The land of the Gerasenes was on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was situated some 30 miles southeast of Gadara, on the borders of Peraea and a little north of the river Jabbok. And as Palmer approached him at the fireside, the man identified Palmer before he got there. Before the war it was a Gentile settlement. Who owned the pigs? They need to face the cracks in their theologies. 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. 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. When Jesus and his disciples landed on the other side, it was in a region known as the Gerasenes, Gentile territory. To run Money Maker Software properly, Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1 or higher version is required. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. 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). Lots of non-Jews lived there. We gotta git us some!, 1 ) [your turn. Jesus ministered to and did miracles for the Gentiles there. If you eat a swine/hog that has killed eaten a poisonous snake and you eat that hog, you will be poisoned and die. 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. If Jesus had done anything less, he could not have been the Messiah. Theres another interesting question in the sidelines: if Jews detested pigs, why were there pigs in the area? Jesus enters enemy territory in two ways. Therefore they should be taken as such. OS Supported: Windows 98SE, Windows Millenium, Windows XP (any edition), Windows Vista, Windows 7 & Windows 8 (32 & 64 Bit). They are out to steal, kill, and destroy, so we dare not trifle with evil spirits. I remember my boyhood pastor, Gordon Reed, preaching through a sermon series on the gospel on Mark coming to a passage about demon possession saying, I don't know much about demon possession, but I've read a lot of books about people on demon possession and they don't know much about demon possession either. Well, before you give counsel to Jesus about what He has done in this passage you may want to take stock about how much you know about demon possession. And what about trees or rocks? And if he missed one, he didnt do it perfectly. 4 ) As R. Sol Urbin Ohel Moed teaches us, Technically, the greek word for swine is choiros, which many people think means swine, but in the Akkadian, and so with the Syriac, it really refers to an indigenous type of little lamb owned by sea-faring peasants, suitable for pets, grazing, shishkabob and MLT (Mutton, Lettuce and Tomato) sandwiches., 3 ) Pigs?? Its odd that dispensationalist preachers dont preach this obvious, permanent truth. 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. 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?! Should we accept Mark 5 as literal history? 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. The text of Mark 5 says pigs were nearby, but it doesnt say they were the only things nearby. Heavenly Father, we thank You that the name of Jesus is sweet in the ears of believers, but we know, O Lord, that those who love this world do not know the sweetness of the sound of His name. Good Pastor John MacArthur's funny option, The real Author(s) of the Law and the Commandments. 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. The victorious Lord made life good again for one embattled soul. 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). Wed also have to confess that the farmers were not Gentile. Besides, each of the synoptic gospels quotes the demons saying out loud that Jesus had the power to torture them all at will (Matthew 8:29, Mark 5:7 and Luke 8:28). And because these repeated commands are at the end of the Christian Bible, but the original commands are at the beginning of the Hebrew Bible, we get the impression that no new commands are allowed in the whole of Scripture, and no more books either. 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. Now it's not a very profound book. They, like the demons, are afraid of Him and they beg Him to leave and He does. Such a conclusion will annoy a lot of people, even funny, leaky dispensationalists like John MacArthur. Go be a witness to Me as My disciple.. The fact anyone dreamed up dispensationalism in the first place shows how some attentive folk saw contradictions within traditional interpretations of Scripture, but were unwilling to admit to them directly, but instead they desperately concocted those nonsense charts. WebIt was named after the 10 ( deka) cities ( polis) which were in that area. Them there pigs were going to try to hog the limelightthat Jesus was famous for but ended up being lost in more ways than one! I think Jesus was trying to give to all the sight to see the wrong things in this world we can overcome by walking with Him and His Way of life. *sigh*). Also in a side note theres a rock with what looks like a human footprint in it, it is said this is Christs footprint. The Greek clause literally says, End of law is Christ but why bother finishing the sentence? There's a total change of nature in this man. And Luke intends this to be a display of an extraordinary case. The NT references (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26; cf. The vision stumped the poor apostle; clearly, Peter forgot about the amazing four Greek words of Mark 7:19b. The man could break his earthly chains; he could not break his spiritual ones. Webwere the gerasenes gentiles. He was constrained to act just like the other prophets before him. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. But wait, realize how deep Gods affection for animals goes. 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. Thou lovest men, we love swine. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. ), No matter how you slice it, the Almightys negative view of ham and bacon cant suddenly switch from one day to the next. We see the power of Christ over Satan, don't we? I listen to a pyschiatrist that said he never believed in demon possession until a exorcist ask him to work with him. That's even more unexpected than not being angry because in Paul's case, it was the other way around. led to the substitute reading Gergesenes, a reading that was suggested by a study of the geography of the area. The apostle had been busy preaching in Demetriuss hometown of Ephesus and Pauls message about the one true God was catching on. At this distance from the Sea of Galilee, Gerasa could not have been the site of the healing of Legion. It is doubtful that Jesus ever visited it. He was possessed of extraordinary strength but he was aware that there was a man of God in his presence. And God isnt going to renounce or retract that decision no matter how many dispensational charts they print. 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. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. But this I do know, when people say that because those pigs died it shows that Jesus was not a good and virtuous man theyre forgetting three things. Or, what if Paul had knocked two thousand dolls into the drink would he have written as many epistles as he did, while having to dogpaddle? Since demons are by most accounts fallen angels to begin with, they already know to Whom they are ultimately accountable. Sadly, Luther and other Reformed theologians repeat the same theological rubbish, despite Jesus saying he did not come to destroy the Law. You received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it! (Acts 7:53). Being made in God's image, we are more important to the Lord than any animal. Pretty quickly the whole city was in an uproar. Either way, dispensational charts ultimately commit both acts against the Word of God. After a dramatic journey across the lake (Luke 8:22-25), Jesus steps for the first and last time into Gentile territory. Show us the sins of our hearts that we are captive to. The action is no different than, Lets return again to when Jesus cleaned up the Temple courtyard of merchants and merchandise. As was just so elegantly discussed, the destruction of the herd only makes sense if we remember that God never liked unclean food to begin with. Yet the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke actually report that the towns people many would have been the owners or friends of the pig owners or people who were connected to the trade in the swine were frightened of the Jewish rabbi. Indeed, some believe that Jesuss single option was to let Legion loose on the animals. Fear and selfishness prompted the prayer. 2023. Archeology. Gergasa (modern name Kersa) was a small village nearby, and Gadara was the larger region of which the village was a part, with Gerasa as the regional capital. Well Ill explain that too, later on. 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 inhabitants of the city. To that end, may I present. Gadara). 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! There's nothing that they can do to restrain His mighty arm. 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.. If you watch the short clip (above) and compare it to the one hour source video Dominating Powers, Part 2 (Mark 5:1-20) you will notice how MacArthurs speaking style changes as soon as he addresses the matter of the pigs. Every creature on land, or in the water, or in the air is classified by either the Hebrew term, (, The main reason God limits righteous people to a select group of clean/pure animals is for, Gods altar was also separate and distinct and holy. If you're carrying a sheep, is it still a "piggy" back ride? Jesus is saying that Jesuss commandments are the same as the Fathers. No cumbered chamber will the Master share,But one swept bare By cleansing fires, then plenished fresh and fairWith meekness, and humility, and prayer.There will He come, yet, coming, even thereHe stands and waits, and will no entrance winUntil the latch be lifted from within. destroyed) and every perplexing dispensational chart is legit. 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. p. 102. But when the pigs need to be explained, he immediately seems lost and turns to heartless comedy. 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 have therefore made important decisions about the proper treatment of animals. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged Him to let them enter these. Instead of dead Egyptians washing up on the shore, we see dead pigs, an intentional insult to the minions of Satan. 5 ) They werent real Jews They were JINOs! When Jesus said, A new commandment I give unto you (John 13:34), he instantly had the undivided attention of the Tedious Twelve disciples because they knew changing the Law was forbidden. 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. Why explain something that is as plain as the nose on your face? But there are many reasons why Im not keen on the idea of the Gospels as non-historical. After all, racism wasnt invented in the 21st century. Now do you see how silly the Jesus-kept-the-Law-perfectly statement is? Why should this surprise us? 2023 Christianity.com. What do you want? They had the exact same reaction to Jesus that Bertrand Russell would manifest two thousand years later.