[Faith-talk] Bible Study Question and Answer for 1/11/14

[Paul]

Hello folks.  At the suggestion of one person I'm changing the name of Daily Thought to something else.  I much prefer the name "Daily Thought," but don't know just how to change it.  What do you all say?

Sometime ago I gave you a Bible question and answer by Pastor Bob Rathbun, editor of the Gospel Association for the Blind's official publication "The Gospel Messenger," and I'd like to do that today.  The question is based on Matthew 8:28-34 and its question and answer are as follows:

Matthew tells of two maniacs in Gadara.  Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39 speak of only one maniac, and Luke places him in Gerasa.  Surely, at least one is in error.

Answer:  The most likely location of the event reported in all three Gospels is Gadara.  Most believe Gerasa reflects a scribal error involving the substitution of r for d, letters which look very similar in Aramaic.

Were there one or two maniacs? Is this a contradiction? Not necessarily.  After all, Matthew does not suggest there was only one maniac.  He simply remembers and concentrates attention on one.

Suppose you told a friend, "Jim was at the party but came late," while another person told the same friend, "Jim and Carl came late to the party." Should you be charged with an error because you failed to mention Carl when telling about Jim? Of course not.  Why then should the New Testament be charged with an error because Matthew mentioned only one of the two maniacs, while Mark and Luke mentioned both?

Each writer agrees on the central elements of the story.  Jesus demonstrated His power over demons by casting them out of their human victims and permitting them to go into a herd of pigs, which dashed into the water and were drowned.  To insist that Matthew made an error simply because he did not mention both maniacs hardly seems reasonable under the circumstances.

And there you have Pastor Bob's question and answer.  By the way, it might interest you to know that he is currently pastor of the First Baptist Church of Lowell MA and, I think, has been a pastor for over 40 years.  I hope you found his explanation helpful, especially if, like me, you wondered about this situation and seeming contradiction.

And now may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us safe, individually and collectively, in these last days in which we live.  Lord willing tomorrow there will be another article for you to ponder.  Your friend and brother, Paul