Well let's pray before we read God's Word together. The Gerasenes were the people of the district of which Gerasa was the capital. 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. Racism: Not a modern invention . But there is a message in this for all of us and it is simply this we may not be possessed by demons, but if we are possessed by what we want or by what we have and if what we want or what we have is not God in the Gospel of His dear Son, Jesus Christ, then we are no less in the thrall of sin that this man. If you eat a swine/hog that has killed eaten a poisonous snake and you eat that hog, you will be poisoned and die. His actions now make sense in this new light. The land of the Gerasenes was on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. 2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. Cute little silver goddess dolls would have sold for the same price as a full-grown boar or sow in those days. It was part of the Greco-Roman region known as the Decapolis, or ten towns. or ten WebMany New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than. The Garasenes were not Jewish but the country was close to Galilee and Jesus had been to that side of the sea before. Here, it may well be that a herd of unclean animals has been used to take thousands of demons to their doom in the lake in anticipation of the final judgment. 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. Who were the gerasenes in the bible? 8 ) Their pork was kosher, kept out of the camp for 7 days, and circumcised. evidence), Ye know that when ye were Gentiles ye were, &c. In this and the following verse the Apostle reminds his readers that so far from regarding the marvellous manifestations of the Spirit, such as speaking with tongues and prophesying, as the most wonderful miracles, the It's not every day that you meet someone inhabited by a host of demons, but every time you meet a Christ-less soul, you meet someone who is utterly captive to sin. The entire herd ran straight off a cliff and drowned. [Israels] real enemy isnt Rome, which barely figures into the gospel story. 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. The demons freak out that Jesus is there because its not time for them to be tormented by Him yet. No Jewish farmer would keep swine, and no Jewish region would tolerate the presence of pigs, let alone two thousand of them (Mark 5:13). Mark as quoted by Spalde, Annika; Strindlund, Pelle (2012). Gergesenes means "those who come from pilgrimage or fight." The demons inhabit the bodies of this herd of pigs and the pigs cast them into the Lake of Galilee. Similarly, as God incarnate, Jesus knows the future. 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? The other part of the eastern shoreline was controlled by Og, king of Bashan, but it and sixty walled cities were taken from them by Moses and given to the tribes of Israel (Deuteronomy 3:1-7, 16; compare with 1 Kings 4:13). The last now appears. ESV - 1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 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. At least Im man enough to admit possible weaknesses in my arguments and to talk about the elephants in the room. JESUS DIDNT SEND THE DEMONS INTO THE DEEP; But pay attention to the body count. Well that's the first thing we see in this passage. The Law of God. War II. Its the exodus that Jesus has come to lead, an exodus from slavery to the prince of this world. And then you see in this passage the change of a heart set free. Those outside of the nation of Israel were considered gentiles. WebHe calls the inhabitants Syrians, when, at the beginning of the Jewish revolt, the district round Gerasa was laid waste. Thats really why they were sent. The jokes are a smoke screen. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, Isaiah 44:9; Isaiah 44:19 Pigs were the required sacrifice on the altar in the temples of Zeus Olympus (Greek) or Jupiter Capitolinus (Roman), the same supreme god of all Hellenic theology known as the "king of 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. 3 He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; 4 for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and (Matt 15:24). All four gospel writers repeatedly testify to Jesuss power over storm, waves and gravity (Matthew 8:22-27, Mark 4:3541 and Luke 8:2225, passages immediately before the pig-demon accounts! The last point to tidy up Jesus allowed the demons to kill the pigs or Jesus did it? Why? So these four miracles show Jesus reaching out to Gentiles, either in Galilee or even in even more Gentile territory across the river. Also oral tradition in this area talks of Christ coming and preaching the gospel there but being asked to leave shortly afterwards. It goes like this: These are the people of Gerasene speaking to Jesus Rabbi be gone. So why did the meek n merciful Son of Man cast countless defiling demons into two thousand piglets, sows and boars? Two thousand pigs together is quiet unimaginable. And what about trees or rocks?

. Hello, I dont know the real answer but I have heard from others that Jesus has authority over any demonic presence and there were many in this man (other Gospel says two men), so it clearly shows Jesus Power and Authority and that is probably the main point to show the people and the demon possessed at that time that it doesnt matter how many of you there are your not staying and your leaving now because I say so and you cant do anything and because I say so you can go into them pigs because you are unclean, so it was a demonstration for all, including his Disciples who were with him, I do believe that Jesus went there for that purpose because of his Love for us, Jesus knows why He did it, maybe one day He will tell us or not ? My question is: And what about commands for married people (Exodus 21:10), or the command that a man gives his wife a bill of divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1)? So how on earth could they dictate to the Son of God where they wished to go? iii. They were to teach the Gentiles about Him (Acts 13:4647). The entire herd ran straight off a cliff and drowned. Jesus is saying that Jesuss commandments are the same as the Fathers. Christ's primary focus was on "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. Amen. Such a pat answer to such a serious question is as irritating as it is ridiculous. 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. That fact must be kept in mind in our ethical discussions. 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. Go be a witness to Me as My disciple.. ; Mark v.; Luke viii.) It all belongs to God. But with all this talk about tenderness, what on Earth could have changed Jesuss tune and made him treat the swine the way he did? The modern village Jarash is situated on the hillside above the ruins, built with stones from the ruins. 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. Wed also have to confess that the farmers were not Gentile. The apostle had been busy preaching in Demetriuss hometown of Ephesus and Pauls message about the one true God was catching on. This, by the way, is the miracle story that happens in Gentile land. For these reasons, the writers of the gospels gave no explanation and the Twelve asked no question about why Jesus destroyed all the swine. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). WebGenesis 10:5 Context. What care we for his soul?What good to us that Thou hast made him whole,Since we have lost our swine? 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.". The next allusion to Gerasa concerns its capture during Vespasians campaign. They belonged to God. Were in the same story, my friends. It is repeated over and over. No products in the cart. So He gave them permission. Pig meat, according to Scripture, is as unclean as the demons that Jesus sent into the swine. End of story. Three witnesses! Ba-dum-tsss.). Executive Committee of the Editorial Board. All we know now is that the demoniac could have been either: Jew or Gentile. Its flesh you must not eat. Incredible. about a.d. 65. He's set free. One moose, two moose. Demons, Jesus, and the Pigs The Outlaw Bible Student, http://www.linearconcepts.com/archives/2011. Wipf & Stock Publishers. Fear and selfishness prompted the prayer. Sproul also agrees with this preference of people over pigs when he writes, a man is worth more than 2,000 pigs.. It's just 8 or 9 verses before this passage. absolutely anne..there are a few scenarios..nothing more exciting than digging into the Word of God!! But look at how many times God let it be known in the Law and in very certain terms eating pork was offensive. The concept of Gentiles is found in the Old Testament. These pastors have, Look at the prophets; they also prove Scripture doesnt change. Peaceable Kingdom Series. Because some confusion exists in the gospel MS evidence and perhaps in other source material, absolute certainty cannot be attained; but the following identification seems correct. It was a leading city of Syria in commerce, culture, and religion. The demons are aware that He is there and they are frightened. He was getting everyone on board with what was started at Sinai. What have You to do with me, Jesus, the Son of the Most High God? Pork was a prevalent food staple and as you travel near the gates of Gibraltar the terrain matches the craggy cliffs as well as the placement of aboveground as well as natural cave tombs which show signs of living inhabitants at some point. She suffers a more oppressive slavery than ever before not to human rulers but to demons, who are bold enough to enter synagogues on the Sabbat. Instead they joke around and give pat answers.