[Faith-talk] 9/26/16 Baffling Bible Questions Answered, and Info On How to Access Cjoy Internet Radio

[Ericka]

The part about the Beatitudes was really interesting!

Ericka Short
1750 Fordem Ave. #508
Madison. WI. 53704
608-665-3170

 from my iPhone 6s

> On Sep 26, 2016, at 2:21 PM, Paul Smith via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello and greetings once again to astute Bible students out there.  I hope that your day is going well, by God's matchless grace and His providential care.
> 
> Today we continue looking at the Gospel of Matthew with some information that I never considered personally, and I thought I knew everything about this book, but I don't.  Let's dive in, shall we?
> 
> 
> 
> Matthew 4:5-10
> 
> Question:  Matthew and Luke differ in the order of the three temptations experienced by Jesus.  They both cannot be right; one is obviously wrong--a biblical error.
> 
> Answer:  The answer to this objection, and others where a sequence of events differ in two Gospel accounts, is found in the fact that there is more than one way to appropriately order events in any historical record.  Some histories are written chronologically.  Others are written thematically; that is, events are reported in a sequence that develops the writer's theme rather than a strict temporal order.  We understand this as a methodological matter, and we surely do not accuse a thematic author of error simply because he treats events out of chronological sequence.  We would charge Matthew or Luke with error only if there was evidence that each claimed to be reporting the three temptations chronologically.
> 
> So the question is, do Matthew and Luke claim to report the temptations in temporal sequence? A look at the original Greek manuscript makes it clear that Matthew was writing chronologically.  He says, "then" (4:5, _tote) and, "again" (5-8, (palin).  These terms specifically indicate sequence.  So Matthew does claim to provide a chronological report of the temptations. But Luke simply links the events by the Greek words _kai and _de, translated "and" (Luke 4:2,6).  These conjunctions have no specific chronological implications and link the temptations very loosely.
> 
> Rather than that the two accounts prove an error in the Bible, the original language makes it very clear there is no conflict and that Luke purposely and consciously abandoned chronological order to develop a thematic point.
> 
> 
> 
> Matthew 5:1-12
> 
> Question:  What does "blessed" mean, and how are these classes of people we would consider to be disadvantaged actually blessed?
> 
> Answer:  The Greek _makarios is sometimes rendered "happy" in modern versions.  But this misses the point of the underlying Hebrew concept.  We might express it better in the interjection:  "Oh, the blessedness of ...." The basic idea is that the person who is blessed has been favored by God in some important way.
> 
> The Beatitudes do not claim that those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, or who hunger and thirst for righteousness are happy.  Rather they claim that such persons are better off than those characterized by opposite qualities.  Many books have been written exploring the exact meaning of such phrases as "poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3).  The chart below summarizes likely interpretations of each Beatitude and the reason that a person characterized by this trait is blessed by God and better off than one who lacks it.
> 
> THE BEATITUDES
> 
> Poor in spirit (v. 3) utterly dependent on God--inherit God's kingdom.
> 
> Those who mourn (v. 4).  sensitive to and contrite for sins, will be comforted (see also Isa. 61:1-3).
> 
> The meek (v. 5), gentle, without malice to others, will inherit the (new) earth
> 
> Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (v. 6)--eagerly desire personal righteousness and social justice--will be satisfied when Messiah comes and establishes both.
> 
> The merciful (v. 7)--show forgiveness and compassion--receive mercy from God.
> 
> The pure in heart (v. 8)--moral purity versus external piety--will see God (experience His presence).
> 
> The peacemakers--encourage reconciliation with God and others--model themselves on God and thus earn the description "sons."
> 
> The persecuted for righteousness--committed to what is right--enjoy now what it means to live in God's kingdom.
> 
> 
> 
> Matthew 5:13
> 
> Question:  How can salt lose its saltiness? What does this saying mean?
> 
> Answer:  In the first century A.D., salt was used not only to flavor food but also as a preservative. Most salt was rock salt, obtained from salt marshes, and not the purified substance we know or that the ancient world derived from evaporated seawater.  This salt was mixed with soil, deteriorated under high heat, and was leached away by water. Thus, it lost its saltiness and became useless as a preservative. Jesus here warns His disciples that they can serve as a preservative in society only if they retain their virtue and refuse to adopt the world's low, changing moral standards.
> 
> And there you have your latest weekly look at Matthew's Gospel which I hope and pray was a blessing for you.
> 
> And now here's info on how to access cjoyinternetradio.com.
> If you just want to listen to my God-directed radio show only without commenting live, just go to
> http://www.cjoyinternetradio.com
> and click on your player of choice.
> 
> If you'd like to be a fellow broadcaster along with me, hoping that Darryl Breff, the station owner and operator will open the conference line for any feedback, just use your phone, provided you have an unlimited long-distance plan, and call
> 218-548-1428
> and, when prompted enter the code Jesus (53787) and hopefully you will be there.  After the quotes for tomorrow, in place of the news, I'll essentially repeat what I've written here, just in case you didn't jot down it for now.
> 
> And that will do for the weekly baffling Bible Questions Answered for now.  Until next Monday when, Lord willing the next installment in this series will be posted, 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
> 
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