JCM: Brainwash: A Glimpse On Bible Verses’ Alleged Contradictions (Part II)

Friday, August 29, 2014

Brainwash: A Glimpse On Bible Verses’ Alleged Contradictions (Part II)

To continue with more clarifications connecting to the illusory disagreements paraded by both the theists and non-theists which are deceiving to the mind once unresolved, here's another Bible verses presented as a sort of Scriptural studies emphasizing not on its literal sense but on the basis of the historical roots, literary styles of the Scripture writers, without going beyond to its clause context and without compromising each approach of conveyed messages through the Holy Bible, which are detailed as follows:

18).

Jesus went to Bethpage and the Mt. of Olives, then left for Bethany (Matthew 21:1, 17).
Jesus went to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mt. of Olives (Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29).
Jesus went to Bethany and then Jerusalem (John 12: 1; 12).

Bethphage and the Mount of Olives are not distinct places. The villages are in nearby proximity to each other, and both at the base of the mountain. No Gospel refutes this basic chronology. Jesus stopped at Bethpage at the Mount of Olives then sent His disciples to Bethany before going to Jerusalem. Mark's Gospel simply excludes the name of the city of Bethphage, where Jesus stopped.

19).
Jesus and His disciples taught in Capernaum (Mark 1:20-21).
Only Jesus taught in Capernaum (Luke 4:30-31).

Mark is a more condensed version of the events of Christ's life. Christ was in Capernaum several times, and the occurrence in the synagogue associated in Luke 4 is not necessarily the same visit pointed out in Mark 1. Even if they were identical, Luke does not refute that any disciples were present, so there is no disagreement. If one verse says "Jesus came to Jerusalem" and another says "Jesus and the disciples came to Jerusalem", nothing is opposed; one is simply more illustrative.

20).

Peter was chosen, with Andrew, by the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18-20; (Mark 1:16-18).
Peter was chosen, with James and John, by the lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:2-11).
Andrew chose Jesus and then got Peter to join (John 1:35-42).

Lake Gennesaret and the Sea of Galilee are the same body of water. All of these groups of disciples were fishermen of Galilee. We simply have a more sprawling list of who was present in Luke's Gospel. What we should do here is to reconcile John’s with the Synoptics since this is the only Gospel citing that Andrew had been a follower of John the Baptist. It is possible that Jesus had several meetings with Peter before he formally joined the group. Andrew most likely imparted him about Jesus, so Peter was more inclined to follow after when Christ went to the Sea of Galilee.

21).

Peter was to preach to the Jews (Matthew 10:2, 5, 6 ; Galatians 2:7).
Peter was to preach to the Gentiles (Acts 15:7).

Peter's ministry was to the Jews. The "preaching to the Gentiles" Peter recounted in Acts 15:7 refers not to his particular ministry but to the verity that God chose him to convey the message that salvation was unfastened to the Gentiles. This revelation befalls through Peter’s pronouncement (Acts 10).

22).

Jesus cured Simon Peter's mother-in-law after he cleansed the leper (Matthew 8:1-15).
Jesus cured Simon Peter's mother-in-law before he cleansed the leper (Mark 1:30-42; Luke 4:38 to 5:13).

The Gospel account of Jesus' miracles are generally the anthologies of different episodes gathered together as happening in the same general locality and the same general time, but not necessarily in any specific order. As the Gospel writers narrate Jesus’ miracles, it is as if they are saying, "There was that one time Jesus healed the leper. Then there was that other instance that He cured Peter's mother. And recall that there was a circumstance that He healed the sick. The intention of which is to relate everything Jesus did but not necessarily with the presence of a chronology. That's not to say that the sequence isn't ever denoted, but it is to state that unless it is expressly specified, the narrating of adage or actions in sequence is not intended to be sequential. It should be interestingly noted that the literary style and skills of the writers differ in approach so much so that the manners of speaking and delivering of gossips (in this generation) of every individual varies.

23).

Peter's mother-in-law was healed before Peter was called to be a disciple (Luke 4:38-39; 5:10).
Peter's mother-in-law was healed after Peter was called to be a disciple (Matthew 4:18-19; 8:14-15; Mark 1:16, 17, 30, 31) - (as discussed previously)
James and John were with Jesus when He healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31).
James and John were not with Jesus when He healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39; 5:10-11).

Luke’s account does not deny that James and John were there; it simply skips over. The fact that the calling of the disciples takes place in chapter 5 does not denote that it occurred sequentially after the episode in chapter 4. Further, it is not established in Luke 5 that it was the first time meet up between Jesus, James and John; it simply narrates that they were there and that Jesus called them.

24).

James and John were with Jesus when He healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31).
James and John were not with Jesus when He healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39; 5:10-11).

25).

Thaddaeus was the name of an apostle - but not Judas, brother of James (Matthew 10:3).
Judas, the brother of James, was an apostle, but not Thaddaeus (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13).

Thaddeus is Jude. Traditionally he is known as Jude Thaddeus.

26).

The centurion's servant was healed in between the cleansing of the leper and the healing of Peter's mother-in-law (Matthew 8:2-15).
The centurion's servant was healed after the cleansing of the leper and the healing of Peter's mother-in-law (Luke 4:38-39; 5:12-13; 7:1-10) - (as discussed earlier)

27).

The people were not impressed with the feeding of the multitude(Mark 6:52).
The people were very impressed with the feeding of the multitude (John 6:14).

The excerpt from Mark refers not to the people but to the disciples which does not say that they were not overwhelmed but that they did not understand.

28).

After the feeding of the multitude, Jesus went to Gennesaret (Mark 6:53).
After the feeding of the multitude, Jesus went to Capernaum (John 6:14-17).

Capernaum is on Lake Gennesaret. To go to Capernaum is to go to Lake Gennesaret.

29).

A demon cries out that Jesus is the Holy One of God (Mark 1:23-24).
Everyone who confesses that Jesus came in the flesh is of God (1 John 4:2).

Professing that the Word of God has become incarnate in flesh is different than professing that Jesus is "the Holy One of God. Even if they were the same profession, there is a difference between a profession made in faith and submission. The demons believe mentally in God, but their actions cannot be linked to their belief, as St. James says, "You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble." (James 2:19)

30).

Jesus cursed the fig tree so that it would not bear fruit (Matthew 21:19; Mark 11:14).
It wasn't time for the fig tree to bear fruit (Mark 11:13).

Jesus did not curse the fig tree so that it would not bear fruit. No fruit can be found on it so He cursed it that it would never bear fruit again. Why did Jesus curse the fig tree when it was not its season? Let’s try to examine the characteristics of fig trees. The fig tree’s fruit usually appears before the leaves, and, because the fruit is green it blends in with the leaves right up until it is almost ripe. Therefore, when Jesus and His disciples noticed from a far that the tree had leaves, they would have anticipated it to also have fruit even though it was earlier in the season than what would be normal for a fig tree to have fruit. Fig tree would regularly produce two to three crops each season; an early crop in the spring followed by one or two later crops. In some parts of Israel, depending on climate and conditions, it was also possible that a tree produced fruit ten out of twelve months. This also clarifies why Jesus and His disciples would be looking for fig fruit even if it was not in the main growing season. Considering that the tree already had leaves on it even though it was at a higher elevation around Jerusalem, and therefore would have been outside the normal season for figs, would have seemed to be a good sign that it bore fruit. The act was also prophetic in nature. In the prophets, the fig tree is a symbol for Israel ((Jeremiah 8:13; 29:17; Hosea 9:10, 16; Joel 1:7; and Micah 7:1-6). The prophets spoke of the destruction of the fig tree as a metaphor for judgment of Israel (Hosea 2:12; Isaiah 34:4), so this action had a prophetic implication linking to the denunciation of Christ by Israel and their following judgment by God.

31).

The fig tree withers immediately, and the disciples are amazed (Matthew 21:19-20).
The disciples first notice the withered tree the next day (Mark 11:20-21).

Refer the word "immediately" as presented on the preceding closure. Matthew presents a thicker account. In any case, the tree withering the next day would definitely be eligible as immediate since the withering of a tree would usually take many weeks.

32).

Jesus is the mediator of the "Father"(1 Timothy 2:5; 1 John 2:1).
Jesus sits on "His" right hand (Mark 16:19.
Jesus and the "Father" are one in the same (John 10:30).

It is because Jesus sits "at the right hand of the Father" that He is the perfect mediator. Jesus' oneness with the Father in substance while conserving a personal dissimilarity is not illogical - it is the doctrine that Christians call the Trinity, whereby God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one being, one substance but three distinct hypostases, persons. It is a mystery but not a contradiction which goes beyond reason, but is itself reasonable which cannot be fully grasped.

33).

There is one "God". 1 Timothy 2:5 (1 Timothy 2:5; James 2:19)
There are three (1 John 5:7).
Jesus said to honor your father and mother (Matthew 15:4; Matthew 19:19; Mark 7:10; Mark 10:19; Luke 18:20).
Jesus said that he came to set people against their parents (Matthew 10:35-37; Luke 12:51-53; Luke 14:26).
Jesus said to call no man father (Matthew 23:9).

Our duties to God are superior than the ones intended for our parents. The Catechism says: "Family ties are important but not absolute. Just as the child grows to maturity and human and spiritual autonomy, so his unique vocation which comes from God asserts itself more clearly and forcefully. Parents should respect this call and encourage their children to follow it. They must be convinced that the first vocation of the Christian is to follow Jesus: "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2232)

"Call no man father" should not be understood in a literal sense. It is a warning against self-righteous Jews on a mere justification that they are from the lineage of Abraham. Jesus warns that God will not be delighted with someone just because they are Abraham’s son.

34).

Jesus/God said, "You fool…". (Luke 12:20; Matthew 23:17)
Paul calls people fools (1 Corinthian 15:36).
Call someone a fool and you go to hell (Matthew 5:22).

Jesus used a literary exaggeration/hyperbole in the Sermon on the Mount, just as He did when He says, "pluck out your eyes" or "cut off your hands". He does not mean that you go to hell if you say the words "you fool"; occasionally it is good to tell a person they are behaving foolishly, provided it is done in charity, as St. Paul does to the Corinthians. What made the man to be foolish in the parable is that he put all his hope in his earthly goods, which Jesus rightfully describes as a foolish act, which is justifiable because look what’s happening today which trust is on money, people are twisting the truth about God’s values in favor of money which results abortion (which gives money to science and technology) same sex marriage (which gives money to science and technology), pre-marital sex (which gives money to science and technology because of manufactured contraceptives ). We should not wonder why the world is still the same since yesterday and up to this day. The prohibition in the Sermon on the Mount is against slanderous and malicious behavior towards our neighbor, and clearly telling a person he is acting like a fool is not always a malicious act.

35).

Jesus/God said, "You fool…". (Luke 12:20; Matthew 23:17)
Paul calls people fools (1 Corinthian 15:36).
Call someone a fool and you go to hell (Matthew 5:22).

As a concluding point to this second part of our study, the intention of coming up this teaching is not to create division among believers and non-believers but to patch up disagreements, not to imply on who is saying the truth and who speaks the false claim but to shed light to the tainted belief, not to drag away from God but hoping in fervent prayers that everybody may be harmonized in our communion with God. Humans as we are, everyone's goal including yours truly is for an optimized happiness that we could source out while living in this earth, in words, in action, in faith, in hope and in love, for our entire families and the people within our reach.