Category Archives: Bible

Genesis 1 – The six days of creation

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As summarised here, Genesis 1 describes seven days of creation:

  • in the beginning – God started creation
  • the first day – light was created
  • the second day – the sky was created
  • the third day – dry land, seas, plants and trees were created
  • the fourth day – the Sun, Moon and stars were created
  • the fifth day – creatures that live in the sea and creatures that fly were created
  • the sixth day – animals that live on the land and finally humans, made in the image of God were created
  • by day seven – God finished his work of creation and rested, making the seventh day a special holy day.
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Mt 28; Mk 16; Lk 24; Jn 20 – Do the resurrection accounts add up?

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[This is an update of a piece first posted in 2013]

The difficulties involved in reconciling the details of the resurrection narrative of the four Evangelists are well known.

Let us begin with the question of how many women went to the tomb.

Mt 28:1 Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

Mk 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought aromatic spices so that they might go and anoint him.…

Mt 16:23; Mk 8:33 – “Get behind me, Satan!’

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Mt 16:23 ‘He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.”’

Mk 8:32f ‘Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 8:33 But after turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.”’

The actual words of Peter’s rebuke are recorded in Mt 16:22 – “God forbid, Lord!…

Colossians 1:15 – ‘The firstborn over all creation’

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Col 1:15  ‘He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.’

How can Paul use ‘firstborn’ language here? Does this mean that he conceives of Christ as simply the first thing that God created?

In the 4th century, the Arians taught that Jesus was the highest-ranking being in God’s creation.  He was above the rest of creation, but below God himself in rank and divinity.

This heresy is followed today by the Jehovah’s Witnesses.  …

Jeremiah 29:11 – “I have plans to prosper you”

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Jer 29:11 – ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.’

This verse is one of the most beloved in the Bible.  But it has all too often been taken out of context and therefore misapplied.  In other words, too many forget that a Scripture like this, although written for us, is not written to us.

As always, context is king:

’29:10 “For the LORD says, ‘Only when the seventy years of Babylonian rule are over will I again take up consideration for you.

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John 19:14, etc. – On which day of the week was Jesus crucified?

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The story of the last week of Jesus’ earthly life (‘Holy Week’, or ‘Passion Week’) is told in great detail in the four Gospels.

But there are some apparent discrepancies which sceptics seize on in order to undermine the historical accuracy of the narrative.

For example, Judith Redman supposes that she is speaking for many when she states that

‘scholars who have looked at what we can know about the historical Jesus from the Gospels have generally decided that the answer is “not much”.’

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Discussion starters – Acts 27-28

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To Rome! Acts 27-28

‘Agrippa said to Festus, “[Paul] could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”’ (Acts 26:32).

Do you ever think about ‘what might have been’?

Chapter 27

Using a map, track the progress of Paul and his companions on their journey from Caesarea to Rome.  (I hope you do not feel too seasick!)

Why do you think that this journey is related in such vivid detail?  (I don’t think the answer is very complicated!)…

Mt 13/Mk 4/Lk 8 – Why did Jesus speak in parables?

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The so-called ‘Parable of the Sower’ is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels.  And, in each case, the parable itself is followed by an explanation by Jesus of why he taught in parables.

Luke’s is the briefest account, followed by Mark’s and then Matthew’s:

Lk 8:9-10
8:9 Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. 8:10 He said, “You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand.”
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Luke 1:46-47 – ‘My soul…my spirit’

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Preachers should always pay close attention to the biblical text.  That is a given.  But there is a danger of paying such close attention to the text of Scripture that we see more in it than is actually there.  I came across an example of this in a little book of Christmas Sermons preached by D.M. Lloyd-Jones.  Lloyd-Jones is speaking about the opening words of Mary’s ‘Magnificat’ (Luke 1:46-47)

The preacher said,

‘First, let us notice the depth of feeling with which she spoke, which is conveyed in these words. 

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Discussion Starters – Luke 6:12-36

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Icebreaker

Tell us something about your name.  What does it mean?  Why were you given it?  What do you like, or dislike, about it?

Read verses 17-19

Which of these men do we know most about?  And which do we know least about?

What do you think these disciples were expecting when they first responded to Jesus’ call to follow him?

Look back at Luke 1:1-4.  What aspects of this list of disciples gives us confidence that they were reliable ‘eyewitnesses’ of Jesus?…