Do you ever come across a verse, passage, or parable and say to yourself:
What in the world does that mean?
I don’t understand what Jesus is saying in that passage.
Why would they respond that way?
Is that still true today?
You’re not alone.
Every week during the #LentChallenge, we’re asking New Testament scholar, Dr. Craig Blomberg to weigh in on your questions—even the trickiest, strangest, and most random. Check out his answers to 5 difficult Bible questions and leave yours as a comment below:
1. In John 21, Jesus instructs the disciples to throw the net on the other side of the boat. They catch 153 fish. What is the significance of 153 fish? (John 21:11)
It’s amazing the extent to which people have gone to try to find some hidden meaning in the number 153.
My answer isn’t as exciting but I think it’s more likely to be true. The significance of 153 is that they got such an impressive and unexpected fish catch that somebody counted the fish and found they had caught 153. And they remembered the number!
2. Luke 17:5-6 reminds us that we don’t need more faith—all faith has God’s power in it. So why are we still so powerless? I don’t see trees throwing themselves into lakes.
The tree into the lake is obviously a metaphor for great things, just like faith moving mountains in 1 Corinthians 13:2. Those activities, if they took place literally would simply upset things horribly!
But if the real heart of the question is: Why don’t we experience more instances of spiritual power?
Then I guess I’d have to ask who the “we” of the question refer to and what would constitute the “power” they are looking for. Is a person looking for something outward, exciting, energizing, tangible? Is a person looking for a miracle that science can’t explain?
Actually, even these things happen quite often. Read Craig Keener’s two-volume work on Miracles for a phenomenal catalog of modern-day miracles on every continent that have been meticulously documented. As for a powerful church service, I go to a church where I regularly experience amazing biblical preaching with insightful and incisive application and thoughtful Spirit-filled worship led by godly musicians. But just this week, outside of church, a good friend and ex-con got a job working for a spinoff ministry from Prison Fellowship against all odds, another friend wrote me about the sudden death of his wife and acknowledged his deep grief but also expressed his strong, abiding conviction in God’s goodness and in her being with Jesus. A third friend told me how a person they have been praying for and sharing with for a long time committed his life to Christ.
If these aren’t examples of spiritual power then I think we are looking for the wrong thing.
3. What is the deal with Jesus instructing his disciples to buy a sword in Luke 22:35-38? I can understand how Peter might have been confused by this when just a few verses later he draws his and is reprimanded for cutting off an ear.
I take it to be a way of saying prepare for hostility against you of a kind that you haven’t received thus far. A lot in that little passage depends on how you imagine Jesus’ tone of voice in verse 38. Is he claiming in a matter-of-fact tone that two swords will be enough to overcome all the arresting troops later that evening? That would require a miracle of the kind that it is not part of God’s will for Jesus to work on this night that is appointed to lead to his death.
It seems much more likely that he is speaking these words in exasperation, as if to say, “That’s enough—you guys just don’t get it, or won’t get it.” Could that have still left Peter confused? Of course. This is the same Peter who protested vehemently he wouldn’t deny Jesus and proceeded to do so three times in exact fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy. Mark 9:9 suggests that the disciples won’t truly understand things until after Jesus’ resurrection.
4. Why are there so many references to demon possession in the New Testament? Seems like an overwhelming amount of people were possessed back then… but not in current times.
Depending on which passages in the Gospels you count as parallels, there are about seven or eight stories of Jesus exorcising demon-possessed individuals. There is also one in Acts, and a couple of general references in the New Testament to an unspecified of demonized individuals being healed. I’m not sure this merits being called an “overwhelming” number, but that’s a judgment call I suppose.
Craig Keener’s book that I reference above in my answer to the second question has a lengthy appendix in which he documents hundreds of modern-day exorcisms. My church has seen three in its fourteen-year history and when I ask one of my larger classes at the seminary how many of the students have been involved directly or indirectly in an exorcism, several hands typically go up. In some parts of the world today demon possession seems more “overwhelming” than it may have been even in first-century Israel.
The question still remains why some locations seem to see it a lot more. Perhaps they relate to places that have not had the gospel for decades or even centuries and Satan’s “kingdom” still wreaks havoc. It doesn’t surprise me that the places that tend to see the most overt demonic activity today are places still under the control of pagan religions or parts of the once Christianized Western world that are becoming the most post-Christian and pagan today as well.
5. Why does Jesus instruct so many people to keep his miracles quiet? (Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 3:7-12; Luke 8:40-56)
He tries to silence them at times after miracles, but even more often after someone grasps that he is the Messiah, God’s Son. Commentators have come to refer to this motif in the Gospels, especially in Mark, as the Messianic Secret. Probably the primary reason is because people didn’t yet grasp that he was not to be the kind of Messiah most people were looking for—a military general or political king who would free Israel from the Romans. Only after his death and resurrection would this change (Mark 9:9).
Premature acclaim during Jesus’ earthly ministry would have led simply to his premature execution. Only Christ himself knew when his appointed time had come when he could boldly confess his identity even before the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:62-63) and lose his life for it in less than twenty-four hours. Prior to that he had to be more guarded.
***
This week I’m giving away THREE copies of Craig Blomberg‘s brand new book, Can We Still Believe the Bible? An Evangelical Engagement with Contemporary Questions.
Dr . Craig L. Blomberg (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is distinguished professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary, where he has taught for more than twenty-five years. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including A Handbook of New Testament Exegesis, Jesus and the Gospels, The Historical Reliability of the Gospels, Preaching the Parables, Making Sense of the New Testament, and commentaries on Matthew, 1 Corinthians, and James.
Challenges to the reliability of Scripture are perennial and have frequently been addressed. However, some of these challenges are noticeably more common today, and the topic is currently of particular interest among evangelicals. In this book, biblical scholar Craig Blomberg offers answers to questions like:
Aren’t the Copies of the Bible Hopelessly Corrupt?
Can We Trust Any of Our Translations of the Bible?
Don’t All the Miracles Make the Bible Mythical?
To win ONE of THREE copies of Can We Still Believe the Bible?, enter a comment on the original post at MargaretFeinberg.com. Winners will be selected and announced on Friday.
Congratulations to the winners: Bridget, Ralph Cann, Eric Hause
What verse has you stumped? Have you ran into a passage that’s tricky to interpret? What’s a question about the Bible, theology, or Christianity that has been lingering in your head?
Sounds like a great resource for our small group leader library. Would love to read it.
Congratulations, Ralph! You’ve been selected as a winner! Please send your mailing address to carrie@margaretfeinberg.com.
Sounds like a really helpful book. I am especially interested in different translations of the Bible. Blessings!
Would love to have this.
Would love to have this book.
I would like to read more from this author!!!
I have often wondered about the Messianic Secret and the reaction of the people Jesus healed. In Mark 1:44-45, Matt 9:30-31 and Mark 7:35-36 Jesus heals people and commands them not to tell anyone. Yet in each of these instances the person healed ignores Jesus command “not to tell” and proclaims his power to everyone. Was Jesus not serious about his command to remain silent? Are these people sinning because they disobey Jesus’ command?
Thank you for the post. I am in seminary at the moment and have spent some time on many of the most questioned passages in the Bible. This being said, I still appreciate how others reconcile problematic texts. Please do not think that I am baiting you or your readers into an argument, but I would like to see your treatment of some of the passages regarding the role of women in the church. I know how most conservatives view this issue and I have found their views unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, I still have issues with passages such as 1 Timothy 2:11-12. Paul seems to have issues with women here, but in other places he gives women roles in the church that seem to go against the above instructions (i.e with Prisca in Romans 16). As a minister, I am expected to give others a responsible answer to these type of questions; and like I mentioned, your opinion would help. Especially, when talking to my wife, daughter, and sister 🙂 Thanks again. Grace and peace.
Thanks for this post. I am interested in reading that book.
I’ve had a question as I’ve read through Acts that maybe you can help me understand. Are baptism of the Holy Spirit and receiving the Holy Spirit the same thing? I may be being too literal or fussing too much over semantics… I understand why early Christians may not have had the Holy Spirit because Jesus said He would send Him after He left. But for us today, I don’t understand how we don’t already HAVE the Holy Spirit when we are saved. A lot of charismatic churches emphasize a second baptism or receiving of the H. S. I understand that some people may have been saved for a while and perhaps didn’t know about the power or the gifts of the H. S. So they later recognize or open or tap into (whatever verb we need there) what’s been there all along. But is that a new receiving or baptizing? Hasn’t the H. S. been there all along–as long as the person has been saved? This concept confuses me because when I was saved, I was at the same time introduced to the power and gifts of the H. S., so I’ve always been thrown off by events where people (who are saved) can be baptized in the H. S. Anyway, any insight would be great!
Youre fussing too much over semantics! If you are a Christian then the Holy Spirit coming to ‘live’ in you is automatic. I think Pentecostals are wrong to think when someone experiences the Holy Spirit in a more obvious way, they are ‘receiving’ Him a second time. Even John Wimber tended to reject that view. Id recommend a short book by Michael Green called ‘Baptism’ which discusses water baptism and there is a section on so-called baptism in the Spirit. Green is a charismatic himself but rejects any sense of a 2nd ‘receiving’ etc. The traditional Pentecostal view tends to make 2 different types of Christians – ones who have ‘received’ the Holy Spirit and those who have not. That is simply false!
Thanks for this informative post. After reading the third question, I automatically think of Christians that utilize this verse to justify the purchasing of the modern day sword, that is a gun, for the protection of one’s self or family. Yes, it’s a highly charged topic, so my apologies if this comment fires up people. Do you know if Dr. Blomberg has written more on this particular issue?
Oh, I need to read that book!
sounds like an great read…
Margaret, I love how God is using you to point us to His Word and equipping us to “handle it well”. I am thanking HIm, for you and His work through you.
An addition to point #3 could also be John 18:6- When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
No swords were needed.
In regards to point #4- someone in a church I belonged to long ago had said to me, “If demons were prevalent in Jesus’ time, how much more so now?” I also read that the Catholic Church has way more exorcists than it had in previous years and seems to be indoctrinating more.
A book that I definitely need to read…
Did you receive our Picture from Open Door, MN on Pinterest? Thanks for your posts.
Did you draw me for the book?
Where is the “winner post”? I looked for it a couple weeks ago, after another book offer, but didn’t find it.
I’d love this to review for a future discipleship class in our church. Thanks for this blog post… It was excellent! It was also wonderful meeting you at the EWomen Conference in Greenville earlier this month.
Great explanations for complex questions. I, too, loved hearing you at EW in Greenville. Tried to meet you but was volunteering. Our Bible study group did Wonderstruck last fall and loved it! The lessons were awesome (as was the scenery!!) Enjoying the study on John right now. Thanks for your faithfulness.
I think it would be very helpful to read this book because so many people have questions about difficult verses.
My hubs and I both would like to read this book! Please, hope my name/ number is picked!
Enjoy your weekend!
Really appreciate his comments, be a great book to read.
Sounds like an interesting book!
This is an excellent resourc for us trying to know the Bible correctly and well.
Thank you for your answers and your posts!
Sounds like a very exciting book! I sure would like a copy!
After being raised in a Christian home, my 20-something son has decided that the Bible is not true. I am sad. I would love to share this resource with him. It might help. He is so smart, too smart.
I loved this post and am very interested in reading the book. There have been several times I have read a passage and been confused or wondered if there was some special meaning. To know that 153 was just the number they caught is great. I really loved question 5 I always wondered why he asked that his miracles be kept quiet. Hope I win. Been out of a job and it is difficult sometimes. God Bless You
Love to have the book as well!
Just had an interesting conversation regarding the Messianic Secret in our small group this past week. In fact, I had the pleasure of studying this topic in one of Dr. Blomberg’s NT courses at Denver Seminary many years ago. Looking forward to reading his new book.
Congratulations, Eric! You’ve been selected as a winner! Please send your mailing address to carrie@margaretfeinberg.com.
This is my idea of fun!
Really like these questions and answers. Thank you.
And I would love to win a copy of the book.
Blessings
Janis
Thank you for posting these answers to very interesting points. I would like to have this book.
Would love to win this book! Thank you!
Congratulations, Bridget! You’ve been selected as a winner! Please send your mailing address to carrie@margaretfeinberg.com.
What I appreciate most about people & resources like this is that they underscore the fact that there are reasonable answers to the reasonable questions people have about Christianity. Too often, well-meaning people are stumped by challenging questions, and I guess a lot of Christians expect that only their pastor/priest has any real answers. God is a rational being and our faith is grounded in truth, not wishful thinking. In fact, we worship He who is Truth! Thanks for sharing this great Q&A!
Thank you for sharing! This book would be a great tool for the three bible studies I’m leading weekly. I’m also going to look into Dr. Blomberg’s other works. Praise God that He’s leading people to help us understand and pass along that knowledge to others!
Its always good to have resources on hand, to answer those difficult questions that come up. I would love to win this book. Thanks.
Sounds like an important read. Thanks!