Some people believe the Bible to be one contradiction after another. I recently had this conversation with my neighbor after inviting him to church. People like him question the reliability of a book when the authors seem to contradict each other. So we must ask ourselves, is the Bible full of conflicting facts and stories?
People sometimes view the Bible as contradictory when they read different details about the same story. Most often this happens when comparing the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) where there are four different writers all write about similar events but record similar events in dissimilar ways. Why would this be?
Variation is always the norm when different people recall the same event. Each gospel writer had a unique perspective and intent for including particular events or details in his writings. An example of unique perspective is when a whole family goes to a counselor and begins to their individual account of the problem. Each of them has different reasons for sharing their unique perspective.
I think a great modern example of how events can be interpreted totally different is our current presidential race. If a particular news station or newspaper is reporting, the stories can be totally different because one group may support one candidate or another because of their support even though the speeches or results may be the exact same event. Let’s take a look at a few examples from the Bible and find some logical explanations for the different details in the stories.
Often writers will include certain details that are not included in other accounts. For example Luke includes the visit of the shepherds but Matthew does not. Matthew includes the visit of the wise men but Luke makes no mention of it. It doesn’t mean the account is untrue but they do focus on different things. Mark and John don’t discuss the birth of Jesus in their gospels but focus on His adult ministry. A great example of this very thing is that Darrel and I use the same source for this blog, yet our writing can emphasize different aspects of the same things. Just think… why do we have CBS, ABC,NBC, CNN, MSNBC, and the Public Broadcasting System? They all share different perspectives for the same news.
The gospel writers included details that appear to conflict with one another. But further research may provide a plausible explanation. For example, at the crucifixion of Jesus, Pilate had a sign written and attached to the cross about Jesus’ head. According to Mark, the sign said “The king of the Jews”. John records the sign as reading “Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews”. And in Matthew’s gospel it reads “This is Jesus the king of the Jews”.
So what did it really say? Another possibility is found in John’s record of this which says that the inscription was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. This could mean there was more than one inscription attached to the cross. In any event, the overall message of the sign comes through very clearly. The Romans wanted there to be no mistake of the identity of the person being executed and crucifixion was used as a political and societal deterrent to unrest with the government.
On occasion the Bible contains differing accounts that are not easy to explain. Matthew 27:5 reports that Judas had remorse for betraying Jesus and, “He went away and hanged himself.” But in Acts 1:18, Luke tells us that “Judas bought a field, there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.” Spoken like a true doctor. So which was it? This is food explanation for how the body could burst open through the act of falling.
One possible explanation is that both events occurred. It’s possible that Judas hung himself and after several days his corroding body, savaged by bird, bugs and other stuff (where is CSI Grissom when you need him?) he fell headlong and his innards went everywhere.
There are many examples like the one above they appear contradictory. Most, however, are a result of the perspective and the purposes of the biblical writers to come through in their writings. The end result is the inspired Word of God uniquely expressed through each book of the Bible
God chose to put His words into the hearts and mind of the biblical writers rather than writing them down on physical tablets. The Bible is a human record of a divine God. In total, there is incredible unity, agreement and power included in the Old and New Testaments.
God gave His message through human writers. The books of the Bible reflect the perspective and a purposes and the heart of each individual writer. The Bible with all its diversity, perspective is rich and full of character and diversity. It is ultimately the inspired Word of God intended for us to receive.
Read I Corinthians 12: 14-26
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