by Gary L. Evans
99 — Where was Jesus three days after his baptism?
After his baptism, “the spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days … (Mark 1:12-13)
Mark 1:9-13 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.
Next day after the baptism, Jesus selected two disciples. Second day: Jesus went to Galilee – two more disciples. Third day: Jesus was at a wedding feast in Cana in Galilee (see John 1:35; 1:43; 2:1-11)
John omits our Lord’s Test by Satan in the wilderness where He fasted for forty days. And he makes no statement of any sequence of days here, just that two of John the Baptist’s disciples heard him speak his testimony of Jesus being The Lamb of God. And John does not say when those two disciples began to follow Jesus. According to Mark and Matthew, it may have been forty days later when Jesus returned to His home in Capernaum. Or maybe Andrew followed Jesus into the wilderness and witnessed what happened to Jesus over the next forty days. We cannot know what is not stated.
Joh 1:35-37 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
Antichrists take verses out of context and add things to them that are not in the text or omit things from them that are in the text, thereby twisting the result into a lie. And people who are unlearned in The Bible are easily deceived, because they don’t know The Scriptures. Please do not be deceived by their lies and deceit, my friends. And as I said, we just don’t know what is not stated in the Scriptures.
But antichrists always make themselves appear as knowing all things, especially things that are not written in The Bible, and as in this case where a supposed sequence of days is claimed even though it is not in any text. In fact, it is simply IMPOSSIBLE, given the fact that Jesus spent the next forty days in the wilderness! Remember Mark stated: “And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.” Note that many antichrists are well educated, especially in Theology from some seminary, college, or university, some with PHDs. Such credentials! But they are NOT CHRISTIANS. Instead they use their knowledge to turn new Christians against God’s Word, thereby turning them away from Christ. That’s how dangerous the so-called Higher Critics are in this world.
Joh 1:41-44 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
Peter and Andrew no doubt went to see Jesus in Capernaum because that is where He lived. And John states that “the day following (after they all met)” Jesus traveled to Bethsaida in Galilee, the home of Andrew and Peter. And naturally it appears that Andrew and Peter walked with Him on the journey, since it was to their own home town where they lived.
Joh 1:46-51 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
No doubt Jesus spent a few days in Bethsaida calling out Disciples to follow Him.
Joh 2:1-2 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
Dr. Smith states: “Ca’na. (place of reeds) Cana of Galilee, once Cana in Galilee. A village or town, not far from Capernaum, memorable as the scene of Christ’s first miracle, Joh_2:1; Joh_2:11; Joh_4:46, as well as of a subsequent one, Joh_4:46; Joh_4:54, and also as the native place of the apostle Nathanael. Joh_21:2. The traditional site is at Kefr-Kenna, a small village about 4 1/2 miles northwest of Nazareth. The rival site is a village situated farther north, about five miles north of Seffurieh (Sepphoris), and nine miles north of Nazareth.”
So Cana was a village in Galilee.
Joh 2:3-12 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.
After performing the miracle at the wedding feast, Jesus brought His family back to their home in Capernaum.
Obviously we have seen that there was no string of events described in John as “three days after Andrew saw Jesus” to contradict that Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, as given in the other Gospels.
100 — Was baby Jesus’ s life threatened in Jerusalem?
Yes, so Joseph fled with him to Egypt and stayed there until Herod died (Matthew 2:13-23)
Mat 2:1-6 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: 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.
Mary and Joseph and their young son were living in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem. And Jesus was about two years old.
Mat 2:7-12 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 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. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
The wise men realized that Herod could not be trusted, so they went home from Bethlehem another way than the way they had come.
Mat 2:13-15 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
So Joseph and Mary and their son Jesus were threatened in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem. And from there they fled into Egypt to escape Herod.
Mat 2:16-18 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Rachael was Jacob’s beloved wife who died in childbirth giving birth to Benjamin. Note that Joseph was her firstborn.
Gen 35:16-19 And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.
Mat 2:19-23 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of 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.
This was Matthew’s account, which focuses on fulfillment of Prophesy.
No. The family fled nowhere. They calmly presented the child at the Jerusalem temple according to the Jewish customs and returned to Galilee (Luke 2:21-40)
Luk 2:4-7 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 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 documents that Joseph took his pregnant wife Mary to Bethlehem to pay taxes. And that is where Jesus was born.
Luk 2:18-21 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
When Jesus was eight days old, Joseph and Mary brought Him back to the Temple in Jerusalem as they were supposed to according to The Law.
Luk 2:22-24 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
Luk 2:39-40 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
Note that Jesus was about two years old in Matthew’s account when The Wise Men from the East arrived, and when Herod sent his troops to go to Bethlehem to Kill Jesus. So after their brief trip to The Temple, they returned to Bethlehem where they were now living. So this account of the infant Jesus, when He was only eight days old after He was born, occurred about two years BEFORE the Wise Men came to see Herod, and that is when the angel appeared to Joseph telling him to move his family to Egypt.
Note that Luke does not present in his account Joseph and Mary’s earlier travel from Bethlehem to flee into Egypt. He just picks it up when they had returned and were living in Nazareth. So Luke omits years of time which is documented in other Gospels.
Antichrists often show how one Gospel omits events described in other Gospels, as though that fact indicates some kind of contradiction. The fact that Luke chose not to include their trip to Egypt, absolutely does not mean that it did not happen. He also did not mention the arrival of The Wise Men from the East, but that does not mean it did not happen. It only means that Luke was focused on presenting other events. If all four Gospels said exactly the same things, then there would only be one Gospel, not four.
101 — When Jesus walked on water how did the disciples respond?
They worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33)
Mat 14:25-33 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Jesus told Peter to come to Him on the water. So Peter obeyed and walked on the water toward Jesus. Jesus had provided Peter with the ability to do that, until Peter became afraid and began to doubt. And the other Disciples were convinced of Jesus’ identity.
“They were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:51-52)
Mark 6:47-52 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
Mark’s account includes details not in Matthew’s, and Matthew’s includes details not in Mark’s. But both are true. Mark focuses on how the Disciples were just regular folks like us, who were slow to connect the dots of all of our Lord’s miracles to draw a correct conclusion. There is no contradiction in two truthful accounts. Any good investigator establishes the credibility of the witnesses available and records their accounts as they present them. Then he studies every detail they provide to put together the Big Picture. In the same way, the four Gospels complement each other providing a bigger picture than we could get from any one account.
I hope my work here in these lessons to resolve each of these 101 So-called Contradictions in The Bible has shown you how to use the basic study tools available to everyone FREE OF CHARGE. All I have used was the e-Sword PC Study Bible software which includes after download the tools I have demonstrated to you in my explanations to debunk often ridiculous claims as well as the more complex claims that require tedious analysis. With the examples presented here, practice using these tools to improve your skills as a Bible Scholar. And there is one absolute requirement for our success, and that is The Holy Mind of Christ. Without Him, we can do nothing.
The enemy that we must always remain on guard against was identified by Jesus:
Mat 23:24-25 Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
We have seen in these examples how the hypocritical Higher Critics do just that. They choke on a preposition but gobble down blatant blasphemy against God’s Word.
Remember and adhere to Paul’s advice to Timothy:
2Ti 2:14-16 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
Whosoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, let him hear.