<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Mark 5;11-17<div><br></div><div><b>11. &nbsp;Now a great herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside;</b></div><div><b>12. &nbsp;and they </b>(the many demons possessing the man) <b>begged him </b>(Jesus), <b>“Send us to the swine, let us enter them.”</b></div><div><b></b><b>13. &nbsp;So he gave them leave. &nbsp;And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.</b></div><div><b>14. &nbsp;The herdsmen fled, and told it in the city and in the country. &nbsp;And all the people came to see what had happened.</b></div><div><b>15. &nbsp;And they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had the legion; &nbsp;and they were afraid.</b></div><div><b>16. &nbsp;And those who had seen it told what had happened to the demoniac&nbsp;and to the swine.</b></div><div><b>17. &nbsp;And they began to beg&nbsp;Jesus to depart from their neighborhood.</b></div><div><br></div><div>Now here is a text you seldom hear preached upon in church…and it most assuredly needs to be preached on boldly.</div><div><br></div><div>Consider how wherever Jesus traveled, great crowds flocked around him so much so that it was difficult for Jesus and the disciples to have any peace. &nbsp;It was Jesus who said&nbsp;to the disciples,&nbsp;<i>“Let us&nbsp;go on to the next towns, </i>(leaving behind great crows of people)&nbsp;<i>that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.” &nbsp;</i>(Mark 1;38)<u></u></div><div><br></div><div>Yet, when it came to the towns&nbsp;around the city of&nbsp;Gerasene, and the city itself, (in the region of the south east&nbsp;land around&nbsp;the Sea of Galilee.) they <u>all begged Jesus to depart from them!</u>&nbsp; Why? &nbsp;Answer: Money.</div><div><br></div><div>Having Jesus in our lives may result in cleansing us of very profitable but&nbsp;unclean investments. &nbsp;Having Jesus in our lives means we may loose our ill gotten wealth. &nbsp;Being a follower of Jesus can be costly!</div><div>Think of the wealth the disciples lost when they stopped being fishermen.</div><div><br></div><div>The people who lived in that region were mostly Jews and some Samaritans (who tried to be&nbsp;‘Jewish’<span>).</span></div><div><span>The Jews were commanded in the law of Moses to not eat pork. &nbsp;Swine were unclean animals to the Jews.</span></div><div><span>Eating them made a Jew unclean and supposedly unfit to partake of either Jewish society or worship.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Now, some may argue that those Jews (who as a community were deeply invested in the production of swine meat) themselves were not eating the meat, but selling it to the Gentile Romans, (and getting rich from the profits). &nbsp;But, my guess is that this business of swine&nbsp;meat&nbsp;production may well&nbsp;have tempted many Jews into setting aside the law of Moses as well.&nbsp;Whether this is true or not, being in business with the enemies of Israel is a traitorous behavior, certainly displeasing to the Lord, both politically and spiritually.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Not at all unlike moving your American flag making company to China…(not very patriotic).</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Jesus could not have been pleased to see this huge investment by the people of the region, (a herd of&nbsp;2000 pigs!&nbsp; The law of Moses set aside for gain.) &nbsp;By&nbsp;allowing the demons to enter the pigs, Jesus knew what would happen to those poor dumb animals. &nbsp;They would go mad and destroy themselves. &nbsp;(Consider this when thinking about suicide. It is certainly a demonically&nbsp;influenced act.) &nbsp;<i>“He </i>(the devil) <i>was a murderer from the beginning.” </i>(John 8;44)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>The destruction of the swine was both a blessing and a rebuke to the people. &nbsp;It was like Jesus cleansing the temple of the money changers and those who bought and sold. &nbsp;It happened because the Lord allowed it to happen. &nbsp;It cleansed the land, but sadly not the people. &nbsp;Is this a victory for the demons? No. &nbsp;But, let it be a lesson for us. &nbsp;Christ indeed seeks to change our lives, calling us into Himself, and leaving all unclean things behind.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>The Holy Spirit in us inspires financial sacrifice to the glory of God and the building of His kingdom. &nbsp;The false god Mammon, inspires greed,&nbsp;lust for gain, and increased possessions. &nbsp;Wealth is given us by God to be used for His glory, not for us to love,&nbsp;worship, serve, or be devoted to it. &nbsp;<i>“A man’s’ life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” &nbsp; </i>(Luke 12;15)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>These people asked Jesus to depart because they were afraid of the cost of having him in their lives! &nbsp;So long as Jesus was healing them and feeding them, everyone desired Him. &nbsp;Once following Jesus became hard or&nbsp;expensive, many turned from away&nbsp;Him, and sought Him no more. &nbsp;There is a real cost for discipleship, but remember, nothing ever ‘lost’ or given up for the sake of the Lord and His kingdom is ever really lost. &nbsp;(see, Matthew 19;24-30)</span></div><div><br></div><div>Jesus does not force himself into our lives, he will leave us to our darkness and death, our love of wealth and pleasure, if that is what our hearts desire, and what we choose to&nbsp;seek&nbsp;after. &nbsp;<i>“Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for&nbsp;what a man sows, that shall he reap. &nbsp;For he who sows to his own&nbsp;flesh&nbsp;will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who&nbsp;sows to the Spirit&nbsp;will reap</i><i>&nbsp;eternal life”. </i><span>(Galatians 6;7&amp;8)</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>With the Lord as our Shepherd, we will not lack, we have everything, we have the kingdom. &nbsp;If He allows us to endure poverty, we are still rich in Him. &nbsp;Our poverty with contentment is worship.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Prayer: &nbsp;Most merciful Father, deliver us from the love of riches. &nbsp;Teach our hearts to desire the true riches which last to eternal life. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>Love,</span></div><div><span>Dad/Baba/Eric</span></div><div><span>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</span></div><div><span>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the word of God. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”&nbsp;</span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Mark 5;11-17
11.  Now a great herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside;12.  and they (the many demons possessing the man) begged him (Jesus), “Send us to the swine, let us enter them.”13.  So he gave them leave.  And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.14.  The herdsmen fled, and told it in the city and in the country.  And all the people came to see what had happened.15.  And they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had the legion;  and they were afraid.16.  And those who had seen it told what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine.17.  And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their neighborhood.
Now here is a text you seldom hear preached upon in church…and it most assuredly needs to be preached on boldly.
Consider how wherever Jesus traveled, great crowds flocked around him so much so that it was difficult for Jesus and the disciples to have any peace.  It was Jesus who said to the disciples, “Let us go on to the next towns, (leaving behind great crows of people) that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.”  (Mark 1;38)
Yet, when it came to the towns around the city of Gerasene, and the city itself, (in the region of the south east land around the Sea of Galilee.) they all begged Jesus to depart from them!  Why?  Answer: Money.
Having Jesus in our lives may result in cleansing us of very profitable but unclean investments.  Having Jesus in our lives means we may loose our ill gotten wealth.  Being a follower of Jesus can be costly!Think of the wealth the disciples lost when they stopped being fishermen.
The people who lived in that region were mostly Jews and some Samaritans (who tried to be ‘Jewish’).The Jews were commanded in the law of Moses to not eat pork.  Swine were unclean animals to the Jews.Eating them made a Jew unclean and supposedly unfit to partake of either Jewish society or worship.
Now, some may argue that those Jews (who as a community were deeply invested in the production of swine meat) themselves were not eating the meat, but selling it to the Gentile Romans, (and getting rich from the profits).  But, my guess is that this business of swine meat production may well have tempted many Jews into setting aside the law of Moses as well. Whether this is true or not, being in business with the enemies of Israel is a traitorous behavior, certainly displeasing to the Lord, both politically and spiritually.
Not at all unlike moving your American flag making company to China…(not very patriotic).
Jesus could not have been pleased to see this huge investment by the people of the region, (a herd of 2000 pigs!  The law of Moses set aside for gain.)  By allowing the demons to enter the pigs, Jesus knew what would happen to those poor dumb animals.  They would go mad and destroy themselves.  (Consider this when thinking about suicide. It is certainly a demonically influenced act.)  “He (the devil) was a murderer from the beginning.” (John 8;44)
The destruction of the swine was both a blessing and a rebuke to the people.  It was like Jesus cleansing the temple of the money changers and those who bought and sold.  It happened because the Lord allowed it to happen.  It cleansed the land, but sadly not the people.  Is this a victory for the demons? No.  But, let it be a lesson for us.  Christ indeed seeks to change our lives, calling us into Himself, and leaving all unclean things behind.
The Holy Spirit in us inspires financial sacrifice to the glory of God and the building of His kingdom.  The false god Mammon, inspires greed, lust for gain, and increased possessions.  Wealth is given us by God to be used for His glory, not for us to love, worship, serve, or be devoted to it.  “A man’s’ life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”   (Luke 12;15)
These people asked Jesus to depart because they were afraid of the cost of having him in their lives!  So long as Jesus was healing them and feeding them, everyone desired Him.  Once following Jesus became hard or expensive, many turned from away Him, and sought Him no more.  There is a real cost for discipleship, but remember, nothing ever ‘lost’ or given up for the sake of the Lord and His kingdom is ever really lost.  (see, Matthew 19;24-30)
Jesus does not force himself into our lives, he will leave us to our darkness and death, our love of wealth and pleasure, if that is what our hearts desire, and what we choose to seek after.  “Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for what a man sows, that shall he reap.  For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life”. (Galatians 6;7&8)
With the Lord as our Shepherd, we will not lack, we have everything, we have the kingdom.  If He allows us to endure poverty, we are still rich in Him.  Our poverty with contentment is worship.
Prayer:  Most merciful Father, deliver us from the love of riches.  Teach our hearts to desire the true riches which last to eternal life.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the word of God.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.” 

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
