were the gerasenes gentiles

Gerasa was rebuilt in splendor and remained prosperous for several centuries. It pains them to admit that Jesus was/is a Jewish Messiah and not a Christian one. Gods Everlasting Word is not something evolving or morphing into a strange new unusual thing, like some rose turning into a radish, or a carrot into a carnation. Those outside of the nation of Israel were considered gentiles. So why did the meek n merciful Son of Man cast countless defiling demons into two thousand piglets, sows and boars? He has stabbed the heads of many lands. He used another pseudonym, Julian Ross. That sure does smell good! Wed also have to confess that the farmers were not Gentile. 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. They have therefore made important decisions about the proper treatment of animals. The demons freak out that Jesus is there because its not time for them to be tormented by Him yet. Demons do not care about the person they possess hence all the cutting and harm the man did to himself. 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. Since I believe the word of God is our playbook for life, what is Jesus telling us? 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. --ED.). 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. The prophet Jonah is held up as the merciless messenger of God; not a great title. All we know now is that the demoniac could have been either: Jew or Gentile. The stories in the gospels may or may not have happened but, regardless, they are told in a way that makes a theological point and were never intended to be understood as factual history. 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. Two thousand pigs dead for one person to live is not an even tradeand that is the point. These three verse from John really are earth-shattering. iii. But isnt it a funny coincidence that pork happens to be on Gods list of forbidden food. And not only that, he's about to be a witnessing disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. No products in the cart. Such a pat answer to such a serious question is as irritating as it is ridiculous. Also in a side note theres a rock with what looks like a human footprint in it, it is said this is Christs footprint. Therefore, I repeat again that I believe the pastors are dishonest for not admitting this fact. HDB, II, p. 158, 159 for a detailed description.). There was a logic in this. Now the big-mouth irking this Greek artisan was our good friend, the Apostle Paul. 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. Who owned the pigs? Gods Law even has two commands that equate domestic livestock with wild animals. So why pigs? Amen. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. (Question: If God cares about the mother-child relationship in animals, how does He consider that relationship for people? Its totally contrary to what we would expect. city in Pal. (Pastor Piper was right after all, almost!) They had rather have their swine than their Saviour, and so, though they saw the demoniac sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus, they in turn beseech that He should take Himself away. This city was better known than Gadara or Gergesa; indeed in the Roman age no city of Palestine was better known. He is the dividing line here. Is John really referring to just the plagues of the book of Revelation, or could his words also include other books and plagues? 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 , Once more, we have half of an unclear verse, that people use to make up a, Gods Word has to agree with Gods Word. And he was the one who said that the Father doesnt miss the falling of a sparrow. Oops. Show us the sins of our hearts that we are captive to. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! 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. Instead they joke around and give pat answers. We use cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Instead of a sling and a stone, Jesus needs only his voice; Jesus commands and the enemy falls. The land of the Gerasenes was on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The following Scripture wont disprove Gods love for all animals, deny the Almightys unalterable character, declare the commandments null and void, nor claim all meats clean (kosher). Fear and selfishness prompted the prayer. Christians never finish reading the chapter. The apostle had been busy preaching in Demetriuss hometown of Ephesus and Pauls message about the one true God was catching on. Perhaps a tenth, or a quarter, or a half of the 613 commandments were fulfilled by Jesus, but not all. For our Creator, one lost person saved is worth the death of many animals. They even allowed themselves to go ballistic on the Sabbath, which shows how angry they really were. No one cares where he sleeps when hes busy trying to keep himself from killing himself. A wonderful verse that reveals Him to us and probably the most heartwarming is the commandment in the Torah that mother animals are allowed to stay with their newborns for at least seven days before the offspring can be taken for food or for sacrifice (, All of these commandments and more are still taken literally by many Jews today. Besides the jokes being in poor taste, they make his sermon seem less than professional. Bibliography W. A. Thomson, The Land and the Book (1882), 333-338, 353, 359; C. H. Kraeling, Gerasa, City of the Decapolis (1938); The Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible (1946), 64, 117; M. F. Unger, Archaeology and the NT (1962), 139-141; E. Lohmeyer, Das Evangelium des Markus (1963), 93f; C. F. Pfeiffer, The Biblical World (1966), 252-254. Why explain something that is as plain as the nose on your face? They, like the demons, are afraid of Him and they beg Him to leave and He does. WebWhy were there pigs in gerasenes? 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. The bottom line is, I don't know why Jesus did that and neither do you and neither does anyone else. And then God Himself repeated it five more times in the same book: Leviticus 11:45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:2, Leviticus 20:7-8 and Leviticus 20:26! He knew how bad it was going to go for the pigs. 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. This location agrees with the description given by the ancient writers. (So much for those latter revelations or new religions arriving centuries later.). We see the power of Christ over Satan, don't we? 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. My question is: Next, what if our imaginary Jew damaged a ton of Gentile property under their very noses. 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. 7 ) The pigs werent for eating. Jesus made him whole. Such a contradiction in character! 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.. After a dramatic journey across the lake (Luke 8:22-25), Jesus steps for the first and last time into Gentile territory. WebThe Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. That will give us the perfect answer. But we should never get too smug, thinking that we have corned the market on truth. Go be a witness to Me. Ha, ha.. yeah lemme ummm.. tell ya about those pigs.., 2 ) Like any rational redneck, they smelled their Gentile neighbors having a pork BBQ and said DAAAANG, Hoss! And from what I have heard, preferrably pig blood. Note: Demetrius was angry only because of speculation of what Pauls preaching might do to business Paul had not physically caused any damage. Ive not heard that theory before. But this is not the full explanation or the main one. He should know that centuries before the prophet Isaiah spoke against Jews eating pork and hanging around in tombs. v. 37) describe Jesus healing of the demoniac Legion and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee (cf. neither the four Greek words, nor any idea similar to them, are ever repeated in Scripture, whereas the destruction of the swine herd is thrice-repeated and uses a few more than four words. Last Update: Jan 03, 2023 Yes, you read that right. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. 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. The forum, with a semicircle of columns still standing, was paved with large cut stones. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced searchad free! So I don't know how seventeen interpretations of this particular story got circulated. We have it all down on paper exactly how gentle Gentiles can get when they get annoyed by a Jew. 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. The city was large and well planned. 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. It goes like this: These are the people of Gerasene speaking to Jesus Rabbi be gone. Their dead bodies you must not touch. Rabbi, begone! James Gibson. 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. 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. Gods altar was also separate and distinct and holy. Issues are listed below: we are using four Greek words to eliminate entire chapters of Scripture. One possible reason the Son of David chose the pigs was that he had no choice. Look at what he first says when Jesus meets him in verse 28 What do you have to do with me, Jesus? ITS LIKE THE WITCH ON TGE WIZARD OF OZ WebThe name Gergesa has led to the supposition that the Girgashites, one of the seven Canaanitish nations, originally occupied this territory. But Christians miss the joke and think he was being serious. 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 just a theory. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. It was like, Read my lips, Saul! 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. He's liberated. The story is about the power of Jesus and, even his name, to rid humans of demons and also to show that his power was for Gentiles as well. Wnsche, Neue Beitrge zur Erluterung der Evangelien aus Talmud und Midrasch, p. 119. So these four miracles show Jesus reaching out to Gentiles, either in Galilee or even in even more Gentile territory across the river. 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. Its a weird story, but its in the Gospels a couple of times, so we have to accept it as truth. This is clearly an extraordinary event. What do you love? This was a Gentile town so they had pigs. He prefers we stay laughing so no one can reflect on this coincidence. Were in the same story. 15:24), but He was concerned for all peoples. War II. His soul, what care we for his soul? Because in all of Holy Writ, the phrase first appears in Leviticus 11 (Leviticus 11:44) right after God talks about clean/pure meats. He wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. Paul himself said the doers of the Law will be made righteous (Romans 2:13), and that the Law is holy (Romans 7:12) and that the Law is spiritual (Romans 7:14). Sinai. Yet being part of the Godhead means Messiah cannot not flip-flop his opinions. Well let's pray before we read God's Word together. At least Im man enough to admit possible weaknesses in my arguments and to talk about the elephants in the room. And it is reveals a great deal comparing the reactions of the Gentiles in the two towns. The conversation showed that the illness had a will, a coherent sense of past, present and future, knowledge of the supremacy and authority of Jesus Christ, and a compulsion to worship Jesus. The most plausible reason Jesus chose the pigs was because he regarded people as precious and priceless, but not swine. In a pigs eye. Now what happens in this passage? Well pretend with him that the folks in Gerasenes were placid Gentile farmers happily raising their gentle Gentile pigs. noted the official establishment of Christianity and discontinuance of pagan worship in the 5th cent. 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.". It is true that we discover new thoughts or extra meaning over time, but Gods Word is permanent and cannot change. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before Him and said with a loud voice, What have You to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? The church fathers treated them as literal history. They do not bother mentioning Scriptures emphasis on being holy before God. (Note that Luke omits Jesus journey to Tyre and Sidon, see also Mark 7:24-37). WebThey land in the country of the Gadarenes which is on the North-east shore of the Sea of Galilee about 6 miles southeast across the sea from Capernaum. Should we accept Mark 5 as literal history? 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). So whats the point because Pastor John Piper feels the pigs were less important and John LOL MacArthur just jokes about the slaughter neither reaction seems sensible. Cute little silver goddess dolls would have sold for the same price as a full-grown boar or sow in those days. I trust the Lord Jesus to know what to do with demons and what ought to be done. We do not find demons under every pew and under every rock. Luke is telling you here that Jesus is sovereign over everything. Note that Jesus never touched the demon-inhabited individual: He merely spoke to him, commanding the evil to depart. Jesus ministered to and did miracles for the Gentiles there. 2023 Christianity.com. The man could break his earthly chains; he could not break his spiritual ones. Additionally, it would have been foolish for the Apostles to claim hundreds and thousands of witnesses (1 Cor 15:1-6). 10 ) It was the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the area of the Decapolis. Was it correct to destroy so many for just one (or two men). In other words, to paraphrase what Gertrude told Hamlet, Methinks the good pastor doth protest too much. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies. ___________________________________________________________________. Such a statement is irresponsible because the Law was not written for a single person. in which he transferred the demons afflicting a man to a number of swine, that thereupon They forget that all scripture is inspired of God and all of it is established in the heavens and none of it can change. First of all theyre forgetting that Jesus Himself has already said that His Heavenly Father cares even about the sparrows that fall from their nests. 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. WebApparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. Mark as quoted by Spalde, Annika; Strindlund, Pelle (2012). The textual evidence shows that the MSS preserve three variant spellings of the name in each gospel. Its architecture was of the Corinthian order, quite lavish and imposing, with columns from three to four ft. in diameter and about thirty ft. high. founders day speech by students were the gerasenes gentiles. The last point to tidy up Jesus allowed the demons to kill the pigs or Jesus did it? If the interpretation from one vague verse contradicts several unambiguous verses, which is wrong? Dr. Ligon Duncan | December 13, 2009. Archeologists identify it with the modern Jarash. He is the freest man in the world. But today, if you said to anybody, Tiger Woods is a slave to his desires, they would recognize it. 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? He says that the demon expulsions are just unenlightened men of the first century trying to explain illnesses being healed. Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion, for many demons had entered him. William Arthur Dunkerley (November 12, 1852 January 23, 1941) was a prolific English journalist, novelist and poet. Seen in this light, Jesuss actions against the herd were more than appropriate and neither Matthew, Mark nor Luke bothered to explain or rationalize the Masters actions. In course of time, as the Jews began more and more to pride themselves on their peculiar privileges, it acquired unpleasant associations, and was used as a term of contempt. The apostles arent having a pig roast anywhere. The book ends on that very point. Incredible. And lastly, because the herd was within the Land of Israel and owned by Jews (the joke about Gentiles owning them is cleared up below), the unclean swine had to go and the unclean demons did the work. 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) Amen, and thus ends this reading of God's holy, inspired, and inerrant Word. The shortest distance between two thoughts. The fascinating story behind many people's favori Can you handle the (barometric) pressure? 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. Without a doubt, its only and exactly the Creators negative view of swine that properly spells out to us why Jesus destroyed an entire herd of swine in Mark 5. 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. 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? In light of these facts, Jesus' ministry in the Gerasenes reveals the Lord's remarkable concern not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles. In the end, the good pastors assumptions keep us rolling in the aisles. You received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it! (Acts 7:53). However, the pastors assumptions are perplexing. Jesus though he was The Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-18 and John 1:21) had to play by the same laws. (But that may sadly describe a good number of Christians.) 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. ), 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). Anyway, it was the demons that would have decided where, and if, he slept. Its all a matter of being logical. Jerash (aka Gerasa, Gerash or Gerasha) is the capital and the largest city of the Jerash Governorate in Jordan, but in ancient times it was one of the wealthiest and most cosmopolitan cities in the ancient Near East.Settled by humans as early as the Neolithic period (c. 7500-5500 BCE) and founded as a Hellenistic city in the 2nd century BCE, Jerash is Because God is so steady, and doesnt reverse or repeal, He can be trusted to do what He promises; good or evil. But there are many reasons why Im not keen on the idea of the Gospels as non-historical. 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 (Matt 15:24). But should you also doubt, my friendly blog reader, read on. THE PIGS DID IT FOR HIM!! Learn a new word every day. 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. Also, Orthodox Jews see a clear connection between Deuteronomy 12:32, do not add, and what happened in the Garden of Eden. R.C. 9 ) They were wild Ferrel hogs feeding near the cliffs. One moose, two moose. Delivered to your inbox! Knowing the correct genre of what you are studying is a major step toward getting a correct message or interpretation. 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. 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). That is how valuable human life is." This man, when Jesus says, What is your name? effectively says, I do not know my name. Here, then, Jesus faced two of Gods enemies: hostile spiritual powers and death itself. It's just 8 or 9 verses before this passage. This kind of inter-ethnic scenario normally spells d.i.s.a.s.t.e.r. Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with: Gerasene. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gerasene. The man howled day and night and cut himself with stones. 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. Theories of men that attack statements made by God evolution for example are sadly creeping into the minds of Christian leaders. Even so, the Bible never puts the worth of animals on the same level as the worth of humanity. For these reasons, the writers of the gospels gave no explanation and the Twelve asked no question about why Jesus destroyed all the swine. Sinai. I think so. Who were the gerasenes in the bible? Mark 5 is truly very simple: being a righteous Jew, the Law commands Jesus to abhor pigs as food. View our current career opportunities. Sproul also agrees with this preference of people over pigs when he writes, a man is worth more than 2,000 pigs.. Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, [Let me just pause right there. They are out to steal, kill, and destroy, so we dare not trifle with evil spirits. Looking back over the entirety of Gods Word, we do indeed notice many plagues rained down on the wicked in other books.