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Yet being part of the Godhead means Messiah cannot not flip-flop his opinions. Did you know that one of the 7 ingredients in underwater concrete was animal blood? 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. Its true! Jesus is the lover of our souls. He wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. Gadarenes - The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia - StudyLight.org He couldnt introduce a new religion. (Cf. Jesus made him whole. Dictionaries Encyclopedias Lexicons. He didnt give any new commandment. This leads the third observation: just as the disciples had been terrified by both the storm and Jesus calming of it on the way over to the Gerasenes, the local people here respond with fear. This was a Gentile town so they had pigs. But we should never get too smug, thinking that we have corned the market on truth. Pingback: The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg. 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. See more comments below.). Ptolemy says Gerasa was a city in Coele-Syria, thirty-five travel m. from Pella. Luke 1:6 says, [Zachariah and Elisabeth] were both righteous before God, walking in all of the commandments and judgements of the LORD, guiltless. Sound like perfect obedience to me. Jesus ministered to and did miracles for the Gentiles there. War III. 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. Thus, in him, God found a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and 1 Samuel 16:1). All four gospel writers repeatedly testify to Jesuss power over storm, waves and gravity (Matthew 8:22-27, Mark 4:3541 and Luke 8:2225, passages immediately before the pig-demon accounts! Isnt this what hes paid for? Not by will, but because they have no choice other than to do as the Administrator of all creation commands them. If pigs were considered unclean then would the demons not wanted unclean to possess. With or without graves? God told Jonah that it was not just all the people, but also so much livestock (Jonah 4:11). Some of Jesus's reputation for being normally meek and merciful comes from statements like: 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. The Garasenes were not Jewish but the country was close to Galilee and Jesus had been to that side of the sea before. (wait for it) turning the swine to the water! 1. Therefore, if Paul had taken a single silver goddess Diana doll and tossed it into the Aegean Sea, what kind of a hornets nest of trouble would the apostle have stirred up for himself? R.C. 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. WebNoun. Once there, Jesus encounters a man possessed by demons. The good pastor basically believes that in Jesuss mind, one mans peace, preservation and freedom from unclean spirits is worth the sacrifice of a couple thousand pigs. 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. He specifically banned pig in. Well, this happens in the gospel with Jesus. WebThe terrified Gerasenes beseeching Jesus to leave them. As was just so elegantly discussed, the destruction of the herd only makes sense if we remember that God never liked unclean food to begin with. 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. IV. In 2 Samuel 17 we read of the young boy who would be king risking everything for one lamb. 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 says that the demon expulsions are just unenlightened men of the first century trying to explain illnesses being healed. Why? Later, Leviticus 11 explains to His Chosen People that He had chosen only ritually clean/pure animals for them to eat. Lets re-examine the event in the light of seven important Scriptural facts. 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! WebWhy were there pigs in gerasenes? But Jesus still ministered to them: crowds from Tyre and Sidon came to see and listen to Him ( Mark 3:78 ). There's nothing that they can do to restrain His mighty arm. Look at what he first says when Jesus meets him in verse 28 What do you have to do with me, Jesus? 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)? The tricky bit is finding the correct reason why gentle Jesus dumped hundreds of murderous, unclean spirits on so many swine. Instead of a sling and a stone, Jesus needs only his voice; Jesus commands and the enemy falls. Read it for yourself. Money Maker Software is compatible with AmiBroker, MetaStock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4. And did the Gospels writers believe the explanation was so obvious they didn't need to write one? 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).. But pay attention to the body count. Sproul also agrees with this preference of people over pigs when he writes, a man is worth more than 2,000 pigs.. 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. The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. ITS LIKE THE WITCH ON TGE WIZARD OF OZ They sailed to the country of the Gerasenes which is opposite Galilee. 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 those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Its not possible for either of them to change, and therefore, inconceivable that Jesus would modify one iota of what he helped write. 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. Somewhere I read that that region actually raised pigs and worshipped them or considered them as idols so study about the region and style of worship for that region. Jerash (aka Gerasa, Gerash or Gerasha) is the capital and the largest city of the Jerash Governorate in Jordan, but in ancient times it was one of the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan cities in the ancient Near East.Settled by humans as early as the Neolithic period (c. 7500-5500 BCE) and founded as a Hellenistic city in the 2nd century BCE, Jerash is It's almost like the demons are inexorably drawn to Jesus. Israel was to be a nation of priests, prophets, and missionaries to the world (Exodus 19:46). Yet they tried to throw one of their own off a cliff (Luke 4:29). Jesus does not go looking for this demon-possess man, the man comes to Him. Who were the gerasenes in the bible? Because some confusion exists in the gospel MS evidence and perhaps in other source material, absolute certainty cannot be attained; but the following identification seems correct. 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. Incredible. Besides the jokes being in poor taste, they make his sermon seem less than professional. May God grant us the liberation through Jesus Christ to become what that nameless man became. And why werent they demanding compensation for their pigs? It isnt a long list. Admittedly the whole event with the demon-crazed pigs is odd you dont see it every day but the writer wanted us to believe it genuinely happened. Only this interpretation explains the farmers restrained reaction over the slaughter of the swine, and their tremendous terror of the Messiah. WebGenesis 10:5 Context. 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. While animal-abuse cases arent normally rampant among church-goers, its no thanks to this bishops official policy. Or are we with those who love what we want and what we have more than we love the Word of life from the only One who can give life? He does. The passage appears to be straightforward historical-narrative writing, like the rest of Marks gospel. Still, Jesus was not in Gadarenes for judging; he was there for mercy and for judgement. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. That is, they appear contrary, except for one thing: Gods Law forbids righteous people from eating pork. : A similar remark came from Mosess lips when he described God as eternally faithful and then connected Gods faithfulness to His faithful love. 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. He doesnt want to connect the dots and he doesn't want us to either. 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. Unfortunately, Pastor John is not alone, joking at the expense of this tragedy. On the other hand, the Masters usually thick-headed students, the Tedious Twelve, didnt question him about this! founders day speech by students were the gerasenes gentiles. Gergesa (). The lectionary reading for Trinity 1, Year C, is Luke's version of Jesus meeting and healing the demon-possessed man in the 'region of the Gerasenes' (Luke 8.2639). Pig meat, according to Scripture, is as, Suddenly, Mark 5 is clear. 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. Are you seeing this? Owning those defiling animals was illegal and having two thousand head, the farmers were more than flouting the Law that Jesus had not came to destroy but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17). So much for sola scriptura. It was exactly due to his righteousness and his love for God that he killed two thousand pigs. 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. Thats why there was a herd of two thousand They were people who knew him. (Matt 15:24). For one, Leviticus 22:28 forbids righteous farmers from killing a cow and its calf on the same day. Note: Demetrius was angry only because of speculation of what Pauls preaching might do to business Paul had not physically caused any damage. Many will rush for cover behind the last four Greek words of this verse, despite all of its textual, translation and interpretation problems. His soul, what care we for his soul? What about sheep? They cannot cast a spell on Him. And if I remember correctly, I think there is some tradition about other Apostles going to Spain. What is the significance of Decapolis in the Bible? Scripture presents us with all we need to know. It's interesting isn't it Jesus crosses the river, the lake, and no sooner has He set His foot on the other side but this man shows up to meet Him. Very interesting. Incredible. These ruins date from the 2nd to the 7th centuries and show that the city flourished during this period as a center for religion, culture, and commerce. War I. iv. It's in Luke chapter 8, verse 18. Also, Johns emphasis do not take away from the words is stronger than Mosess original statement. Ruins of the temple of Artemis, some columns still standing, are on another hillside above the ruins. Without a doubt, its only and exactly the Creators negative view of swine that properly spells out to us why Jesus destroyed an entire herd of swine in Mark 5. Neither common sense, nor the text, let Jesus off the hook. He should know that centuries before the prophet Isaiah spoke against Jews eating pork and hanging around in tombs. All Rights Reserved. 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. Dedicated Online Support through Live Chat & Customer Care contact nos. He's converted. Demons do not care about the person they possess hence all the cutting and harm the man did to himself. city in Pal. Don Crowe and Nicholas Gentile direct the Oswego Players Scenes of Crime; Section X: Canton downs Heuvelton for repeat Overall Section 10 title; Section X: Lady Wildcats edge Hammond for Section Overall title; PROPERTY SALES; Local pro hockey: Former Wolves player Liarakos paces Mississippi past visiting Watertown Pliny described it as a city of the Decapolis founded after the Rom. The action is no different than Revelation 14:14-15 where we see the Son of Man brandishing a sharp sickle. 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. Yes, you read that right. were the gerasenes That's what disciples do, they sit at their master's feet. It is now called Jerash and is a deserted ruin. An inscr. And guess what this week's focus is on? But Christians miss the joke and think he was being serious. 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. The normally merciful Messiah destroyed the pigs in accordance with Gods Law about clean and unclean meat. Secondly, the text is written to show Jesus dunnit. 8). 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. 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! Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Amen. Therefore, when it came to sacrifices on it, the menu was even shorter. But are these good pastors on the right track? *sigh*). Their dead bodies you must not touch. 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). The Messiah has the same nature and character was the Father, as discussed in the Fourth Fact above. It's a picture of His great commission outreach, not just to Jews but to Gentiles also. 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. were the gerasenes gentiles But the Almighty said it so many times. (eds.). 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. Well that's the first thing we see in this passage. (, 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.