Mark 1:7-13 – What did Jesus do after encountering John the Baptist?

After His baptism, Jesus spent some time with the disciples and then went into the desert. John the Apostle’s account of the baptism of Jesus is not a focus on chronological events. Instead, it is focusing on the ministerial aspect of Christ’s mission. John focuses on the issue of baptism and the commission of Christ and the blessing of the Father. Mark simply states that Jesus went into the wilderness after His baptism. Each account is about the same thing, but each addresses the issue in a very different manner and extracts different information from the events. Mark is succinct and mentions events several more events than John. There is no contradiction because there is no conflict in what is said.

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty

Matthew 28:9 – To whom did Christ appear first, the women or His disciples?

Problem: Both Matthew and Mark list women as the first ones to see the resurrected Christ. Mark says, “He appeared first to Mary Magdalene” (16:9). But Paul lists Peter (Cephas) as the first one to see Christ after His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5).

Solution: Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, then to the other women, and then to Peter. The order of the twelve appearances of Christ goes as follows:

THE ORDER OF THE TWELVE APPEARANCES OF CHRIST

Paul was not giving a complete list, but only the important one for his purpose. Since only men’s testimony was considered legal or official in the 1st century, it is understandable that the apostle would not list the women in his defense of the resurrection here.

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Matthew 28:6-7 – What did the angels tell Mary?

  1. (Matthew 28:6-7) – “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7″And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”
  2. (Mark 16:6-7) – “And he *said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7″But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.’”
  3. (Luke 24:5-7) – “and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6″He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
  4. (John 20:13) – “And they *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She *said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”

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Posted by petra1000

Matthew 28:1 – Do the Gospels disagree on who discovered the empty tomb?

Critics of the New Testament often suggest that the gospels present contradictory narratives regarding Jesus’ resurrection. One such argument (which is honestly rather weak but comes up surprisingly often) involves the detail of who it was that discovered Jesus’ empty tomb. The claim is that each gospel lists a different set of women and that the story, therefore, cannot be trusted. This argument, however, breaks down almost immediately on even the slightest examination. The truth is that, while each of the four gospels includes unique details on the matter, they all are perfectly consistent with one another on who it was who first found the stone rolled away and the body of Jesus missing. The gospels are definitely in agreement on this.

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Posted by petra1000 in Bible Difficulty