thereupon In Marks thinking, the mans extraordinary strength is evidence of supernatural bondage. Dedicated Online Support through Live Chat & Customer Care contact nos. Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with: Gerasene. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gerasene. That is all I know. Now I want to say very quickly, my friends, that there is no power in this universe that can cause a rationale being to sin. 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)? He was clear that His mission was not to the Gentiles and Samaritans, but rather, to the lost tribe of Israel. And holiness means salvation, as Paul wrote in two different letter, without holiness no man [or woman] shall see God (Hebrews 12:14 and Romans 6:22). He showed mercy to the men who were possessed and brought judgement on the pig farmers. You know that because the people tell Him to leave. An inscr. 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. Even city officials who were Pauls friends were scared for Pauls life (Acts 19:31). The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with Him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you. And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.. 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. In fact, they are, Yet the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke actually report that the towns people many would have been the owners or friends of the pig owners or people who were connected to the trade in the swine were, Also, wouldnt that be a type of sin and another example of how he may not have, All in all, after Jesus had trashed the livelihood of so many, we have to agree that they were, Every place the Master went on his travels it was to minister to a Jew, just as Paul said, To the Jew first (, Answering, he said, I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. (, As well, every place the Master went on his travels was inside of the, Scripture makes it clear that Ashers tribal land-boundary ended around the coastal city of Tyre (, 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, The real-estate on the east side of the lake of Galilee where Jesus met the demons and the swine was also part of Israel-proper. : A similar remark came from Mosess lips when he described God as eternally faithful and then connected Gods faithfulness to His faithful love. Wipf & Stock Publishers. 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. 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. If the interpretation from one vague verse contradicts several unambiguous verses, which is wrong? Mark Driscoll also generated some chuckles when he callously said the death of the pigs created a bacon famine.. Its inconceivable that the pigs were owned by Gentiles. He couldnt introduce a new religion. What care we for his soul?What good to us that Thou hast made him whole,Since we have lost our swine? Of course not. 6 ) There were lots of laws they didnt keep. That is the exact opposite of other godly men (compare with 1 Samuel 24:24 and 1 Chronicles 21:24). The list in the first chapter of Leviticus contains only bovine, sheep, goats and pigeons; all typified later, in Leviticus 11, as clean/pure animals. In the three Synoptic Gospels and John 2:15, Jesus forces all the sellers out of the Temple courts. This picking and choosing is completely unbiblical. Amen. However, the pastors assumptions are perplexing. (So much for those latter revelations or new religions arriving centuries later.). These authors were Biblical (Peter, James, Paul, Hebrews, etc) and to a lesser extent, non-biblical (Josephus, Pliny, etc). Therefore he had every right to judge the Jews and how they used land. Just remember the wonderful folks in Jesuss hometown? He seen himself demon possessed people that had extrodinary powers. 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? Its a weird story, but its in the Gospels a couple of times, so we have to accept it as truth. 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. Are we with a man, liberated, who trusted Jesus, who begged to be with Jesus and sought to be a disciple at His feet? For heavens sake, why cant the good pastor try to explain the incompatibility of our loving Jesus wiping out hundreds of innocent creatures without a punch line? I definitely dont want to be near that doctor on Judgement Day.). 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. Its flesh you must not eat. Show us the only hope of deliverance from those sins and teach us these things from this passage. During the time of Christ, the ten cities of Decapolis and the surrounding region were inhabited mostly by Gentiles, not Jews, and the area had a strong Greek influence. Accessed 4 Mar. Who owned the pigs? Amen. ; Mark v.; Luke viii.) His sermon should have given us some point, some excuse, or some logical explanation for it all. Im wondering Jesus is saying that Jesuss commandments are the same as the Fathers. Oh, you mean THOSE pigs!! 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. Ive heard that the apostles and Christ may have traveled to Spain. 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. 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. The conversation showed that the illness had a will, a coherent sense of past, present and future, knowledge of the supremacy and authority of Jesus Christ, and a compulsion to worship Jesus. 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. Notice how Gods care is cleverly contrasted with mans callousness: men buy birds for next to nothing because they do not value them, yet The Almighty as large and in charge as He is still takes careful notice of frail creatures. Notice how Gods, Plus, when Jesus chased the sellers out of the Temple courts (. He's no longer under the domination of demons or his own sin. In a recent online essay on the Gospel of Mark, Peter Leithart wrote. We know that two thousand pigs go over the cliff. Am I forgiven by saying, I just allowed the kids to have the grenade? 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. Archeology. 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. Also in a side note theres a rock with what looks like a human footprint in it, it is said this is Christs footprint. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. 9 ) They were wild Ferrel hogs feeding near the cliffs. You can follow him on Twitter. And what does the Law say about pigs? 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. All four gospel writers repeatedly testify to Jesuss power over storm, waves and. The textual evidence shows that the MSS preserve three variant spellings of the name in each gospel. 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. Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. 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. The Greek clause literally says, End of law is Christ but why bother finishing the sentence? 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. 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. What need have we of further witnesses? The entire herd ran straight off a cliff and drowned. Gergesa ().

. v. 37) describe Jesus healing of the demoniac Legion and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee (cf. Such a statement is irresponsible because the Law was not written for a single person. Mark and Luke call it Gerasenes and some English versions translate it as Gergesenes. It is all the same place. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Did Jesus really sacrifice the swine for the man? I want you to see a person in the thrall of sin. 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 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. All of us may be so concerned with our own livelihoods that we fail to serve other people and help those in desperat Without a doubt, both men know God never came up with the line, Third Fact: Not a fickle faithless Father. As to the second question, there is no doubt of the illegality, from a ritual point of view, of Jews keeping swine (B. It's all Gentile territory, so just bear that in mind. While animal-abuse cases arent normally rampant among church-goers, its no thanks to this bishops official policy. All these inescapable facts are so important to getting the right interpretation of Mark 5 and the other gospel records of the same event. Last week we said the focus was on the power and the person of Jesus Christ. 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. When He speaks, they obey. WebThe Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. In the 2nd cent. So he had to live according to the truth that had already revealed and to get everyone else in line with the program. There are echoes of exodus in Marks story, and echoes of Davids battle with Goliath. You don't have to look very far. 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. Yet a number of objections immediately spring to mind. 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. And it's the glorious picture of the value that He puts on an immortal soul. (Pastor Piper was right after all, almost!) 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. Because they cared more about what they had lost than what that man had gained or what they could gain in Jesus themselves. Because of his righteousness and his love for God, Peter and Andrew and John and thousands more loved Jesus and followed him. 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. Lord God, even as we sing this hymn, cause those who do not know Him to love Him and cause those who love Him to love Him more than anything else in this world. GotQuestions has three articles alone on the subject: here is their best. Peaceable Kingdom Series. (But that may sadly describe a good number of Christians.) It's just 8 or 9 verses before this passage. That is the exact opposite of other godly men (compare with, Lastly, even if Mr. Pipers explanation were true, look what its, The hard-hearted views of the Bishop of Hippo are not biblical because righteous people are obliged by God to be considerate to all animals, even, Are not two sparrows sold for the smallest coin, and yet one of them cannot fall to the earth apart from your Father? And he said that a good and virtuous man could not have allowed something like that to happen and therefore, Jesus was not the best and most virtuous of men and therefore Christianity was disproven. He always followed Gods Law. Doesnt Pastor MacArthur know his Bible? And in Malachi 4:4, why did God say remember the Law of Moses if God had His own law? Mark 5 is truly very simple: being a righteous Jew, the Law commands Jesus to abhor pigs as food. Gergasa (modern name Kersa) was a small village nearby, and Gadara was the larger region of which the village was a part, with Gerasa as the regional capital. This means that these miracles are especially meant to teach believers something. Demons, Jesus, and the Pigs The Outlaw Bible Student, http://www.linearconcepts.com/archives/2011. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. One Bible expositor said the pigs the demons sought refuge in were black. To feed the spectators who came there purposely to see those crazy chain braking tomb dwelling lunatics! 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. And it's very clear that theyre in Gentile territory because they find themselves in a country where there is a huge, huge herd of pigs. But these differences are typical of eye-witness reports and only irritate skeptics. May He write its eternal truth upon all our hearts. And you know what the most frightening thing of all is? But this is not the full explanation or the main one. (Question: If God cares about the mother-child relationship in animals, how does He consider that relationship for people? 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. 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. Over the years, Ive had to prove all this to myself first, and it took soul-searching and tons of Scripture research. It was part of the Greco-Roman region known as the Decapolis, or ten towns. It was Gentile territory, the land of foreign gods, a place of idolatry. In a pigs eye. See more comments below.). All we know now is that the demoniac could have been either: Jew or Gentile. The man howled day and night and cut himself with stones. WebInhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus (Matt. Incredible. War I. iv. 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. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). This is the only sensible interpretation which remains consistent with all Scripture. Living in rural Central Africa villages for ten years, I heard many stories from locals about demon spirits living in streams and trees and boulders. Our ways are not as Thine. Luckily, they didnt find Paul anywhere, but they did haul a number of Pauls colleagues down to city hall. 5 ) They werent real Jews They were JINOs! Why explain something that is as plain as the nose on your face? WebGadarenes. 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. Therefore, I repeat again that I believe the pastors are dishonest for not admitting this fact. But thrice is no dice if we dont understand the reason or the message behind the event. In 2 Samuel 17 we read of the young boy who would be king risking everything for one lamb. 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. Instead of a sling and a stone, Jesus needs only his voice; Jesus commands and the enemy falls. Without a doubt, both men know God never came up with the line, Put pork on your fork. WebMany New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than. I listen to a pyschiatrist that said he never believed in demon possession until a exorcist ask him to work with him. They had rather have their swine than their Saviour, and so, though they saw the demoniac sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus, they in turn beseech that He should take Himself away. city in Pal. noted the official establishment of Christianity and discontinuance of pagan worship in the 5th cent. 10 ) It was the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the area of the Decapolis. being the eternal Son of God. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. If Jesus had done anything less, he could not have been the Messiah. 141-144). Clearly, Luke is telling you this because he wants you to show the amazing power of Jesus Christ, even over demons. . 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. The tricky bit is finding the correct reason why gentle Jesus dumped hundreds of murderous, unclean spirits on so many swine. Jesus was also a prophet. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! 1), and apparently occupied these cities with Jewish patriots. 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. Its totally contrary to what we would expect. So much for sola scriptura. They have therefore made important decisions about the proper treatment of animals. ix. His wisecracks are a distraction. The apostles arent having a pig roast anywhere. William Arthur Dunkerley (November 12, 1852 January 23, 1941) was a prolific English journalist, novelist and poet. Suddenly, Mark 5 is clear. Answer: the impurity of the swine. It's amazing Jesus comes to shore and it's obvious that He has immediately commanded the spirits to leave the man because they remonstrate with Him. We have it all down on paper exactly how gentle Gentiles can get when they get annoyed by a Jew. The demons inhabit the bodies of this herd of pigs and the pigs cast them into the Lake of Galilee. In fact, they beg Jesus to leave. Late Latin Gerasenus, Gergesenus, from Greek Gerasnos, Gergesnos, from Gerasa, Gergesa ancient town in Palestine. ITS LIKE THE WITCH ON TGE WIZARD OF OZ After this long, careful study, it should be crystal clear that the heartless Bishop of Hippo was mistaken, as were our two good pastors. 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. So why pigs? Scripture exhorts us to care for animals and not to be cruel to them.

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