F1 2021 Testing Day 2 Results, Articles W

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. 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. This, by the way, is the miracle story that happens in Gentile land. Demons, Jesus, and the Pigs The Outlaw Bible Student, http://www.linearconcepts.com/archives/2011. For being kind to birds!? 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. Even city officials who were Pauls friends were scared for Pauls life (Acts 19:31). Both Johns could conveniently connect the dots between the Law of God which outlaws the swine and the destructive action which Jesus took against the herd, but it would be too inconvenient for their religious views. 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. 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? led to the substitute reading Gergesenes, a reading that was suggested by a study of the geography of the area. Luckily, they didnt find Paul anywhere, but they did haul a number of Pauls colleagues down to city hall. When Jesus said that he had not came to destroy the Law but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), he was not talking to the Jews who already knew the Law was permanent, he was looking into future centuries and talking to those Christians who would try to destroy it. biblegateway.com But the sad thing I want you to see at the end is the reaction of the majority of his countrymen, because unlike him, they do not beg to be with Jesus. The good pastor actually believes that a Jewish man can rationally decide the best sleeping quarters , In the end, the good pastors assumptions keep us, Just remember the wonderful folks in Jesuss hometown? 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. Oh, you mean THOSE pigs!! They tried to kill us. We Learn how your comment data is processed. 10 ) It was the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the area of the Decapolis. (For many a time it had seized him. A Faith Embracing All Creatures: Addressing Commonly Asked Questions about Christian Care for Animals. But this is not the full explanation or the main one. So he gave them permission. The next allusion to Gerasa concerns its capture during Vespasians campaign. Dr. Ligon Duncan | December 13, 2009. At the end of the gospel, however, Jesus tactic changes. 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. 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. It's His person and His power that we're having our attention draw to and there are four things in particular that I want you to see in this passage. They forget that all scripture is inspired of God and all of it is established in the heavens and none of it can change. Jesus ministered to and did miracles for the Gentiles there. 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. Therefore, I repeat again that I believe the pastors are dishonest for not admitting this fact. Because they cared more about what they had lost than what that man had gained or what they could gain in Jesus themselves. They belonged to God. These demons of the Gadarene Demoniac wanted to stay in this territory where worship of Baal was predominant. [Israels] real enemy isnt Rome, which barely figures into the gospel story. Because the writer of the story wanted to make sure that everyone would know that the Garasenes were not Jewish. were badly damaged in major The gospels. Yes, you read that right. GERASA, GERASENES (, ). One possible reason the Son of David chose the pigs was that he had no choice. 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. So now they don't even bother to read it.]. 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. 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? What about cattle? 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? (, Field hay dries. Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. Doesnt Pastor MacArthur know his Bible? 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). In light of these facts, Jesus' ministry in the Gerasenes reveals the Lord's remarkable concern not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles. So I don't know how seventeen interpretations of this particular story got circulated. Unsurprisingly in such a place, Jesus finds a man possessed by unclean spirits. Peter, the thick-headed captain of the Tedious Twelve, needed a hammer of a vision to get it across to him that Gentiles not ham and back bacon are clean and Jews could fellowship with them. The History of Rome - Brief Overview Of Roman History from Her Dawn to the First Punic War. He was getting everyone on board with what was started at Sinai. The Greeks were believers in the spirit Why did these people respond to Jesus this way? Jesus was wise to use what God gives us, for a teachable moment. Last Update: Jan 03, 2023 It was like, Read my lips, Saul! Look again at John 15:10. 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. Yet they tried to throw one of their own off a cliff (Luke 4:29). (This sad fact may have something to do with Christians telling Jews to junk the Law which they love and to just believe and receive.) Also, wouldnt that be a type of sin and another example of how he may not have perfectly kept the Law? They could, at least, admit to the possibility of what has been discussed here and about the other facts. See more comments below.). Now not only did the Jewish people not eat bacon, and not only were they forbidden by Moses to eat bacon, but they were not allowed to raise bacon even to sell it to the Gentiles. 1. 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. xviii. And in Malachi 4:4, why did God say remember the Law of Moses if God had His own law? take a dump and be cleaned.lol. Besides the jokes being in poor taste, they make his sermon seem less than professional. Over the centuries, many scribes spent an enormous amount of time, energy and resources copying them, thereby lending credibility to them. The passage appears to be straightforward historical-narrative writing, like the rest of Marks gospel. 1. 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.) 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. The Law of God states that the Sabbath is a day of rest for all livestock (Deuteronomy 5:14). WebGentiles [N] [T] [B] [S] (Heb., usually in plural, goyim), meaning in general all nations except the Jews. Our ways are not as Thine. 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. In a pigs eye. 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 (, All of these commandments and more are still taken literally by many Jews today. Yes, this man is extraordinary. Ive heard that the apostles and Christ may have traveled to Spain. Amen. Similarly, as God incarnate, Jesus knows the future. The Gerasenes, however, was located in the territory of the Decapolis, a group of ten cities with a majority population of Gentiles. We pray in Jesus' name. 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 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. It isnt a long list. 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. People of the same race and same religion but they still wanted to do him some serious pain. 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. To suggest God retracts or repeals laws tarnishes His Dignity. This passage is fundamentally about Jesus. The best text in Matthew reads Gadarenes, in Mark and Luke it reads Gerasenes, whereas some MSS preserve Gergesenes and Gergustenes (cf. Did Jesus really sacrifice the swine for the man? This location agrees with the description given by the ancient writers. 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. Its totally contrary to what we would expect. 5 ) They werent real Jews They were JINOs! I would, however, be a little skeptical of stories about Jesus Himself visiting Spain. And the good pastor doesnt give any rationale for a slaughter that huge. May God grant us the liberation through Jesus Christ to become what that nameless man became. 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.. They ask Him if they can enter some nearby pigs, and He lets them. So many beautiful verses and motivating passages are in Scripture. Do you remember at the end of the book, in the sixth book, when the King of Gondor and his captains and the host of Gondor have arrived at the black gates of Sauron Sauron is the evil figure in the book and if you know Tolkien's cosmology, he was actually an apprentice to the Satan figure of Tolkien's writings. Or, what if Paul had knocked two thousand dolls into the drink would he have written as many epistles as he did, while having to dogpaddle? Those famous four are sufficient to back up the Church's bias and with them one could pretend they say, Christ is the [dead] end of the Law [of Moses] (Luther and Calvin taught this), or maybe it means something very vague like, an end of a law is Christ. For a more advanced discussion of the vague quality of the text have a look at George Howards scholarly article. Now you understand what sitting at the Savior's feet means? Webwere the gerasenes gentiles. Dont demons like sheep? Surely He could have demonstrated real power over real demons, right? ; Mark v.; Luke viii.) An inscr. How Many Places Did Jesus Visit Christ's journey into "the country of the Gerasenes" (Mark 5:1) was somewhat unusual. 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. Them there pigs were trying to hog Jesus limelight! He was no longer naked and he was no longer babbling and he was no longer living amongst the tombs, but when they came, he was clothed and in his right mind and sitting at the Savior's feet. Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? 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. . Israels real enemy is Satan. There was a logic in this. 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. in which he transferred the demons afflicting a man to a number of swine, that thereupon Issues are listed below: we are using four Greek words to eliminate entire chapters of Scripture. The Bible doesnt say. It's this man who doesn't even remember his name who's possessed by a host of demons. 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? Don't they know their Bibles? From the brook beside the road he will drink and for this reason, he will lift high his head. (photo by Jean Pierre, Pexels), Reading the Word of God is wonderful. Therefore, when it came to sacrifices on it, the menu was even shorter. They cannot cast a spell on Him. Sinai. Israel was to be a nation of priests, prophets, and missionaries to the world (Exodus 19:46). Further, the conclusion seems warranted that there was confusion in some MSS of Gerasa with the more likely site for the miracle near Gergesa. Cant we be candid in our search to know God? 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.