Contradictions

 

We sometimes find what appears to be discrepancies in the Bible. Sceptics then immediately proclaim that this proves that the Bible is not accurate - that what is written there cannot be trusted.

One such example is the written account of the demon-possessed men, found in Matthew 8:28 – 34 “28 When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs.”  When we read about this same incident in Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39, “26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons”, we see that they refer to only one man who was demon-possessed. Another difference we note here is that Matthew writes that this happened in the country of the Gadarenes, whereas Mark and Luke both noted that it happened in the country of the Gerasenes.

Which of these accounts are right? Well, they all are! Upon closer investigation we learn that the capital city of this region was Gerasa, which explains the description that the men were from the country of the Gerasenes; and this incident happened in the vicinity of a city called Gedara, only a few kilometres away from the Sea of Galilee. There were two men involved in this story, however, only one man remained after he was delivered and earnestly asked Jesus if he could stay with Him. This man later proclaimed Jesus throughout the whole region, while the other just disappeared from the scene. It is therefore no wonder that Mark and Luke focused on him.

We see another example of seemingly different accounts of the same incident, found in the Gospels when Jesus called His disciples. In Mark 1:16-20 we read that Jesus saw Simon and his brother Andrew fishing in the Sea of Galilee, and upon calling them, they dropped everything and followed Him. The same happened thereafter with James and John. In his Gospel account, John does not even mention this incident. He says Simon and Andrew met Jesus many miles to the south, along the Jordan river: John 1:35-42  “35Again the next day John (the Baptist) was standing with two of his disciples, 36and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Again, both accounts are accurate. In real life, people do not normally drop everything and follow a total stranger. Simon and Andrew had first met Jesus along the Jordan River and were among His disciples who witnessed the miracle of the water turning into wine in Cana. They believed in Him and returned to their fishing where they witnessed about Jesus to their business partners James and John. Jesus then asked them to accompany Him around Galilee (Mark 1:16-20) which they did. Back in Capernaum they returned to fishing, and witnessed another miracle when Jesus instructed Simon to throw his nets into the water yet again, and they caught an incredible number of fish! Then Jesus called them to follow Him full-time, which by now they did without hesitation.

Points to ponder: Do I read the Bible with a humble spirit and an open heart, wanting to meet God there, to learn about Jesus there, to let Holy Spirit minister to me there? Or do I approach His Word with a critical spirit, not searching deeper if I do not understand?

Ancient Words

Road to rebellion

Gen 4:6-7

And the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you so angry? And why do you look annoyed? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

God’s rejection of Cain’s offering made him terribly angry, and his disappointment showed so clearly in his face that God even commented on it. God’s next sentence (“You will be accepted if you do what is right”) shows that Cain knew the right way to bring his offering, but that he had chosen to do it his own way. We know this because our loving Heavenly Father did not respond by saying: “Let Me show you the correct way to offer”. Some teach that the offering was not acceptable because it did not involve an animal, but this was not a sin offering which would have required the blood of an animal – it is stated in verse 4 that Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock, implying that this was a fall first-fruit offering, where both the animals from herds and also crops from the harvests were to be offered.

We can now clearly follow the progression of rebellion as events unfolded from here:

Firstly, just as Eve, his mother had believed a lie planted by Satan, Cain had to have heeded the lie that his own method of sacrifice would be just as good as God’s way.

Secondly, when God Himself rebuked Cain, he refused to hear the truth and instead of repenting, responded with anger. His own parents had done the same by playing the blame game instead of admitting their error and asking forgiveness.

Thirdly, Cain then went to his brother in the field and confronted him, the anger in his heart making way for hatred to develop. No doubt Abel had tried to persuade him to take responsibility for his wrong attitude, but the rebellion in his heart made him blind to his own faults.

Fourthly, Cain rose up and killed his own brother. If this was not bad enough, he tried to cover it up when God confronted him about it. His defiant answer, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” showed his absolute disrespect for his Creator, and his self-righteousness would lead to bitterness later as he left God’s presence.

Points to ponder:  God’s warning to Cain, that sin was crouched at his door because of his wrong choices, is still true for us today. We have to watch for the sin door-openers in our lives and firmly keep those doors shut! (This means we must repent sin, and deal with wounds quickly, as they occur). They are usually the following four doors: Anger and bitterness; Fear; Sexual wounds; Occultic participation. Evaluate your own life in the light of the road on which Cain travelled: are you believing a lie; do you repent when confronted by truth; are you letting wrong heart attitudes dictate your behaviour; do you defend your wrong choices instead of dealing with sin/wounds in your life? Turn your rebel heart back to God, and so avoid the consequences Cain faced when he refused to do so!

Rebel Heart 

Thunder and lightning

 

Job 37:6-7

He directs the snow to fall on the earth and tells the rain to pour down. Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power.

The weather is a quite common topic of conversation. Even when meeting strangers, discussing the current weather patterns is a convenient way of starting the getting-to-know-you process.

But rarely do we acknowledge our God in these conversations, He Who is the Creator and Designer of it all as we soon realize when God Himself asks Job in Job 38:25 Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning?

 On reading our verse quoted from Job 37, I came to realize that God intended that adverse weather conditions such as snow in winter and torrential rain, should also keep us indoors and disrupt our outdoor activities in order that we can cease our tasks and meditate on His power and might.

In the midst of a powerful storm, when thunder claps ring in our ears and lightning lights up the dark clouds and sky in an awesome display of indescribable power, we can be reminded of a few instances in the Bible where God is associated with thunder and lightning:  The day God wished to reveal Himself to the Israelites at Mount Sinai in Ex 20:18 When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance. We know that Daniel, Ezekiel, and John reported that the throne of God emits flashes of lightning and peals of thunder (Rev 4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder). The voice of God sounds like thunder, as we read when God spoke to Jesus in John 12:29 When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.

Hail reminds us that God uses hail in judgment (Job 38:22-23 Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle?) Which indeed He used in the past (Joshus 10:11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites.) and will again in the future (Rev 16:21 From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people.)

God’s voice often comes through the whirlwind, as Asaph records in Ps 77 and as Job’s companions found out when they were caught in the storm on the refuge heap with Job! (Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind)

Points to ponder:  When next you are kept inside because of a brewing storm or mighty wind or hail or heavy rain, do not grab your devices and search for a film or YouTube video to keep you busy – search instead for Bible verses describing how God is manifested through the weather, and meditate on His power and majesty!

Rain

The fringe of His garment

 

Matthew 14:36

They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

These healing miracles happened in Gennesaret, just after Jesus and His disciples had crossed the Sea of Galilee, where Peter had attempted to walk on the water, and Jesus had calmed the storm. It reminds us of the woman who had been healed from twelve years of blood-flowing after she also touched the fringe of His garment (Matthew 9:20-22).

The Greek word for fringe used here, is kraspedon, which is a translation of the Hebrew words kanaf and tzitzit. In Numbers 15:38 God instructed the Israelites to attach fringes or tassels (called tzitzit) to the corners of their garments (this corner is called the kanaf), and because Jesus was born as an Israelite, He followed the commandments of the law of Moses and wore tassels on His garment.

The people were therefore touching the corner and tassels or fringes on the garment of Messiah to be healed, touching the very symbol God gave the Israelites to remember to do His commandments and be holy unto Him, as explained in Numbers 15:40.

The fact that they believed that healing was to be found by touching the fringe of His robe, is because they knew the Scripture from Malachi 4:2 “But to you who fear My name The Sun  of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings;” where the word ‘wings’ is the Hebrew word kanaf – the fringe of Messiah’s garment! They knew that this verse referred to the coming Messiah, and they believed that this was who Jesus was – they literally touched the fringe of the Sun of Righteousness and received their healing in His wings/fringes!

Our God decided to live here on earth among us, brushing shoulders with us human beings, allowing people to touch His clothes to be healed. He is not a far-away God, unapproachable and untouchable. Indeed, He became our High Priest Who understands everything we are going through here on earth, as He experienced the same (Heb 4:15).

Points to ponder:

Think about Jesus’ closeness to you, how He knows every intimate detail of your life, how He loves you despite knowing all about you! And move closer to Him. The woman with the issue of blood had to fight through the throng of people surrounding her to get closer to Jesus. Do not let family/friends/colleagues deter you, rather let your desperation become faith with singularity of purpose – only God can heal and save - move so close that you can touch His garment!

The Hem of Your Garment