20
votes
Accepted
Biblical significance of the gifts given to Jesus
Biblical References to Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh:
Gold is a highly valued commodity – not just for its beauty and use in jewellery and decorations, but also for its status. The Bible describes the ...
- 27k
18
votes
Accepted
What made Jesus question at Mt 21:25 a good example for Christians or was it a bad question because the Jews could not answer?
The question was effective, because it highlighted the hypocrisy of the religious Jews in question. According to the Bible, John was sent from God, and they knew it. Their concern was how answering ...
- 486
17
votes
Accepted
On the topic of marriage in heaven, how does the LDS church reconcile Matthew 22:23-33?
It's important to understand who 'they' refer to. From verse 23 we know the Lord is talking directly to the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection. They were asking a question to bait/trap ...
- 8,745
16
votes
Why didn't the Jews understand "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani"?
There are two basic theories here. The first is that the crowd misheard Jesus. The second is that they purposefully twisted his words to mock him. Commentators are fairly evenly split on which ...
- 7,743
14
votes
According to adherents of 'soul sleep', how did Moses and Elijah appear to Jesus, Peter, James, and John?
Let the Bible interpret itself.
A few verses later:
And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. —...
- 8,302
14
votes
Accepted
How do Protestants interpret "Give us this day our daily bread"?
The Lord's Prayer is taught in the Protestant catechisms, e.g.:
Luther's Small Catechism
Give us this day our daily bread.
What does this mean? God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our ...
- 256
13
votes
Accepted
Can someone explain the argument that Jesus believed in Adam and Eve?
In order to interpret what Jesus is saying in Matthew 19:4, you must first understand the reference he is making.
From Matthew 19:4:
4 He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from ...
- 1,402
13
votes
Accepted
Was Jesus good at singing?
There is no information on the quality of Jesus' singing
The Catena Aurea includes commentaries on this verse from Origen, Bede, Rabanus, Chrysostom, Hilary, and Jerome and not one of them talk about ...
- 6,337
12
votes
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How is the amazement of the Jews explained by those who believe that "Render Unto Caesar" affirmed the paying of taxes?
What lies below is certainly not the only way to interpret this scripture, but it is one way I find extremely compelling, and to my knowledge, provides a reasonable historical understanding.
This ...
- 22.2k
12
votes
Accepted
Under the laws of which regime was Jesus sentenced to death on the cross?
Under the laws of which regime was Jesus sentenced to death on the cross?
The Jews tried to condemn Jesus to death for breaking their own religious laws. But Pilate initially rebuffed them saying: “...
- 67.9k
11
votes
Accepted
Were the 12 apostles all Jewish?
The original 12 apostles/disciples of Jesus were all Jewish. By Jewish I understand you to mean "of the twelve tribes of Israel"/ Israelites. Since one can interpret Jewish to be the ...
- 610
11
votes
Is anyone with accumulated wealth saved?
To answer the OP, yes.
Keep reading! In the next paragraph Jesus explains. The point of the parable is to show it is impossible for people to be right with God, regardless of their status, wealth, ...
- 13.1k
10
votes
Accepted
Why do Mormons believe that Joseph Smith is necessary to teach us?
Mormons believe Joseph Smith to be a prophet in the sense that Abraham, Moses, Noah, and others all were. Jesus Himself appointed teachers He called apostles like Peter, James, and John. Joseph Smith ...
- 11.7k
10
votes
If Jesus' ministry was to the Jews, why did He go to Syria?
By "Syria" in this passage, the evangelist did not intend specifically the area now taken up into the Arab Republic of Syria (which was not a country until after the First World War). Rather, what was ...
- 18.5k
10
votes
Accepted
How did theologians conclude that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit meant a refusal for repentance?
The task of a theologian is to bring together the many parts of scripture into a consistent whole. Passages may appear to be contradictory, at least on the surface, and so the theologian seeks an ...
- 19.7k
9
votes
What did Christ mean in Matthew 10:34?
The sword is an important symbol in Christian imagery, and does not always symbolize war and violence. In fact, the sword is a definitive symbol of the word of God. In the context of the passage you ...
- 8,051
9
votes
What was the significance of thirty pieces of silver Judas was offered for betraying Jesus?
In Hebrew culture, thirty pieces of silver was the price paid to the master of a slave if his slave was gored by an ox:
“If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master ...
- 29.7k
9
votes
Is anyone with accumulated wealth saved?
"The young man proves unable to do so." skips over an important detail.
His personal sticking point was Jesus's suggestion to "go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor".
...
- 8,302
8
votes
When Jesus gave Peter his name (rock) what is the significance that he then said upon a ‘different’ kind of rock he would build his church?
As another answer alluded to, Jesus almost certainly was speaking Aramaic, not Greek when he spoke these words. As such, it is probably a mistake to automatically assume that Jesus was making a ...
- 7,743
8
votes
How do Protestants interpret "Give us this day our daily bread"?
My guess is something like what R.C. Sproul, a Presbyterian, articulates here is common among Protestants.
As he says,
"[B]read was a powerful symbol of God's provision for His people in
the Old ...
- 6,568
8
votes
Accepted
Why don’t the gospel authors specifically identify themselves?
The Gospels are formally anonymous in the same way nearly every book on your bookshelf is: the author is not identified in the body of the text.
So my copies of the Harry Potter books are anonymous in ...
- 11.3k
8
votes
Great commission applies to all believers, but the laity does not baptize. Why?
The Great Commission is a commission given to the Church as a group. It's not a commission given to individuals separately. This is true whether you think of the Church as a single organization or as ...
- 31.5k
7
votes
What did Christ mean in Matthew 10:34?
Why did Christ say he came as a sword?
Matthew 10:32-35 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him
will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But
whosoever shall deny ...
- 4,693
7
votes
Were the 12 disciples Jewish?
Tradition holds that all 12 were Jewish, but the Bible affirms the Jewish heritage of many of them. Their names are:
Thomas, Simon the Zealot, Philip, Simon Peter, Matthias, Matthew (aka Levi), Jude, ...
- 11.4k
7
votes
How do Protestants interpret "Give us this day our daily bread"?
As far back as the start of the 18th century, Reformed Protestants understood the petition in Matthew 6:11 as a request to God (from whom all good gifts come) to provide them with their daily physical ...
- 29.7k
7
votes
Is anyone with accumulated wealth saved?
Both Ray and SLM make good points. Let's look at this a bit more closely, however. Starting with (all emphases added):
Matthew 19:16, 21a
a man came up to [Jesus], saying, "Teacher, what good ...
- 6,744
6
votes
Who said "he would be called a Nazarene"?
And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene. (Matthew 2:23) [ESV]
In his book, Barney Kasdan states ...
- 882
6
votes
Accepted
Do any denominations read Matthew 24:5 as meaning believers in Christ using his good name to deceive many?
For many will come in my name, saying, "I am the Christ," and they will lead many astray. (Matt 24:5, ESV)
In addition to the account of Jesus' words in Matthew, we have parallel accounts in both ...
- 4,322
6
votes
Accepted
How does washing your face and anointing your head hide that you are fasting?
It wouldn't, except that people might expect you to be like "The hypocrites":
They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
(Matthew 6:16)
You might ...
- 18.5k
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