The liberal critics like to make hay in Luke 7:1-10.

“You see,” they tell us, “these Bible writers just couldn’t get it right. They were making up the stories and not even checking with each other to make sure they told it the same way. Why, look here at Luke 7:1-10 and at Matthew 8:5-13. Luke said the centurion sent Jewish messengers to make his request of Jesus, but Matthew says he came himself. There is just one of the many contradictions in the gospel accounts and throughout the whole Bible.”

But is that really what is going on here? Is this really a contradiction?

Actually, it is not. In fact, calling this a contradiction merely demonstrates those critics have yet to figure out the purpose of the four gospel accounts. Sadly, many Christians are not truly aware of the purpose of these accounts. When asked what the gospels are, many will say, “Those are the life of Jesus” or “Those are a biography of Jesus.” That is not correct. The gospel accounts were not written to provide us with moment by moment detailed chronicles of Jesus’ life. As John said in John 20:30-31, the gospels were written not so we would know the life of Jesus but so we would know Jesus is the Life and believing that we might have life.

Thus, as these four gospels were written by different authors for different audiences, we would be surprised to see them tell all the stories exactly the same way. This is not contradiction, this is selective perspective.

Matthew was writing for a Jewish audience while Luke was writing for a Gentile audience. Both wanted their audience to see the miracle of Jesus, demonstrating His Messiahship and Deity. However, they both had differing secondary purposes in this account. Keep in mind that these gospels were written during a time of transition and turmoil as Jews and Gentiles were coming into Christ’s church and trying to figure out how to get along with such divergent backgrounds. Matthew wanted the Jews to see that Jesus worked a miracle for a Gentile without regret. Luke wanted the Gentiles to see that Jews and Gentiles had worked together to accomplish great ends.

Do these statements contradict? No, they just tell the story from a different perspective. Even though the centurion asked through emissaries, he still made the request. Matthew didn’t lie or make a mistake when he claimed the centurion came to Jesus and asked. He simply told the story in the way that would make his point to the Jews. The centurion did come but he did so through friends. 

So, is this a contradiction in the Bible? Or is it simply selective perspective? 

We can trust our Bibles and Luke is a great place to learn this.

Have a great 4th of July.

Keep the faith and keep reading.

ELC

P.S. For a more in depth look at this principle check out a sermon I preached on this issue at the Franklin Church of Christ. You can get the outline and the audio at the following the link.

“Why Do the Gospels Contradict Each Other“

I can’t help but notice the number of healings within today’s reading.

• 5:12-13–Jesus healed a leper
• 5:15–Jesus healed great crowds
• 5:17-26–Jesus healed a paralytic
• 6:6-10–Jesus healed a man with a withered hand
• 6:17-19–Jesus healed all in the crowd

I even glanced ahead and noticed in Luke 7 Jesus heals the centurion’s servant, raises the widow’s son and declares to John the Baptist’s disciples that “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them” (Luke 7:22, ESV).

Jesus is the great physician. However, He is not the great physician because He healed all these illnesses. Rather, the real doctoring done by Jesus is seen in Luke 5:20-25.

And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Rise and walk”? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–he said to the man who was paralyzed–”I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. (ESV)

Jesus didn’t heal illnesses because His job as the great physician meant emptying out hospitals. Jesus healed because healing the physical illnesses demonstrated He was and is from God and He could and can do what no other physician can do. He can heal our sin sickness. Sadly, the miracle ministries of the day preying on the poor and deluded entirely miss this point. I can hardly imagine Jesus taking up a collection as a seed of faith before healing anyone. But even more than that, I can hardly imagine Jesus healing anyone if it weren’t as a proof that He could heal their souls. 

That is why Jesus is the Great Physician, not because for a few years in time He healed the bodies of some followers. He is the Great Physician because He has the authority to heal our sins. 

In Luke 5:8, Peter cried out, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (ESV). It didn’t occur to him that One who was so holy and powerful was actually coming to embrace someone so sinful. He thought Jesus should clear away lest his own sin defile Jesus’ holiness. However, the exact opposite is true. Jesus is so holy and powerful our sin can’t defile Him. Rather, His holiness cleanses us. Thus Jesus, when questioned, responded, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:31-32, ESV). 

I might be the chief of sinners thinking Jesus should depart. But if I will believe and repent, Jesus will draw ever nearer embracing me with His holiness and delivering me from this body of death (cf. Romans 7:24-25). Praise God for that!

Keep the faith today and keep reading.

ELC

I’m so excited about being able to take this trek through the New Testament with you. I hope you find it beneficial, not because you are hearing from me what I got out of it, but because it lifts you up to keep reading God’s Word.

I had a surprising, yet comforting, thought today as I read Luke 3:8–“Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (ESV)

My mind immediately jumped to Galatians 3:29–”And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (ESV).

Sometimes I struggle thinking that I can not possibly be a part of God’s family. I know too much about me and I know God knows it all also. However, it just struck me as comforting that if God could raise up offspring to Abraham from a rock, He can also make me an offspring of Abraham. He can make me an heir according to promise by the power of Christ’s blood and grace. He can do the same for you.

I was also impressed in this reading with how important what we are doing on this blog really is. Three times in Luke 4:1-13, Jesus said, “It is written.” Each was a response to Satan’s temptation. If anyone that ever lived in the world had the ability to respond to Satan with “I think…” or “I know…” or “I say…” or “I feel…” it was Jesus, God the Son in the flesh. However, that is not how He responded to Satan’s snares. Instead, He responded, “It is written.” 

If God in the flesh overcame Satan by His knowledge of God’s Word, how much more do I need to be in God’s Word constantly to overcome Satan. As Psalm 119:11 says, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (ESV). 

That always gets me back to the armor of God in Ephesians 6:12-18. Have you ever noticed how many pieces of the armor are actually tied to God’s Word?

• Belt of truth–God’s word is truth-John 17:17
• Breastplate of righteousness–Scripture trains us in righteousness-II Timothy 3:16
• Feet shod with gospel of peace–The Word of truth is the gospel-Colossians 1:5
• Shield of faith–Faith comes by hearing the word of God-Romans 10:17
• Helmet of salvation–The Word builds us up and saves us-Acts 20:32
• Sword of the Spirit–Well, duh, the text we’re looking at says that is the Word of God

Keep the faith today and keep reading!