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. This passage is fundamentally about Jesus. The Son of God mercifully cast thousands of. Remember the story of Jesus casting demons out of the crazy man in Luke 8? Demetrius wasnt afraid to stand up for his rights. He's the friend of sinners. The first two are in the Authorized Version. So He got into the boat and returned. Why does the herd of swine go over the cliff? 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.). What is going to happen, we are told by John the book of Revelation, is that God Himself is going to cast Satan and his demons into the lake of fire. What are you doing here, man of God? And then he attempted to intimidate him. 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. 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. Scripture exhorts us to care for animals and not to be cruel to them. 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. In a similar way, we see that Scripture is the same; it doesnt change. So why were these pig owners on the east side of the lake afraid? 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) 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 just a theory. And were you aware that the New Testament repeats the same two commands from Deuteronomy? 3). 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. 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. 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. Christ's primary focus was on "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. Its all a matter of being logical. It is a logical thesis based on historic accounts (Josephus, etc) Feel free to challenge this thought or pursue it from another angle. Originally published in Tabletalk, our daily Bible study magazine. Learn a new word every day. Since demons are by most accounts fallen angels to begin with, they already know to Whom they are ultimately accountable. He dispatched Lucius Annius with a force of cavalry and an army of foot soldiers, who took the city on the first attack, slaughtering a thousand young men, taking their families captive, plundering and burning the city and the surrounding towns (Jos. With such a track record, what difference would Legions size or strength make? So why did the meek n merciful Son of Man cast countless defiling demons into two thousand piglets, sows and boars? And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. Pingback: The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg. Download Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1 Framework. He was possessed of extraordinary strength but he was aware that there was a man of God in his presence. It all belongs to God. Overall, when it comes to any animal being selected for food or for sacrifice, God sees only two types. Gadara). p. 102. In the story of the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus invades enemy territory and defeats a powerful army to deliver people from bondage. 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). Would you not agree that theres a certain permanent feeling about a law like that? Now that's interesting isn't it? Jesus was a Jew. xviii. 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. His wisecracks are a distraction. In the end, the good pastors assumptions keep us rolling in the aisles. Web(2) Ye know that ye were Gentiles.--Better (according to the weight of MSS. May God grant us the liberation through Jesus Christ to become what that nameless man became. Reading the Word of God is wonderful. 8). Why? Maybe it was because they were unclean animals. The apostle had been busy preaching in Demetriuss hometown of Ephesus and Pauls message about the one true God was catching on. 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. Do you remember? 1), and apparently occupied these cities with Jewish patriots. When Jesus and his disciples landed on the other side, it was in a region known as the Gerasenes, Gentile territory. Worse yet, dont trust one who says Scripture evolves. Such a contradiction in character! Yet they tried to throw one of their own off a cliff (, 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. --ED.). The Syrians made reprisals, and took many prisoners. 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. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Money Maker Software enables you to conduct more efficient analysis in Stock, Commodity, Forex & Comex Markets. Israels real enemy is Satan. Ive heard that the apostles and Christ may have traveled to Spain. 11:78). (Pastor Piper was right after all, almost!) e. WebGerasene: [noun] an inhabitant of the ancient Palestinian town Gerasa. It's this man who is in bondage to these demons. Who were the gerasenes in the bible? If you're carrying a sheep, is it still a "piggy" back ride? As for Matthew, he quoted Jesus as commanding the demons, and used the plural form of the verb, go. For the sake of the argument, lets start by assuming that the pastors assumption is right and he is a Gentile (though we know he could have been Jewish). The tricky bit is finding the correct reason why gentle Jesus dumped hundreds of murderous, unclean spirits on so many swine.

. This is the only sensible interpretation which remains consistent with all Scripture. This was the authentic Messiah that the Jews were waiting for. 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. One day the prophet Samuel angrily told his king that God would not go back on His decision. She needs someone strong enough to cast a legion of demons into the sea, like Pharaoh and his hosts. At the very end of his book The Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Apostle John repeats them. (Sidebar: During the whole Rob Bell Love Wins craze, I had a friend who claimed to believe the Bible, but denied that demons exist. It is repeated over and over. Very interesting. So these four miracles show Jesus reaching out to Gentiles, either in Galilee or even in even more Gentile territory across the river. Furthermore, how upset must God get seeing a doctor reach into the womb of a mother and murder her unborn child? The normally merciful Messiah destroyed the pigs in accordance with Gods Law about clean and unclean meat. He is the strong man who binds Satan and plunders his house. he has the power and the authority to ameliorate both. 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. A may also be a combination of two or more genres. And while its not true God pairs animals with people every where in Scripture, He does in this statement. 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. He wouldnt have lived long enough to get to a cross to die. But it was what they loved and they preferred it to everlasting blessing in Jesus Christ. The demons sent the pigs off the banks of the sea and into the water, where they drowned (Mark 5:1213). Josephus mentions it with Pella and Golan as being taken by storm during Alexander Jannaeus campaign E of the Jordan in about 83 b.c. How could they say Christians not need be concerned about the welfare of animals or that they have little value, or even laugh about the death of thousands, when such beliefs are set side-by-side with Gods Word? In either case, the theological point is not helped by a fictitious story. These three verse from John really are earth-shattering. Are we with a man, liberated, who trusted Jesus, who begged to be with Jesus and sought to be a disciple at His feet? On the other hand, it is unfortunate that the rabbis today dont see the even stronger connection between Genesis 3:3 and Revelation 22:18, because Jews dont read the New Testament all that much. God told Jonah that it was not just all the people, but also so much livestock (Jonah 4:11). 3 The power of the Lord Jesus Christ over Satan. 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? It was a region of 10 Greco-Roman cities, a Gentile region. When they ask Jesus to leave, he does so without any objection; Jesus ministry will not be imposed on those unwilling to receive it. 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. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. WebWho do you care more about, people or pigs? The main reason God limits righteous people to a select group of clean/pure animals is for the purpose of holiness. 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 it fits their bias. Some will respond to my rhetorical question, Why on earth would Jesus come to earth, by giving me the usual pat answer, None can keep the nasty old Law, so Jesus came to fulfill it perfectly, and now I dont have to do anything, at all, whatsoever, just believe, hallelujah! The nearby shepherds were sheep shepherds, not hog herders. What happened to the demons when the pigs died? We ask this in Jesus' name. 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. 4. Just as God defeated Pharaohs army at the Red Sea, so Jesus defeats Satans army in the land of the Gerasenes.
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