MATTHEW 20:20 (cf. Mark 10:35)—Who came to talk with Jesus, the mother of James and John or James and John? PROBLEM: In Matthew, the mother of James and John made a request of Jesus. However,…
MATTHEW 20:1ff—Are rewards the same for all, or do they differ in degree? PROBLEM: Jesus told a parable of His kingdom in which each servant got the same pay even though each had worked a…
MATTHEW 19:26—Is anything impossible for God? PROBLEM: According to this verse, “with God all things are possible.” However, Hebrews 6:18 declares that “It is impossible for God to lie.” SOLUTION: The context in Matthew indicates…
MATTHEW 19:16–30 (cf. Mark 10:17–31; Luke 18:18–30)—If Jesus was God, why did He seem to rebuke the rich young ruler for calling Him good? PROBLEM: The rich young ruler called Jesus “Good Teacher,” and Jesus…
MATTHEW 16:28—Did Jesus make a mistake about His disciples seeing the kingdom come in their lifetimes? PROBLEM: Jesus told His disciples that some of them would not see death until they saw Him coming in…
MATTHEW 16:20—Why did Jesus instruct His disciples to tell no one He was the Christ? PROBLEM: Jesus commissioned His disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). Yet over and over again…
MATTHEW 16:18—Is Peter the rock on which the church is built? PROBLEM: Roman Catholics use this passage to support their belief in the primacy of Peter, that is, that he is the rock on which…
Why wasn’t Cain given capital punishment for the murder he committed? PROBLEM: In the OT, murderers were given capital punishment for their crime ( Gen. 9:6 ; Ex. 21:12 ). Yet Cain was not…
Does God show respect to certain persons? PROBLEM: God is represented in the Scriptures as someone who “is no respect[er] of persons” ( Rom. 2:11 , KJV ), and one who “shows…
MATTHEW 16:16—Why does Peter’s confession here differ from that recorded in Mark and Luke? PROBLEM: Peter’s confession of Christ in Caesarea Philippi is stated differently in the three Gospels: Matthew: “You are the Christ, the…