Problem: Mark states that Mary was there “very early in the morning … when the sun had risen” (v. 2). But John says it was “early, while it was still dark” (John 20:1).
05
Jan
2021
Jesus
04
Jan
2021
Mark 15:40 – Were the women close or far from the cross?
Problem: Were the women close or far from the cross? Matthew, Mark, and Luke all seem to say that the women at the cross watched from a distance. John, however, seems to place them close to the cross. Is this a contradiction? Let’s take a look:
01
Jan
2021
Mark 15:25 – At what hour was Jesus crucified?
Problem: At what hour was Jesus crucified? The answer is easy when you realize that there were two different time systems being used.
30
Dec
2020
Mark 15:25 – Was Jesus crucified on the third hour or the sixth hour?
Problem: John records that Jesus was still on trial at the “sixth hour” (Jn. 19:14). Likewise, Matthew records that the darkness fell from “the sixth hour… until the ninth hour” (Mt. 27:45; Lk. 23:44). However, Mark records, “It was the third hour when they crucified Him” (Mk. 15:25). Mark writes that Jesus was crucified at 9am or “the third hour” (Mk. 15:25), while John records that he was crucified at noon or “the sixth hour” (Jn. 19:14). Mark agrees that the darkness occurred from noon until 3pm (Mk. 15:33; cf. Lk. 23:44), yet they disagree on the beginning of Jesus crucifixion. How could John record that Jesus was on trial at the sixth hour, when Mark states that he was already being crucified? How can we resolve this?
21
Oct
2020
Matthew 27:48—Did Jesus die on the cross or just swoon?
Problem: Many skeptics, as well as Muslims, believe that Jesus did not die on the cross. Some say that He took a drug that put Him in a comalike state and that He later revived in the tomb. Yet the Bible says repeatedly that Christ died on the cross (cf. Rom. 5:8; 1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Thes. 4:14).
20
Oct
2020
Matthew 27:46 – What are the last words of Jesus?
(Matthew 27:46) – “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have Your forsaken Me?'”
23
Mar
2020
Was Jesus anti-Jewish?
Some Jewish investigators of Jesus assume that Jesus wasn’t very Jewish, and Christianity is an anti-Jewish religion. But nothing could be further from the truth! Jesus was as Jewish as they come. In fact, the NT explains that Jesus:
11
Jan
2020
Isaac and Jesus
Are the reported sacrificings of Isaac and of Jesus related? Are they narrative-tied? Does one of these events unfold with the other in mind? Does the sacrificing of Isaac prefigure or foreshadow Jesus’s? (Or alternatively, does the sacrificing of Jesus refer back to the sacrificing of Isaac?)
17
Jul
2019
10 Things You Should Know about Jesus Christ (Part 1)
It actually sounds a bit silly, even irreverent, to speak of only ten things we should know about Jesus. There are thousands of things to know about him, perhaps millions. Indeed, when we arrive in the new heaven and new earth we will discover that there is an infinity of truths about our Savior that it will be our joy to see, know, and savor. But for now, today, let’s consider the ten things said about him in Colossians 1:15-20. There Paul writes:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col. 1:15-20).
21
Feb
2019
Historical Evidence for Jesus
A few of the more radical skeptics deny that Jesus was an historical person. This is called “the Jesus myth.” In 2012, for example, Timothy Freke published The Jesus Mysteries: Was the ‘Original Jesus’ a Pagan God?
Following is a refutation of the myth of the Jesus myth:
- The historicity of Jesus was not disputed until recent times.
Had there been any question whatsoever about the actual existence of Jesus, the opponents of Christianity in the early centuries would have used this to refute Christianity’s legitimacy, but this was never done.