Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught. [Luke 1:1-4 (NLT)]
Skeptics often point to contradictions in the Bible when questioning its reliability. For example, Matthew, Mark and Luke tell of Jesus healing a demon-possessed man and casting the demons into swine but there are inconsistencies between their accounts. Mark and Luke say this occurred in the region of the Gerasenes but Matthew calls it the Gadarenes. In this region, however, there were at least three towns with similar names: Gergasa, Gerasa and Gadara. Adding to the confusion, once healed, the demoniac testified throughout what was called the Decapolis or Ten Towns and both Gadara and Gerasa were in this district. The area of the Gerasenes probably included that of the Gadarenes in the way someone living in Hammond, Indiana, also lives in Lake County, on the South Shore, in northeast Indiana, and within the Chicago metropolitan area. The same place can be described many ways.
Harder to reconcile is that Matthew writes about two demoniacs while Mark and Luke just mention one. Yet, where there are two, there is always at least one and Mark and Luke never say there was only one man. That they don’t mention a second doesn’t mean he wasn’t there; he just wasn’t essential to the story the way they told it. A similar inconsistency is found in the accounts of the woman at the tomb Easter morning. John names only Mary Magdalene. The other three gospels all name her but include other women. The “other Mary,” is mentioned in Matthew’s gospel and Mary (the mother of James) and Salome are in Mark’s. Luke says Joanna, Mary (the mother of James), and several other women told the apostles about the empty tomb. None of the writers, however, said that only the women they mentioned were there that day.
Differing accounts aren’t necessarily contradictory. If my husband and I were both to tell you about a wedding we attended, I would tell you it was near Cleveland, he would say Ashtabula, but the invitation would say Geneva-on-the-Lake. I would mention the bride’s gown, the wedding party’s attire, and the flowers but my husband would tell you about the terrific venue, food, and band. When recounting the people there, while our lists would overlap, they wouldn’t be identical. Our accounts would be different but truthful and certainly not incompatible.
While the message in the Bible is God-breathed, it was man-penned and the authors were writing for different audiences at different times. Matthew wrote specifically to the Jews, Mark wrote to the Christians in Rome, Luke wrote for the Gentiles (and specifically to Theophilus, a Gentile convert of high rank), and seekers and new Christians were John’s original audience. Paul was writing for the early church in places like Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus and Philippi. From different backgrounds, they were writing for different people, and emphasized different things. Let us never make the mistake of thinking that different means irreconcilable or false. As for me, I’m not about to throw out the baby with the bathwater over a few discrepancies in Scripture. I just pray for discernment and continue to seek the truth.
This Book (the Bible) had to be written by one of three people: good men, bad men or God. It couldn’t have been written by good men because they said it was inspired by the revelation of God. Good men don’t lie and deceive. It couldn’t have been written by bad men because bad men would not write something that would condemn themselves. It leaves only one conclusion. It was given by divine inspiration of God. [John Wesley]
There’s probably no end of sermons and commentary on the swine that went plunging into the lake after Jesus saved the demoniac. “Why pigs?” some ask while others focus on the death of the animals rather than the salvation of a man. Non-believers criticize Jesus for his “wanton destruction” of other people’s property without realizing their criticism implies their belief in the miracle. Theologians respond that since Jesus is God, those pigs actually belonged to Him. I don’t know what the demons wanted when they asked to be sent into the pigs, why they plunged down the hillside to their death, or what happened to the demons after that. What I do know is that the value of 2,000 pigs does not exceed the value of one human soul.
Once upon a time, when an acorn fell on Chicken Licken’s head, he thought the sky was falling. In a panic, he ran across the barnyard to tell Henny Penny. After the alarmed twosome told Turkey Lurkey the frightening news, the three sped off to warn the rest of the barnyard. Shocked at the scary news, Ducky Lucky and Goosey Loosey joined them in their panic. When the five distraught birds encountered Foxy Loxy, the sly fellow invited them into the safety of his den. Sadly, that was the end of Chicken Licken and the rest of the barnyard birds—all because they didn’t understand that acorns falling from oak trees are an inevitable part of life.
In Ezekiel 34, the Lord commanded Ezekiel to prophesy against the shepherds of Israel—not the caretakers of sheep but the prophets, priests, and leaders who were supposed to protect their people in the same way a shepherd does his sheep. He accused them of not searching for lost sheep and abandoning their flock to be attacked by wild animals.
Mark, Matthew, and Luke all tell the story of Jesus calming the sea. He and the disciples had started to sail the five miles across the Sea of Galilee when a fierce storm struck. Tired from a day of preaching, Jesus remained asleep in the stern while the storm raged. As the waves broke and the boat began to fill with water, the disciples were sure they would perish. After they woke Jesus by shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” He rebuked the wind and the storm ended.
“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, the True Judge,” is a blessing often said by Jews when they undergo a death or tragedy. “This is all for the good,” or “Blessed is the true judge,” is often said by other Jews in response to their tragic news. Rather than being about God’s final judgment of a person, these words remind them that only God can judge whether events are good or bad. To illustrate this point, the Talmud has a story about the second century sage, Rabbi Akiva. One night, the rabbi, along with his rooster and donkey, arrived in a village. When no one would give Akiva a place to stay, the rebbe said, “All that God does, He does for the good.” He then walked to a field outside of town, set up camp, and lit his lantern. That evening, a gust of wind knocked over the lantern breaking it, a fox came and ate the rooster, and a lion came and killed the donkey. In spite of all that, Akiva said, “All that God does, He does for the good!” Just before dawn, marauders came and attacked the village but, camped in the field without light, crowing rooster or braying donkey to reveal his presence, the rabbi remained safe.
Devotions of the Heart 