Contradictions

We sometimes find what appears to be discrepancies in the Bible. Sceptics then immediately proclaim that this proves that the Bible is not accurate – that what is written there cannot be trusted.

One such example is the written account of the demon-possessed men, found in Matthew 8:28 – 34 “28 When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs.”  When we read about this same incident in Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39, “26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons”, we see that they refer to only one man who was demon-possessed. Another difference we note here is that Matthew writes that this happened in the country of the Gadarenes, whereas Mark and Luke both noted that it happened in the country of the Gerasenes.

Which of these accounts are right? Well, they all are! Upon closer investigation we learn that the capital city of this region was Gerasa, which explains the description that the men were from the country of the Gerasenes; and this incident happened in the vicinity of a city called Gedara, only a few kilometres away from the Sea of Galilee. There were two men involved in this story, however, only one man remained after he was delivered and earnestly asked Jesus if he could stay with Him. This man later proclaimed Jesus throughout the whole region, while the other just disappeared from the scene. It is therefore no wonder that Mark and Luke focused on him.

We see another example of seemingly different accounts of the same incident, found in the Gospels when Jesus called His disciples. In Mark 1:16-20 we read that Jesus saw Simon and his brother Andrew fishing in the Sea of Galilee, and upon calling them, they dropped everything and followed Him. The same happened thereafter with James and John. In his Gospel account, John does not even mention this incident. He says Simon and Andrew met Jesus many miles to the south, along the Jordan river: John 1:35-42  “35Again the next day John (the Baptist) was standing with two of his disciples, 36and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” 37The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Again, both accounts are accurate. In real life, people do not normally drop everything and follow a total stranger. Simon and Andrew had first met Jesus along the Jordan River and were among His disciples who witnessed the miracle of the water turning into wine in Cana. They believed in Him and returned to their fishing where they witnessed about Jesus to their business partners James and John. Jesus then asked them to accompany Him around Galilee (Mark 1:16-20) which they did. Back in Capernaum they returned to fishing, and witnessed another miracle when Jesus instructed Simon to throw his nets into the water yet again, and they caught an incredible number of fish! Then Jesus called them to follow Him full-time, which by now they did without hesitation.

Points to ponder: Do I read the Bible with a humble spirit and an open heart, wanting to meet God there, to learn about Jesus there, to let Holy Spirit minister to me there? Or do I approach His Word with a critical spirit, not searching deeper if I do not understand?