Gospel Contradictions Explained
After casually reading the Gospels people sometimes assume they contain contradictions and there are several instances when this seems to be the case. But a closer look helps to rectify the situation.
There were four different Gospels. Three of them were very similar (Matt, Mark and Luke) and are referred to as the synoptics. The fourth, John, had some similarities with the other three but for the most part was very different. Despite the similarities, however, none of them reported the words and actions of Jesus in exactly the same way and we shouldn’t be surprised by that.
None of the Gospel writers reported everything Jesus said or did during His ministry. In fact, John, at the end of his Gospel (21:25) said there were many other things Jesus did but there weren’t enough books in the world to contain the meaning of it all. He obviously wasn’t familiar with the mass publication of the 21st century but what he said is still true today. There is no end to the efforts made to write and publish insights from the words and actions of Jesus. And, there is no end to those who try to explain it away. Read more
Jesus Did Strange Things – Taught Important Lessons
Filed under: Answering an Atheist, Bible Study, Ministry Methods of Jesus
And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David, my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”
Jesus often responded to people and circumstances in ways that surprise us. He didn’t follow popular thinking or preferred ideas. “Normal and Usual” never figured prominently in His methodology.
He was setting a new standard not validating an existing one and He never explained Himself. He said what He said, did what He did and expected us to figure it out.
For example:
- To heal a leper, He touched him: Reckless.
- In response to the belief of many in Jerusalem…well, He was unresponsive: Disinterested.
- When a lawyer plainly asked how to obtain eternal life He gave no direct answer: Evasive.
- When a diseased and no doubt shunned individual of many years touched Jesus from behind and was healed Jesus loudly insisted the person identify him or herself publicly: Insensitive. Read more
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Jesus And Religion – John 2
John chapter two actually records two events which, on the surface, don’t seem to connect. It starts with a wedding in Cana of Galilee and ends with Jesus causing a fracas in Jerusalem. Weddings do take place in churches today but in Bible times that wasn’t the case and the way Jesus responded in these two settings makes us wonder.
One place, Cana, was insignificant the other was the centre of religious and political life for all Jews. If Jesus had not attended a wedding in Cana we probably would never have heard of it but Jerusalem was the spiritual hot spot of the world, then and now.
But the question is, “why a wedding”? We can easily understand Jesus being involved in major religious festivals (the Passover) but why a wedding in Cana? And, why was He so agreeable at the wedding and so otherwise in Jerusalem? Read more
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Anger And Murder In Modern Society
Anger was one topic Jesus mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount and the interesting is, He associated it with murder. Before He made His remarks there had been a long history of anger-fueled violence going all the way back to the first family and it occurred often even in those early years. It almost always resulted in the death of another person.
- Cain, the first-born child to the first family murdered his first sibling, Abel, and it was motivated by anger.
- Esau was so angry he wanted kill his brother, Jacob. Fortunately the parents intervened and sent Jacob away. The resentment, however, never left. There was constant tension between the descendants of these two brothers which occasionally escalated to war.
- Jacob’s sons, motivated by resentment, planned to kill their brother, Joseph but instead sold him as a slave.
- Two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, in a state of rage, murdered all the men in an entire town because the son of the chief had raped their sister and they did this even though the perpetrator wanted to make things right.
- Moses angrily defended his people by killing the Egyptian guard who was abusing them.
- Later, Moses again became so enraged with the Israelites that he disobeyed a direct order from God, suffering the consequences personally this time. Read more
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What Is The Purpose of Bible Study?
Bible study is one of the cardinal practices of today’s churches. It happens at least once and often multiple times weekly in most Bible believing churches. It is so heavily featured that most pastors aspire to be great teachers of the Bible and work hard at honing their teaching skills as if there are no other significant activities to ministry. To be recognized as “knowledgeable” or “clever” is considered a great honor. Unfortunately, style and originality don’t vary that much between churches. If you’ve heard one you’ve heard most of the others as well.
And for the church member, attending these studies in addition to regular Sunday services is the gauge of their spiritual vibrancy. When they miss too many they are treated condescendingly at arms length as if they have contracted a communicable disease. Having this rule in place, of course, keeps people coming back even when the teaching is less than compelling. In many cases it is far less. Read more
Tim Pepper - Beautiful Frustration