. Jesus does not go looking for this demon-possess man, the man comes to Him. It was interesting that Palmer had gone out without any announcement but this man knew who he was and he was obviously disturbed that he was there and he began to make threats. The exorcism and the slaughter: Did they happen? In Marks thinking, the mans extraordinary strength is evidence of supernatural bondage. When they ask Jesus to leave, he does so without any objection; Jesus ministry will not be imposed on those unwilling to receive it. It was exactly due to his righteousness and his love for God that he killed two thousand pigs. The demons sent the pigs off the banks of the sea and into the water, where they drowned (Mark 5:1213). The Jewish Messiah rid himself of two defiling groups in one blow. They have therefore made important decisions about the proper treatment of animals. The passage appears to be straightforward historical-narrative writing, like the rest of Marks gospel. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. He also said after much work with people that was possess that most of them dealt in occult practices. Interested in joining the Ligonier team? He was incapable of changing his circumstances. What do you have that youre captive to, that youre enslaved to? 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. It was like, Read my lips, Saul! It's just 8 or 9 verses before this passage. Im wondering 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. And what about trees or rocks? The NT references (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26; cf. For you Tolkien fans it reminds me of a character in the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. 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. 8 ) Their pork was kosher, kept out of the camp for 7 days, and circumcised. 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. Deuteronomy 4 and 12 only state that none should add or remove what Moses was commanding, which sounds a little nebulous. So He gave them permission. I listen to a pyschiatrist that said he never believed in demon possession until a exorcist ask him to work with him. 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. What care we for his soul?What good to us that Thou hast made him whole,Since we have lost our swine? (Later, in Genesis 8:20, Noah sacrificed some of the clean animals to God as thank you offerings because their ship had come in! He is the dividing line here. This Priceless People Interpretation comes from another sunny California pastor, John Piper. To suggest God retracts or repeals laws tarnishes His Dignity. Jesus came to teach a better way of life that you could have abundantly! Gods Law has a law that you cannot change Gods Law. 5 ) They werent real Jews They were JINOs! That is the exact opposite of other godly men (compare with, Lastly, even if Mr. Pipers explanation were true, look what its, 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, Are not two sparrows sold for the smallest coin, and yet one of them cannot fall to the earth apart from your Father? A Faith Embracing All Creatures: Addressing Commonly Asked Questions about Christian Care for Animals. The prophet Jonah is held up as the merciless messenger of God; not a great title. display: none !important; (photo by Jean Pierre, Pexels), Reading the Word of God is wonderful. He was Jewish and tragically lost. Also oral tradition in this area talks of Christ coming and preaching the gospel there but being asked to leave shortly afterwards. Last Update: Jan 03, 2023 Reading the Word of God is wonderful. Last week we said the focus was on the power and the person of Jesus Christ. 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. 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. Besides this Biblical evidence that Jesus and the woman were within Israels inheritance, there is also a prophesy that God will settle His People in the future in Gilead (a sizeable part of todays Kingdom of Jordan) and in Lebanon too (Zechariah 10:9-10). Now it's not a very profound book. were the gerasenes gentiles But should you also doubt, my friendly blog reader, read on. Only this interpretation explains the farmers restrained reaction over the slaughter of the swine, and their tremendous terror of the Messiah. 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. The Law of God. Fear and selfishness prompted the prayer. (eds.). Origen says this is a good example of how Biblical writers simply were not concerned to precisely identify certain sites. and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. With or without graves? Well the first thing I want you to see is this picture of a person in the thrall of sin. were the gerasenes = HDB, II, p. 158, 159 for a detailed description.). The Gemara on the passage gives a historical foundation for the practise in the times of Aristobulus. 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. Because of his righteousness and his love for God, Peter and Andrew and John and thousands more loved Jesus and followed him. The Tabernacle of Ancient Israel - Brief Overview of the Tabernacle of Moses in the Wilderness and the Ark of the Covenant. The good pastor actually believes that a Jewish man can rationally decide the best sleeping quarters , In the end, the good pastors assumptions keep us, Just remember the wonderful folks in Jesuss hometown? Sadly, Luther and other Reformed theologians repeat the same theological rubbish, despite Jesus saying he did not come to destroy the Law. Obviously the man with the demon was Jewish or Jesus would not have gone there. 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. Wasnt this just a temporary fix to a bigger problem? (, 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. I asked him how could it be that Jesus carried on an intelligent, protracted, two-way conversation with an illness after the illness was excised out of the man. And this identical detail was written down in three different texts to remind us of the Son of Mans normally tender nature. Neither common sense, nor the text, let Jesus off the hook. Gerasa. He's converted. 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. Read it for yourself. Instead they joke around and give pat answers. And he said that a good and virtuous man could not have allowed something like that to happen and therefore, Jesus was not the best and most virtuous of men and therefore Christianity was disproven. 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. destroyed) and every perplexing dispensational chart is legit. Of course this kosher interpretation is just as obvious painfully obvious to John MacArthur and Piper, yet I've never seen either refute the issue or deal honestly with their doubts. 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. 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. But it was what they loved and they preferred it to everlasting blessing in Jesus Christ. 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. Since demons are by most accounts fallen angels to begin with, they already know to Whom they are ultimately accountable. He's the friend of sinners. Jesus though he was The Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-18 and John 1:21) had to play by the same laws. 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. But the Almighty said it so many times. Plus, when Jesus chased the sellers out of the Temple courts (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48; John 12:13-16), there is a small, but wonderful, detail that is in complete harmony with Matthew 10:29. 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. Cant we be candid in our search to know God? 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. Because in all of Holy Writ, the phrase first appears in Leviticus 11 (Leviticus 11:44) right after God talks about clean/pure meats. 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. Let\'s see if you\'re really a human: * It is a logical thesis based on historic accounts (Josephus, etc) Feel free to challenge this thought or pursue it from another angle. Food cant affect our salvation, nor disqualify us from being saved.Pork might not be very healthy,but as long as its USDA approved and deemed good by health inspectors from feeder hogs tat eat corn to clean the mess out of them of the last few bowel movements, then you should be good to go. 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. 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.. 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? This food is unclean and defiling for you. 5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their The main reason God limits righteous people to a select group of clean/pure animals is for the purpose of holiness. Thus, in him, God found a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14 and 1 Samuel 16:1). Dedicated Online Support through Live Chat & Customer Care contact nos. This man, when Jesus says, What is your name? effectively says, I do not know my name. Thats right, Whatever matter I am commanding you right now, it's what you must be careful to observe to do. The Messiah gave every Jew there that day a glimpse of the judgement to come. And there's a lesson in each of these things for all of us. Instead of dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, we see dead pigs, an intentional insult to the minions of Satan. GotQuestions has three articles alone on the subject: here is their best. Well this is a taste of the profound arguments that you will find in that book. Ellicotts Commentary, for one, believes the four Greek words were a latter addition. 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. Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac in Luke 8 | Psephizo Who owned the pigs? Because they cared more about what they had lost than what that man had gained or what they could gain in Jesus themselves. 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. Many of the events are corroborated by other authors. WebHealing of a Demoniac. Johns Entertaining LOL Interpretation shows me that he sees cracks in his theology, but is unwilling to own up to them. 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. The apostle had been busy preaching in Demetriuss hometown of Ephesus and Pauls message about the one true God was catching on. They do not bother mentioning Scriptures emphasis on being holy before God. Did Jesus Heal and Preach to Only Jews? No! - NCR