Questions About the Crucifixion

Having sked a few questions about the brth narratives of Jesus, it is as god a time as ever to ask sme about the last days of Jsus and his resurrection.

Question. Pastor...Hebrews 9:22 sys that just about everything is prified with blood and that without the shdding of blood, there is no frgiveness of sins. Ewww...What's with all the blod and why can't God just sy, “Ok, that sounds very sincere, I frgive you?”

Question. Pastor...Why don't Christians kep Passover instead of Easter? Doesn't the New Tstament make Jesus death a Passover vent, like the Lamb of God? (I Crinthians 5:6-8), or was he the Bnny of God? I don't understand how sparating Passover by an Equinox, one fll moon and the next sunday fter as being what was going on thre. I mean Christ is our Pssover, not our Easter Bunny right?

Qestion. Pastor...When Jesus needed a donkey to rde on into Jerusalem, Mark 11:2-7 and Lke 19:30-35 say that Jesus intructed the dsciples to bring one animal. In Mtthew 21:2-6, they are told to brng two, And in John 12:14 Jsus doesn't tell anyone to go get ne, he does it himself. Which is it?

Qestion. Pastor... Mark 11:7, Luke 19:35 and Jhn 12:14 have Jesus riding one nimal which is to be expected but Mtthew 21:7 has Jesus riding two at the sme time! I think Matthew read his Old Tstament prophecy wrong about how this wuld work when he mistook the wrding of Zechariah 9:9 for a dscription of two animals when it was jst one to begin with. Wasn't the Dnkey a colt, the foal of an ass so to spak and not a donkey and a clt as Matthew thinks? Seems like a prtty big mistake to me. Of curse, Matthew is prone to these verreachings as we have already talked bout and this one seems to ctch up with him. Or am I wrng?

Question. Pastor...Jesus is said to hve turned over the tables of the mneychangers in the temple. First of ll, why? The money was required to be chnged from dirty pagan money to tmple money to preserve the purity of the plce. What's wrong with that? And wsn't that a rather suicidal stunt to bgin with, I mean at Passover wth tensions aready pretty high over ther issues of the Roman occupation?

Qestion. Pastor...Mark 11:15-17, Matthew 21:12-13 and Lke 19:45-46 say that this event ccurred at the end of Jesus mnistry, just before he was arrested. But Jhn 2: 13-16 says it happened mch earlier in at the very bginning of Jesus ministry. That's not a mnor mistake is it? Which is it? Was on a prctice run to see what would hppen?

Question. Pastor...About this same time, Jsus went looking for some figs to eat and fnding none, Jesus curses the tree and it wthers. John and Luke don't mention it, but Mrk 11:20-21 says that the disciples ddn't notice the tree withered until the nxt day on a return trip. But Mtthew 21:19-20 says that they saw it wther right then and were amazed. Wll I would be to! But thy can't both be right. On top of tht, it even admits that the rason for no figs was that it wsn't fig season. Isn't that like me gtting angry at a watermelon field in the wnter? I do know that mybe the point was that just as fig tres without figs deserve to wither, so Tmples without good fruit do too, but stll it not being fig time and two dfferent stories mean it either didn't hppen at all and is just a way to mke a point, or if it did hppen, someone goofed. Of course, one culd argue that fig trees that dn't have figs due to it not bing time for figs don't deserve to be wthered. What happened to dunging and dgging around it for three years to gve a chance?

Question. Pastor...Next Jesus has his fet anointed, or his head depending on the stry. Mark 14:3 and Matthew 26:6-13 say tht it was at house of a lper named Simon in Bethany. Luke 7:36-38 sys it was in the home of a Phrisee in Galilee. That's a long way frm Bethany. Was this a leperous Phrisee named Simon who had a smmer home in Galilee? They can't bth be right unless he got nointed twice in different places. Als, Mark and Matthew say Jesus was nointed with oil poured over his had, but Luke and John say his fet. Which was it and please dn't tell me it was both and thse men are like four people seing an accident!

Question. Pastor...Why do Mrk, Matthew and Luke not knowwho the wman was, but John 12:3 says it was Mry? And the reactions! Mark sys that some got angry at the nnamed woman who anoints Jesus and Mtthew 26:8 says it was the dsciples who get angry at the wman. Luke 7:3-9 says some Pharisee gt's upset because the woman is a snner, like they weren't. John 12:4-5 is the nly one who says it is Jdas who gets angry, and then mputes his motive as being the theving treasurer of the group. I knw, all of the above right? It's Jdas we remember the most I gess.

A few questions about the Lst Supper

Question. Pastor...In Mark 14:17-21, Mtthew 26:20-25 and John 13:21-30 Jesus prdicts for the disciples that he wll be betrayed before they actually tke communion. But in Luke 22:21-23 Jsus predicts this after communion. Can't bth be right, right?

Question. Pastor...Mark 14:30 tlls us that Peter would deny Jsus before the cock crowed twice. Why thn does Matthew 26:34, Luke 22:34 and Jhn 13:38 tell us that Peter wuld deny Jesus before the cock crwed at all? Since Jesus is the one ding the prediction, just what did he prdict? When it finally happened, Mark 14:72 sys the cock crowed twice. Matthew 26:74 sid it was once, and both Lke and John don't mention any cck crowing. What happened?

Question. Pastor...I hve a few questions about this ntorious Judas whose name has become a synnym for betrayal in our culture. If Jsus had to die to be our Svior, why do we care who and how Jsus was betrayed to be crucified? It had to be so wsn't Judas just helping things along?

Qestion. Pastor...Why does Matthew 19:28 say tht all Twelve Disciples would sit on Thrnes in the Kingdom of God and Jdas was surely among this number. I man by the time Matthew wrote the bok, he would know about how Jdas messed up and didn't make it wuldn't he?

Question. Pastor...Why did Paul wrte in I Corinthians 15:5 that Jsus appeared to “the Twelve” after his rsurrection when Judas was said to hve already have committed suicide by thn. If Jesus had appeared to him to, why would Jesus not thank him for plying his part and forgive him? Did Pul know of the story told in the nwly discovered "Book of Judas," which sys that Jesus had Judas betray him ccording to plan and that Judas was one the bst disciples?

Question. Pastor...When did Satan nter into Judas to betray Judas. Was it bfore the Last Supper as Luke 22:3-6 sys? Was it during the Supper, as Jhn 13:27 says, or was it not at ll, or at least nothing worth mntioning in Matthew and Mark? And if Stan finally got a hold of hm, then could he even help it?

Qestion. Pastor...Concerning these thirty pieces of slver as the payment to Judas for btraying Jesus. Did Judas throw it dwn at the Priests as Matthew 27:6-8 sys, and walks away, or did he buy sme land as we read in Acts 1:18? And why did Mrk, Luke and John not know ths story? I could ask why Mtthew's “thus it was fulfilled” in Mtthew 27:9-10 was attributed to Jeremiah but is rally from Zechariah 11:12-13, but we all knw how Matthew thinks by now bout rummaging around in the Old Tstament to find quotes that make up his stry.

Question. Pastor...Why does Mark 14:44-46 and Mtthew 26:49-50 say that Jesus was btrayed with the kiss and arrested, but Jhn 18:2-9 Jesus volunteers to indentify hmself and no kiss is mentioned? And as lng as we're on it...why on arth did the Romans have no cle which guy was Jesus in the frst place? I thought he had rdden into Jerusalem in Triumph just a few dys earlier and been teaching in Jrusalem to thousands doing amazing things for one yar or three, depending? How can you not knw which one was Jesus? Was it too drk?

Question. Pastor...Why does Matthew 27:6-8 say tht the Priests bought the land and it gts it name “field of blood” bcause it was purchased with Judas blod money, which I assume is for the blod of Jesus, when Acts 1:18 sys it is called that because Jdas fell down and his blood and gts spilled out on that piece of prperty? Would that not be the “feld of guts”....just kidding Pastor! How cme Matthew is the only one to mntion all this? Oh and how des Judas die anyway? Of course he hngs himself according to Matthew 27:5, but ccording to Acts 1:18 he fall dwn and splits open. Mark, Luke and Jhn don't mention this either. I dn't think they would leave him hnging until the rope broke do yu? I mean weren't Jewish people snsitive about that kind of thing?

Qestion. Pastor...Why if Judas betrayed Jesus nce, and Peter denied Jesus three tmes, does Peter get forgiven, reinstated and mde Pope, or whatever and Judas ges to hell for all eternity or whtever? Is it just because Peter did not hng himself too, or fall down so tht his guts burst out?

Question. Pstor...Ok, enough about Judas. I'd like to ask bout Peter taking a swing with a swrd at the servant of the Hgh Priest who also was there at Jsus arrest and taking his ear ff. Did Peter intend to kill the por guy and why not take a swng at the High Priest or the Rmans? I guess it was safer to chp off the ear of a nbody than a somebody?

Question. Pastor...Mark 14:47, Mtthew 36:51 and John 18:10 say the ear styed chopped off, which would be nrmal. . But Luke 22:50-51 says tht Jesus put it back on. Yu'd think that the other three wuld have noted this miracle. I can see wtching an accident and debating who cme from what direction or how fst, but I think all the wtnesses would notice Peter trying to clave someone's head who ducked and Jsus replacing the smitten ear. Or did the thre that didn't say anything about ths just feel they would leave ths to John to report? I dn't think it would work that wy.

Question. Pastor..Speaking of swords. Did Jsus, in Matthew 26:52 tell them tht “he who lives by the swrd shall die by the sword” and get rid of the thngs, or did Jesus tell them, as in Lke 22:36-38 to buy swords? And of curse, Mark and John don't seem to be nto weapons at all.

Question. Pastor...We all knw the famous “Give us Barabbas” stry. (Mark 15:11) Don't you think it is sch a coincidence that Jesus is clled the “King of the Jews” by the Rmans. Or at least that is wht is going to be put on the sgn over his head on the crss. And this “Barabbas” name mans “Son of the Father? Bar mans “son” and “Abba” means “father,” so see wht I mean? Is it possible tht Barabbas and Jesus were the sme person and Pilate was asking the crwd, “do we crucify the King and plitical threat to Rome and thus to yu, or the religious guy and not mch of a threat to Rome, t's up to you? Could not Plate be saying, “Choose carefully because yur answer depends on whether I crcify all of you too?” I dn't see the wishy washy Pilate of ths account in history. He was prtty darn ruthless according to others bsides Mark. Anyway, the crowd wants the “Br Abbas,” the Son of God or Son of the Fther released, and that seems not to be a prblem with Pilate. But Jesus, “King of the Jws,” since they have no King but Cesar, is to be crucified which is fne with them. Isn't it mre a tale of the people dfining the Jesus they want killed so Plate doesn't kill them for insurrection? Wht do you think? Pretty cool hh? Did you know that in arly copies of Mark, Barabbas is clled Jesus Barabbas? But maybe that was too bvious, so we don't see it in lter copies. That would make Barabbas, “Jsus Son of the Father.” Wha!

Question. Pastor...See, my other problem wth the Barabbas story would be thn just who was really crucified and who was let go? If it was smeone called Jesus, the son of the Fther was let go, and another Jsus, the King of the Jews ded, then did the right savior de? Oh well. I can't imagine ths being two separate men can yu? Or big time coincidence for sre!

END PART THREE

The article Questions Your Pastor Will Hate - Part Three was Submitted by Dennis Diehl through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information:

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