Problem: According to Luke, a blind man was healed as Jesus entered the city of Jericho (18:35), but Matthew and Mark declare that the healing took place as Jesus left the city of Jericho. Again, the accounts do not seem to be harmonious.
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Problem: Matthew says that Christ healed two men, but Mark refers to only one man being healed (10:46). This appears to be a clear contradiction.
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Problem: Why does the book of Matthew state that the mother of James and John asked Jesus for a special privilege, while the book of Mark declares that James and John actually asked for this honor?
Who asked Jesus for seats to his right and left?
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Problem: Jesus urged the rich young ruler to “sell what you have and give to the poor” (Matt. 19:21). The early disciples sold their possessions and laid the money at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4:34–35). And Paul warned that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). However, God blessed Abraham and Job with riches, and Paul does not instruct the rich to give away all they have, but to use and “richly enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17–18).
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Why does the Bible say to be like a child, but then to put away childish things?
Problem: Jesus told His followers that they were supposed to become like little children, yet Paul told his readers to stop acting like children.
Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:2–3 [NKJV])
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14 [NKJV])
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (1 Corinthians 13:11 [NKJV])
How can these seemingly contradictory passages be resolved?
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Problem: “Answer a fool . . . don’t answer a fool.” The Bible is full of claims that are often hard to understand and reconcile. Enemies of God’s Word say these are contradictions. Lovers of God’s Word know the truth—consider “the whole counsel of God.”
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Problem: Does God Condone Polygamy?
1 Kings 11:3
And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.
1 Timothy 3:2
A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober–minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach
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Problem: We find the parallel account for this teaching in Mark 10:2-12. We will look at the extended version in Matthew, while comparing and contrasting the differences.
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Problem: Jesus said, “Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 18:3). Does this mean that believers should be naïve and gullible?
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Problem: Why does the Bible say to be like a child, but then to put away childish things?
Jesus told His followers that they were supposed to become like little children, yet Paul told his readers to stop acting like children.
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Problem: The Jewish custom in Jesus’ day was to forgive someone three times—tops. Keener writes, “Judaism also stressed forgiveness, though some teachers saw the need to limit forgiveness to three instances of premeditated sin, pointing out that repentance was otherwise not genuine.”[1] While Peter was thinking that forgiving someone seven times was over the top, Jesus ups his standard to 77 times![2]
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Problem: After Jesus prophesied during His earthly ministry that some would live to see the establishment of God’s kingdom, the first two books of the New Testament indicate six days expired before Peter, James, and John were led up on a high mountain to witness the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 16:28-17:2; Mark 9:1-2). Luke’s account, on the other hand, says that Jesus’ transfiguration occurred “about eight days after” Jesus prophesied of the approaching kingdom’s establishment (9:27-29). Skeptics charge that this difference in the time elapsed between the two events constitutes an obvious error. They profess that such textual differences should lead the honest person to admit that the Bible contains contradictions, and thus is not the inerrant Word of God.
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Problems: According to The Skeptics Annotated Bible, in Mark 9:1, “Jesus falsely prophesies that the end of the world will come within his listeners’ lifetimes.” Skeptic Dennis McKinsey calls this prophecy “one of those classic predictions that has haunted his supporters ever since, forcing them to concoct an endless number of rationalizations to explain its failure.”
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Problem: Did Jesus fail to correctly predict that people standing with Him would “not taste death” until they saw the arrival of the kingdom of God? The answer is, of course, no, He did not fail. There are two reasons why what Jesus said did not fail. First, let’s examine the scriptures under consideration.
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Problem: Why did Jesus call Peter Satan in Matthew 16:23? It was because Peter was denying the very thing that Jesus came to do: die for our sins. Let’s look at the context. In the previous two verses, Jesus told the disciples that He would go to Jerusalem, be killed, and rise on the third day. Peter then said, “…God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” That is when Jesus rebuked him. Peter meant well, but he did not understand Christ’s purpose. Please consider the following statements about Jesus’ purpose.
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