And Luke intends this to be a display of an extraordinary case. Some of my Christian brothers and sisters see this as coded language referring to a confrontation with the political and military power of Rome. Nothing we have belongs to us. If I still had some misgivings, Id be man enough to share them here. These demons of the Gadarene Demoniac wanted to stay in this territory where worship of Baal was predominant. 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. Jesus is saying that Jesuss commandments are the same as the Fathers. Do you remember? The borders are fairly clearly drawn up. 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. From the brook beside the road he will drink and for this reason, he will lift high his head. Yes, you read that right. Furthermore, the play-by-play presents no reason to be judged as a parable or an allegory. We "are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. Instead of dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, we see dead pigs, an intentional insult to the minions of Satan. Jesus was a Jew. The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. Its odd that dispensationalist preachers dont preach this obvious, permanent truth. People of the same race and same religion but they still wanted to do him some serious pain. All of these commandments and more are still taken literally by many Jews today. They do not bother mentioning Scriptures emphasis on being holy before God. We pray that he would find liberation in Jesus Christ and see his life and family restored, but my friends, any one of us, any one of us, can be in the same thralldom today. (, But MacArthurs logical is funny for another reason. Also, Demetrius only needed to speak a few choice words against the Jew (compare with Act 19:34), to get the crowd all worked up the silversmith didnt have any real evidence that Pauls preaching was going to slow sales. The Gemara on the passage gives a historical foundation for the practise in the times of Aristobulus. Such a statement is irresponsible because the Law was not written for a single person. Gerasa was a city situated near the Jabbok River about eighteen m. E of the Jordan, about twenty m. SE of Pella, and twenty m. N of Philadelphia. The text of Mark 5 says pigs were nearby, but it doesnt say they were the only things nearby. It's back just a few verses, the answer is back just a few verses. But pay attention to the body count. Part of the reason for such a short list is due to the fact that Gods People are special (Exodus 19:5-6) and separate (Deuteronomy 7:6) and unique from others on the earth (1 Peter 2:9). We are all responsible for our sins and so no demonic force can take control of a human life and make you sin unless you allow it. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This one verse alone, without all the extra proof from Jesuss joke, should convince us that his commandments are the 613 commandments of the Law of Moses. Such a contradiction in character! Add to that that recent. 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. and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. But there are many reasons why Im not keen on the idea of the Gospels as non-historical. Gerasa. 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. They have therefore made important decisions about the proper treatment of animals. led to the substitute reading Gergesenes, a reading that was suggested by a study of the geography of the area. This town is not to be confused with either Gerasa or Gadara. WebScripture exhorts us to care for animals and not to be cruel to them. Web(2) Ye know that ye were Gentiles.--Better (according to the weight of MSS. The demons sent the pigs off the banks of the sea and into the water, where they drowned (Mark 5:1213). Don't be surprised if none of them want the spotl One goose, two geese. We pray in Jesus' name. Do you remember when a serpent, an animal, came and exercised authority over God's man and woman, Adam and Eve, who had been made in His image so that instead of them ruling over the animals, the animals ruled over them? He specifically banned pig in Leviticus 11:6 but to make sure we heard God repeats the command (Deuteronomy 14:8), adds that eating it makes a person unclean (Leviticus 11:43), adds that touching their carcasses defiles a person (Leviticus 11:28), adds that righteous people must not become defiled (Leviticus 20:25), and then sends His prophet a prophesy like, no one uncircumcised or anything unclean (/tameh) will anymore enter Zion or Jerusalem (Isaiah 52:1), and then openly judges pork-eaters as wicked (Isaiah 65:2-5), and then hotly repeats that identical point (Isaiah 66:15-17), and once more (Ezekiel 44:23-27) and once again, but now in the New Testament (Revelation 21:27), so where is that pastor who dares suppose the Almighty can change His mind about pigs? WebWell pretend with him that the folks in Gerasenes were placid Gentile farmers happily raising their gentle Gentile pigs. 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. WebHealing of a Demoniac. Yet a number of objections immediately spring to mind. And at the end of the passage, look how he is described. But what does Leviticus says about, And also the pig; although it has a hoof splitting in half and it has a hoof clearly tearing in two, the pig doesn't bring back up its cud to chew. Perhaps even ask who might that future group of individuals be to whom Jesus will say, Depart, I never knew you (Matthew 7:22) because even though they called him, Lord, Lord [and had gone to seminary and made dispensational charts] they somehow were on the wrong path. But are these good pastors on the right track? It seems to happen a lot in the gospels. Also, the land where the Master walked and the swine were feeding belonged to Israel. 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. Why? All of us may be so concerned with our own livelihoods that we fail to serve other people and help those in desperat Clearly, Luke is telling you this because he wants you to show the amazing power of Jesus Christ, even over demons. 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. Pingback: The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. You know, a month ago, a month ago, if you had said to anyone, You know, Tiger Woods is in slavery. They would have looked at you and said, You've got to be out of your mind. 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. Christians never finish reading the chapter. Is there actually a real reason why the Gospel accounts shouldnt be taken as factual history? Luke doesn't think that it's an every day occurrence for a person to be possessed by a host of demons. ), his power over blindness (John 9:32) and even over death, as in the case of a three-days dead Lazarus (John 11:1-44). The tricky bit is finding the correct reason why gentle Jesus dumped hundreds of murderous, unclean spirits on so many swine. in which he transferred the demons afflicting a man to a number of swine, that thereupon 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. Although He encountered and ministered to Gentiles such as the centurion who had a paralyzed servant (Matt. 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. Thats right, adding or subtracting from Scripture, according to Scripture, is illegal. WebThe terrified Gerasenes beseeching Jesus to leave them. WebGenesis 10:5 Context. Surely He could have demonstrated real power over real demons, right? There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). Even city officials who were Pauls friends were scared for Pauls life (Acts 19:31). Herod had massive building projects all over Israel. Maybe it was because they were unclean animals. The city was large and well planned. And you can ask yourself a lot of questions Why did Jesus do that? Yet a number of objections immediately spring to mind. Pastor MacArthur would do well to learn from his Jewish counterparts. 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. 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 is the strong man who binds Satan and plunders his house. The passage appears to be straightforward historical-narrative writing, like the rest of Marks gospel. If pigs were considered unclean then would the demons not wanted unclean to possess. 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. However, the pastors assumptions are perplexing. xviii. Well the first thing I want you to see is this picture of a person in the thrall of sin. If they did, they would not see the chapter attacking the research in this blog post, theyd see a defense for it! His fellow citizens tried to restrain him in chains a horrible way to treat mental illness, by the way but he always broke free. If you eat a swine/hog that has killed eaten a poisonous snake and you eat that hog, you will be poisoned and die. he has the power and the authority to ameliorate both. However, the silversmith was a smart cookie and knew that the more people bought into Pauls line of thinking, the less theyd be buying his souvenir Diana statues. Just like in the Garden, when God judged Adam, he didn't strike him directly, but the ground soil instead. ; Mark v.; Luke viii.) Jun 21, 2021. Also, Johns emphasis do not take away from the words is stronger than Mosess original statement. 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. Therefore, by associating the two commandments together, and you catch some of the character of our Heavenly Father. Sproul also agrees with this preference of people over pigs when he writes, a man is worth more than 2,000 pigs.. This is the Just-believe-and-receive Hypothesis and the advocates thereof like to stretch Jesuss words, I came to fulfill the Law, and make it say that Jesus needed to destroy or replace the nasty Law, but hope to heaven it still sounds Biblical heres an example of stretchy talking from GotQuestions. This food is unclean and defiling for you. The Jewish Messiah rid himself of two defiling groups in one blow. ), No matter how you slice it, the Almightys negative view of ham and bacon cant suddenly switch from one day to the next. He said, If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was Was it correct to destroy so many for just one (or two men). God told Jonah that it was not just all the people, but also so much livestock (Jonah 4:11). The Psalmist states that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills Because to me belong every beast of the wood, every herd on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10, and were assuming Jesus the Second Person of the triune God had equal rights to those hills and those cattle.). Instead, his conscious act of casting the demons into the swine resulted in the entire herds destruction. 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. A city in Transjordania, situated about thirty-five m. SE of the S end of the [[Sea of Galilee]], one of the cities of the Decapolis; the There are echoes of exodus in Marks story, and echoes of Davids battle with Goliath. It is a wonderful fact, but unlike you and I, Gods character is constant and consistent I AM that I AM and understanding His unchanging nature is at the center of forming the right interpretation of Mark 5. I would, however, be a little skeptical of stories about Jesus Himself visiting Spain. No, the Gentiles are not simply non-Jews. Gentiles are loved by God and redeemed by Jesus. p. 102. The Son of God mercifully cast thousands of defiling demons out of a lost Jew and purposefully launched the legion killers into two thousand defiling swine. 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. In the end, the good pastors assumptions keep us rolling in the aisles. Scripture presents us with all we need to know. So why were these pig owners on the east side of the lake afraid? Jewish rabbis, when interpreting the Word of God, follow an important principle: no word in Gods Word is superfluous or pointless. (, 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. But as Gergesa was a small village, and little known, the evangelists, who wrote for more distant readers, spoke of the event as taking place in the country of the Gadarenes, so named from its largest city, Gadara; and this country included the country of the Gergesenes as a state includes a county. This was the authentic Messiah that the Jews were waiting for. And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. It is true that we discover new thoughts or extra meaning over time, but Gods Word is permanent and cannot change. In Jesus first trip to that Gentile area: They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes (in Gadara). Dictionaries Encyclopedias Lexicons. Here, then, Jesus faced two of Gods enemies: hostile spiritual powers and death itself. The Son of God mercifully cast thousands of. 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). Because of his righteousness and his love for God, Peter and Andrew and John and thousands more loved Jesus and followed him. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. (, David, the son of Jesse, was another selfless, compassionate shepherd. Over the centuries, many scribes spent an enormous amount of time, energy and resources copying them, thereby lending credibility to them. And so this man comes to Jesus, he seeks Him out, and Jesus says to him, What is your name? And the man doesn't know his name. Now it's not a very profound book. 2 Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came (So much for those latter revelations or new religions arriving centuries later.). 9 ) They were wild Ferrel hogs feeding near the cliffs. Oh, you mean THOSE pigs!! 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, Isaiah 44:9; Isaiah 44:19 Pigs were the required sacrifice on the altar in the temples of Zeus Olympus (Greek) or Jupiter Capitolinus (Roman), the same supreme god of all Hellenic theology known as the "king of 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). And Jews are forbidden by God and His eternal commands to own pigs. One Bible expositor said the pigs the demons sought refuge in were black. He was Jewish and tragically lost. No products in the cart. 2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. Compared to the accounts of the same event in Matthew and Luke also written in simple narrative prose some details vary. Ellicotts Commentary, for one, believes the four Greek words were a latter addition. To run Money Maker Software properly, Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1 or higher version is required. So many beautiful verses and motivating passages are in Scripture. And sadly, neither of the two Johns considered Gods extreme love for His Creation when giving their interpretations. Note that Jesus never touched the demon-inhabited individual: He merely spoke to him, commanding the evil to depart. 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. 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? If the interpretation from, 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? What need have we of further witnesses? GERASA, GERASENES (, ).
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 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. We use cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Working with the Law, and not against it, Jesus is shown to be completely in character and not out of his mind. But Christians miss the joke and think he was being serious. This solution is as old as Origen (Commentary on John, VI, 24) who, faced with the textual problem, suggested that the precise site of the healing of Legion was Gergesa, the small town in the territory of Gadara, but hardly in the more remote territory of Gerasa. three
In a similar way, we see that Scripture is the same; it doesnt change. Learn how your comment data is processed. This picking and choosing is completely unbiblical. War II. He does. This means that these miracles are especially meant to teach believers something. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. If we agree Messiah wrote the Law of God, we should then wonder why on earth he would come to Earth to take what he authored out of circulation or to annul it? Every creature on land, or in the water, or in the air is classified by either the Hebrew term, (, The main reason God limits righteous people to a select group of clean/pure animals is for, Gods altar was also separate and distinct and holy. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. And there's a lesson in each of these things for all of us. Why should this surprise us? IV. And the only real bargaining chip according to this interpretation was offering them the two thousand big pink chips. As the Philistine dead were strewn from Gaza to Ekron, so thousands of Satans dead fell in their own territory. They sort of seek Him out. viii. Does he really believe Mark 5 is Biblical material just for laughs? Fear and selfishness prompted the prayer.
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