[Faith-talk] Baffling Bible Questions Answered for Monday, October 17, 2016

[Paul Smith]

Hello to all my fellow astute Bible students out there, no matter where 
you live.  I hope that your day is going well, by God's matchless grace 
and His providential care.

Today we continue to look at the book of Matthew for hopefully some 
answers to puzzling questions you might have, so let's go.



Matthew 8:20

QUESTION:  What did Jesus mean when He spoke of Himself as "The Son of Man?"

ANSWER:  Matthew ascribes this title to Jesus 32 times.  It shows up 15 
times in Mark, 26 times in Luke, and 12 times in John.  The phrase "son 
of" here emphasizes Jesus' identity with the human race.  He became a 
true human being.  The most important implication of this truth is 
rooted in the Old Testament concept of the "go'el," or kinsman 
redeemer.  In Old Testament law a near relative had both the right and 
obligation to come to the aid of a helpless and enslaved relation, as 
well as the right to avenge such a person's murder.  In becoming human, 
Jesus became our kinsman, and thus won the right to become our 
redeemer.  While in some contexts Jesus used the title "Son of Man" 
simply as a way of naming Himself, in others the title emphasizes not 
only His humanity but also His commission to save a helpless humanity 
trapped in bondage to sin.



Matthew 8:22

QUESTION:  How could Jesus be so unfeeling as to tell a bereaved young 
man to leave his father unburied and to immediately follow Him?

ANSWER:  First, the young man was not bereaved, because his father was 
not dead.  Jewish burial customs involved the disposal of the corpse 
immediately upon death.  If the father had died, the young man already 
would have been on the way to the tomb with the corpse.  In fact, the 
young man said that he wanted to follow Jesus but not until his father 
died.  He placed his filial obligation to his father above his 
commitment to the Son of God.  Thus, Jesus' response was not unfeeling 
but a clear call to put God first in everything--even above what we 
feel we owe our parents.



MATTHEW 8:28

QUESTION:  Are demons mythical beings? If not, where did they come 
from? Can Christians be demon possessed today?

ANSWER:  The New Testament treats demons as real beings.  Most scholars 
identify them with angels that chose to rebel against God and follow 
Satan.  Volume 2 of "A Contemporary Wesleyan Theology" sums up the New 
Testament teaching on demons this way:

"As spiritual beings, demons are unclean, they are vicious, 
intelligent, and able to attack human persons with moral and spiritual 
pollution as well as with physical harm and abuse.  Throughout the 
Gospels (Matt. 8:16, 17:18, Mark 9:25; Luke 10:17, 20) demons are shown 
to be spiritual beings.  In some cases such as the Gadarene demoniac 
(Mark 5:2-16, Luke 8:27-38) and Mary Magdalene, out of whom Jesus cast 
seven devils (Mark 16:9, Luke 8:2), numerous demons may possess one 
person.  The apostles Paul and John likewise lend support to the 
spiritual nature of demons in such passages as Ephesians 2:2, 6:12, and 
Revelation 16:14, among others."

Both Old Testament and New Testament forbid God's people to have 
anything to do with any form of the occult and thus to withdraw from 
anything that might possibly involve evil supernatural forces (see also 
1 Cor. 10:20-21).  While various Gospel references indicate that demons 
can oppress and possibly even possess the unwilling, the New Testament 
also reminds us that truths that put the demoniac in perspective.  
Jesus remains the ultimate power in the universe, and demons can be 
cast out in His name (Acts 19:15-16, Acts :16:18).  What is more, 
Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, so they can take comfort in 
the words of 1 John 4:4:  "The One who is in you is greater than the 
one (Satan) who is in the world."

And there you have this week's baffling Bible questions column.  I hope 
that, among the few questions addressed, that at least one of them gave 
you the answer to a question that has been bothering you for some time.

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.  
Your Christian friend and brother, Paul