They were people who knew him. 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. 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. As I hear, I judge and My judgment is righteous because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. Why doesn't the good pastor entertain that avenue of possibility or is he too busy making one-liners to connect any dots? 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. Delivered to your inbox! That sure does smell good! Well that's the first thing we see in this passage. Wipf & Stock Publishers. The final battle requires a different strategy, one that involves a cross. 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). 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. 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. Where He goes, they show up and they say things to Him. You understand that Legion is not his name. Theories of men that attack statements made by God evolution for example are sadly creeping into the minds of Christian leaders. Marks Jesus is a warrior who conquers Gods enemies. Reading the Word of God is wonderful. And it is reveals a great deal comparing the reactions of the Gentiles in the two towns. His sermon should have given us some point, some excuse, or some logical explanation for it all. He's the friend of sinners. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. 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 (Exodus 22:30; Leviticus 22:27). Now Jesus grants this permission. Sproul writes in his commentary Mark that the compassion of Jesus "drove Him to destroy the pigs for the sake of one human life. (Matt 15:24). She suffers a more oppressive slavery than ever before not to human rulers but to demons, who are bold enough to enter synagogues on the Sabbat. They sort of seek Him out. But the Jews were promised and re-promised their land by God throughout the Law: Genesis 15:7, Leviticus 20:24, Numbers 33:52-53, Deuteronomy 1:8 are just a few examples. What are you doing here, man of God? And then he attempted to intimidate him. (wait for it) turning the swine to the water! Amen. The Jewish Messiah rid himself of two defiling groups in one blow. When they ask Jesus to leave, he does so without any objection; Jesus ministry will not be imposed on those unwilling to receive it. 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 wild animals, as discussed below. 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? Note: Demetrius was angry only because of speculation of what Pauls preaching might do to business Paul had not physically caused any damage. 2023. Go be a witness to Me as My disciple.. Last Update: Jan 03, 2023 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. But this is not the full explanation or the main one. And so the demons call out His name Jesus, the Son of the Most High God and it has no effect on Him. This agrees with the general description of the site (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26). The man could break his earthly chains; he could not break his spiritual ones. Thy powers bring loss to us and ours. Money Maker Software enables you to conduct more efficient analysis in Stock, Commodity, Forex & Comex Markets. 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. Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? 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. 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. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 Three of the Comedian Harmonists were Jewish, three were gentile. Josephus mentions it with Pella and Golan as being taken by storm during Alexander Jannaeus campaign E of the Jordan in about 83 b.c. He was clear that His mission was not to the Gentiles and Samaritans, but rather, to the lost tribe of Israel. All Rights Reserved. Some of my Christian brothers and sisters see this as coded language referring to a confrontation with the political and military power of Rome. And then they beg to go into the herd of pigs. Gods Law even has two commands that equate domestic livestock with wild animals. Look at the prophets; they also prove Scripture doesnt change. These three verse from John really are earth-shattering. Such a pat answer to such a serious question is as irritating as it is ridiculous. I love irritating those charlatans who pretend the Law of God is somehow different than the Law of Moses. 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). 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. The other part of the eastern shoreline was controlled by Og, king of Bashan, but it and sixty walled cities were taken from them by Moses and given to the tribes of Israel (Deuteronomy 3:1-7, 16; compare with 1 Kings 4:13). Now you understand what sitting at the Savior's feet means? But are these good pastors on the right track? He also wrote the poem Greatheart. "Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged [Jesus], saying, 'Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.' Here, then, Jesus faced two of Gods enemies: hostile spiritual powers and death itself. They have therefore made important decisions about the proper treatment of animals. And it is a shame that the good pastors dont take these relevant Scripture passage into consideration. In Luke 4 and 5, great multitudes are following Jesus Christ when He does His miracles. GERASA, GERASENES (, ). But Christians miss the joke and think he was being serious. He's no longer under the domination of demons or his own sin. 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. We pray in Jesus' name. Obviously, they were Jewish pig farmers seeing judgement for flagrant disobey Gods Word and keeping and eating pig meat. But once the door is open, well, we see in this story what can happen when you give in, what can happen when the demonic takes over. Therefore, even though folks from the Bishop of Hippo down to our two good California pastors have tried to persuade us that the Creator has shifted His views on pork, God did not, can not, and will not vary or alter or adjust any word spoken about any decision let alone His views on ham sandwiches. Since I believe the word of God is our playbook for life, what is Jesus telling us? WebRoman Empire Map - Large Map of the Roman Empire in the Early First Century - Click around on the Places. But what does Leviticus says about ham? The Gemara on the passage gives a historical foundation for the practise in the times of Aristobulus. Flower blossoms wither. We have it all down on paper exactly how gentle Gentiles can get when they get annoyed by a Jew. So he had to live according to the truth that had already revealed and to get everyone else in line with the program. Despite all the dangers to himself, David wouldnt allow any to be hurt. It is a logical thesis based on historic accounts (Josephus, etc) Feel free to challenge this thought or pursue it from another angle. WebGERASA, GERASENES (, ). Our ways are not as Thine. And what does the Law say about pigs? Demons do not care about the person they possess hence all the cutting and harm the man did to himself. WebHealing of a Demoniac. They belonged to God. Ha, ha.. yeah lemme ummm.. tell ya about those pigs.., 2 ) Like any rational redneck, they smelled their Gentile neighbors having a pork BBQ and said DAAAANG, Hoss! Also oral tradition in this area talks of Christ coming and preaching the gospel there but being asked to leave shortly afterwards. (Jos. In retaliation for the massacre of the Jews at Caesarea, the Jews sent several raiding parties into the Gentile cities of the Decapolis. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). The demons are aware that He is there and they are frightened. The vision had nothing to do with shrimp rings or BLTS. noted the official establishment of Christianity and discontinuance of pagan worship in the 5th cent. They even allowed themselves to go ballistic on the Sabbath, which shows how angry they really were. Gergesa (). Similarly, as God incarnate, Jesus knows the future. Those people were Jews in Nazareth. But look at how many times God let it be known in the Law and in very certain terms eating pork was offensive. The church fathers treated them as literal history. 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. Almost there. 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? First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. He was getting everyone on board with what was started at Sinai. (Sidebar: During the whole Rob Bell Love Wins craze, I had a friend who claimed to believe the Bible, but denied that demons exist. 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. 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. The Land of Israel is/was no place for two thousand pigs. But there are many reasons why Im not keen on the idea of the Gospels as non-historical. Additionally, it would have been foolish for the Apostles to claim hundreds and thousands of witnesses (1 Cor 15:1-6). The Messiah has the same nature and character was the Father, as discussed in the Fourth Fact above. Mr. Hippo read Mark 5 and convinced himself that Jesus did not care about swine, or any other animals, and therefore, spread a church doctrine that Christians have no genuine duty to animals. But just a theory. 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! When Jesus healed the possessed man, He allowed Legion to possess the nearby herd of swine. (Take that, Darwin.). I listen to a pyschiatrist that said he never believed in demon possession until a exorcist ask him to work with him. 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. When Jesus asked the mans name always a good way to start a conversation the demons replied, We are Legion, for we are many. A legion is a Roman military unit consisting of four to six thousand soldiers. Two Sundays ago Take care then, how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away. They thought those pigs were theirs. 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. On the other hand, it is unfortunate that the rabbis today dont see the even stronger connection between Genesis 3:3 and Revelation 22:18, because Jews dont read the New Testament all that much. Jesus enters enemy territory in two ways. 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? It is true that we discover new thoughts or extra meaning over time, but Gods Word is permanent and cannot change. In actual fact, when you stop to think about it, If our faithful, unchanging Heavenly Father God made a straightforward decisive yet divisive decision and repeated it, Fourth Fact: Gods Enduring, Unchangeable Word, As was just so elegantly discussed, the destruction of the herd, Your word, O LORD, is everlasting; it is firmly fixed in the heavens. Do you see how Jesuss Gentiles dont act like Gentiles! R.C. So lets have an exquisite examination of Scripture to better appreciate what happened beside the lake and why the pigs ended up in it. For these reasons, the writers of the gospels gave no explanation and the Twelve asked no question about why Jesus destroyed all the swine. Most translations interpret the Hebrew to say. The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. 4. But they dont prove his point. It's back just a few verses, the answer is back just a few verses. Instead of dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, we see dead pigs, an intentional insult to the minions of Satan. (eds.). WebWhy were there pigs in gerasenes? 2 And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. Its the exodus that Jesus has come to lead, an exodus from slavery to the prince of this world. Those people were Jews in Nazareth. 'Hiemal,' 'brumation,' & other rare wintry words. To be honest, all the bad humour honestly makes me believe the pastor is being dishonest. The most likely answer is to the country of the Gerasenes: i.e., Gerasa, a Greek town thought to be the same as the similarly-named Kersa on the east shore of Lake Tiberias. The fascinating story behind many people's favori Can you handle the (barometric) pressure? But it was what they loved and they preferred it to everlasting blessing in Jesus Christ. Hello, I dont know the real answer but I have heard from others that Jesus has authority over any demonic presence and there were many in this man (other Gospel says two men), so it clearly shows Jesus Power and Authority and that is probably the main point to show the people and the demon possessed at that time that it doesnt matter how many of you there are your not staying and your leaving now because I say so and you cant do anything and because I say so you can go into them pigs because you are unclean, so it was a demonstration for all, including his Disciples who were with him, I do believe that Jesus went there for that purpose because of his Love for us, Jesus knows why He did it, maybe one day He will tell us or not ? Therefore, hiding behind a few vague statements like the pat answer verses listed here is not sound. Just like in the Garden, when God judged Adam, he didn't strike him directly, but the ground soil instead. Last week, we were crossing over with Jesus to the other side, weathering a fierce storm until he woke up and calmed the sea. It may well be a picture of the reverse of what happened in the Garden of Eden. I dont see anything of that sort in the story. This page from an Orthodox website partially shows how Judaism views their responsibility. Will the demons come back? The normally merciful Messiah destroyed the pigs in accordance with Gods Law about clean and unclean meat. Here, it may well be that a herd of unclean animals has been used to take thousands of demons to their doom in the lake in anticipation of the final judgment. My research shows swine kill poisonous snakes. So how on earth could they dictate to the Son of God where they wished to go? It was part of the Greco-Roman region known as the Decapolis, or ten towns. or ten Gods Word has to agree with Gods Word. In this immediate area, steep hills come down to the shoreline and fit the story of the swine rushing headlong into the sea. Oh, you mean THOSE pigs!! All we know now is that the demoniac could have been either: Jew or Gentile. You know that because the people tell Him to leave. Nothing we have belongs to us. 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. 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. He has stabbed the heads of many lands. In a pigs eye. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! And if he missed one, he didnt do it perfectly. Furthermore, how upset must God get seeing a doctor reach into the womb of a mother and murder her unborn child? 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. They were to teach the Gentiles about Him (Acts 13:4647). 2 Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came Both of our good pastors assume that the people in Gerasene (Gadarene or Gergesene) were Gentiles in Gentile territory, partially because of the pigs, partially because of the demoniacs and partially because it fits their bias. Dr. Ligon Duncan | December 13, 2009. We should ask the good pastors if love thy neighbour as thyself has any bearing on killing your neighbours livestock. Be this as it may, the district was My question is: 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? Instead of a sling and a stone, Jesus needs only his voice; Jesus commands and the enemy falls. And there's a lesson in each of these things for all of us. There was a logic in this. Let's pray. 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. . Even so, the Bible never puts the worth of animals on the same level as the worth of human He says that the demon expulsions are just unenlightened men of the first century trying to explain illnesses being healed. 141-144). The jokes are a smoke screen. Explained by Sharing Culture Expert Answers: Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight." 11:78). 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. Amen. He was possessed of extraordinary strength but he was aware that there was a man of God in his presence. They were ..ummm ..for producing manure to fertilize crops. founders day speech by students were the gerasenes gentiles. 10:31). ), No matter how you slice it, the Almightys negative view of ham and bacon cant suddenly switch from one day to the next. 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. The NT references (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26; cf. Web(2) Ye know that ye were Gentiles.--Better (according to the weight of MSS. Out of the three, Marks gospel presents the most information about the herd. Apparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. Does he really believe Mark 5 is Biblical material, To be honest, all the bad humour honestly makes me believe the pastor is being. [Israels] real enemy isnt Rome, which barely figures into the gospel story. Problem was, not even the pigs could withstand the madness these demonic forces manifested. ESV - 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. When Eve said that she and hubby were not allowed to touch the [Good and Evil Knowledge Tree] or they would die, she was lying (Genesis 3:3 and Jewish explanation). Issues are listed below: we are using four Greek words to eliminate entire chapters of Scripture. 7 ) The pigs werent for eating. The exorcism and the slaughter: Did they happen? 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). You can follow him on Twitter. 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) The good pastor actually believes that a Jewish man can rationally decide the best sleeping quarters Tomb or no tomb? He also makes excursions into Gentile territory, such as when he exorcizes the Gerasene/Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5:1-20). 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 Christianity early became important in the city; several churches were built during these centuries, so that by the 5th cent., Gerasa could send a bishop to the Council of Chalcedon. 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. IV. 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. 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. Scripture makes it clear that Ashers tribal land-boundary ended around the coastal city of Tyre (Joshua 19:29). Notice how Gods, Plus, when Jesus chased the sellers out of the Temple courts (. All in all, after Jesus had trashed the livelihood of so many, we have to agree that they were more than gentle to let him off the hook and just asking him to leave town asap. Such a statement is irresponsible because the Law was not written for a single person. At least Im man enough to admit possible weaknesses in my arguments and to talk about the elephants in the room. Now that's interesting isn't it? 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. The Messiah gave every Jew there that day a glimpse of the judgement to come. David was a good example of what Jesus meant by the shepherd gives his life for the sheep. Compared to this, Jesuss behaviour toward the pigs appears extremely callous: giving vile demons permission to slaughter swine is not exactly compassionate. He specifically banned pig in. He used another pseudonym, Julian Ross. So many beautiful verses and motivating passages are in Scripture. The man howled day and night and cut himself with stones.