Were in the same story, my friends. Every creature on land, or in the water, or in the air is classified by either the Hebrew term, (tahor), meaning ritually clean/pure, or by the term, (tameh), unclean/defiling. He wouldnt have lived long enough to get to a cross to die. 2 Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came Oops! And why werent they demanding compensation for their pigs? He said, If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). People of the same race and same religion but they still wanted to do him some serious pain. Dictionaries Encyclopedias Lexicons. The most plausible reason Jesus chose the pigs was because he regarded people as precious and priceless, But are these good pastors on the right track? noted the official establishment of Christianity and discontinuance of pagan worship in the 5th cent. Why explain something that is as plain as the nose on your face? Throughout the book, the author uses direct quotes, various and mostly verifiable place names and clear descriptions of mostly plausible actions. 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? founders day speech by students were the gerasenes gentiles. My question is: Many will rush for cover behind the last four Greek words of this verse, despite all of its textual, translation and interpretation problems. Its flesh you must not eat. These demons of the Gadarene Demoniac wanted to stay in this territory where worship of Baal was predominant. Can we imagine our Jew receiving a mostly positive reaction or a negative one? And it's the glorious picture of the value that He puts on an immortal soul. 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. In the 2nd cent. Even so, the Bible never puts the worth of animals on the same level as the worth of human To save this word, you'll need to log in. Dr. R.C. The textual evidence shows that the MSS preserve three variant spellings of the name in each gospel. We do not find demons under every pew and under every rock. 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. Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? 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, The shortest distance between two thoughts. Legion probably comes from the fact that Roman legions had four to six thousand men in them and this name, Legion, indicates that he is possessed by a host of demons. Jesus enters enemy territory in two ways. Here, then, Jesus faced two of Gods enemies: hostile spiritual powers and death itself. He is utterly sovereign. 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. Interested in joining the Ligonier team? As the Philistine dead were strewn from Gaza to Ekron, so thousands of Satans dead fell in their own territory. At best, Malachi 4:4 should read as, Remember the Law of Moses, but mine's better. Were in the same story. If they did, they would not see the chapter attacking the research in this blog post, theyd see a defense for it! He has stabbed the heads of many lands. Gods Law has a law that you cannot change Gods Law. 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, The good pastor John MacArthur assumes in his video, [I stretch my hand out to the Jews] who sit by the graves and lodge over night in the tombs, who eat the flesh of pigs and the broth of corrupted meat from their pots. So why were these pig owners on the east side of the lake afraid? We are pleased to launch our new product Money Maker Software for world's best charting softwares like AmiBroker, MetaStock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4. Look at what he first says when Jesus meets him in verse 28 What do you have to do with me, Jesus? GERASA, GERASENES (, ). If pigs were considered unclean then would the demons not wanted unclean to possess. The Gadarenes Rejection | Reformed Bible Studies & Devotionals It's just 8 or 9 verses before this passage. Now the big-mouth irking this Greek artisan was our good friend, the Apostle Paul. If the pig farmers were Gentile, why would non-Jewish farmers be so gentle with a Jew (who was also an outsider) who was messing around with their farm animals? 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. Gentiles The first two are in the Authorized Version. Luke doesn't think that it's an every day occurrence for a person to be possessed by a host of demons. However, the pastors assumptions are perplexing. Throughout Scripture itself, its a perpetual theme: Never believe anyone who says the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever (1 Peter 1:23; KJV) changeth! So these four miracles show Jesus reaching out to Gentiles, either in Galilee or even in even more Gentile territory across the river. We "are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. Yet a number of objections immediately spring to mind. His actions now make sense in this new light. That is, they appear contrary, except for one thing: Gods Law forbids righteous people from eating pork. Many year later, Messiah went to Israel as a prophet to get the people of Israel back to his Law. --ED.). The Man Jesus Renamed | Reformed Theological Seminary So He got into the boat and returned. We see the power of Christ over Satan, don't we? }. Basically, a vision told Peter three times to eat defiling animal meat (at least that was how it seemed to him) so Peter logically replied that he had never eaten anything ritually impure or defiling (Acts 10:14). Asked by: Isidro Boehm V. Score: 4.9/5 to biblical Galilee, regarded, in opposition to Judaea, as a country of Gentiles (as in Matthew 4:15) What was Jairus occupation? (, Although the Almightys statement is only one sentence in, For I myself witness truthfully to everyone hearing the words of the prophecy of this book, , Besides Johns cute play on words dont, Also, Orthodox Jews see a clear connection between, This curse should deter makers of dispensational charts from chopping up Scripture because having my share taken from the Book of Life, or my name , Also, Johns emphasis do not take away from , 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. It deeply disturbed Bertrand Russell that Jesus allowed a herd of two thousand pigs to be destroyed. Yet they tried to throw one of their own off a cliff (, 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. After a dramatic journey across the lake (Luke 8:22-25), Jesus steps for the first and last time into Gentile territory. The action is no different than Revelation 14:14-15 where we see the Son of Man brandishing a sharp sickle. 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! Swine there because they could eat pork, just not while it is representing a clean sacrifice, which would be representing Jesus as the real sacrifice not yet available until Jesus actually came and died for all of our sins naturally. Theres another interesting question in the sidelines: if Jews detested pigs, why were there pigs in the area? So why pigs? 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. We gotta git us some!, 1 ) [your turn. (, 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. 5 ) They werent real Jews They were JINOs! 10 ) It was the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the area of the Decapolis. Many New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than Who were the gerasenes in the bible? 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. This has been a long blog thanks for sticking with it but because Im going to ruffle feathers, Ive gone the extra mile to explain myself clearly and to plug any holes in my argument. He was incapable of changing his circumstances. Any other conclusion, in light of the seven facts just presented, is breathtakingly irresponsible, and we should just laugh it off. In 2 Samuel 17 we read of the young boy who would be king risking everything for one lamb. (Pastor Piper was right after all, almost!) 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? WebBlog Uncategorized were the gerasenes gentiles Uncategorized were the gerasenes gentiles Also oral tradition in this area talks of Christ coming and preaching the gospel there but being asked to leave shortly afterwards. Because the writer of the story wanted to make sure that everyone would know that the Garasenes were not Jewish. No other place on the E side of the sea fits this requirement of the story. Now what happens in this passage? Knowing the correct genre of what you are studying is a major step toward getting a correct message or interpretation. WebWell pretend with him that the folks in Gerasenes were placid Gentile farmers happily raising their gentle Gentile pigs. As for Matthew, he quoted Jesus as commanding the demons, and used the plural form of the verb, go. When Jesus and his disciples landed on the other side, it was in a region known as the Gerasenes, Gentile territory. 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. Those outside of the nation of Israel were considered gentiles. ix. Look at the prophets; they also prove Scripture doesnt change. Demons, Jesus, and the Pigs The Outlaw Bible Student, http://www.linearconcepts.com/archives/2011. William Arthur Dunkerley (November 12, 1852 January 23, 1941) was a prolific English journalist, novelist and poet. To run Money Maker Software properly, Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1 or higher version is required. "It became one of the proudest cities of Syria." 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. Wed also have to confess that the farmers were not Gentile. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 Three of the Comedian Harmonists were Jewish, three were gentile. (Jos. Problem was, not even the pigs could withstand the madness these demonic forces manifested. He also said after much work with people that was possess that most of them dealt in occult practices. were the gerasenes But there are many reasons why Im not keen on the idea of the Gospels as non-historical. And it is a shame that the good pastors dont take these relevant Scripture passage into consideration. 7 ) The pigs werent for eating. You received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it! (Acts 7:53). Thy powers bring loss to us and ours. And if he missed one, he didnt do it perfectly. With or without graves? Show us the sins of our hearts that we are captive to. The story is about the power of Jesus and, even his name, to rid humans of demons and also to show that his power was for Gentiles as well. In the story of the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus invades enemy territory and defeats a powerful army to deliver people from bondage. Israels real enemy is Satan. (, David, the son of Jesse, was another selfless, compassionate shepherd. This food is unclean and defiling for you. WebGenesis 10:5 Context. It pains them to admit that Jesus was/is a Jewish Messiah and not a Christian one. Yes, you read that right. They cannot cast a spell on Him. He didnt give any new commandment. WebWhy were there pigs in gerasenes? gerasenes Its true! The victorious Lord made life good again for one embattled soul. I beg You, do not torment me. For He (that is, Jesus) had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. And low and behold, two gospels specify that Jesus didnt go into Tyre (part of modern Lebanon), but that he was only in the vicinity of the city (Matthew 15:21; Mark 7:24 and Mark 7:31). 1), and apparently occupied these cities with Jewish patriots. Also, Orthodox Jews see a clear connection between Deuteronomy 12:32, do not add, and what happened in the Garden of Eden. You can bet your bottom drachma there is. 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. Mark as quoted by Spalde, Annika; Strindlund, Pelle (2012). Definition of Gadarenes (Gergesenes) in the Bible - Bible 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? The Tabernacle of Ancient Israel - Brief Overview of the Tabernacle of Moses in the Wilderness and the Ark of the Covenant. I'm the man who Jesus saved by casting out the demons from me.. Jun 21, 2021. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. He couldnt introduce a new religion. Legion Destroys Some Swine | Reformed Bible Studies You understand that Legion is not his name. Its one thing to understand that He personally never changes. Thats the exodus that Israel needs. He stabbed in the day of his wrath the kings. Most translations interpret the Hebrew to say. Cant we be candid in our search to know God? 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.. Also, the land where the Master walked and the swine were feeding belonged to Israel. Before a shattering, a mans heart is proud (Proverbs 18:12). All these inescapable facts are so important to getting the right interpretation of Mark 5 and the other gospel records of the same event. Therefore we know that when Jesus helped the Syrophoenician woman (not a Jewess, but she came to him), he and the woman were both in Israeli territory. Plus, these additions by John connect back to other passages in interesting ways. Well let's pray before we read God's Word together. And what can we take away from the second part of the commandment not to take away from Gods Word? Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac in Luke 8 | Psephizo After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the 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. He is more open with Gentiles because it fits His purpose about revelation to the Gentiles and the new inclusion in the kingdom. He made a covenant with them and revealed His commandments to them, which they were to live according to. The Jewish Messiah rid himself of two defiling groups in one blow. WebWho do you care more about, people or pigs? The stories in the gospels may or may not have happened but, regardless, they are told in a way that makes a theological point and were never intended to be understood as factual history. Although He encountered and ministered to Gentiles such as the centurion who had a paralyzed servant (Matt. They need to face the cracks in their theologies. You don't have to look very far. He was constrained to act just like the other prophets before him. Compared to the accounts of the same event in Matthew and Luke also written in simple narrative prose some details vary. To feed the spectators who came there purposely to see those crazy chain braking tomb dwelling lunatics! In the end, the good pastors assumptions keep us rolling in the aisles. (eds.). Excavations at the modern Jarash (by the British and American Schools of Oriental Research and Yale University) clearly show that Gerasa was a large and important city already in Jesus time. Read it for yourself. The Catholic Church's interpretation of this verse is sheer nonsense, because the weight of Scripture contradicts it, so true Reformers need to re-read their Bibles. WebGERASA, GERASENES (, ). Jesus was Jewish and He said He came for the lost sheep of Israelthe 10 cities of Decapolis were Roman cities but also contained some Jews who were most likely not keeping the Torah or mixing paganism with Judaism..Romans had many pagan gods and sacrifice pigs especially a certain black pig..I believe the man with the unclean spirits was a Jew.a Jew would never hang out in a tomb because that would make him unclean according to Jewish law..satan probably got a kick out of a Jew being forced by his demons to live in one.interesting that unclean spirits went into a unclean animal according to Judaismwhat a sight to see and then told by to go and tell what happened to you and to those pigs to your fellow Jewish friends and family who may not be keeping the Torah..just my opinion. 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 (Joshua 13:11-13). It's a picture of His great commission outreach, not just to Jews but to Gentiles also. But this I do know, when people say that because those pigs died it shows that Jesus was not a good and virtuous man theyre forgetting three things. Now the big-mouth irking this Greek artisan was our good friend, the Apostle Paul. But pay attention to the body count. Perhaps that is his point. Echoes of Exodus in the Land of theGerasenes, Wesleys Eschatological Optimism Explains itAll, The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg, The Methodist Million Dollar Appeal in World WarII. 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. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). Rabbi, begone! Pretty quickly the whole city was in an uproar. Therefore, hiding behind a few vague statements like the pat answer verses listed here is not sound. 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. Pliny described it as a city of the Decapolis founded after the Rom. The demons sent the pigs off the banks of the sea and into the water, where they drowned (Mark 5:1213). Do not add upon it and do not reduce it. But as for God, what reason did He give Mr. Merciless for not destroying Nineveh? He says that the demon expulsions are just unenlightened men of the first century trying to explain illnesses being healed. Instead of dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, we see dead pigs, an intentional insult to the minions of Satan. absolutely anne..there are a few scenarios..nothing more exciting than digging into the Word of God!! 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. 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. Thus, we are not surprised that there was "a great herd of pigs" feeding near the tombs where the Gerasene demoniac was living (5:11). And opposite to normal flowers, our lovely Scripture-flower will never dry out or wither away (Isaiah 40:8). 8:513) and the Syrophoenician woman whose daughter was possessed (Mark 7:2430), the Jews received the bulk of His attention, and He spent most of His time in the predominantly Jewish regions of Galilee and Judea. 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). 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. Do you see how Jesuss Gentiles dont act like Gentiles! The real irritation is people saying the Law was impossible to obey, when Scripture says the opposite it true. Herod had massive building projects all over Israel. At least Im man enough to admit possible weaknesses in my arguments and to talk about the elephants in the room. They belonged to God. Where? Gerasa, Gadara or Gergesa (Luke 8;26, 37) - Berean Insights The power and the person of Jesus Christ. One unambiguous (but hotly debated) verse that supports this doctrine is, 1 John 5:7: For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. So if we agree Messiah is part of the Godhead, then logically we agree Messiah also co-authored, with the Father, the Law of God. get to know the Bible better! Pastor MacArthur would do well to learn from his Jewish counterparts. Learn how your comment data is processed. This now then is our fifth fact in a nutshell. It was like, And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent for He is not a man that He should relent. It's this man who is in bondage to these demons. 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? 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. Neither common sense, nor the text, let Jesus off the hook. This means that these miracles are especially meant to teach believers something. WebThe Gadarenes was the place where Jesus confronted a man whose possession by demons gave him a level of superhuman strength like Samson (Mark 5:3 - 5, Luke 8:27). Yes, this man is extraordinary. But just a theory. This was a Gentile town so they had pigs. Before the war it was a Gentile settlement. We should ask the good pastors if love thy neighbour as thyself has any bearing on killing your neighbours livestock. 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! 4 ) As R. Sol Urbin Ohel Moed teaches us, Technically, the greek word for swine is choiros, which many people think means swine, but in the Akkadian, and so with the Syriac, it really refers to an indigenous type of little lamb owned by sea-faring peasants, suitable for pets, grazing, shishkabob and MLT (Mutton, Lettuce and Tomato) sandwiches., 3 ) Pigs?? These are tremendously important facts that GotQuestions is ignorant of, or they prefer to spread disinformation about, this important Biblical truth that, in the mind of the Almighty, holiness is bound to what we eat. I dont know of any illness that can do that. Last week we said the focus was on the power and the person of Jesus Christ. The distinction between the two is clear (now). As to the second question, there is no doubt of the illegality, from a ritual point of view, of Jews keeping swine (B. Am I forgiven by saying, I just, The Land of Israel is/was no place for two thousand pigs. Sinai. 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. 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. It seems to happen a lot in the gospels. Further, the conclusion seems warranted that there was confusion in some MSS of Gerasa with the more likely site for the miracle near Gergesa. 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. Look again at John 15:10. Additionally, the encounter takes place among the tombs, an earthly realm of the dead, so to speak. Theories of men that attack statements made by God evolution for example are sadly creeping into the minds of Christian leaders. 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. 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 ?
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were the gerasenes gentiles