For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Where did Jesus tell his disciples to go after his resurrection?
Here are the two answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:
He told them to go to Galilee.
“Then Jesus *said to them, “Do not be afraid; go, bring word to My brothers to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” (Matthew 28:10)
“But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” (Mark 16:7)
He told them to tarry in Jerusalem.
“And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”” (Luke 24:49)
“Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me;” (Acts 1:4)
(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)
Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:
- When dealing with skeptics’ claim of Bible contradictions it seems one can never be reminded enough of what exactly is a contradiction. A contradiction occurs when two or more claims conflict with one another so that they cannot simultaneously be true in the same sense and at the same time. To put it another way, a Bible contradiction exists when there are claims within the Bible that are mutually exclusive in the same sense and at the same time.
- One should be skeptical of whether this is a Bible contradiction given the website’s track record of inaccurate handling of biblical passages. See the many examples of their error we have responded to here in this post: Collection of Posts Responding to Bible Contradictions. Of course that does not take away the need to respond to this post, which is what the remainder of the post will do. But this observation should caution us to slow down and look more closely at the passages the Skeptic Annotated Bible cited and see if they interpreted the passages properly to support their conclusion that it is a Bible contradiction.
- The skeptic here tries to pit two passages (Matthew 28:10 and Mark 16:7) which the skeptic claimed “Jesus told his disciples to go to Galilee after his resurrection” against two other verses (Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4) which the skeptic claimed “Jesus told his disciples to stay at Jerusalem after his resurrection.”
- It seems the two passages which the skeptic claimed “Jesus told his disciples to go to Galilee after his resurrection” were words Jesus spoke when the disciples first discovered Jesus resurrected.
- Before Jesus said to go to Galilee in Matthew 28:10, the verses before in Matthew 28:1-9 gives us the details of the resurrection on the Third Day. Matthew 28:8 also describe the disciples initial surprised that Jesus was resurrected.
- Before Jesus said to go to Galilee in Mark 16:7, the verses before in Mark 16:1-6 gives us the details of the resurrection on the Third Day. Mark 16:6 even describe the women’s initial surprised that Jesus was resurrected.
- The two verses (Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4) which the skeptic claimed “Jesus told his disciples to stay at Jerusalem after his resurrection” were towards the end of Jesus’ post-Resurrection appearances.
- The Physician Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. Acts is the continuation from the Gospel of Luke. It is important to understand Luke in light of Acts and vice versa.
- Before Jesus told the disciples to stay in Jerusalem in Acts 1:4 note that in Acts 1:3 it informs us that a forty day duration has occurred with the period of Post-Resurrection Jesus’ appearance. So it was some time after the initial appearance when Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem.
- In light of the adverb “until” in Luke 24:49 and also Acts 1:4 of not yet leaving Jerusalem both passages presupposes that as it got nearer to Jesus’ ascension the disciples were physically at Jerusalem.
- There’s no contradiction with the passages here; the verses where Jesus said go to Galilee was during the initial Resurrection appearances. After they went to Galilee the disciples went back to Jerusalem to start their Apostolic Ministry and before Jesus ascended to heaven He told them to stay after He ascended until God the Father sent the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2).
- There is no contradiction here. Seems the skeptic needs to learn of How to Handle Bible Contradictions.
- We shouldn’t miss that worldviews are at play even with the skeptic’s objection to Christianity. The worldview of the author of the Skeptic Annotated Bible actually doesn’t even allow for such a thing as the law of non-contradiction to be meaningful and intelligible. In other words for him to try to disprove the Bible by pointing out that there’s a Bible contradiction doesn’t even make sense within his own worldview. Check out our post “Skeptic Annotated Bible Author’s Self-Defeating Worldview.”
My Pentecost sermon last year looked at the timeline between the crucifixion and the day of Pentecost 50 days later. Resurrected Jesus appeared over a period of 40 days to his disciples, seemingly in different locations, so the statements could have easily come in two different settings as you indicate. http://sundaymorninggreekblog.com/2022/06/20/from-resurrection-to-pentecost/
Amen! Thanks for sharing your look at those 50 days!
Thanks for rebutting this alleged contradiction. Shame on Steve/Stephen Wells for ignoring the wider context in order to pad his “head count.”
Thanks for reading this refutation! I think he’s trying to go for more number of “kills” rather than quality interpretation. Funny how he’s not as rational as he paints himself. I scanned other parts of Steve’s website and it really seems he is ignorant of any Christian scholarly work that lead him to do better in his “research.” Quite ridiculous if you ask me! How’s the weather in RoC? It was colder when I got here last week but this week it feels like Spring!
RE: ignorant of any Christian scholarly work
Interesting. One would think that a person going to all of the trouble of putting together the SAB would have researched their arguments even to a slight degree for credibility sake, but evidently there’s an audience out that’s only interested in “gotcha” kills as well. I see on Amazon the SAB gets 4.7 out of 5 stars from 858 ratings, which is a testimony to blind atheistic sectarianism despite the grade school student illogic of the SAB
RE: weather
A blogger in Virginia published a post this morning with several photos showing her vegetable garden beginning to bloom. We’re about two months away from that in ROC. High of 35F today and about 3″ of snow cover with more snow expected this weekend.
Thanks brother. That one is pretty straight forward which reveals the skeptics motivations.
Blessings.
Thanks for reading this. I appreciate it very much Michael!!
Reblogged this on clydeherrin.
Those adverbs and other modifiers sure can make a difference!
Indeed adverbs and modifers make a difference! Grammar matters in exegetical matters, amen?
Amen!
As you point out in 5, there is room for Christ to have given both instructions. Hey, since Christ appeared to about 500 (1 Corinthians 15:6), there is room for more instructions to the 12.
Good point! Your comment adds to the topic of why this is not a contradiction! Blessings to you sir!
Thank you brother Jim for providing such clarity. God bless you and your ministry.
Wow thanks Barbara for the encouragement! I was on the road all of last week and this week was unpacking so hope to read your blog again this week! Hope you are doing well abroad?
All is good, cataracts removed and God is blessing me with a new contact in Plano. She visits Guadalajara often as her mom lives there. Pray for Alma and her husband Pedro to come to know Jesus.
In observation in point 6: “the verses where Jesus said go to Galilee was during the initial Resurrection appearances. After they went to Galilee the disciples went back to Jerusalem to start their Apostolic Ministry and before Jesus ascended to heaven He told them to stay after He ascended until God the Father sent the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2).”
I think that nailed it! Thanks for highlighting that! Have a blessed week brother!
The Bible never contradict itself, and the Bible explains itself as Acts 2 just did above. As any cop will tell you, if two people give line by line same story of what happened, one will think they rehearsed about what to say
Good point from the law enforcement example, thanks for reading this
You are welcome brother
This man has no conceptiou of context.
Agreed! I’m praying he repents of his slander against the Word of God. Guy is horrible and there’s a moral and spiritual problem driving it. Praying for his salvation!
Amen.
Reading the Word humbly and in dependence of the Spirit will teach you His Truth. Simply going along with the world’s attack on the Bible is foolish. Its amazing how some free thinkers believes what the world tells them to believe.
It’s astounding how people think they are so smart are so foolish. There’s a spiritual blindness going where they don’t see how foolish they are with what they are doing with no discernment
These articles are definitely helpful for people with an open mind or just want the truth
I’m delighted to see another attack by the skeptics receive a sound response
Thanks for reading this
MY delight
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