Monthly Archives: December 2024

BIBLE, BIBLE QUESTIONS

IS THE BIBLE FILLED WITH CONTRADICTIONS? — BOB PRICHARD

No! Some are quick to claim, “The Bible is filled with contradictions!” This claim, however, has never been proved to be true, and it is a claim that is most often made by those who have little or no knowledge of the Bible. The Bible, as the inspired Word of God, cannot contain any contradictions. What it does contain, however, as might be expected of any literary work, are apparent contradictions, that is, passages that seem to be contradictory, but which are not contradictory at all when properly understood.

There are sometimes differences among Bible passages, but a difference is not the same thing as a contradiction. The Greek philosopher Aristotle defined contradiction: “That the same thing should at the same time both be and not be for the same person and in the same respect is impossible.” A difference would not be a contradiction if the same person was not under consideration, or if the same time period was not used for both, or if the language was not employed in the same sense.

Proverbs 26:4-5 demonstrates the principle. It gives the advice, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” Is this a contradiction, since one verse says not to answer a fool, and the very next verse says to answer a fool? Not at all. What Solomon was saying with these verses, in the midst of a series of verses dealing with fools, was that sometimes it is better not to even answer a fool, lest one appear to be just as big a fool for answering. But sometimes the fool must be answered so that he will not think he is so wise that he cannot be answered. Whatever the situation, Solomon was saying it will be difficult to deal with a fool!

Because Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all wrote about the events of the life of Christ, there are differences among their accounts. Differences, not contradictions! For example, Mark says that Jesus was crucified at the “third hour” (Mark 15:25); while John says that Jesus was on trial before Pilate at “the sixth hour” (John 19:14). Thus it would appear that either John or Mark is wrong, because John has Jesus on trial three hours after Mark says He was on the cross! But when one understands that John must have used Roman time, with the “sixth hour” being 6:00 a.m., while Mark used Jewish time, with the “third hour” being 9:00 a.m., then the apparent contradiction disappears.

Many other “alleged discrepancies” can be found, but as long as there is a logical way to explain the differences, then the truthfulness of the Bible stands. If we approach the Bible with an open mind and a willingness to accept its truth, we can understand. Many find “errors” in it because they do not approach it openly and honestly. God has communicated His will to us through the Bible. He expects us to understand and obey what it teaches. We can find the answer to apparent contradictions, if we are just diligent enough in our study. “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

BIBLE, BIBLE QUESTIONS, JESUS CHRIST, MATTHEW

DID THE PROPHETS SAY CHRIST WOULD BE “CALLED A NAZARENE”? — BOB PRICHARD

After describing the birth and early years of the life of Jesus, Matthew tells us that Joseph, having obeyed God by going down to Egypt, returned to Galilee, to Galilee, “and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2:23). There seems to be a problem, however, in that there is no Old Testament prophet who said, “He shall be called a Nazarene,” and the city of Nazareth is never mentioned in the Old Testament.

Some have suggested that Matthew meant a Nazarite, rather than a Nazarene. A Nazarite took vows of holiness, never cutting his hair, avoiding any contact with dead bodies, and generally living a very austere life. Some of the prophets did refer to the holiness of the Messiah, but none said He would be a Nazarite. John the Baptist may well have taken a Nazarite vow, but Jesus, who was called a glutton and a winebibber, and who touched the dead to bring them back to life, would not have been a Nazarite. Surely Matthew understood the difference between a Nazarite, one who had taken a Nazarite vow, and a Nazarene, one who was from the city of Nazareth.

A more likely explanation for Matthew’s statement that “He shall be called a Nazarene” lies in a play on words, specifically the Hebrew word “branch,” that would have been very obvious to the Jewish readers who were the target of his gospel account. Matthew stressed that Jesus was “the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1), as he showed that Jesus was the fulfillment of the words of the prophets as the One who was the promised Messiah-King. The Hebrew word for “branch,” neser is very similar to the root word of Nazareth. Isaiah had prophesied of the Messiah, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11:1). Of this Branch, he said, “the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD” (Isaiah 11:2). The prophet Zechariah said, “Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH” (Zechariah 3:8).

Matthew’s statement, “that which was spoken by the prophets” (2:23), is a general statement, not necessarily indicating that any of the prophets specifically said, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” Elsewhere, when Matthew speaks of fulfilled prophecy, and he has a specific quotation in mind, he names the prophet, or says “the prophet,” rather than “the prophets.” His general statement indicates that a general teaching of the prophets was that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene.

There is significance in being called a Nazarene. To be a called a Nazarene was to be called “from the backwoods,” to be unsophisticated. When Philip told Nathanael, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth,” Nathanael commented, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:45-46).  Many of the prophets said the Branch, coming from humble beginnings, would be despised and rejected by men. Jesus was treated as a “Nazarene” by the religious authorities of His day.

BIBLE, BIBLE QUESTIONS, JESUS CHRIST, MATTHEW

WAS JESUS BORN IN A HOUSE, AS MATTHEW SAYS, OR IN A STABLE, AS LUKE SAYS? — BOB PRICHARD

Critics of the historical accuracy of the Bible often find what they believe are contradictions among the writers of the gospel accounts because there are some differences between accounts. Remember however, that a difference is not necessarily a contradiction. The differing accounts of Matthew and Luke concerning the Christ child are a good case in point. 

Luke describes the birth of Christ: “Joseph also went up from Galilee … unto Bethlehem to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:4-7). Matthew described the arrival of the wise men from the East: “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:10-11). Mark and John do not discuss the birth of Christ. They surely knew the details, but chose to write about other things.

The apparent contradiction between Luke and Matthew comes about from the preconceptions of the readers. There are many things “everybody knows” about the birth of Christ, which are not so. One of those Bible facts that everyone seems to “know” is that the wise men came on the night that Jesus was born. In fact, the differences between the accounts of Matthew and Luke indicate that it is highly unlikely that the wise men came on the night Christ was born, because Matthew’s account indicates that Joseph, being a good husband and father, had arranged for his family to move from the stable into a house by the time the wise men arrived. While this might have happened the night Christ was born, more than likely they were not able to move into the house for a few days, if not weeks after the birth of Christ. The fact is, Matthew does not give any details of any particular place where Christ was born, except that it was in Bethlehem, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah 5:2.  “For thus it is written by the prophet, and thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel” (Matthew 2:5-6).  

The wise men [not kings, despite “We Three Kings”] brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh, which were all very precious. It is unlikely that just three men would have traveled this great distance to carry such a costly gift. Most people assume that there were three wise men because there were three gifts, but Matthew does not give any indication of how many wise men there were. It is important in studying the Bible to read what is there, not what we think is there! The Bible is God’s revealed Will to mankind. It is not contradictory. “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

BIBLE QUESTIONS, CHRISTIAN LIVING

IS IT A LACK OF FAITH TO PRAY MORE THAN ONCE FOR THE SAME THING? — BOB PRICHARD

Concerning a “thorn in the flesh,” Paul wrote, “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). He asked the Lord at least three times to remove this problem. Jesus told a parable about an unjust judge who would not properly avenge a widow, until she begged  him repeatedly. He asked, “Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily” (Luke 18:7-8).

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus emphasized that God wants His children to bring their needs to Him. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:7-11). Asking, seeking, and knocking all suggest being persistent in giving our requests to God. If even sinful human parents know how to meet the needs of their children, how much more can God do what He has promised?

Another parable told of a man seeking help from a friend so that he could feed a late night guest by borrowing three loaves of bread. Jesus said, “Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth” (Luke 11:8). Friendship was not enough to get the bread from the man, but his importunity (persistence to the point of annoyance) got results. Prayer needs to be persistent, and through our importunity God knows we are serious about our prayer requests.

It is key that we understand that God is sovereign in prayer. He may sometimes answer our prayers with a “Yes,” sometimes with a “No,” and sometimes with a “Not now,” or “Wait awhile.” Even though Paul “besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from” him, the Lord’s answer was, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul wanted his “thorn” removed, but had to learn to rely on the strength of the Lord, rather than his own strength. His response was, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). When God’s answer is not what we want, we must still trust and obey him.

Many needs in our lives, such as health, safety for our children, and our daily bread continue, and are constant needs. Surely we should be persistent in our prayers for these things. Prayers for God’s forgiveness are different, however. If we have obeyed the gospel of Christ and become Christians, then God has forgiven us of our sins. We need not continue to ask His forgiveness for those sins. When those sins come to mind, we should thank Him for his forgiveness, rather than asking again for the forgiveness that He has already granted because of the sacrifice of Christ for our sins.

BIBLE QUESTIONS, CHRISTIAN LIVING

SHOULD WE KNEEL IN PRAYER? — BOB PRICHARD

Worship that is acceptable to God has always involved the inner and the outer man. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, “the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). The word translated worship means “to bow down to the earth, to do obeisance before another.” The idea is to show reverence and humility before another. It can refer to bowing before men, such as when Abraham “bowed himself to the people of the land” (Genesis 23:7), but it usually refers to bowing before deity. Mordecai refused to bow before Haman (Esther 3:2). God warned Israel, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing 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” (Exodus 20:3-5 a). God alone deserves worship today.

The Psalmist says in Psalm 95:6, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” This is only direct mention of kneeling for worship in the King James Version, here used synonymously with “bow down” in the parallelism that marked Hebrew poetry. Ephesians 3:14 is a similar passage, where Paul says, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” asking God’s blessings on the Ephesian Christians. Certainly it would be right and proper to kneel for prayer, but it is not the only acceptable posture for prayer.

The usual posture for the Jews to offer prayers to God was to be standing, with uplifted hands. Paul told Timothy, “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting” (1 Timothy 2:8). Jesus told a parable about a Pharisee and a publican (tax collector), who both went to the temple to pray. “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.  And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted”  (Luke 18:9-14). Both men stood, but the posture of their hearts was different. Only the publican, who prayed in humility, pleased God.

The outward posture of prayer may reflect something of the inward devotion of the worshiper. Kneeling may help the worshiper feel his need to humbly approach God. Whether a prayer is offered kneeling, standing, or lying down, however, the important issue is the attitude of the heart. “Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).