Mark 8 – The Four Thousand Fed & Gergesenes, Gerasenes or Gadarenes?

Finger Pointing Up

I don’t see anything wrong with anyone finding out where this incident, or anything, happened.  Yet, if the project becomes more important to us then You, then there’s a problem.  You were real clear on that when You said:

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Ex 20:3).

and:

1 Monument
Monument of the Holy Mother of God in Haskovo with the highest statue of the Virgin Mary in the world.

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

“Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God…‘” (Ex 4-5).

It’s obvious why You hid Moses when you buried him, and the devil wasn’t happy about that (Jude 1:9).  If Satan would have known where Moses was buried He would have turned the grave into a shrine and we’d have all them Jews and the Catholics hootin’ and hollerin’.

The Jews and Catholics have already turned Jesus into nothing more than an icon, putting Mary above Him.  I can’t even begin to imagine what they would be doing with Moses.

Now Father, You have me doing this blog to educate people about You and Jesus, and to true knowledge involves telling the truth, as well as false accusations.  I mean, without knowing the lies how can anyone know the truth?

Therefore, I need to be fair and let all the pagans, like the Catholics and Jews know, just in case they don’t know. 

Anyone can go to Haskovo, Bulgaria and gawk at this 102 foot statute of Mary, called “The Holy Mother of God,” and it has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus in the world.  And I think it’s free of charge.

Yet, if you can’t make it to Bulgaria and you just got to have a statue of Mary you can purchase a handmade wooden carving of Mary on eBay for a measly $760, plus $35 shipping and handling.  

I can’t give you the site to purchase it because then I’m promoting ignorance, being evil.  That would be like telling your kid to go out and play on the highway.  If I wanted to be foolish I’d become a Catholic.

Tomorrow we’re going to take a look at…

Mark 8
The Four Thousand Fed

3 Jerash
Jerash: the street of columns looking toward the modern city.

1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,

8:1-10 – although there are striking similarities between this account and 6:34-44, they are two distinct incidents, as indicated by the fact that Jesus Himself refers to two feedings (see vv. 18-20).  The differences in details are as definite as the similarities.

2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:

3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?

5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.

6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.

7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.

4 Dalmanutha
Dalmanutha is the unknown destination of Jesus on the shores of the Sea of Gallilee after he fed the four thousand, as recorded in Mark’s gospel, (Mark 8:10).

It is sometimes believed to be in the vicinity of Magdala, the alleged home town of Mary Magdalene, since the parallel passage in Matthew’s gospel, Matthew 15:39, refers instead to “Magadan”, which has been taken to be a variant form of “Magdala”.

Ken Dark has reported finding a possible location of Dalmanutha.[1][2] That there was ever a town called Dalmanutha is disputed by biblical scholar Joel L. Watts. He maintains Dalmanutha is a cue to Mark’s readers regarding the battle around Magdala during the Jewish Revolt

8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.

9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

10 And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.

“Dalmanutha” – south of the plain of Gennesaret a cave has been found bearing the name “Talmanutha,” perhaps the spot where Jesus landed.  Matthew says Jesus went to the vicinity of Magdala (Matt 15:39). 

Dalmanutha and Magdala, located on the western short of the Sea of Galilee, may be names for the same place or for two places located close to each other.

11 And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.

12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

13 And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.

“Leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod” –in the New Testament, leaven is s symbol of evil or corruption.  The metaphor includes the idea of a tiny amount of leaven being able to ferment a large amount of dough. 

5 Magdala
Magdala
The ruins of a Roman fisherman village, near the Arbel cliffs, on the shores of Sea of Galilee. It was the birthplace of Mary Magdalene.

In this context it refers to the evil disposition of both the Pharisees and Herod Antipas, who called for Jesus to produce a sign, i.e., a proof of His divine authority.

14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.

15 And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.

16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.

17 And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?

18 Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

19 When I break the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.

6

20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

22 And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

23 And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

24 And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

7 The Grounds
The Grounds from Under the Main Memorial
The Battle of Bergendal (also known as the Battle of Belfast[citation needed] or Battle of Dalmanutha[citation needed]) was the last set-piece battle of the Second Anglo-Boer War. It lasted from 21–27 August 1900 and took place on the farm Bergendal (Hill and Dale) near the town of Belfast.

The 5,000 Boers were under the command of General Louis Botha and the 20,000 British Empire forces were led by General Sir Redvers Buller under the overall command of Lord Roberts.

25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

26 And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.

27 And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?

28 And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.

29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

8:31-10:52 – a new section beings in 8:31 and centers on three predictions of Jesus’ death.  It indicates a geographical shift from Galilee, where most of Jesus’ public ministry reported by Mark took place, to Jerusalem and the closing days of Jesus’ life on earth.

8 This is what a Milestone
This is what a Milestone looked like, they had them every mile on the road to mark your distance in ancient times

In this section Jesus defines the true meaning of “Christ” as the title applies to Him.

32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.

33 But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

“Satan” – Peter’s attempt to dissuade

Jesus from going to the cross held the same temptation Satan gave at the outset of Jesus’ ministry, so Jesus severely rebuked him.

34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

“Take up his cross” – the picture is of a man, already condemned, required to carry the beam of his own cross to the place of execution.  Cross-bearing is a willingness to suffer and die for the Lord’s sake

9Everyone is condemned when they are no longer seen as children in the eyes of the Lord, unless that person(s) has already accepted Jesus into their heart.

The main character, Christian, of “The Pilgrim’s Promise” by John Bunyan, does just that.  It’s an incredible story.  I think the closest summary of the Bible, I’ve read it four times.

35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

“Save his life” – physical life may be saved by denying Jesus, but eternal life will be lost.

36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

“The whole world” – there is nothing in the world that is necessary or will be around forever.  You can’t take it to heaven or hell.  The only thing that will accompany to heaven or hell once you leave this world is your soul.  Where will you spend eternity?  

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

10 This is the site where Jesus
This is the site where Jesus went into the temple

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever” (1 Jn 15-17).

37 Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

“Ashamed of me and of my words” – a person who is more concerned about admiring people than Jesus Christ (which many do, especially up north like Washington State), will find themselves denied by Jesus when He returns.

Gergesenes, Gerasenes or
Gadarenes?

Three of the four Gospels record the miracle of the healing of the demoniac (and, as a consequence, of the pigs rushing into the sea), but a vexing issue remains: Did this take places in the region of the Gerasenes, the Gadarenes or the Gergesenes?

11 Jerash
Jerash: the Arch of Hadrian

All three can be found among the Greek manuscripts of the Gospels. On textual evidence alone manuscripts of Matt 8:28 probably favor “Gadarenes,” but those of Mk 5:1  and Lk 8:26 both suggest “Gerasenes.”

Gadara, modern Umm Qeis, was about 5 miles from the Sea of Galilee and thus cannot have been the place where the miracle took place. Gerasa (Jerash) contains magnificent Roman ruins and a number of pagan temples, but it is 37 miles southeast of Galilee and thereby also out of the question as the site of the miracle.

Geresa, modern Kursi, is situated on the eastern shore of the Sea of and is also the only spot on this shore with a steep bank overlooking the sea (Mk 5:13).The church historian Eusebius identified this as the site of the miracle.

12 UMM
UMM Ques: the site of Gadara

The remains of a Byzantine monastery, built in the 6th century to commemorate this healing, have been found here.

Based upon this evidence, it would appear that the earliest texts rendered the site “Gergesenes” but that, because the name was unfamiliar to many scribes and because of the similarity in pronunciation and spelling, it was erroneously copied as both “Gerasenes” and “Gadarenes.”

…the city of Sepphoris.

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