Bible Absurdity? Jesus cursed figs to show how much God hates figs?

For today’s post we will tackle an issue the Skeptic Annotated Bible raised: Did Jesus cursed figs to show how much God hates figs?

Here’s the passage the Skeptic thinks is absurd:

 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening. 

Mark 11:13-14

(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)

Here is what the Skeptic Annotated Bible says:

Jesus kills a fig tree for not bearing figs, even though it was out of season. He did this to show the world just how much God hates figs.

I know Christians also struggle with this passage.

Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is an absurdity:

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Review: Is Jesus in the Old Testament?

Iain Duguid. Is Jesus in the Old Testament?  Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing, February 4, 2013. 40 pp.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Westminster | Amazon

I really enjoyed this booklet that is a part of the Basics of the Faith series printed by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing.  This is the sixth booklet that I read from the series and I read it along with my wife as our couple’s devotional reading together.  I was blessed by this beyond my expectation in comparison to the other booklets in the series I have read thus far.

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Bible Contradiction? How did Jesus respond when questioned by the high priest?

For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: How did Jesus respond when questioned by the high priest?

Here are the two answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:

He did not answer directly.

“But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”” (Matthew 26:63-64)

“And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.”” (Luke 22:70)

He answered directly by saying, “I am.”

“And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”” (Mark 14:62)

(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)

Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:

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Quick Devotional from 1 Timothy 1:14 (Observation from the Greek)

This is from my daily Greek exercise of sight reading many months ago, courtesy of Vincent S Artale Jr.

Our text is from the Greek translation of 1 Timothy 1:14.  Here is my translation:

“SENTENCE 14 ὑπερεπλεόνασεν δὲ ἡ χάρις τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν μετὰ πίστεως καὶ
And the grace of our Lord overflowed with faith and

ἀγάπης τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ”
love which is of Jesus in Christ

Here are some observations:

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David vs. Goliath Part 3: Consider honoring God’s name more than anything else

Here’s a post based upon the third of four points based upon the famous story of David versus Goliath.

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Announcement: Our Collection of Posts Responding to Bible Contradictions is up to date

A few weeks ago brother Wally Fry asked me if I have updated our “Collection of Posts Responding to Bible Contradictions” which gather all our posts concerning the topic of Bible contradictions and Bible difficulties.

The answer? Yes!

So here’s a link to our Collection of Posts Responding to Bible Contradictions which features over a hundred posts.

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Bible Contradiction? Did Jesus tell his disciples everything?

For today’s post we will tackle the question the Skeptic Annotated Bible asked: Did Jesus tell his disciples everything?

Here are the two answers which the skeptic believes indicate a Bible contradiction:

Jesus told his disciples everything.

“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)

There were some things that Jesus didn’t tell them.

“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” (John 16:12)

(All Scriptural quotation comes from the New American Standard Bible)

Here’s a closer look at whether or not there is a contradiction:

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