No, I've checked my facts, anticipated the arguments, remembered my own arguments from he past, and now Im ready to present my conclusions for Christians to consider. R.C. the obscure phrase, (declaring all food clean), is magically transformed by the New International Version into, In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean, or into even lovelier prose like, By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in Gods eyes, by the New Living Translation (talk about making silk purse out of a sows ear). Who owned the pigs? (, Worse yet, dont trust one who says Scripture. Overall, when it comes to any animal being selected for food or for sacrifice, God sees only two types. The Law of God states that the Sabbath is a day of rest for all livestock (Deuteronomy 5:14). 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. But MacArthurs logical is funny for another reason. WebScripture exhorts us to care for animals and not to be cruel to them. Rabbi, begone! And this identical detail was written down in three different texts to remind us of the Son of Mans normally tender nature. The account occurs in all three Synoptic gospels; in Mark (the shortest gospel) the story is in the longest and most detailed version; Matthew 8.2834 is the shortest, 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. (photo by Jean Pierre, Pexels), Reading the Word of God is wonderful. John 13:34 was the one single, solitary time that the Master told his disciples, I give you a new commandment. However, the commandment wasnt a new commandment. But as Gergesa was a small village, and little known, the evangelists, who wrote for more distant readers, spoke of the event as taking place in the country of the Gadarenes, so named from its largest city, Gadara; and this country included the country of the Gergesenes as a state includes a county. It's this man who is in bondage to these demons. Is John really referring to just the plagues of the book of Revelation, or could his words also include other books and plagues? Sproul also agrees with this preference of people over pigs when he writes, a man is worth more than 2,000 pigs.. 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. The victorious Lord made life good again for one embattled soul. 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! And Jews are forbidden by God and His eternal commands to own pigs. It seems to happen a lot in the gospels. (Quite likely David would have let the lion and the bear free, if not for the fact that they came back at him: 2 Samuel 17:35). 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. One Bible expositor said the pigs the demons sought refuge in were black. And her addition to Gods commandment led to her disobedience and to Adams, and then God added some amazing plagues to mankind, just as John says (Revelation 22:18) will happen to those who add to His Word (and not just the book of Revelation). They had the exact same reaction to Jesus that Bertrand Russell would manifest two thousand years later. Thats the exodus that Israel needs. HDB, II, p. 158, 159 for a detailed description.). WebInhabitants of Gadara, known from an alleged miracle of Jesus (Matt. The pastors precious-people useless-swine principle was previously dreamed up by the 3rd century church father, St. Augustine of Hippo (quoted by Spalde and Strindlund), and he ran with it. were Them there pigs were trying to hog Jesus limelight! Just as God defeated Pharaohs army at the Red Sea, so Jesus defeats Satans army in the land of the Gerasenes. From the readings of the best texts and from the unsuitability of the locality around Gadara it appears that the proper reading should be "Gerasenes" and the place located at Karsa, on the left bank of the Wadi Samak, near the sea of Galilee. So He got into the boat and returned. (Please dont hide behind that sensational dispensational chart. * And if one doesnt believe demons exist ..same question: why invent a false story to make the point that Jesus has power over demonic creatures that dont exist? 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. We are pleased to launch our new product Money Maker Software for world's best charting softwares like AmiBroker, MetaStock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4. And was the Master doing the right thing sacrificing someone elses pigs. Besides, it was Christmas! WebMany New Testament manuscripts refer to the "Country of the Gadarenes" or "Gerasenes" rather than. 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. As a result, our biggest take-away lesson is to never take away from the Word of the Almighty.But dispensational-flavoured pastors ignore this and teach us that Moses and David and even Jesus lived by different rules. = 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. Being made in God's image, we are more important to the Lord than any animal. If our faithful, unchanging Heavenly Father God made a straightforward decisive yet divisive decision and repeated it over and over and over, then why cant the good pastors connect the dots and figure out Jesuss real relationship to the pigs? Well Ill explain that too, later on. He should know that centuries before the prophet Isaiah spoke against Jews eating pork and hanging around in tombs. They forget that all scripture is inspired of God and all of it is established in the heavens and none of it can change. ___________________________________________________________________. These pastors have, Look at the prophets; they also prove Scripture doesnt change. What need have we of further witnesses? We "are of more value than many sparrows" (Matt. WebWho do you care more about, people or pigs? he has the power and the authority to ameliorate both. Don Crowe and Nicholas Gentile direct the Oswego Players Scenes of Crime; Section X: Canton downs Heuvelton for repeat Overall Section 10 title; Section X: Lady Wildcats edge Hammond for Section Overall title; PROPERTY SALES; Local pro hockey: Former Wolves player Liarakos paces Mississippi past visiting Watertown But wait, realize how deep Gods affection for animals goes. Therefore, by associating the two commandments together, and you catch some of the character of our Heavenly Father. Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way. 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. I trust the Lord Jesus to know what to do with demons and what ought to be done. Its one thing to understand that He personally never changes. If you have your Bibles I'd invite you to turn with me to Luke chapter 8 and this great story of the man who was possessed by demons, liberated by the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. What do you have that youre captive to, that youre enslaved to? For less than $5/mo. How and why did this happen in the first place? They cannot cast a spell on Him. Gerasenes | Biblical Training Thy powers bring loss to us and ours. And what does the Law say about pigs? Palmer Robertson was telling me not long after he had arrived in Africa to begin his ministry there he was taken to a nighttime fireside meeting with a witch doctor a man who was possessed of familiar spirits, who had extraordinary powers of strength, prediction, he was hired by people to put curses on other people and to put spells on other people. 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? All these inescapable facts are so important to getting the right interpretation of Mark 5 and the other gospel records of the same event. Echoes of Exodus in the Land of theGerasenes, Wesleys Eschatological Optimism Explains itAll, The Prophet in the Hometown A Pilgrim in Augsburg, The Methodist Million Dollar Appeal in World WarII. And Jews are forbidden by God and His eternal commands to own pigs. 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. Demetrius had to do something with the Jew or go bust. This is a noteworthy fact because not every event in Jesuss ministry was thrice written down. And low and behold, two gospels specify that Jesus didnt go into Tyre (part of modern Lebanon), but that he was only in the vicinity of the city (Matthew 15:21; Mark 7:24 and Mark 7:31). And so the demons call out His name Jesus, the Son of the Most High God and it has no effect on Him. So much for sola scriptura. 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. Originally published in Tabletalk, our daily Bible study magazine. Therefore, as we have seen from the Deuteronomy and Revelation, and Jesuss own words, he was not allowed to adjust the Law of God and he had no intention of doing so. Gergesa - Wikipedia 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). 9 ) They were wild Ferrel hogs feeding near the cliffs. Later, Leviticus 11 explains to His Chosen People that He had chosen only ritually clean/pure animals for them to eat. Money Maker Software enables you to conduct more efficient analysis in Stock, Commodity, Forex & Comex Markets. The demons, who in this man have terrified the whole countryside to the point that they had tried to retrain this man with chains they were so frightened of Him, those demons are now afraid of Jesus because they know who Jesus is and they know where Jesus can cast them. But the Jews were promised and re-promised their land by God throughout the Law: Genesis 15:7, Leviticus 20:24, Numbers 33:52-53, Deuteronomy 1:8 are just a few examples. The demons are aware that He is there and they are frightened. 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 In the story of the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus invades enemy territory and defeats a powerful army to deliver people from bondage. But what does Leviticus says about ham? If pigs were considered unclean then would the demons not wanted unclean to possess. But what does Leviticus says about, And also the pig; although it has a hoof splitting in half and it has a hoof clearly tearing in two, the pig doesn't bring back up its cud to chew. Such a contradiction in character! Maybe it was because they were unclean animals. The excavations uncovered what is to date the best preserved Rom. Well, Ill try and explain that before the end of the sermon, but there were several titles that didn't get included in the sermon bulletin today. It pains them to admit that Jesus was/is a, Sixth Fact: True identity of the pig farmers. The hard hearts of those who reject Jesus. Well, this happens in the gospel with Jesus. Flower blossoms wither. It is a logical thesis based on historic accounts (Josephus, etc) Feel free to challenge this thought or pursue it from another angle. 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. Gerasa. (Matthew 8:28; Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) In Gerasenes in place of Gadarenes. We have it all down on paper exactly how gentle Gentiles can get when they get annoyed by a Jew. War I. iv. Compared to the accounts of the same event in Matthew and Luke also written in simple narrative prose some details vary.
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