It was like, Read my lips, Saul! With such a track record, what difference would Legions size or strength make? Demetrius had to do something with the Jew or go bust. They, like the demons, are afraid of Him and they beg Him to leave and He does. 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. Because the writer of the story wanted to make sure that everyone would know that the Garasenes were not Jewish. ; Mark v.; Luke viii.) Furthermore, how upset must God get seeing a doctor reach into the womb of a mother and murder her unborn child? 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) 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. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. 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. Furthermore, the play-by-play presents no reason to be judged as a parable or an allegory. Its totally contrary to what we would expect. Thou lovest men, we love swine. As out-of-place as the pig-assisted exorcism by the Lake of Galilee was, the awful event is actually recorded in three Gospels; in Matthew 8:2834, Mark 5:120 and Luke 8:2639. And not only that, he's about to be a witnessing disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. 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. The Law of God states that the Sabbath is a day of rest for all livestock (Deuteronomy 5:14). Show us the only hope of deliverance from those sins and teach us these things from this passage. Ive heard that the apostles and Christ may have traveled to Spain. It pains them to admit that Jesus was/is a Jewish Messiah and not a Christian one. Can we imagine our Jew receiving a mostly positive reaction or a negative one? These pastors have, Look at the prophets; they also prove Scripture doesnt change. What have You to do with me, Jesus, the Son of the Most High God? 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! Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion, for many demons had entered him. He had a new name and he had a new nature to go along with it. Secondly, the text is written to show Jesus dunnit. Isnt this what hes paid for? Some of my Christian brothers and sisters see this as coded language referring to a confrontation with the political and military power of Rome. These are tremendously important facts that GotQuestions is ignorant of, or they prefer to spread disinformation about, this important Biblical truth that, in the mind of the Almighty, holiness is bound to what we eat. All four gospel writers repeatedly testify to Jesuss power over storm, waves and. To feed the spectators who came there purposely to see those crazy chain braking tomb dwelling lunatics! The Gemara on the passage gives a historical foundation for the practise in the times of Aristobulus. Why do I say that book? 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. But the height of ignorance, the most foolhardy statement is, Jesus fulfilled the whole Law so we dont have to. Only a person who knows absolutely zero about Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy would say such a thing. Apparently Gerasa was rebuilt by the Romans before the revolt began, prob. The man could break his earthly chains; he could not break his spiritual ones. It seems Jesus allowed the demons to destroy the pigs so that the people could see just what demons are up to when they assault people. 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. Christians never finish reading the chapter. After stilling the storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee, Jesus lands with his disciples on the eastern shore of the lake. Ptolemy says Gerasa was a city in Coele-Syria, thirty-five travel m. from Pella. Diana (Artemis) of Ephesuslovely without a nose! Gods Law has a law that you cannot change Gods Law. 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. Sinai. If I still had some misgivings, Id be man enough to share them here. Such a contradiction in character! Since demons are by most accounts fallen angels to begin with, they already know to Whom they are ultimately accountable. Executive Committee of the Editorial Board. The action is no different than, Lets return again to when Jesus cleaned up the Temple courtyard of merchants and merchandise. Try Bible Gateway Plus free today. Legion probably comes from the fact that Roman legions had four to six thousand men in them and this name, Legion, indicates that he is possessed by a host of demons.
. And it is reveals a great deal comparing the reactions of the Gentiles in the two towns. The Syrians made reprisals, and took many prisoners. 2 And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. 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! One unambiguous (but hotly debated) verse that supports this doctrine is, 1 John 5:7: For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. So if we agree Messiah is part of the Godhead, then logically we agree Messiah also co-authored, with the Father, the Law of God. We "are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. And were you aware that the New Testament repeats the same two commands from Deuteronomy? They have therefore made important decisions about the proper treatment of animals. A main street with columns on both sides leads out of the forum. Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. These demons of the Gadarene Demoniac wanted to stay in this territory where worship of Baal was predominant. The demons inhabit the bodies of this herd of pigs and the pigs cast them into the Lake of Galilee. I could have come up with better arguments against Christianity than Bertrand Russell, but in the course of this book in one of the chapters, he says it is this story that led him to the conclusion that Jesus was neither the best nor the most virtuous of men. 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. But now this is an extraordinary case. Its true! Jesus was wise to use what God gives us, for a teachable moment. 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 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. Many of you have seen, maybe fewer of you have read, a book by the famous British philosopher and skeptic, Bertrand Russell. But let me just suggest that one thing that might be happening here is a picture of Jesus future judgment on the demonic forces that are arrayed against God. Thats why there was a herd of two thousand Even so, the Bible never puts the worth of animals on the same level as the worth of humanity. (. Secondly, theyre forgetting that Jesus also says that people are more important than sparrows. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. We use cookies to provide you with a great user experience. It was like, And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent for He is not a man that He should relent. But when Jesus explained that the commandment was the old one from Leviticus, Love one another, they signed with relief, seeing how he was just underscoring the command that God already gave (Leviticus 19:18). This agrees with the general description of the site (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26). So many beautiful verses and motivating passages are in Scripture. This, by the way, is the miracle story that happens in Gentile land. Pliny described it as a city of the Decapolis founded after the Rom. He is a billionaire, he is about to break Jack Nicklaus record, he's married to a model, he has two beautiful children, he has everything that anybody in the world could possibly want to have. 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's in Luke chapter 8, verse 18. he has the power and the authority to ameliorate both. This kind of inter-ethnic scenario normally spells d.i.s.a.s.t.e.r. What about sheep? However, the silversmith was a smart cookie and knew that the more people bought into Pauls line of thinking, the less theyd be buying his souvenir Diana statues. For one, Leviticus 22:28 forbids righteous farmers from killing a cow and its calf on the same day. (we dont invent stories to let people know Jesus has power over the Tooth Fairy, do we?). 1). 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. The power and the person of Jesus Christ. conquest of Syria in 65 b.c. View our current career opportunities. The action is no different than Revelation 14:14-15 where we see the Son of Man brandishing a sharp sickle. Anyway, it was the demons that would have decided where, and if, he slept. Instead they joke around and give pat answers. GotQuestions has three articles alone on the subject: here is their best. To that end, may I present. To run Money Maker Software properly, Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 SP1 or higher version is required. That is all I know. Now I want to say very quickly, my friends, that there is no power in this universe that can cause a rationale being to sin. And thirdly, they are forgetting the fate of this man with an immortal soul who was in danger not only of a continuous life of torment, but an eternal separation from God. This, by the way, is three
And based roughly on current prices, Jesus caused hundred of thousands of dollars in damages. Well pretend with him that the folks in Gerasenes were placid Gentile farmers happily raising their gentle Gentile pigs. It may well be a picture of the reverse of what happened in the Garden of Eden. Its not clear exactly who is doing more killings, the LORD or Melchizedek, but the picture overall fits the image of Son of God cleaning the land of swine. 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. That sure does smell good! Go be a witness to Me as My disciple.. But just a theory. Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight." (But that may sadly describe a good number of Christians.) Jesus is equating his commandments which can only be the ones in the Law of Moses, because he gave no commandments in the Gospels with his Fathers commandments in the Five Books of Moses. You know, a month ago, a month ago, if you had said to anyone, You know, Tiger Woods is in slavery. They would have looked at you and said, You've got to be out of your mind. 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. Problem was, not even the pigs could withstand the madness these demonic forces manifested. get to know the Bible better! So these four miracles show Jesus reaching out to Gentiles, either in Galilee or even in even more Gentile territory across the river. 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). And from what I have heard, preferrably pig blood. Take the first chapter of Genesis for example; ones interpretation of it depends on whether one thinks its a historical retelling of creation, or just a poem. And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. (Question: If God cares about the mother-child relationship in animals, how does He consider that relationship for people? The shortest distance between two thoughts. Lets re-examine the event in the light of seven important Scriptural facts. You understand that Legion is not his name. He said, If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). Two thousand pigs together is quiet unimaginable. And he sends out his representative, a man who is known only as the Lieutenant of the Tower of Barad-dr, the black gate. But when the pigs need to be explained, he immediately seems lost and turns to heartless comedy. The three passages that describe the incident with the demoniacs in the country of the Gerasenes, also called Gadarenes, are Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, and Luke 8:26-39. He was completely in the thrall of sin. Scripture also makes it abundantly clear that God Almighty cannot change, and no one, not even the Lord's Anointed Messiah can change the Law which they both wrote. And sadly, neither of the two Johns considered Gods extreme love for His Creation when giving their interpretations. I listen to a pyschiatrist that said he never believed in demon possession until a exorcist ask him to work with him. ITS LIKE THE WITCH ON TGE WIZARD OF OZ 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. We are all responsible for our sins and so no demonic force can take control of a human life and make you sin unless you allow it. (Sidebar: During the whole Rob Bell Love Wins craze, I had a friend who claimed to believe the Bible, but denied that demons exist. In Jesus first trip to that Gentile area: They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes (in Gadara). God never said dont touch. She added that bit. They sort of seek Him out. No other place on the E side of the sea fits this requirement of the story. ]. Some will respond to my rhetorical question, Why on earth would Jesus come to earth, by giving me the usual pat answer. But they dont prove his point. 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. You can bet your bottom drachma there is. War II. 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. Three witnesses! Over the years, Ive had to prove all this to myself first, and it took soul-searching and tons of Scripture research. Webwere the gerasenes gentiles. v. 37) describe Jesus healing of the demoniac Legion and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee (cf. And if I remember correctly, I think there is some tradition about other Apostles going to Spain. 11:78). Gadarenes, Girgesenes, Gerasenes: (These three names are used indiscriminately to designate the place where Jesus healed two demoniacs. 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? 2023 Christianity.com. Matthew tells us there were two demoniacs, while Mark and Luke only 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. 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? Well let's pray before we read God's Word together. When Jesus and his disciples landed on the other side, it was in a region known as the Gerasenes, Gentile territory. 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 If you're carrying a sheep, is it still a "piggy" back ride? In a, If Paul got himself into hot water because of a Gentile, 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! It is true that we discover new thoughts or extra meaning over time, but Gods Word is permanent and cannot change. Are you seeing this? WebGERASA, GERASENES (, ). If you eat a swine/hog that has killed eaten a poisonous snake and you eat that hog, you will be poisoned and die. So I figure we could speculate a little and see where this goes. 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. Only this interpretation explains the farmers restrained reaction over the slaughter of the swine, and their tremendous terror of the Messiah. Oops! The miracle referred to took place, without doubt, near the town of Gergesa, the modern Kersa , close by the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, and hence in the country of Gergesenes. The last point to tidy up Jesus allowed the demons to kill the pigs or Jesus did it? Is there a connection? 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. And it is a shame that the good pastors dont take these relevant Scripture passage into consideration. Originally published in Tabletalk, our daily Bible study magazine. It goes like this: These are the people of Gerasene speaking to Jesus Rabbi be gone. (. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. WebBlog Uncategorized were the gerasenes gentiles Uncategorized were the gerasenes gentiles Saying God reverses a verdict or compromises a promise soils His Name. 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. But we should never get too smug, thinking that we have corned the market on truth. On the other hand, the Masters usually thick-headed students, the Tedious Twelve, didnt question him about this! The city was large and well planned. Yet being part of the Godhead means Messiah cannot not flip-flop his opinions. Well Ill explain that too, later on. Many year later, Messiah went to Israel as a prophet to get the people of Israel back to, The two Johns see more than a hint of what I am talking about in the destruction of the swine and it frightens them so they avoid a serious discussion. Nothing we have belongs to us. Can we really point the finger at him? Last week, we were crossing over with Jesus to the other side, weathering a fierce storm until he woke up and calmed the sea. This picking and choosing is completely unbiblical. Its kinda like the difference between a Disney movie, a TV documentary and/or an infomercial; normally each is dissimilar from the other. Living in rural Central Africa villages for ten years, I heard many stories from locals about demon spirits living in streams and trees and boulders.
Theocracy Advantages And Disadvantages Quizlet,
Why Can't I Find Rold Gold Pretzel Rods,
Club Seats Ball Arena,
Lil Jojo Death Video,
Does Everleigh Labrant Have Down Syndrome,
Articles W