by Gary L. Evans
51 — Did Jesus say anything secretly?
No. “I have said nothing secretly” (John 18:20)
Joh 18:19-21 The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine. Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing. Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.
Jesus did teach the public, and He had thousands of people, huge crowds of people come to hear Him teach for long hours each day. And He did teach in the synagogues in the cities that had one, and also in the Temple in Jerusalem. So His statements here are true, and His point was clear. If anyone who had heard Him speak and say anything that was in error, they should be able to speak for themselves about what exactly did He say that offended them, and of course that would include His Disciples. They were also free to speak.
Yes. “He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything” (Mark 4:34). The disciples asked him “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given” (Matthew 13:10-11)
Mark 4:33-34 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.
Jesus did speak publicly in parables because He was commanded by Prophesy to teach the public in that manner.
Isa 6:8-10 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
The Messiah was commanded to teach through parables or dark sayings so that the people would only understand what they were able to understand, which because of their rebellious hearts was merely a surface level. If anyone in the public sincerely wanted to follow Jesus and come to Him to ask more questions about His parables, I’m sure He would have answered them clearly. I don’t recall Jesus ever refusing to help anyone who asked Him with a reverent heart. But who were the ones who asked Him privately for more understanding? His Chosen Disciples, His Elect.
Mat 13:10-17 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
People who are of this world (Satanic) cannot comprehend The Word of God, because they do not have eyes to see and perceive and ears to hear and understand.
Eze 12:1-2 The word of the LORD also came unto me, saying, Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.
These facts do not present any contradiction. And the fact that He privately tutored His Disciples away from the public crowds is simply because He was training them to eventually be evangelists enabled to go out into the world and teach others about The New Covenant. Jesus was teaching His Disciples the “mysteries” of The Kingdom of Heaven, which included The Way to Eternal Life, which had been kept secret since The First Earth Age, but were now revealed in The Word of God. Jesus did not keep them secret, but instead revealed them to His Disciples. Then after His death, burial, and resurrection, He would command His Disciples to in turn teach these things to everyone in the world who would listen to them.
52 — Where was Jesus at the sixth hour on the day of the crucifixion?
On the cross (Mark 15:23)
Mark 15:21-27 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not. And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left.
Note that “the third hour” (from sunrise) was 9:00 am, the hour of the morning sacrifice.
Dr. Bullinger states: “the third hour. Of the day (Joh_11:9), i.e. 9am. No discrepancy; for the sixth hour of Joh_19:14 was the sixth hour of the night (from about sunset), viz. “about” midnight (in the midst of the trial), when Pilate said “Behold your King”. The context there and here explains and settles the matter. Here, the trial was over; in Joh_19:14 the trial was going on. See App-156 and App-165. It was the hour of the morning sacrifice.”
In Pilate’s court (John 19:14)
Joh 19:12-15 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
This was the sixth hour after sundown, or about 12:00 pm, midnight.
53 — The gospels say that two thieves were crucified along with Jesus. Did both thieves mock Jesus?
Yes (Mark 15:32)
Mark 15:26-32 And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days. Save thyself, and come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him.
Mark does not describe what the two thieves were saying, just that they “reviled Him” along with many other people coming near the cross to revile Him.
No. One of them mocked Jesus, the other defended Jesus (Luke 23:43)
Luk 23:38-43 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Luke presents the full details of what the two thieves were saying while on the cross and about the conversation one of them had with Jesus. So it is obvious in this case how much Luke complements the other three Gospels with this information.
54 — Did Jesus ascend to Paradise the same day of the crucifixion?
Yes. He said to the thief who defended him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43)
Luk 23:39-43 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
All of us return to The Father in Heaven upon the death of our flesh bodies. So Jesus did return to Heaven when He died on the cross. This is the destiny of all who die before Christ returns:
Ecc 12:6-8 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
Described figuratively, Solomon explains that when our flesh bodies die, our spirits (mind) return back to God in Heaven who sent us here into the wombs of our mothers.
No. He said to Mary Magdelene two days later, “I have not yet ascended to the Father” (John 20:17)
Joh 20:15-17 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
The phrase “touch me not” is an Hebraism that means, “don’t slow me down.”
Ascension is extremely rare in The Scriptures, but Elijah was one who ascended.
2Ki 2:9-11 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
So Elijah was taken up alive by a whirlwind into a flying vehicle with flames coming out of it that flew up into Heaven. And Jesus, after His resurrection from the dead, also was taken alive up into Heaven.
Luk 24:50-52 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
55 — When Paul was on the road to Damascus he saw a light and heard a voice. Did those who were with him hear the voice?
Yes (Acts 9:7)
Act 9:3-7 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
The word “hearing” is from the Greek “ak-oo’-o” and means “A primary verb; to hear (in various senses): – give (in the) audience (of), come (to the ears), ([shall]) hear (-er, -ken), be noised, be reported, understand.” Note the various ways it has been translated to in the Bible (words and phrases after the ‘: -‘).
The word “voice” is from “fo-nay'” which means “Probably akin to G5316 through the idea of disclosure; a tone (articulate, bestial or artificial); by implication an address (for any purpose), saying or language: – noise, sound, voice.” Note the various ways it has been translated to in the Bible (words and phrases after the ‘: -‘).
Dr. Bullinger states: “hearing. The companions of Saul heard the sound of the voice, but did not distinguish the words spoken. Compare Act_22:9. This is expressed by the word “voice” (phone) being in the genitive case here, and in the accusative case in Act_9:4. Compare Joh_12:28-30.”
No (Acts 22:9)
Act 22:6-9 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
The word “hearing” is from the Greek “ak-oo’-o” and means “A primary verb; to hear (in various senses): – give (in the) audience (of), come (to the ears), ([shall]) hear (-er, -ken), be noised, be reported, understand.” This is the same word used in Acts 9:7. Note the various ways it has been translated to in the Bible (words and phrases after the ‘: -‘).
This word “ak-oo-o” as used here in Acts 22:9 would better be translated to “understand.” Then there would be no discrepancy between the two passages. Just hearing a sound is quite different from understanding what was said.
So we could better translate: And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they understood not the voice of him that spake to me. Also see Dr. Bullinger’s statement above.
56 — When Paul saw the light he fell to the ground. Did his traveling companions also fall to the ground?
Yes (Acts 26:14)
Act 26:13-14 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
No (Acts 9:7)
Act 9:3-7 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
The word “stood” is from the Greek “his’-tay-mee” which means “A prolonged form of a primary word στάω staō (of the same meaning, and used for it in certain tenses); to stand (transitively or intransitively), used in various applications (literally or figuratively): – abide, appoint, bring, continue, covenant, establish, hold up, lay, present, set (up), stanch, stand (by, forth, still, up). Compare G5087.” Note the various ways it has been translated to in the Bible (words and phrases after the ‘: -‘).
So this word would best be translated to “abided” or “remained”. Thus a better translation would be “And the men which journeyed with him remained speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
Even today we use the word “stand” in this way, for example: “they tried to argue the point, but he stood his ground.” The use of this word in this context clearly does not mean that “he stood up.”
After resolving this translation issue, there is no contradiction. Both of these passages in Acts complement each other with detail.
57– Did the voice spell out on the spot what Paul’s duties were to be?
Yes (Acts 26:16-18)
Act 26:13-19 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
Paul presented a summary of his miraculous experience and conversion by Christ Jesus to King Agrippa. Needless to say that when holding the attention of a king, it is of paramount importance to keep it brief.
No. The voice commanded Paul to go into the city of Damascus and there he will be told what he must do. (Acts 9:7; 22:10)
Act 9:6-9 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
The Lord commanded Saul to go into Damascus and wait until he received further instructions.
Act 9:10-12 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
The Lord commanded Ananias to go to the street called Straight to the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus.
Act 9:13-16 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
Ananias complained that Saul had been persecuting Christians. But The Lord told him how Saul was chosen to serve Him.
Act 9:17-18 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
So Ananias did as he was told, found Saul, and anointed him with laying on of hands and healed him. Saul also immediately was filled with The Holy Spirit.
Act 22:6-9 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me.
Paul begins telling his story to the people of Jerusalem.
Act 22:10-13 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus. And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.
Paul explains how The Lord told him to go to Damascus and there he was met by Ananias who healed him.
Act 22:14-16 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Ananias told him that he must become a witness about everything he had seen and heard. Then he had Saul baptized.
The fact that each time Paul presented his story, some of the details were omitted and others included as time and memory permitted. This fact is not a contradiction.