Matthew

The Birth of Jesus Christ  by Daniel B. Wallace, Th.M., Ph.D. Associate Professor of New Testament Studies Dallas Theological Seminary wallace@bible.org    Preface The following is part of a short series of devotional items related to the birth of Christ. For some, such material is hardly devotional because it primarily …

MATTHEW 28:18–20—How can three persons be God when there is only one God? PROBLEM: Matthew speaks of the “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” all being part of one “name.” But these are three distinct persons. How can there be three persons in the Godhead when there is only “one God” …

MATTHEW 28:9—To whom did Christ appear first, the women or His disciples? PROBLEM: Both Matthew and Mark list women as the first ones to see the resurrected Christ. Mark says, “He appeared first to Mary Magdalene” (16:9). But Paul lists Peter (Cephas) as the first one to see Christ after …

MATTHEW 28:5—Why does Matthew say there was only one angel at the tomb when John says there were two? PROBLEM: Matthew 28:5 refers to the “angel” at the tomb after Jesus’ resurrection, and yet John says there were “two angels” there (John 20:12)? SOLUTION: Matthew does not say there was …

MATTHEW 27:54 (cf. Mark 15:39; Luke 23:47)—What did the centurion really say about Christ on the cross? PROBLEM: Matthew records the centurion saying, “Truly this was the Son of God,” while Mark says substantially the same thing, adding only the word “man,” rendering it, “Truly this Man was the Son …

MATTHEW 27:48—Did Jesus die on the cross or just swoon? PROBLEM: Many skeptics, as well as Muslims, believe that Jesus did not die on the cross. Some say that He took a drug that put Him in a comalike state and that He later revived in the tomb. Yet the …

MATTHEW 27:44—Did both robbers revile Christ, or did only one do this? PROBLEM: Matthew says here, “even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him.” However, according to Luke, only one reviled Him (Luke 23:39) while the other one believed in Him, asking, “Lord, remember me when You come …

MATTHEW 27:37 (cf. Mark 15:26; Luke 23:38; John 19:19)—Why are all the Gospel accounts of the inscription on the cross different? PROBLEM: The wording of the accusation above Christ’s head on the cross is rendered differently in each Gospel account. Matthew: “This is Jesus the king of the Jews” (27:37). …

MATTHEW 27:5 (cf. Acts 1:18)—Did Judas die by hanging or by falling on rocks? PROBLEM: Matthew declares that Judas hanged himself. However, the Book of Acts says that he fell and his body burst open. SOLUTION: These accounts are not contradictory, but mutually complementary. Judas hung himself exactly as Matthew …

MATTHEW 26:52—Is Jesus advocating pacifism and denouncing capital punishment in this passage? PROBLEM: When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Jesus told Peter to put back the sword because those who take up the sword …

MATTHEW 26:34 (cf. Mark 14:30)—When Peter denied Christ, did the rooster crow once or twice? PROBLEM: Matthew and John (13:38) say before the rooster crows once, Peter will have denied the Lord three times. But Mark affirms that before the rooster crows twice Peter will deny Christ three times. Which …

MATTHEW 26:11—Was Jesus always present with His disciples? PROBLEM: According to Jesus’ statement here, He would not always be with the disciples, for He said: “but Me you do not have always” with you. On the other hand, in Matthew 28:20 Jesus said, “Lo, I am with you always, even …

MATTHEW 24:34—Did Jesus err by affirming that the signs of the end time would be fulfilled in His era? PROBLEM: Jesus spoke of signs and wonders regarding His second coming. But Jesus said “this generation” would not end before all these events took place. Did this mean that these events …

MATTHEW 24:29—Did Christ come to earth immediately following the Tribulation or sometime later? PROBLEM: In Matthew, Jesus represents His coming as “immediately after” (24:29) the Great Tribulation. But Luke seems to separate it by the “times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24, 27). SOLUTION: The interval referred to by Luke is …

MATTHEW 23:34–35—Did Jesus make a mistake in referring to Zechariah the son of Jehoiada rather than to Zechariah the son of Berechiah? PROBLEM: Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees that the guilt of all the righteous blood from Abel to Zechariah will fall on them. Concerning Zechariah, Jesus said …