1 Corinthians 14: 31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
I know that there have been many times in my life where I have been confused about things and turned to food to comfort me. I have since learned to turned to Christ in those times and He gives me that Peace Which Passes All Understanding. He can do the same for you, should you be a person who gets confused when similar Bible passages have inconsistencies. There are some who use these inconsistencies to talk people out of their faith in Christ, making the person sound stupid for believing in God to start with. Remember, God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, so I hope to give an example to rectify this issue for those who are confused.
When I was about 8, I was walking home from church and there was a car accident right on the corner of the block I lived on. I looked around and there were no adults to be seen to help, so I ran to my house and told my parents to call the police because of the accident. Then, I walked back to the corner, because I figured that the police would need my eye witness account. When I got to the corner, I saw several different adults telling the officer exactly what they saw and the officer really wasn't interested in talking to an 8 year old as a witness of the recent accident. For many years, I thought those adults lied. How could they know what happened, since there was no one else out in that area, besides me? Well, as an adult, I have realized that I may have overlooked many things that I didn't understand, at that point. It could have been that someone was in their kitchen washing dishes and saw out the window. Someone could have been working in their yard and was able to see the accident over the fence. Back then, people didn't have the tall fences that they do now. Someone could have been watching TV and could have seen the whole thing out their front room picture window. It's a matter of perspective!
As an example, I will share four passages, one from each of the four gospels about when Jesus chased the money changers out of the temple.
Matthew 21:12-13 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who brought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer," but you have made it a den of thieves.' "
Mark 11:15-18 So they came to Jerusalem. Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple. Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it a den of thieves.' " And the scribes and the chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.
Luke 19:45-48 Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.' " And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.
John 2:14-16 And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changer's money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, "Take these things away! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise!"
I used to take my frustrated 6th graders out to the playground each year when a ruckus would arise about someone not going out when they had clearly hit the 4 Square line. I would put half of the students on the far right of the center line and the other half on the far right of the center line. I would go and bounce the ball a few inches short of the left side of the center line and ask if I was out and had hit the line with the ball. All those on the right side were adamant that I would have been out. Then, I bounced the ball a few inches to the right side of the center line and asked the same thing. Some would say I was out, but by this time they started to understand that it depended on their perspective or where they were standing and viewing the situation.
Well, the same thing holds true in the Bible, in some situations. They all saw Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers who were selling in the temple. Does it matter that one of the Apostles was more descriptive and told that Jesus made a whip of cords or that he listed more of the animals that were being sold? Does it negate the observation of the other three Apostles? He may have seen more from his perspective or he might have remembered more of the details. Remember, this was a very chaotic event and a lot was happening at that time.
Some of the details may have been skewed somewhat, based on their perspective, but it doesn't mean that the situation never happened. They all heard Jesus say the same basic thing about His house being a house of prayer but they have made it a 'den of thieves.' Does it matter that three of them referred to it as a den of thieves and one called it a house of merchandise? Does it negate the witnesses, because they didn't say everything word-for-word the same? Of course not, actually, it makes it a much more credible testimony, but there are those who would try to confuse Christians with details like this and make the Bible sound like it is full of lies, which it isn't. Remember God is not the author of Confusion, but of Peace!
Watch This and Other Videos by J. Warner Wallace a Cold Case Detective
Were the Gospels Written By Eyewitnesses? / J. Warner Wallace
by: J. Warner Wallace, Impact 360 Institute via You Tube
