When The Swineherds Lost Their Jobs

WHEN THE SWINEHERDS LOST THEIR JOBS

Mk. 4:37-39; 5:2-19

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR: Karl the Pig Farmer

Karl the pig farmer was telling his buddies back on the farm about his first visit to a big city church:

1. "When I got there, they made me park my old pick-up in the corral," he began. "You mean in the parking lot," interrupted Jeb, a more worldly fellow.

2. "Then I walked up the trail to the door," Karl continued. "The sidewalk to the door," Jeb corrected.

3. "Inside the door, I was met by some dude," Karl went on. "That would be the usher," explained Jeb.

4. "Well, the usher led me down the chute," said Karl.

"You mean the aisle," Jeb said.

5. "Then, he led me to a stall and told me to sit there," continued Karl. "Pew," retorted Jeb.

6. "Yeah," Karl recalled. "Pew...that's exactly what the pretty lady said when I sat down beside her."

JOKE 2: The Farmer and the Pig

1. A farmer and his pig were driving down the road when a cop pulled him over. The cop asked the farmer, "Didn't you know it is against the law to ride with a pig in the front of your truck?"

2. The farmer replied, "No, I didn't know that." The cop asked the farmer where he was going and he said, "To Memphis".

3. The cop said, "I will let you off the hook this time if you promise to take the pig to the zoo when you get to Memphis." So the farmer promised he would.

4. Several days later the cop spotted the farmer with the pig driving down the road and he pulled him over again. The cop said "I thought I told you to take this pig to the zoo when you got to Memphis."

5. The farmer replied, "I did and we had so much fun, I’m taking him to World’s Fair next!"

B. TEXT

4:37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

5:2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!" 8For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"

11A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." 13He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

14Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 17Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 18As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

C. THESIS

1. The sea of Galilee is a beautiful and unusual place. It is 8 miles wide and 13 miles long and is 141 feet deep. It is located 700 feet below sea level and is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth.

2. Another interesting thing about it is its topography. It is surrounded by very tall hills, which on the eastern

side, rise as high as 2000 feet above the water's surface.

3. As a result of these factors, it’s possible under most circumstances to see all the way across the Lake.

4. Tonight I want to recount this story from the perspective of the swineherds. They were on the high hills overlooking the lake during the storm and when the demoniac approached Jesus.

5. According to Alfred Edersheim, a Jewish biblical scholar of the first rank, "In the clear Eastern air not a word that was spoken could have been lost" by the swineherds on the hills above the beach [The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Vol. one, p. 613].