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. Did Jesus really sacrifice the swine for the man? Anyway, it was the demons that would have decided where, and if, he slept. Throughout the book, the author uses direct quotes, various and mostly verifiable place names and clear descriptions of mostly plausible actions. It was part of the Greco-Roman region known as the Decapolis, or ten towns. or ten It was a leading city of Syria in commerce, culture, and religion. Therefore, by associating the two commandments together, and you catch some of the character of our Heavenly Father. Also, He is sometimes more open with outsiders/Gentiles than Jews because the negative reaction by the Jewish leaders would hinder his ministry more than rejection by Gentiles. Its not clear exactly who is doing more killings, the LORD or Melchizedek, but the picture overall fits the image of Son of God cleaning the land of swine. I will say that I struggled with the title to this sermon. For one, Leviticus 22:28 forbids righteous farmers from killing a cow and its calf on the same day. 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 Jewish, living in a Jewish town surrounded by Jewish-owned pigs. Yet a number of objections immediately spring to mind. (Only an amateur Hebraist would claim the latter, frankly.). At the beginning of the gospel, he wins these victories with acts of visible, recognizable power. Thy powers bring loss to us and ours. Luckily, they didnt find Paul anywhere, but they did haul a number of Pauls colleagues down to city hall. We know that two thousand pigs go over the cliff. Either way, dispensational charts ultimately commit both acts against the Word of God. ; Mark v.; Luke viii.) 2023 Christianity.com. 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 Also, Johns emphasis do not take away from the words is stronger than Mosess original statement. v. 37) describe Jesus healing of the demoniac Legion and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee (cf. And what about trees or rocks? For those near by the local name would be used; but in writing to a distant people, as the Greeks and Romans, the more comprehensive and general name would be given. The Syrians made reprisals, and took many prisoners. He showed mercy to the men who were possessed and brought judgement on the pig farmers. Amen. All Rights Reserved. Surely He could have demonstrated real power over real demons, right? His sermon should have given us some point, some excuse, or some logical explanation for it all. It's all Gentile territory, so just bear that in mind. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. And the thing that I love the most is the utter contrast in his attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Similarly, as God incarnate, Jesus knows the future. Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? So I don't know how seventeen interpretations of this particular story got circulated. Luke is telling you here that Jesus is sovereign over everything. 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. 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? Working with the Law, and not against it, Jesus is shown to be completely in character and not out of his mind. The fact anyone dreamed up dispensationalism, They say, None, but Jesus, kept the Law perfectly. They sort of seek Him out. 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. I agree the counter-arguments look flawless on the surface and that will be partially exposed now. His actions now make sense in this new light. And in Malachi 4:4, why did God say remember the Law of Moses if God had His own law? (Quite likely David would have let the lion and the bear free, if not for the fact that they came back at him: 2 Samuel 17:35). ), No matter how you slice it, the Almightys negative view of ham and bacon cant suddenly switch from one day to the next. Also, this study shows that Jesuss actions in Mark 5 were on the surface contrary to the deep-rooted Jewish respect for domestic and/or wild animals. Its not possible for either of them to change, and therefore, inconceivable that Jesus would modify one iota of what he helped write. Cant we be candid in our search to know God? Every place the Master went on his travels it was to minister to a Jew, just as Paul said, To the Jew first (Romans 1:16 and Romans 2:9-10; ever notice that the New Testament never mentions Christians, just Jews and Gentiles?! In either case, the theological point is not helped by a fictitious story. 10:31). Why? For these reasons, the writers of the gospels gave no explanation and the Twelve asked no question about why Jesus destroyed all the swine. Oh, you mean THOSE pigs!! Luke means it to be an extraordinary event. Also, Orthodox Jews see a clear connection between Deuteronomy 12:32, do not add, and what happened in the Garden of Eden. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.". absolutely anne..there are a few scenarios..nothing more exciting than digging into the Word of God!! From the readings of the best texts and from the unsuitability of the locality around Gadara it appears that the proper reading should be "Gerasenes" and the place located at Karsa, on the left bank of the Wadi Samak, near the sea of Galilee. Theyre written as factual history. (, Worse yet, dont trust one who says Scripture. Scripture presents us with all we need to know. The apostle had been busy preaching in Demetriuss hometown of Ephesus and Pauls message about the one true God was catching on. 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. Gadara). That is how valuable human life is." Pastor MacArthur would do well to learn from his Jewish counterparts. 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. But should you also doubt, my friendly blog reader, read on. And because they did not hear Him, they lost even what they had. 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. 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? He's liberated. He changed the subject. Johns words seem to apply to all of Scripture. Remember that the Law reveals to us the mind and personality of God. Isnt this what hes paid for? All these inescapable facts are so important to getting the right interpretation of Mark 5 and the other gospel records of the same event. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was And then you see in this passage the change of a heart set free. It's entitled, Why I Am Not A Christian. http://archive.ligonduncan.com/mp3/12.13.2009_Dr_J_Ligon_Duncan_The_Man_Jesus_Renamed_Luke_8_26-39.mp3. To suggest God retracts or repeals laws tarnishes His Dignity. So He got into the boat and returned. Jesus' action also shows the importance of human beings relative to animals. The NT references (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26; cf. 3). The Gemara on the passage gives a historical foundation for the practise in the times of Aristobulus. The Gospels tell us that Jesus did most of His work among the Jewish people. He was constrained to act just like the other prophets before him. God told Jonah that it was not just all the people, but also so much livestock (Jonah 4:11). By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. I dont see anything of that sort in the story. WebWho do you care more about, people or pigs? 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. Still, Jesus was not in Gadarenes for judging; he was there for mercy and for judgement. 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. The vision had nothing to do with shrimp rings or BLTS. I beg You, do not torment me. For He (that is, Jesus) had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Overall, when it comes to any animal being selected for food or for sacrifice, God sees only two types. 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! Some of my Christian brothers and sisters see this as coded language referring to a confrontation with the political and military power of Rome. Instead they joke around and give pat answers. Because some confusion exists in the gospel MS evidence and perhaps in other source material, absolute certainty cannot be attained; but the following identification seems correct. But when Jesus explained that the commandment was the old one from Leviticus, Love one another, they signed with relief, seeing how he was just underscoring the command that God already gave (Leviticus 19:18). Emily Langer, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 Three of the Comedian Harmonists were Jewish, three were gentile. Inhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus ( Matthew 8; Mark 5; Luke 8) in which he transferred the demons 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. I beg You, do not torment me. Then, if you look in verse 38, he begs Jesus that he might be with him. We should ask the good pastors if love thy neighbour as thyself has any bearing on killing your neighbours livestock. While foretelling death and doom was often part of a prophets job description, the real task of each true prophet was to be an example to the people and to get everyone on board, or back on board, with the Law of God. For being kind to birds!? So its a fair comparison to place Pauls actions in Ephesians side-by-side with Jesuss actions by the Lake of Galilee. 15:24), but He was concerned for all peoples. It is now called Jerash and is a deserted ruin. They were to teach the Gentiles about Him (Acts 13:4647). 3. 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. One was, His Name Was Legion, Not Ligon. I have been confused with Legion all my life and it worries me that it's not just the sound of the name, but I want to make it clear that Legion is not in any way related to Ligon. Those people were Jews in Nazareth. And there's a lesson in each of these things for all of us. It was exactly due to his righteousness and his love for God that he killed two thousand pigs. 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. 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. Learn a new word every day. And it's very clear that theyre in Gentile territory because they find themselves in a country where there is a huge, huge herd of pigs. Amen. To top it off, Jesuss farmers see Jesus and see their property floating belly up in the surf, but they dont throw him after them! These forces plundered Gerasa, Philadelphia, Pella, and others (Jos. Thus, in him, God found a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and 1 Samuel 16:1). They even allowed themselves to go ballistic on the Sabbath, which shows how angry they really were. War I. iv. 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. And what about commands for married people (Exodus 21:10), or the command that a man gives his wife a bill of divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1)? Now what happens in this passage? viii. Such a conclusion will annoy a lot of people, even funny, leaky dispensationalists like John MacArthur. 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. The miracles that are recorded here, just like the one that we saw last week, are seen by that small circle of disciples that is following Jesus around. And this identical detail was written down in three different texts to remind us of the Son of Mans normally tender nature. 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. 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? Doesnt Pastor MacArthur know his Bible? Demons do not care about the person they possess hence all the cutting and harm the man did to himself. Even city officials who were Pauls friends were scared for Pauls life (Acts 19:31). Archeology. Origen says this is a good example of how Biblical writers simply were not concerned to precisely identify certain sites. What happened to the demons when the pigs died? Some of Jesus's reputation for being normally meek and merciful comes from statements like: 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. We ask this in Jesus' name. Instead of recklessly freeing the doves into the air (as erroneously shown in The Jesus Film and other Bible movies), Scripture records with precise detail that Jesus only knocked over the chairs of the pigeon owners, and/or told them to take their feathered property and leave (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:16) he didnt use his whip on the birds or fling them into the air to be attacked by falcons or eagles. In other words, they believe the one who killed the pigs with the demons is equal to the Father. 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.. 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. And did the Gospels writers believe the explanation was so obvious they didn't need to write one? Therefore, as we have seen from the Deuteronomy and Revelation, and Jesuss own words, he was not allowed to adjust the Law of God and he had no intention of doing so. He is more open with Gentiles because it fits His purpose about revelation to the Gentiles and the new inclusion in the kingdom. 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. The nearby shepherds were sheep shepherds, not hog herders. 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. I think so. Gods altar was also separate and distinct and holy. WebMany New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than. 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. God never said dont touch. She added that bit. He used another pseudonym, Julian Ross. Can we really point the finger at him? (But that may sadly describe a good number of Christians.) We do not find demons under every pew and under every rock. WebNoun. The story of the Gerasene demoniac thereby foreshadows the mission to the Gentiles that would begin in full force with the conversion of the Apostle Paul and Peter's ministry to Cornelius (Acts 910). But pay attention to the body count. And John nicely parallels Jesus who said, not the smallest letter nor the smallest comma will pass away from the Law (Matthew 5:18). Interestingly, if you obey the latter, and take just the babies or the eggs but release the dame, God promises you a long and successful life. So I figure we could speculate a little and see where this goes. Diana (Artemis) of Ephesuslovely without a nose! Pretty quickly the whole city was in an uproar. 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). Will the demons come back? He doesnt want to connect the dots and he doesn't want us to either. You know that because the people tell Him to leave. And holiness means salvation, as Paul wrote in two different letter, without holiness no man [or woman] shall see God (Hebrews 12:14 and Romans 6:22). The most plausible reason Jesus chose the pigs was because he regarded people as precious and priceless, but not swine. Also, the land where the Master walked and the swine were feeding belonged to Israel. Was He asking us the impossible because He had nothing better to do or is He sadistic? Demons, Jesus, and the Pigs The Outlaw Bible Student, http://www.linearconcepts.com/archives/2011. Fear and selfishness prompted the prayer. From the start, the evil spirits wanted to bring death and destruction, and they finally got their chance. After this long, careful study, it should be crystal clear that the heartless Bishop of Hippo was mistaken, as were our two good pastors. The apostle had been busy preaching in Demetriuss hometown of Ephesus and Pauls message about the one true God was catching on. But Gods Spoken Word will endure for all time. 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. They belonged to God. To run Money Maker Software properly, Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1 or higher version is required. (Jos. So lets not laugh these verses off. 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. That was a very large farming operation, even by the modern European and North American standards of today which typically do not have such giant herds. Scripture exhorts us to care for animals and not to be cruel to them. And it's the glorious picture of the value that He puts on an immortal soul. The Land of Israel is/was no place for two thousand pigs. Another command applies to women who have given birth to a child (Leviticus 12:6), so that would be easy for Jesus to obey, not to mention the monthly ritual baptisms Jewish women do for certain reasons!!! For the moment, Jesus was just being ironic. Although the Almightys statement is only one sentence in Deuteronomy 12:32, Jews regard it as two different commandments no additions and no subtractions.
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