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And that permanence of the Law matches well with the fact that the first time, and the second, He wrote the Ten Commandments in stone: Exodus 31:18 and again, Exodus 34:1. 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. R.C. The ruins also show evidence of a dozen churches, dating in the Byzantine period (4th-7th centuries) indicating that this once was a large Christian community. Thats right, Whatever matter I am commanding you right now, it's what you must be careful to observe to do. Ive not heard that theory before. He specifically banned pig in. Incredible. 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. Dictionaries Encyclopedias Lexicons. Plus, these additions by John connect back to other passages in interesting ways. (Matt 15:24). After this long, careful study, it should be crystal clear that the heartless Bishop of Hippo was mistaken, as were our two good pastors. You may simultaneously update Amibroker, Metastock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4 with MoneyMaker Software. Palmer Robertson was telling me not long after he had arrived in Africa to begin his ministry there he was taken to a nighttime fireside meeting with a witch doctor a man who was possessed of familiar spirits, who had extraordinary powers of strength, prediction, he was hired by people to put curses on other people and to put spells on other people. To be honest, all the bad humour honestly makes me believe the pastor is being dishonest. He was getting everyone on board with what was started at Sinai. Note: Demetrius was angry only because of speculation of what Pauls preaching might do to business Paul had not physically caused any damage. The hard hearts of those who reject Jesus. 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. So He got into the boat and returned. And God isnt going to renounce or retract that decision no matter how many dispensational charts they print. (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). Originally published in Tabletalk, our daily Bible study magazine. Wasnt this just a temporary fix to a bigger problem? 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. Ptolemy says Gerasa was a city in Coele-Syria, thirty-five travel m. from Pella. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of any other person, religious organization or governmental entity. And he sends out his representative, a man who is known only as the Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dr, the black gate. He's set free. For the moment, Jesus was just being ironic. As regards the first question, it would appear that that section of the country was chiefly inhabited by pagans in the first century, and Gerasa is at any rate included by Schrer among the Hellenistic cities ("Geschichte," ii. 6 ) There were lots of laws they didnt keep. Last week we said the focus was on the power and the person of Jesus Christ. The most likely answer is to the country of the Gerasenes: i.e., Gerasa, a Greek town thought to be the same as the similarly-named Kersa on the east shore of Lake Tiberias. It's a glorious picture of Jesus love for lost souls, even a Gentile. Such a pat answer to such a serious question is as irritating as it is ridiculous. Who owned the pigs? But just a theory. 3 He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; 4 for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and 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. 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. and what Jesus showed here was a love and a grace towards a man in captivity to sin who didn't deserve to be freed and didn't deserve to be forgiven, but Jesus did it anyway. 2 Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came ix. 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. How and why did this happen in the first place? Its totally contrary to what we would expect. Peaceable Kingdom Series. Now the big-mouth irking this Greek artisan was our good friend, the Apostle Paul. The final battle requires a different strategy, one that involves a cross. I will say that I struggled with the title to this sermon. The concept of Gentiles is found in the Old Testament. Obviously, they were Jewish pig farmers seeing judgement for flagrant disobey Gods Word and keeping and eating pig meat. It's interesting isn't it Jesus crosses the river, the lake, and no sooner has He set His foot on the other side but this man shows up to meet Him. This picking and choosing is completely unbiblical. It was a leading city of Syria in commerce, culture, and religion. The other part of the eastern shoreline was controlled by Og, king of Bashan, but it and sixty walled cities were taken from them by Moses and given to the tribes of Israel (Deuteronomy 3:1-7, 16; compare with 1 Kings 4:13). And in Malachi 4:4, why did God say remember the Law of Moses if God had His own law? So I figure we could speculate a little and see where this goes. 5 ) They werent real Jews They were JINOs! II. He is utterly sovereign. Jesus was wise to use what God gives us, for a teachable moment. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. Any other conclusion, in light of the seven facts just presented, is breathtakingly irresponsible, and we should just laugh it off. : A similar remark came from Mosess lips when he described God as eternally faithful and then connected Gods faithfulness to His faithful love. The action is no different than, Lets return again to when Jesus cleaned up the Temple courtyard of merchants and merchandise. So why were these pig owners on the east side of the lake afraid? Theories of men that attack statements made by God evolution for example are sadly creeping into the minds of Christian leaders. Top Ten Reasons Why There Were Pigs in Gerasenes (Lk 8 ) 10 ) It was the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the area of the Decapolis. Thy powersBring loss to us and ours.Our ways are not as Thine.Thou lovest men, weswine.Oh, get you hence, Omnipotence,And take this fool of Thine!His soul? But this is not the full explanation or the main one. Jesus was a Jew. David did the same to a bear that took a sheep. That is how valuable human life is." ), No matter how you slice it, the Almightys negative view of ham and bacon cant suddenly switch from one day to the next. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 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. 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. Luke 1:6 says, [Zachariah and Elisabeth] were both righteous before God, walking in all of the commandments and judgements of the LORD, guiltless. Sound like perfect obedience to me. Why explain something that is as plain as the nose on your face? That is the exact opposite of other godly men (compare with 1 Samuel 24:24 and 1 Chronicles 21:24). 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! And what does the Law say about pigs? Lets re-examine the event in the light of seven important Scriptural facts. 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 wiped out of the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5) doesnt sound very cool. 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. Be circumspect. The Messiah gave every Jew there that day a glimpse of the judgement to come. Apparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. Why explain something that is as plain as the nose on your face? e. Lord God, even as we sing this hymn, cause those who do not know Him to love Him and cause those who love Him to love Him more than anything else in this world. The text of Mark 5 says pigs were nearby, but it doesnt say they were the only things nearby. Johns words seem to apply to all of Scripture. None of the verses below refute any of the Seven Forgotten Facts above. Was it correct to destroy so many for just one (or two men). After a dramatic journey across the lake (Luke 8:22-25), Jesus steps for the first and last time into Gentile territory. (Pastor Piper was right after all, almost!) Something else to ponder about the Son of God is his other title, The Good Shepherd: David, the son of Jesse, was another selfless, compassionate shepherd. He's not only a person extraordinarily under bondage to demonic activity, but he's actually a picture of everyone who is in the thrall of sin. WebMany New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than. city in Pal. They, like the demons, are afraid of Him and they beg Him to leave and He does. Mark Driscoll also generated some chuckles when he callously said the death of the pigs created a bacon famine.. GotQuestions has three articles alone on the subject: here is their best. Owning those defiling animals was illegal and having two thousand head, the farmers were more than flouting the Law that Jesus had not came to destroy but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17). Racism: Not a modern invention . Jesus came to teach a better way of life that you could have abundantly! And the good pastor doesnt give any rationale for a slaughter that huge. They were wise enough to figure out if Jesus in His authority over them would allow them to exit of their choosing, they would select the black pigs often used in sacrifice to Baal. Were in the same story. Jewish rabbis, when interpreting the Word of God, follow an important principle: no word in Gods Word is superfluous or pointless. New International Version (NIV), Encyclopedia of The Bible Gerasa, Gerasenes. WebIt was named after the 10 ( deka) cities ( polis) which were in that area. Regrettably, what were about to study the, And he answers him, saying, My name is Legion because there are many of us. Also he begs Jesus many times that he'd not send them away, out of the. Seven Biblical facts await you that prove Jesus was obliged to love all creatures, except that a higher command forced him to partially judge the Jews who owned the two thousand poor pigs. Dr. R.C. He was completely in the thrall of sin. Almost there. Rabbi, begone! He is more open with Gentiles because it fits His purpose about revelation to the Gentiles and the new inclusion in the kingdom. The best text in Matthew reads Gadarenes, in Mark and Luke it reads Gerasenes, whereas some MSS preserve Gergesenes and Gergustenes (cf. Diana (Artemis) of Ephesuslovely without a nose! Gerasa was rebuilt in splendor and remained prosperous for several centuries. All Rights Reserved. We do not say that to cast the first stone. It's a picture of His great commission outreach, not just to Jews but to Gentiles also. there was never a prophecy that the kosher laws would be removed, so the verse is coming completely from left field. 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. Pork is the most infamous of all-things-not-Jewish and the bad press that pigs receive in Scripture, and in contemporary Western society, is another reason why I accuse both pastors of being less than honest in their explanations about Mark 5. One day the prophet Samuel angrily told his king that God would not go back on His decision. Jesus made him whole. And he is sent out to negotiate with Aragorn and Gandalf, and the others. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today. In actual fact, when you stop to think about it, If our faithful, unchanging Heavenly Father God made a straightforward decisive yet divisive decision and repeated it, Fourth Fact: Gods Enduring, Unchangeable Word, As was just so elegantly discussed, the destruction of the herd, Your word, O LORD, is everlasting; it is firmly fixed in the heavens. When He speaks, they obey. http://archive.ligonduncan.com/mp3/12.13.2009_Dr_J_Ligon_Duncan_The_Man_Jesus_Renamed_Luke_8_26-39.mp3. We ask that You would open our eyes to behold wonderful things in it and open our ears, we pray, to hear Your Word rightly. It goes like this: These are the people of Gerasene speaking to Jesus Rabbi be gone. This food is unclean and defiling for you. But pay attention to the body count. being the eternal Son of God. He is the strong man who binds Satan and plunders his house. (, Field hay dries. 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). In turn, they would have a vehicle wherewith to stay in their territory. Of course not. Sproul writes in his commentary Mark that the compassion of Jesus "drove Him to destroy the pigs for the sake of one human life. In the three Synoptic Gospels and, None of the verses below refute any of the. 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? Here is a prophesy that Christians love to quote: You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110.4) because it connects to Messiah Jesus. These forces plundered Gerasa, Philadelphia, Pella, and others (Jos. Why doesn't the good pastor entertain that avenue of possibility or is he too busy making one-liners to connect any dots? Nevertheless, the interconnections within Scripture, from the beginning, to the middle, and to the very end, are wonderful to see, just like a beautiful flower. SO Jesu said later in the NT, that meats going in the mouth does not defile because we excrete it out in the draught, solid and liquids, so physically our body cleans itself if there were toxins, and It is whatever comes out of the mind, is what taints a person, whatever he or she thinks. As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of Him. No, I've checked my facts, anticipated the arguments, remembered my own arguments from he past, and now Im ready to present my conclusions for Christians to consider. (Question: If God cares about the mother-child relationship in animals, how does He consider that relationship for people? and therefore the good pastor declares the demoniac to be a Gentile since, as everyone also knows, Gentiles are better tomb-dwellers.. 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 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. These four miracle stories, also we said, in contrast to the miracles in Luke 4 and 5, are focused on settings where a small group of the disciples witness the miracles. Jesus victory over the devils army results in the man being dressed and in his right mind, a different kind of setting things right with the world and a foretaste of the age to come. In other words, to paraphrase what Gertrude told Hamlet, Methinks the good pastor doth protest too much. In the Book of Acts, Chapter Nineteen, we read about Demetrius, a Greek silver-statue maker, who was connecting a few dots of his own and had reasoned that a certain big-mouthed Jew was bad for business. The church fathers treated them as literal history. ; Mark v.; Luke viii.) In any event, the apparent differences in the texts prob. In a similar way, we see that Scripture is the same; it doesnt change. Secondly, I want you to look at the Lord Jesus Christ Himself because His power over Satan is on display full force in this passage. The last point to tidy up Jesus allowed the demons to kill the pigs or Jesus did it? The Matthew account mentions two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke only mention one. Lets use his recording to the event as our jumping off point: Every Bible passage is either a historical narrative piece (such as the one we just read), a legal and/or procedural document (the majority of the Five Books of Moses), or it is a poetic passage (like Psalms, Proverbs and much of the Prophets). This verse alone puts an interesting twist on the oft-quoted man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was made for man because originally Scripture makes the point that the Sabbath is for man and mans animals. Now what happens in this passage? were badly damaged in major That is, they appear contrary, except for one thing: Gods Law forbids righteous people from eating pork. 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).. And repeatedly, these miracles will focus us in on Who is Jesus? and What do His deeds tell us about what He has come to do and the power that He has? And so this passage helps us in this way. Did you know that one of the 7 ingredients in underwater concrete was animal blood? May He write its eternal truth upon all our hearts. Issues are listed below: we are using four Greek words to eliminate entire chapters of Scripture. By Your Holy Spirit, show us our need of grace. Two thousand pigs dead for one person to live is not an even tradeand that is the point. 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. Since all of these areas overlap, one may take the references as meaning the same place. Does he really believe Mark 5 is Biblical material, To be honest, all the bad humour honestly makes me believe the pastor is being. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. And Christ went sadly.He had wrought for them a signOf Love, and Hope, and Tenderness divine;They wantedswine.Christ stands without _your_ door and gently knocks;But if your gold, or swine, the entrance blocks,He forces no man's holdhe will depart,And leave you to the treasures of your heart. I dont see anything of that sort in the story. It was part of the Greco-Roman region known as the Decapolis, or ten towns. or ten Christ's primary focus was on "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. But the Almighty said it so many times. 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? They need to face the cracks in their theologies. Last week, we were crossing over with Jesus to the other side, weathering a fierce storm until he woke up and calmed the sea. I wonder why?). Demons, Jesus, and the Pigs The Outlaw Bible Student, http://www.linearconcepts.com/archives/2011. 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. 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. being the holy Messiah of Israel, Jesus wants the swine out of The Land as much as he wants unclean spirits out of The People, and. If you have your Bibles I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 8 and this great story of the man who was possessed by demons, liberated by the Lord Jesus Christ. He prefers we stay laughing so no one can reflect on this coincidence. Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion, for many demons had entered him. 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. Am I forgiven by saying, I just, The Land of Israel is/was no place for two thousand pigs. I would have wanted a herd of swine had I been an Israelite in the desert. Demetrius wasnt afraid to stand up for his rights. Why do I say that book? All we know now is that the demoniac could have been either: Jew or Gentile. 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? Jesus does not go looking for this demon-possess man, the man comes to Him. Saying God reverses a verdict or compromises a promise soils His Name. This is clearly an extraordinary event. Sadly, the rest of the verse is not quoted in GotQuestions best article and preachers rarely preach it, though it reveals more about the true character of the Messiah. WebHealing of a Demoniac. ]. This is the only sensible interpretation which remains consistent with all Scripture. Such a contradiction in character! He also makes excursions into Gentile territory, such as when he exorcizes the Gerasene/Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5:1-20). If the interpretation from one vague verse contradicts several unambiguous verses, which is wrong? These pastors have added to Scripture that the God of the Old Testament is different in the New and taken away from it Mosess 613 commandments are now reduced to 2. 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. And were you aware that the New Testament repeats the same two commands from Deuteronomy? 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. WebInhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus (Matt. WebApparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. He was constrained to act just like the other prophets before him. And the thing that I love the most is the utter contrast in his attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that these miracles are especially meant to teach believers something. Reading the whole account in Acts 19:23 to 41, we see that it was not hard for the sore silversmith to drum up anti-Jewish anger in the crowd that day. 3 And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah. Anyway, it was the demons that would have decided where, and if, he slept. Flower blossoms wither. 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. You must there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one thats only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. One unambiguous (but hotly debated) verse that supports this doctrine is, If we agree Messiah wrote the Law of God, we should then wonder, (Please dont hide behind that sensational dispensational chart. 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? His sermon should have given us some point, some excuse, or some logical explanation for it all. To suggest God retracts or repeals laws tarnishes His Dignity. (, 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. 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.".