Let's see if you can answer the following:
1. Is the mustard seed the smallest seed or is Jesus a liar? Mark 4:31
2. Should we pluck out our eyes whenever we sin? Matthew 5:29
3. Do you preach to animals and mushrooms? Mark 16:15
4. Did Luke lie when he said there was a famine over the entire world during
Claudius' reign. Acts 11:28
5. Did all the world learn about the faith of Christians in Rome in the first
century, including Peru? Romans 1:8
6. Is the earth in the shape of a footstool? Matthew 5:35
http://www.theologyonline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2348217#poststop
Matthew 19:5 - and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
Matthew 19:6 - So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has
joined together, let not man put asunder."
Mark 10:8 - and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but
one flesh.
Is Jesus saying that when people marry, they actually become a unified blob of
flesh with their spouses? That doesn't seem to happen, so are you claiming Jesus
is lying? http://www.theologyonline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2348317#poststop
1. Is the mustard seed the smallest seed or is Jesus a liar? Mark 4:31
And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of
God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is
sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh
greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls
of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
And with many such parables spake he the word unto
them, as they were able to hear it.
But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when
they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples [Mark 4:30–34].
Mustard
is not food; it is a condiment. And the growth of a mustard seed into a tree
is unnatural. This pictures the outward growth of Christendom into great
organizations, big churches, large programs, all produced by human energy
and not by the Holy Spirit. The birds in the branches are not even good.
They represent Satan.
McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible
Commentary: The Gospels (Mark). electronic ed. Nashville :
Thomas Nelson, 1991 (Thru the Bible Commentary 36), S. 60
4:31 a mustard seed.
A reference to the common black mustard plant. The leaves
were used as a vegetable and the seed as a condiment. It also had medicinal
benefits. smaller than all.
The mustard seed is not the smallest of all seeds in
existence, but it was in comparison to all the other seeds the Jews sowed in
Palestine.
MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur
Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997,
S. Mk 4:31
2. Should we pluck out our eyes whenever we sin? Matthew 5:29
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and
cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members
should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and
cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members
should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell [Matt.
5:29–30].
This is severe, very severe, and it reveals, friends,
that if you cannot meet God’s standards, you need a Savior. Don’t kid
yourself and fool around with pretending that you are keeping the Law. You
are only being a hypocrite. In Christian circles we are intent upon patting
each other on the back and complimenting one another and giving each other
credit for what we do when all the time we all are a pack of low-down,
dirty, rotten sinners, not even fit for heaven. The Sermon on the Mount
ought to drive you to the cross of Christ where you cry out for mercy. To do
that is to honor the Law, my friend. Don’t try to kid me into thinking that
you are keeping it. I know you’re not—because you are just like I am.
McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible
Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997,
c1981, S. 4:33
5:29 pluck it out and cast
it from you.
Jesus was not advocating self-mutilation (for this would not in fact cure lust,
which is actually a problem of the heart). He was using this graphic hyperbole
to demonstrate the seriousness of sins of lust and evil desire. The point is
that it would be “more profitable” (v. 30) to lose a member of one’s own body
than to bear the eternal consequences of the guilt from such a sin. Sin must be
dealt with drastically because of its deadly effects.
MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur
Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997,
S. Mt 5:29
3. Do you preach to animals and mushrooms? Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature [Mark 16:15].
This has been a Gospel of action. Now He’s telling them
to get into action! They are to go. And, by the way, He is saying to us
today that we should be men and women of action for God. What are you doing
today to get out the Word of God? That is our business, friend. You should
be having some part in getting the Word of God
out today.
McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible
Commentary: The Gospels (Mark). electronic ed. Nashville :
Thomas Nelson, 1991 (Thru the Bible Commentary 36), S. 201
16:15, 16 Similar
to Matthew’s account of the Great Commission, with the added contrast of those
who have been baptized (believers) with those who refuse to believe and are
condemned. Even if v. 16 is a genuine part of Mark’s gospel, it does not teach
that baptism saves, since the lost are condemned for unbelief, not for not being
baptized (see note on Acts 2:38).
MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur
Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997,
S. Mk 16:15
4. Did Luke lie when he said there was a famine over the entire world during
Claudius' reign. Acts 11:28
And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and
signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the
world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.
Then the disciples, every man according to his
ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:
Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the
hands of Barnabas and Saul [Acts 11:27–30].
The incident that is recorded here is also verified in
secular history. There was a general famine, but the effect was especially
felt in Jerusalem where the church had been persecuted, decimated, and hurt.
They were in dire need during this time. It is wonderful to see the
fraternal spirit, the bond of love, that held the early church together. The
other believers sent help to the troubled church in Jerusalem.
We remember that Saul had been one of those who had
wasted the church in Jerusalem by his relentless persecution of them. How
wonderful it is to see that by his own hands a transformed Saul now brings
relief to that
same church. That is Christianity in shoe leather, my friend. That is the
way it ought to be.
McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible
Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997,
c1981, S. 4:561-56211:28 Agabus.
One of the Jerusalem prophets who years later played an important
part in Paul’s ministry (21:10, 11). a
great famine. Several ancient writers
(Tacitus [Annals
XI.43], Josephus [Antiquities
XX.ii.5], and Suetonius [Claudius
18]) affirm the occurrence of great famines in Israel ca.
a.d. 45–46.
all the world.
The famine reached beyond the region of Palestine.
Claudius Caesar.
Emperor of Rome (a.d.
41–54).
MacArthur, John Jr:
The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville
: Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Ac 11:28
11:28.
Agabus,
also mentioned again in 21:10-11, prophesied
that a severe famine would spread
over the entire Roman world. This
was actually a series of severe famines that struck various
sections of the Roman Empire during
the reign of Emperor
Claudius (a.d.
41-54.) This same Claudius later expelled Jews from Rome (18:2).
(See the list of Roman emperors at Luke 2:1.)
Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck,
Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible
Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures.
Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:384
5. Did all the world learn about the faith of Christians in Rome in the first
century, including Peru? Romans 1:8
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you
all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world [Rom. 1:8].
Word
had filtered out throughout the empire that many in Rome were turning to
Christ—so much so that it disturbed the emperors. Later on, persecution
began. Paul mentions here that their faith was spoken of throughout the
whole world.
I wonder about your group, your church. Has anybody heard
about your personal testimony? What is it worth today? My, what a testimony
this church in Rome had at the beginning!
McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible
Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997,
c1981, S. 4:649
1:8 I thank my God. In every
letter Paul wrote, he expressed his gratitude for those who would receive it
(e.g., 1 Cor. 1:4), except in his letter to the Galatians, whose defection from
the true gospel caused him to dispense with any opening commendations (Gal.
1:6–12). your faith.
The genuineness of their salvation. The testimony of the church in Rome was so
strong that in a.d. 49 the
emperor Claudius expelled all the Jews because of the influence of “Chrestus,”
which was undoubtedly a reference to Christ (cf. Acts 18:2).
throughout the whole world. As
the center of the Roman Empire and the inhabited world, whatever happened in
Rome became known universally.
MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur
Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997,
S. Ro 1:8
6. Is the earth in the shape of a footstool? Matthew 5:35
Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by
Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King [Matt. 5:33–35].
The Lord Jesus is saying that we are to be the kind of
persons who don’t have to take an oath. As a boy, I can remember that my dad
could go into the bank and borrow money, then come back a couple of days
later to sign the note. Or he could call the bank by phone and have a
certain amount of money credited to his account. Well, believe me, it is
different in our day. Why? Because there are a lot more folk today who
cannot be trusted. The Lord says that the child of God, under all
circumstances, should be trustworthy.
McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible
Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997,
c1981, S. 4:33
5:33-37.
The matter of making oaths
(Lev. 19:12; Deut. 23:21) was next addressed by the Lord.
The Pharisees were notorious for their oaths, which were made on the least
provocation. Yet they made allowances for mental reservations within their
oaths. If they wanted to be relieved of oaths they had made
by heaven . . . by the earth . . . by Jerusalem,
or by
one’s own head,
they could argue that since God Himself had not been
involved their oaths were not binding.
But Jesus said oaths should not even be necessary:
Do not swear at all. The
fact that oaths were used at all emphasized the wickedness of man’s heart.
Furthermore, swearing “by heaven,” “by the earth,” or “by Jerusalem”
is binding, since they
are God’s throne . . . footstool,
and city,
respectively. Even the color of the hair on their heads
was determined by God (Matt. 5:36). However, Jesus later in His life
responded to an oath (26:63-64), as did Paul (2 Cor. 1:23). The Lord was
saying one’s life should be sufficient to back up one’s words. A
yes always ought to mean
yes, and a
no should mean
no.
James seems to have picked up these words of the Lord in his epistle (James
5:12).
Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ;
Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An
Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books,
1983-c1985, S. 2:31
"Oh, by the way, Zeke, serpent, I forgot the best one, right out of Jesus'
mouth:
Matthew 19:5 - and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
Matthew 19:6 - So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has
joined together, let not man put asunder."
Mark 10:8 - and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two but
one flesh.
Is Jesus saying that when people marry, they actually become a unified blob of
flesh with their spouses? That doesn't seem to happen, so are you claiming Jesus
is lying?"
And said, For this cause shall a
man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain
shall be one flesh?
Wherefore they are no more
twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man
put asunder [Matt. 19:5–6].
This was God’s original plan for
man and woman before sin entered the human family. Divorce was not in God’s
original plan. Why? Because sin
was not in God’s original plan, and divorce is always a result of sin.
Regardless of what you may say, there is sin in the relationship somewhere
which causes divorce. So our Lord took them back to the original plan of
God.
McGee, J.
Vernon: Thru the Bible Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville :
Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1981, S. 4:103
19:5
Quoted from Gen. 2:24 (see note
there).
2:24 leave … be joined to.
The marital relationship was established as the first human institution. The
responsibility to honor one’s parents (Ex. 20:12) does not cease with leaving
and the union of husband with wife (Matt. 19:5; Mark 10:7,8; 1 Cor. 6:16; Eph.
5:31), but does represent the inauguration of a new and primary responsibility.
“Joined” carries the sense of a permanent or indissoluble union, so that divorce
was not considered (cf. 2:16). “One flesh” speaks of a complete unity of parts
making a whole, e.g., one cluster, many grapes (Num. 13:23) or one God in 3
persons (Deut. 6:4); thus this marital union was complete and whole with two
people. This also implies their sexual completeness. One man and one woman
constitute the pair to reproduce. The “one flesh” is primarily seen in the child
born of that union, the one perfect result of the union of two. Cf. uses of this
verse in Matt. 19:5,6; Mark 10:8; 1 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 5:31. Permanent monogamy was
and continues to be God’s design and law for marriage.
MacArthur,
John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville
: Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Ge 2:24
And they twain shall be one
flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.
What therefore God hath joined
together, let not man put asunder [Mark 10:5–9].
What Jesus is saying here takes
them back to God’s ideal at the creation before sin entered the world.
Divorce was not in His plan and program at that time. He had something
better for man. It may likewise be said that murder was not in His plan, but
murderers have been forgiven. Divorce is a sin, but divorced people can be
forgiven. And I think that under certain circumstances divorced people can
be remarried; that is, from a scriptural viewpoint. I don’t know why we will
forgive a murderer but often refuse to forgive a divorced person. We act
almost as if he has committed the unpardonable sin. People who are saved
after securing a divorce ought not to bear the stigma any more than any
other sinner who has been saved. We are all sinners saved by grace. It just
happens that divorce is their sin.
What He is saying in this section
here is that marriage is a stronger tie than that of parent and child. A
child may be disowned, and marriage may be broken by unfaithfulness. Jesus
is showing here that marriage is something that God makes. God joins a
couple together. This was the original intention of the Creator. Any
violation of this is sin, but it is not the unpardonable sin, I can assure
you.
The basic problem is marrying the
wrong person. It looks to me like we are locking the stable after the horse
is gone. There are people getting married who ought not to get married. This
is the problem. The sin was that they got married in the first place. My
Christian friend, marriage is something that God wants to arrange for you,
if you will let Him.
McGee, J.
Vernon: Thru the Bible Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville :
Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1981, S. 4:203-204
10:7, 8
Jesus took the issue beyond mere rabbinical
quibbling over the technicalities of divorce to God’s design for
marriage. The passage Christ quotes (Gen. 2:24) presents 3 reasons
for the inviolability of marriage: 1) God created only two humans (see
note on v. 6),
not a group of males and females who could configure as they pleased
or switch partners as it suited them; 2) the word translated “be
joined”
lit. means
“to glue,” thus reflecting the strength of the marriage bond; 3) in
God’s eyes a married couple is “one flesh,” forming an indivisible
union, manifesting that oneness in a child.
MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible.
electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Mk
10:7