MATTHEW 10:34–36—Did Jesus come to bring peace or war? PROBLEM: Here Jesus affirms, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword.” However, elsewhere He is called “the prince of peace” (Isa. 9:6) who…
MATTHEW 10:23—Did Jesus promise to return to earth during the lifetime of the disciples? PROBLEM: Jesus sent His disciples on a mission and promised them, “you will not have gone through the cities of Israel…
MATTHEW 10:10 (cf. Mark 6:8)—Did Jesus command that the disciples take a staff or not? PROBLEM: In Matthew, Jesus seems to say that the disciples should not take a staff, but in Mark it appears…
MATTHEW 10:5–6—Did Jesus come only for Jews or also for Gentiles? PROBLEM: Jesus told His disciples to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19), because He had “other sheep … which are not of…
MATTHEW 8:28–34 (cf. Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39)—How many demoniacs were healed? PROBLEM: Matthew reports that two demoniacs came to Jesus, while Mark and Luke say that only one demoniac approached Him. This appears to be…
MATTHEW 8:28–34 (cf. Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39)—Where were the demoniacs healed? PROBLEM: The first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) each give an account of Jesus healing demoniacs. Matthew states that the place where the…
MATTHEW 8:22 (cf. Luke 9:60)—Wasn’t it absurd for Jesus to tell the dead to bury their own dead? PROBLEM: A man wanted to follow Jesus but first asked Jesus if he could go and bury…
MATTHEW 8:20 (cf. Matt. 20:18; 24:30; etc.)—If Jesus was the Son of God, why did He call Himself the Son of Man? PROBLEM: Jesus referred to Himself most often as the Son of Man. This…
MATTHEW 8:12—Is hell a place of darkness, or is there light there? PROBLEM: Jesus described hell as a place of “outer darkness” (Matt. 8:12; cf. 22:13 and 25:30). By contrast, the Bible says hell is…
MATTHEW 8:5–13 (cf. Luke 7:2–10)—Is there a mistake in the accounts concerning Jesus and the centurion?