Sad or False?

[Rubato 1]

I heard a preacher speaking on the maniac of Gadara who said that the part of the story most over looked is the Jews who were herding swine on the hillside. The Jews loved thier 'sinful' occupations so much that they literally asked Jesus to leave them!! This after he had purged the area of a menace!

Is it true that the Jews were herding the swine, or is it more likely that the local 'barbarians' were the ones who asked Jesus to leave?

Is the premise Sad but true? or False?

What do you think?

 

[pinoybaptist]

The Gadarenes were not Jews, or they wouldn't have raised swine. But, let's hear it from the Ph.D.'s and the theologians on this board.
I might be wrong.

 

[exscentric]

Actually there seems to have been two gentlemen. It is a fair assumption that the herders were Jews but it is not stated. Christ went to the Jews and had no reason to be in the area if not to reach Jews, thus the assumption.

The people didn't care a bit to have a great healer around to take care of the sick and possessed, but were worried about the herds.

Interesting passage to say the least.

 

[Amy.G]

I don't see anything in the scripture that implies the herders or townspeople were Jewish.

 

[exscentric]

"The Gadarenes were not Jews, or they wouldn't have raised swine."

That may be the point since in Mark the next chapter points out the Jewish leaders hypocrocy :laugh:

Not to argue since we aren't told :thumbs:

 

[canadyjd]

No, they weren't Jews. They lived in the area of the "Decapolis", which meant "10 cities"; and they were Gentile cities.

I think your preacher misspoke on this one.

peace to youraying:

 

[pinoybaptist]

"The Gadarenes were not Jews, or they wouldn't have raised swine."

That may be the point since in Mark the next chapter points out the Jewish leaders hypocrocy :laugh:

Not to argue since we aren't told :thumbs:

Yeah.
I remember this member we had in the Philippines when I was just a new and fragile convert.

Outspoken against tobacco and spirits.

Owned a mom and pop store which was not selling real good because he didn't carry tobacco and alcohol.

I found out later on that another store in another neighborhood was his.

That store was opened up later than the first one.

You guessed it.

That store carried tobacco and alcohol and native wine......and business was great.:laugh:

 

[exscentric]

Just ran across something you might consider in the question. In Mark 7.24-30 Christ deals with a woman and speaks of the children having their fill first indicating the Jews had not had their fill. Matthew's account mentions that Christ was sent to the house of Israel.

Since these two items are tied together why was Christ in Gadera if not for the Jews - just a thought to ponder.

 

[Humblesmith]

If you check the OT where Joshua was leading the tribes across the Jordan after the 40 years of exile in the wilderness, you'll see that they didn't want to go into the promised land, but were satisfied to stay on the other side of the Jordan. In doing so, they didn't accept God's best, and his symbol of salvation (crossing the Jordan into the land of milk and honey).

When they stayed on the other side, then by the time of Jesus, they were in the pig business, had demon possessed men running around the graveyards. When Jesus shows up, in short order he had gotten rid of the demons and the pigs. The people didn't like it and asked him to leave.

If they had wanted God's best, they would have accepted Jesus. If they had wanted God's best, they would have never been in the pig business to start with.