The list in the first chapter of Leviticus contains only bovine, sheep, goats and pigeons; all typified later, in Leviticus 11, as clean/pure animals. And the thing that I love the most is the utter contrast in his attitude toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Money Maker Software is compatible with AmiBroker, MetaStock, Ninja Trader & MetaTrader 4. The shortest distance between two thoughts. There he meets a man seized with an unclean spirit (Mark) or with demons (Luke). At best, Malachi 4:4 should read as, Remember the Law of Moses, but mine's better. 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. Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 141-144). Next, what if our imaginary Jew damaged a ton of Gentile property under their very noses. v. 37) describe Jesus healing of the demoniac Legion and the drowning of the swine in the Sea of Galilee (cf. 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'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. We use cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Instead, his conscious act of casting the demons into the swine resulted in the entire herds destruction. 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. For one, Leviticus 22:28 forbids righteous farmers from killing a cow and its calf on the same day. And he was the one who said that the Father doesnt miss the , Everyone's wondering why the pigs got the raw end of the deal. Why do I say that book? Ruins of the temple of Artemis, some columns still standing, are on another hillside above the ruins. The Law of God. Its all so reminiscent of John MacArthur joking and John Piper giving pat answers because n body wants to be honest with the Word of God and face facts and Jesus killing pigs is one of those uncomfortable contradictions.). While foretelling death and doom was often part of a prophets job description, the real task of each true prophet was to be an example to the people and to get everyone on board, or back on board, with the Law of God. War II. All four gospel writers repeatedly testify to Jesuss power over storm, waves and. Seven Forgotten Facts clarify our interpretation, One possible reason the Son of David chose the pigs was that he had, But this view is shocking because it places Gods Son on an equal footing with the unclean spirits and thus flies in the face of the normal presentation of Jesus in the Gospels. 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. Search the web and you will find many opinions about why the pigs died. I say that Christians have turned Jews off because church-goers claim Jesus destroyed the Law and that Jews are blind for following the Law of Moses still. (, But MacArthurs logical is funny for another reason. 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? Thats right, Whatever matter I am commanding you right now, it's what you must be careful to observe to do. 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. The pastors attempts to laugh off the haunting question about the meek and lowly Son of Man killing all the pigs is pathetic. As the Philistine dead were strewn from Gaza to Ekron, so thousands of Satans dead fell in their own territory. It's this man who doesn't even remember his name who's possessed by a host of demons. He also wrote the poem Greatheart. 2 The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. We usually think of Jesus as the loving, forgiving guy from Galilee, right? The nearby shepherds were sheep shepherds, not hog herders. This, by the way, is WebGenesis 10:5 Context. Rabbi, begone! p. 102. Amen. The modern village Jarash is situated on the hillside above the ruins, built with stones from the ruins. 1. For being kind to birds!? Ive not heard that theory before. He's no longer under the domination of demons or his own sin. Last week, we were crossing over with Jesus to the other side, weathering a fierce storm until he woke up and calmed the sea. To be honest, all the bad humour honestly makes me believe the pastor is being dishonest. 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. Luke means it to be an extraordinary event. We see the power of Christ over Satan, don't we? I dont see anything of that sort in the story. That is the exact opposite of other godly men (compare with 1 Samuel 24:24 and 1 Chronicles 21:24). The majority admits they are clueless and throw their hands up, stating the herd was just a casualty of war. Another who admits he has no idea why the gentle Jesus jettisoned all those unclean demons unto the swine is John MacArthur. And the good pastor doesnt give any rationale for a slaughter that huge. The main reason God limits righteous people to a select group of clean/pure animals is for the purpose of holiness. Gods Word has to agree with Gods Word. God never said dont touch. She added that bit. The borders are fairly clearly drawn up. And then you see in this passage the change of a heart set free. And while its not true God pairs animals with people every where in Scripture, He does in this statement. But the sad thing I want you to see at the end is the reaction of the majority of his countrymen, because unlike him, they do not beg to be with Jesus. First of all, I believe Mark was attempting to warn his Gentile readers of the great danger of demonic influence and activity. 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. Mark 5 is truly very simple: being a righteous Jew, the Law commands Jesus to abhor pigs as food. 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 apostles arent having a pig roast anywhere. It's almost like the demons are inexorably drawn to Jesus. 10:31). Part of the reason for such a short list is due to the fact that Gods People are special (Exodus 19:5-6) and separate (Deuteronomy 7:6) and unique from others on the earth (1 Peter 2:9). 'Hiemal,' 'brumation,' & other rare wintry words. Israels real enemy is Satan. Those people were Jews in Nazareth. Scripture exhorts us to care for animals and not to be cruel to them. 10 ) It was the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, the area of the Decapolis. Yet they tried to throw one of their own off a cliff (, Now, if a Jew can be treated so badly by fellow Jews, lets put on our thinking caps and imagine what happens to a Jew walking straight into a big group of Gentiles. They were not. The Gerasenes, however, was located in the territory of the Decapolis, a group of ten cities with a majority population of Gentiles. (Matt 15:24). (, 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. To that end, may I present. 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. 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 Gods Law has a law that you cannot change Gods Law. 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. 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. 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 wild animals, as discussed below. He always followed Gods Law. noted the official establishment of Christianity and discontinuance of pagan worship in the 5th cent. Jesus was upholding all the kosher laws within the Land of Israel it was part of his job description. He is the dividing line here. being the holy Messiah of Israel, Jesus wants the swine out of The Land as much as he wants unclean spirits out of The People, and. Ba-dum-tsss.). Anyway, it was the demons that would have decided where, and if, he slept. The city was large and well planned. He knew how bad it was going to go for the pigs. founders day speech by students were the gerasenes gentiles. I beg You, do not torment me. Then, if you look in verse 38, he begs Jesus that he might be with him. Theyre written as factual history. So its a fair comparison to place Pauls actions in Ephesians side-by-side with Jesuss actions by the Lake of Galilee. 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?? WebWho were the gerasenes in the bible? JESUS DIDNT SEND THE DEMONS INTO THE DEEP; But it struck me as interesting that Bertrand Russell had the exact same reaction to this miracle that the people of the Gerasenes had. 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?! If you're carrying a sheep, is it still a "piggy" back ride? The jokes are a smoke screen. The demons inhabit the bodies of this herd of pigs and the pigs cast them into the Lake of Galilee. absolutely anne..there are a few scenarios..nothing more exciting than digging into the Word of God!! But wait, realize how deep Gods affection for animals goes. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. 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. 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 We do not find demons under every pew and under every rock. Answer: the impurity of the swine. Instead of a sling and a stone, Jesus needs only his voice; Jesus commands and the enemy falls.