CLC Lutheran Mission History

Inevitably there are those who point to the Bible and say there are contradictions in it. We know though it is the truth, Jn. 17:17, and that it is entirely trustworthy because it comes from God, 2 Pet. 1:21. In this series we will be looking at various sections of Scripture where the enemies of God claim the Word is mistaken. In every case as we will see, God is God and the devil, the father of lies, is behind the attacks. In all this we will be seeing again how we should give the glory to God for giving us His perfect and beautiful Word.

These will be in both the Old and the New Testament.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke record an incident of Jesus healing the maniac(s), those possessed by evil spirits at Gennesaret(Mt. 8:30-34; Mk. 5:11-14; Lk. 8:27-33). There are two supposed problems. First, Matthew indicates there were two demon-possessed maniacs, while Mark and Luke only mention one. This is simply solved. Just because two accounts only mention one does not say there was not another. The attention is simply focused on the one who was more prominent and memorable.

Secondly, in Matthew 8:28 it is Gadara(or Gerasa) and the people are referred to as Gadarenes. They lived southeast of the Sea of Galilee. This region is far from the sea, and it would be impossible for the swine to run off a cliff into the sea as indicated in that region. The people though in the general region were still referred to as Gadarenes based on the prominent city of Gadara or Gerasa. So, the people in the region were accurately called Gadarenes, although the actual place of the swine running into the sea was at Gennesaret.

Some say there are two versions of the incident of Jesus being called upon to heal this young girl. In Mt. 9:18-19 she is said to be already dead. A “ruler” came to Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died.” But both Mk. 5:22-23 and Lk. 8:41,42 indicate that Jairus himself came to Jesus and that his daughter was dying. It is simply that Mk. and Lk. recorded a first visit by Jairus. Jesus was being detained by a throng of people (Mk. 5:23-24; Lk. 8:43-48). And, then upon a second visit, Jairus announced that his child had died.

Some have been concerned with what Mt. 10:9-10 and Mk. 6:8,9 say. Matthew indicates that Jesus commanded His disciples to minister without staffs and not to take shoes. Mark says that they take only a staff and wear only sandals. It seems to be a contradiction until one looks carefully at the words. The plural use of the word “staffs” was generally regarded as preparation for fighting, while a single staff was regarded as needed for walking. Also, there is a difference in the word for shoes and sandals. Sandals were a much simpler form of footwear. So Jesus was instructing His disciples not to take anything more than that which was required. They did not need staffs for fighting and a pair of simple sandals was enough.

In Mt. 21:2 we find two donkeys mentioned in preparation for Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday—a donkey and her colt. Yet in Mk. 11:2 and Lk. 19:30, only a young male donkey is mentioned. All three Gospel accounts agree that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a young donkey, or foal. So what about the second donkey and was it male or female?

Notice that Matthew refers to the prophecy of Zech. 9:9. The prophet indicated the Lord would ride on a donkey. On the point of the second donkey, it would be common for a foal to follow its mother, which makes sense in the context of Jesus riding on “a colt, the foal of a donkey” on Palm Sunday.

Pastor Koenig

***************************************************************************************

B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER # 99

I Cor. 16:9 "For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries."

June 28, 2007

Homiletics

As preachers each of us have been given certain gifts and abilities to aid us in our preaching and teaching the Word. In addition to this, homiletics is the art of preaching, which reminds us that this is a skill or art that we can be developing over the time of our work for Him on this earth. As our Lord walked on earth, He used examples and illustrations out of everyday life to teach a spiritual truth. This series will look at some illustrations and stories used to communicate God's Word of truth. Prayerfully this will help sharpen your eye to be on the lookout for others to use.

Taking and Receiving

"It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35).

There is an old story that goes like this:

An unusual tree grew outside the gates of a desert city in the Middle East. It was an old tree, a landmark as a matter of fact. It seemed to have been touched by the finger of God, for it bore fruit perpetually. Despite its old age, its limbs were constantly laden with fruit. Hundreds of passersby refreshed themselves from the tree as it never failed to give freely.

But then a greedy merchant purchased the property on which the tree grew. He saw hundreds of travelers "robbing" his tree, and he built a high fence around it. Travelers pleaded, "Share with us." The merchant quoted in return, "It is my tree, my fruit, bought with my money." And a strange thing happened" the old tree died! What had happened? The law of giving, as predictable as the law of gravity, had expressed its immutable principle: when a tree stops giving, it stops bearing, and it dies.

Yes, this story illustrates well the law of give-and-receive. And when I think of how much I take from God's world, I bow in guilt at how little I give to His work. "But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly"

(2 Cor. 9:6).

BIBLE QUESTIONS -part 2

What Color Robe?

In Mt. 27:28 it says that Jesus was stripped then given a scarlet robe. In Jn. 19:2 the robe Jesus wore was said to be purple. Let us realize that even today there are different shades of a color that some describe differently, yet the colors fall into a category. In ancient times people gave the word “purple” to any color that had red in it. Another issue is that “scarlet” is commonly associated with military (Roman) colors, which would have been associated with the clothing put on Jesus.

Peter’s Denial and the Rooster Crowing

Peter denied his Lord three times. Mt. states that Jesus said, “This very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times” 26:34. Mk. adds a little more detail, saying that the rooster will crow twice before Peter disowns Him three times 14:30. Lk. Agrees with an abbreviated version of Matthew. If the rooster crowed twice, it certainly crowed once and that can’t be denied. Again merely because all do not say something the exact same way does not show a contradiction. And one author leaving something out and focusing on something in particular does not mean a contradiction.

How Did Judas Iscariot Die?

Mt. 27:3-5 says that Judas, filled with remorse after betraying Jesus, hung himself. Yet Acts 1:18 indicates that Judas “fell headlong” and his intestines burst forth. By visiting the area that is traditionally associated with Judas’ death, you will see that both accounts are true. A number of trees with dry, weak branches overhang great cliffs. It takes very little imagination to see Judas hanging himself, but the branch breaks and he fell on jagged rocks and tore his gut.

Why Does Jesus Quote Isaiah Differently?

This is something that we see in Scripture that not always is something quoted verbatim but in a paraphrase. Mt. 13:13-15 and Jn. 12:37-40 both have quotations of our Lord on Is. 53:1 and 6:9. Why aren’t they exactly the same? Our Lord is the Master Teacher. Jesus would use paraphrase to explain points to different audiences because of different emphasis and at different points in time. It is just as we say that a passage has one intended meaning, but many different applications.

Pastor Koenig

BIBLE QUESTIONS

The Maniac(s) and Pigs of Gadara

Jairus’ Daughter

Staff or Staffs? Shoes or Sandals?

How Many Donkeys?

What Color Robe?

Peter’s Denial and the Rooster Crowing

How Did Judas Iscariot Die?

Why Does Jesus Quote Isaiah Differently?