were the gerasenes gentiles were the gerasenes gentiles

The fascinating story behind many people's favori Can you handle the (barometric) pressure? The Messiah has the same nature and character was the Father, as discussed in the Fourth Fact above. For the moment, Jesus was just being ironic. On the other hand, the Masters usually thick-headed students, the Tedious Twelve, didnt question him about this! As out-of-place as the pig-assisted exorcism by the Lake of Galilee was, the awful event is actually recorded in three Gospels; in Matthew 8:2834, Mark 5:120 and Luke 8:2639. And what can we take away from the second part of the commandment not to take away from Gods Word? Not that I believe my case has holes. Peaceable Kingdom Series. (Jos. Obviously the man with the demon was Jewish or Jesus would not have gone there. When this passage begins, we have a man who is possessed by demons who had gone about naked, who had lived in the tombs, who was out of his mind, and who did not even know his name. 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. The city was large and well planned. Who owned the pigs? 10:31). Archeologists identify it with the modern Jarash. I dont see anything of that sort in the story. And the good pastor doesnt give any rationale for a slaughter that huge. Wed obey Him. One possible reason the Son of David chose the pigs was that he had no choice. The hard hearts of those who reject Jesus. Jesus made him whole. Sproul also agrees with this preference of people over pigs when he writes, a man is worth more than 2,000 pigs.. The textual evidence shows that the MSS preserve three variant spellings of the name in each gospel. That is, they appear contrary, except for one thing: Gods Law forbids righteous people from eating pork. Many will rush for cover behind the last four Greek words of this verse, despite all of its textual, translation and interpretation problems. Note: Demetrius was angry only because of speculation of what Pauls preaching might do to business Paul had not physically caused any damage. Therefore, if Jesus gave no commandment (singular), what is he referring to when he talks about commandments (plural) in the following: The answer: when he says, keep my commandments he means the ones he and the Father gave Israel at Sinai. 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. Was it correct to destroy so many for just one (or two men). And God isnt going to renounce or retract that decision no matter how many dispensational charts they print. Note that Jesus never touched the demon-inhabited individual: He merely spoke to him, commanding the evil to depart. The borders are fairly clearly drawn up. (Please dont hide behind that sensational dispensational chart. Money Maker Software is compatible with AmiBroker, MetaStock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4. city in Pal. The first two are in the Authorized Version. Luke means it to be an extraordinary event. To save this word, you'll need to log in. Add to that that recent studies claim 25% of the world today is antisemitic and ask yourself if racism was better or worse in the past? Should we accept Mark 5 as literal history? And at the end of the passage, look how he is described. I asked him how could it be that Jesus carried on an intelligent, protracted, two-way conversation with an illness after the illness was excised out of the man. 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)? She needs someone strong enough to cast a legion of demons into the sea, like Pharaoh and his hosts. Gods Law has a law that you cannot change Gods Law. Jun 21, 2021. War III. No one cares where he sleeps when hes busy trying to keep himself from killing himself. 15:24), but He was concerned for all peoples. In 2 Samuel 17 we read of the young boy who would be king risking everything for one lamb. WATER DESTROYED HER!!!! The man howled day and night and cut himself with stones. To all of you who have been liberated from the captivity of your sin by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, receive God's blessing. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies. 7). The demons freak out that Jesus is there because its not time for them to be tormented by Him yet. Issues are listed below: we are using four Greek words to eliminate entire chapters of Scripture. Unfortunately, Pastor John is not alone, joking at the expense of this tragedy. 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. The entire herd ran straight off a cliff and drowned. We use cookies to provide you with a great user experience. But what does Leviticus says about ham? One day the prophet Samuel angrily told his king that God would not go back on His decision. http://archive.ligonduncan.com/mp3/12.13.2009_Dr_J_Ligon_Duncan_The_Man_Jesus_Renamed_Luke_8_26-39.mp3. 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. What do you want? There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). 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. The exorcism and the slaughter: Did they happen? Well the first thing I want you to see is this picture of a person in the thrall of sin. No cumbered chamber will the Master share,But one swept bare By cleansing fires, then plenished fresh and fairWith meekness, and humility, and prayer.There will He come, yet, coming, even thereHe stands and waits, and will no entrance winUntil the latch be lifted from within. He is the strong man who binds Satan and plunders his house. And in Malachi 4:4, why did God say remember the Law of Moses if God had His own law? 5 So they came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. ix. Its totally contrary to what we would expect. 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? So these four miracles show Jesus reaching out to Gentiles, either in Galilee or even in even more Gentile territory across the river. No products in the cart. It may well be a picture of the reverse of what happened in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, I repeat again that I believe the pastors are dishonest for not admitting this fact. An inscr. WebHealing of a Demoniac. 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. (Only an amateur Hebraist would claim the latter, frankly.). led to the substitute reading Gergesenes, a reading that was suggested by a study of the geography of the area. Then again, who needs to imagine anything? 6 ) There were lots of laws they didnt keep. ITS LIKE THE WITCH ON TGE WIZARD OF OZ They were people who knew him. Scripture makes it clear that Ashers tribal land-boundary ended around the coastal city of Tyre (Joshua 19:29). (, Therefore you should understand that the LORD your God, Because God is so steady, and doesnt reverse or repeal, He can be trusted to do what He promises; good or, If the Eternal One, blessed be He, had said just, But the Almighty said it so many times. But Christians miss the joke and think he was being serious. He was clear that His mission was not to the Gentiles and Samaritans, but rather, to the lost tribe of Israel. 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). Now do you see how silly the Jesus-kept-the-Law-perfectly statement is? When Jesus and his disciples landed on the other side, it was in a region known as the Gerasenes, Gentile territory. 9 ) They were wild Ferrel hogs feeding near the cliffs. Emily Langer, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 Three of the Comedian Harmonists were Jewish, three were gentile. Ellicotts Commentary, for one, believes the four Greek words were a latter addition. Do you remember? Most translations interpret the Hebrew to say, Canaanite, but both are more than possible and perhaps the double meaning was intended by the prophet. So he gave them permission. The final battle requires a different strategy, one that involves a cross. Apparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. 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. 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. (Sidebar: During the whole Rob Bell Love Wins craze, I had a friend who claimed to believe the Bible, but denied that demons exist. Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. 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. Remember, Jesus took direct, extensive action against a significant group of Gentile pig farmers he didnt just say something bad against the pigs. He has authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to numerous books. So instead of working or hammering away at the embarrassing elephant in the room, the good pastors spoon out interpretations to us that are not biblical, or dish up corny one-liners, all in the hope that well swallow them or be too busy laughing to connect the dots ourselves. viii. 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. He's no longer under the domination of demons or his own sin. And opposite to normal flowers, our lovely Scripture-flower will never dry out or wither away (Isaiah 40:8). 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. What does it say? While animal-abuse cases arent normally rampant among church-goers, its no thanks to this bishops official policy. I could have come up with better arguments against Christianity than Bertrand Russell, but in the course of this book in one of the chapters, he says it is this story that led him to the conclusion that Jesus was neither the best nor the most virtuous of men. 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. Last week, we were crossing over with Jesus to the other side, weathering a fierce storm until he woke up and calmed the sea. Now we see the missing puzzle piece: God had plainly prohibited pork as food, making it clear that holy people should not eat it , Overall, when it comes to any animal being selected for food or for sacrifice, God sees only two types. 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 Be circumspect. Gadarenes, Girgesenes, Gerasenes: (These three names are used indiscriminately to designate the place where Jesus healed two demoniacs. So many beautiful verses and motivating passages are in Scripture. 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? Now the big-mouth irking this Greek artisan was our good friend, the Apostle Paul. Obviously, they were Jewish pig farmers seeing judgement for flagrant disobey Gods Word and keeping and eating pig meat. But now this is an extraordinary case. When He speaks, they obey. Those people were Jews in Nazareth. Now we see the missing puzzle piece: God had plainly prohibited pork as food, making it clear that holy people should not eat it all of you be holy for I am holy (Leviticus 11:44-45) and therefore, Gods normally merciful Messiah destroyed an entire herd in total agreement with the commandment. Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities north of Israel, and Jesus had been sent to the Jews ( Matthew 15:24 ). Neither common sense, nor the text, let Jesus off the hook. (Take that, Darwin.). Thats right, Whatever matter I am commanding you right now, it's what you must be careful to observe to do. 5 ) They werent real Jews They were JINOs! THE PIGS DID IT FOR HIM!! Well pretend with him that the folks in Gerasenes were placid Gentile farmers happily raising their gentle Gentile pigs. 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. In delivering the man from his bondage, Jesus restored creations promise. 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. 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. 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. They sailed to the country of the Gerasenes which is opposite Galilee. display: none !important; So if you have the ears to hear, the Father and the Son both wrote the Law and gave it to 630,000 men (and women and children) at Mt. Mark as quoted by Spalde, Annika; Strindlund, Pelle (2012). Some of my Christian brothers and sisters see this as coded language referring to a confrontation with the political and military power of Rome. The power of the Lord Jesus Christ over Satan. 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. Overall, when it comes to any animal being selected for food or for sacrifice, God sees only two types. And the thing that I love the most is the utter contrast in his attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ. It's this man who is in bondage to these demons. 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! Its flesh you must not eat. 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. 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. 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. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! War II. Yes, this man is extraordinary. He does. 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. Oops! Not by will, but because they have no choice other than to do as the Administrator of all creation commands them. Christ's primary focus was on "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. For centuries, land wars are a type of a national sport among Middle Eastern nations. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. I would, however, be a little skeptical of stories about Jesus Himself visiting Spain. Who were the gerasenes in the bible? 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? And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. Later, Leviticus 11 explains to His Chosen People that He had chosen only ritually clean/pure animals for them to eat. OS Supported: Windows 98SE, Windows Millenium, Windows XP (any edition), Windows Vista, Windows 7 & Windows 8 (32 & 64 Bit). So its a fair comparison to place Pauls actions in Ephesians side-by-side with Jesuss actions by the Lake of Galilee. That sure does smell good! 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. 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 vision had nothing to do with shrimp rings or BLTS. 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. Instead of dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, we see dead pigs, an intentional insult to the minions of Satan. We said the last time that we were together that in Luke 8 you begin four miracle stories, all of which either happen in Galilee or in Gentile lands. Out of the three, Marks gospel presents the most information about the herd. Those outside of the nation of Israel were considered gentiles. 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).. To any Jew, Jesuss actions were crystal clear. This now then is our fifth fact in a nutshell. Most translations interpret the Hebrew to say. Do you see how Jesuss Gentiles dont act like Gentiles! If there was a difference, why do they read the Law of Moses but call it the Law of God in Nehemiah 8:8? Theres another interesting question in the sidelines: if Jews detested pigs, why were there pigs in the area? So if you have the ears to hear, the Father and the Son both wrote the Law and gave it to 630,000 men (and women and children) at Mt. He wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. 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? There's a total change of nature in this man. They are unclean for you. 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. 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. 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. 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. Demons do not care about the person they possess hence all the cutting and harm the man did to himself. Still, Jesus was not in Gadarenes for judging; he was there for mercy and for judgement. Fourthly, Jesus specifically went to the land of the Gentile Gadarenes or Gerasenes, east of the Sea of Galilee, to minister to them. 8). Why? Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. Looking back over the entirety of Gods Word, we do indeed notice many plagues rained down on the wicked in other books. In other words, to paraphrase what Gertrude told Hamlet, Methinks the good pastor doth protest too much. Yet being part of the Godhead means Messiah cannot not flip-flop his opinions. What do you have that youre captive to, that youre enslaved to? Let's pray. 11:78). I beg you, do not torment me. And then the demons beg not to be cast into the abyss. He's liberated. What care we for his soul?What good to us that Thou hast made him whole,Since we have lost our swine? The last now appears. WebBlog Uncategorized were the gerasenes gentiles Uncategorized were the gerasenes gentiles Pork was a prevalent food staple and as you travel near the gates of Gibraltar the terrain matches the craggy cliffs as well as the placement of aboveground as well as natural cave tombs which show signs of living inhabitants at some point. God told Jonah that it was not just all the people, but also so much livestock (Jonah 4:11). Now it's not a very profound book. 2 And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. Being made in God's image, we are more important to the Lord than any animal. To run Money Maker Software properly, Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1 or higher version is required. I definitely dont want to be near that doctor on Judgement Day.). Im wondering Is John really referring to just the plagues of the book of Revelation, or could his words also include other books and plagues? 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) But there is a message in this for all of us and it is simply this we may not be possessed by demons, but if we are possessed by what we want or by what we have and if what we want or what we have is not God in the Gospel of His dear Son, Jesus Christ, then we are no less in the thrall of sin that this man. Last Update: Jan 03, 2023 Over the years, Ive had to prove all this to myself first, and it took soul-searching and tons of Scripture research. WebMany New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than. 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. 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. get to know the Bible better! So he had to live according to the truth that had already revealed and to get everyone else in line with the program. What happened to the demons when the pigs died? So now they don't even bother to read it.]. Playing with the plain truths of Gods eternal Scriptures means one is playing with fire and such actions will bring unfortunate consequences. Cant we be candid in our search to know God? Instead they joke around and give pat answers. Yet this is exactly what Christians believe; Jesus came to fulfill (but think annul) the Law and then start a whole new religion. e. Our ways are not as Thine. The fact anyone dreamed up dispensationalism in the first place shows how some attentive folk saw contradictions within traditional interpretations of Scripture, but were unwilling to admit to them directly, but instead they desperately concocted those nonsense charts. And so the fact that youre in a country with a herd of pigs lets you know that youre in Gentile territory and that's part of the point of the story. 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). And John nicely parallels Jesus who said, not the smallest letter nor the smallest comma will pass away from the Law (Matthew 5:18). The distinction between the two is clear (now). Learn how your comment data is processed. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. A may also be a combination of two or more genres. No Jewish farmer would keep swine, and no Jewish region would tolerate the presence of pigs, let alone two thousand of them (Mark 5:13). Look again at John 15:10. Pingback: The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg. In actual fact, when you stop to think about it, because God denounced pork in Leviticus, and then Jesus destroyed two thousand, and that event is thrice repeated by Matthew, by Mark, by Luke it all adds up to a big confirmation of the fact that God doesn't change. it depends on the text you read, but one of the four Greek words is sometimes neuter, sometimes masculine a big deal in this language and in this verse. 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. And Jews are forbidden by God and His eternal commands to own pigs. Ill take Mark at his word; hes thinking of an army of demons, not an army of human soldiers. They are out to steal, kill, and destroy, so we dare not trifle with evil spirits. Again, Gods anointed one faces down an army, one man against thousands. I cannot offer you a proof-text for this observation. He is utterly sovereign. Two thousand pigs dead for one person to live is not an even tradeand that is the point. Luke doesn't think that it's an every day occurrence for a person to be possessed by a host of demons. They sort of seek Him out. 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.