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| Hill near Gerasernes |
There
happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby. "Send
us into those pigs," the spirits begged. "Let us enter them." So
Jesus gave them permission. The evil spirits came out of the man and entered
the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep
hillside into the lake and drowned in the water. The herdsmen fled to the
nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran.
People rushed out to see what had happened.
Mark 5:11-14
At Gerasernes
Jesus had commanded the evil spirits to come out of a demon possessed man (Mark
5:8). So then the spirits asked…begged….Jesus to send them into the pigs that
were feeding on the hillside. Little did they know that would be the end of
them as they ran over the hillside into the great Sea of Galilee.
Glub—glub—glub. I thought maybe pigs can’t swim, but Google that and sure
enough you’ll see that they can swim. Those near Gerasernes were in such a
turmoil—and there were probably about two thousand pigs in that herd—that they
may not have been able to escape the crowd and so they drowned. Imagine how
devastated the pig owners and herders were. Two thousand pigs is a lot of pigs.
Since that was a Gentile area the swine would have been an important food
source. On the other hand, Jews would not have eaten them according to the
Jewish dietary laws.
The Lord
spoke to Moses and Aaron concerning foods that the Israelites could and could
not eat. The unclean animals…not appropriate to eat…are listed in the verses
below.
You may not, however, eat the
following animals that have split hooves or that chew the cud, but not both.
The camel chews the cud but does not have split hooves, so it is ceremonially
unclean for you. The hyrax (rock badger)chews the cud but does not have split
hooves, so it is unclean. The hare chews the cud but does not have split
hooves, so it is unclean. The pig has evenly split hooves but does not chew
the cud, so it is unclean. You may not eat the meat of these animals or
even touch their carcasses. They are ceremonially unclean for you. Leviticus 11:4-8
(underlined for emphasis.)
From that
time of teaching the Israelites have not eaten pork—and even some Christians
follow the laws given to Moses and will not eat pork. Later God gives Peter a
vision of foods that could be eaten.
The next day as Cornelius's
messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It
was about noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell
into a trance. He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let
down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and
birds. Then a voice said to him, "Get up, Peter; kill and eat them."
"No, Lord," Peter declared. "I have never eaten anything that
our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean." But the voice spoke
again: "Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean." The
same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to
heaven. Acts 10:9-16
We can see in
both the Old and New Testaments instruction given for dietary guidance—foods
forbidden and allowed. I personally
don’t have a problem with eating pork—but I would not serve it to Jewish
guests. I think that God wants us to respect others dietary habits. That could
be part of love your neighbor as
yourself.
Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, allow us to see others
through Your eyes—those around us who may have suffered a loss—even if it is
not two thousand pigs. Help us to be compassionate to others and considerate of
others so that we can show Your love to any who would be our neighbor for a few
minutes—like in the line at the grocery store—or a few days or weeks—like those
in a short class or work situation…or many years—like those next door. Give us
grace to see their needs and let them know we care.
Daily Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 13-16
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
As usual every Friday is Feast Day—Feasting at the King’s Table. We can’t
live on just spiritual food …nor can we live on bread alone. We’ve got to have
some meat, veggies and fruit. What food gives you fuel? I’ve discovered that
sugar is poison to my body and starches, like pasta and potatoes, are not my
friends. I can exist very well on some fruit, veggies and a nice lean portion
of meat—nothing deep fried. What would Jesus eat? Probably some hummus with
unleavened bread, some figs—in season of course—or some raisins or dates, and
some fish—if a little boy with fish left over from his lunch happens to be
nearby. But you never read of Jesus eating pork. Here’s a favorite of mine.
Curried Chicken Salad
1 lb chicken (cut into tender-sized
pieces, breasts work best)
2 tbsps olive oil (plus more for searing)
1½ tsps curry powder
1½t sps ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
¾ cup plain yogurt
½ cup hummus (prepared)
1 apple (small, diced)
½ cup golden raisins
2 scallions (thinly sliced)
salt
pepper
Mix together curry powder, cumin, and turmeric in a medium-sized
bowl. In a container or gallon sized plastic bag, add chicken, olive oil, ½
spice mixture, plenty of salt and pepper, and ¼ cup yogurt. Stir or shake to
coat, and marinate for at least 20 minutes (or overnight).
Grill chicken or cook in a frying pan.
Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a cast-iron or other heavy
skillet. Sear chicken until cooked through, approximately 5 minutes on each
side (depending on size). Remove chicken from skillet and place to cool on a
cutting board for approximately 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add to the remaining spices, ½ cup each plain yogurt
and hummus, the diced apple, the raisins, and scallions. Season with salt and
pepper to taste.
When chicken has cooled a bit, shred meat with two forks into
bite-sized pieces.
Add chicken to bowl and stir to combine. Refrigerate overnight
before eating for best results.
Serve on salad greens or in a pita with lettuce or spinach.
Note - You can use already cooked chicken meat if
you want- just skip to the other steps and use all of the spices when mixing
the chicken salad, instead of reserving some for the marinade.
© 2018 Text and
photo by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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