Problem: Jesus taught, “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come” (Mt. 12:32). What does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Does this mean that a Christian can lose their salvation if they do this?
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Problem: The greater context for the Servant Songs[1] is chapters 40-55. Throughout this section, we see much language that is reminiscent of the Exodus (see “How Does Isaiah Use the Exodus Motif?”). Just like the Exodus, God uses a Moses-like figure to lead his people out, fulfilling Deuteronomy 18.
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Problem: In response to the Pharisee’s accusation that Jesus’ disciples had broken the Law of Moses by plucking heads of grain on the Sabbath, the master Teacher called His critics’ attention to the time when King David was hungry and “entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests” (Matthew 12:4). Jesus was referring to the incident recorded in 1 Samuel 21 when David feared for his life, fled from King Saul, and ate the holy bread of the Tabernacle. One questioner recently asked: “Was it not the case that David, in 1 Sam. 21-22, had divine authorization to eat the showbread which was not otherwise lawful? Three times in chapter 22, it is said that the priest, who gave the showbread to David, ‘inquired of the Lord’ for him. Did David not acquire permission from God before getting the showbread?” If so, how could Jesus say that David’s actions were “unlawful” (Matthew 12:4; Mark 2:26; Luke 6:4)?
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Problem: One common misconception regarding the behavior of Jesus is that, on occasion, in healing the sick and performing other benevolent actions, He broke the Sabbath in order to accommodate the higher law of love. This viewpoint leaves the impression that law is sometimes, if not frequently, antithetical to being loving. It implies that sometimes breaking God’s laws is necessary in order to be loving. This notion, of course, is flawed and contrary to Bible teaching. As Paul explained to the Romans: “he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments…are all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8-10). Paul meant that when you obey the law’s directives concerning how to conduct yourself toward your neighbor, you will be engaging in loving behavior. To love, one must enact God’s laws.
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Problem: The Pharisees certainly did not think that the Son of God was beyond reproach. Following Jesus’ feeding of the four thousand, they came “testing” Him, asking Him to show them a sign from heaven (Matthew 16:1). Later in the gospel of Matthew (19:3ff.), the writer recorded how “the Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?’ ” It was their aim on this occasion, as on numerous other occasions, to entangle Jesus in His teachings by asking Him a potentially entrapping question—one that, if answered in a way that the Pharisees had anticipated, might bring upon Jesus the wrath of Herod Antipas (cf. Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29) and/or some of His fellow Jews (e.g., the school of Hillel, or the school of Shammai). A third time the Pharisees sought to “entangle Him in His talk” (Matthew 22:15) as they asked, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” (22:17). The jealous and hypocritical Pharisees were so relentless in their efforts to destroy the Lord’s influence that on one occasion they even accused Jesus’ disciples of breaking the law as they “went through the grainfields on the Sabbath…were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat” (Matthew 12:1ff.). [NOTE: “Their knowledge of so trifling an incident shows how minutely they observed all his deeds” (Coffman, 1984, p. 165). The microscopic scrutiny under which Jesus lived, likely was even more relentless than what some “stars” experience today. In one sense, the Pharisees could be considered the “paparazzi” of Jesus’ day.] Allegedly, what the disciples were doing on this particular Sabbath was considered “work,” which the Law of Moses forbade (Matthew 12:2; cf. Exodus 20:9-10; 34:21).
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Problem: Early on in Jesus’ ministry, John the Baptizer made one of the most beautiful and powerful declarations in all of Holy Writ about Jesus of Nazareth: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Following this glorious, redemptive statement, however, John makes two claims that have been problematic for some. He said about Jesus:
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Problem: Some have tried to claim a biblical contradiction between John 1:29–36 and the parallel passages of Matthew 11:2–3 and Luke 7:19–20. “Did John the Baptist know Jesus was the Messiah?”
Seeing this is a potential issue, it’s important to ask: “Did John the Baptist know Jesus was the Messiah?”
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Problem: Militant, violent, religious extremists have caused legitimate concern for America’s security. In Palestine, on the very soil Jesus walked, people kill each other in warfare motivated by religion. Do the teachings of Christ authorize or encourage such behavior? In John 14:27, Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Some have charged that Jesus’ promise of peace in that verse contradicts His message in Matthew 10:34: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” Did Jesus come to Earth to bring peace—or turmoil?
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Problem: Some passages say that Jesus came to bring peace, but others declare that he did not. Isn’t this a blatant contradiction? No, actually. Let’s take a look.
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