Questions tagged [jesus]
Jesus of Nazareth is the central figure of the Christian New Testament.
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What language did Jesus commonly speak?
According to Mark 15:34 (ESV):
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus spoke Aramaic in ...
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What was Jesus referring to by "the eye of the needle"?
What is the opinion on Jesus's use of the phrase "the eye of a needle" in Mark 10:25:
And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth ...
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How does Jesus' argument from David and the showbread work?
Jesus defended his disciples gleaning on the Sabbath by retelling a story about David. Mark 2:23-28 (ESV):
One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his ...
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Does Jesus Judge or Not?
There are many passages that appear to directly contradict each other. Here is a sample on the subject of judgement.
Jesus Judges no one:
John 3:17, 18 - For God did not send the Son into the world ...
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Jesus' command to hate your father and mother in Luke 14:26
I've often heard that Luke 14:26 is meant to be interpreted as "Love me more than your family" or something along those lines (in fact, the CEV translates it as such). I'm interested in how scholars ...
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In Luke 22:44 did Jesus actually sweat blood?
Luke 22:44 (NIV)
And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Was this a literal thing--did he actually sweat drops of blood. Is ...
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Why did Jesus begin his ministry at age 30?
Luke 3:23 (ESV)
23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
Why did Jesus begin his ministry when he was about 30 ...
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Is Jesus giving the Holy Spirit in John 20:22?
After the resurrection in John's gospel, Jesus appears to the disciples and in John 20:22 he breathes on them and says, "Receive the Holy Spirit." What is happening here? Is Jesus giving them the Holy ...
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What is the significance of 153 fish?
John 21:11
Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.
Is there any significance to the number 153? Or was it ...
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“Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” - why did the Jews want to throw stones at Jesus for saying this?
John 8:53-59 (NRSV):
53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my ...
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What is the meaning of "violence" in Matthew 11:12?
In Matthew 11:12, Jesus said,
"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force."
Luke 16:16 is often given as a companion ...
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Why is the "give to Caesar what is Caesar's" answer so great?
After being asked whether it was right to pax taxes, Jesus repies:
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Why is that an answer that "amazed" them? To a modern person, it ...
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Why was Jesus going to walk past the disciples as they were rowing on the Sea of Galilee?
Mark records the famous walking-on-water miracle:
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he ...
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Was Jesus angry and if so why in Mark 1:41?
Mark 1:41 NIV:
Jesus was indignant.[a] He reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’
[a] Many manuscripts Jesus was filled with compassion
The Easy-To-Read ...
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What was the purpose of giving Jesus vinegar to drink?
What was the purpose of giving Jesus vinegar to drink ? (Mark 15:23, Matthew 27:34)
Some think it was a way to mock Jesus, but others argue that the "vinegar" (with gall) was the diluted wine drunk ...
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Did Jesus read minds or perceive them?
In this passage, most English translations say "knowing their thoughts". In the footnote it says "perceiving" their thoughts. I feel like this is a pretty monumental difference as perceiving thoughts ...
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Did Jesus call God YHWH?
In Matthew 27:45-46 Jesus is recorded as saying:
Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?
Based on Jesus the Phoenician Jesus called God 'EL'—which is a Phoenician God—when he was on the cross. Is ...
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Why does Jesus tell the disciples to buy swords?
Luke 9:3 and Luke 22:36 seem to form an inclusio. In chapter nine, Jesus instructs the Twelve, "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic." But in chapter 22, ...
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Why was all of Jerusalem troubled at Jesus birth?
Matthew 2:3 states
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all
Jerusalem with him.
It is understandable why Herod was troubled, considering that if the baby was the ...
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Is there any significance behind Jesus' use of the word "love" in "John 21:15-17"
In John 21:15-17 (ESV), we read:
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him,
“Yes, Lord; you know that ...
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How is it possible for Jesus to be quoted in the NT during moments of solitude (Gethsemane) or away from the disciples (Nicodemus, Pilate etc.)?
John 3 - Jesus teaches Nicodemus
John 4 - Woman @ the Well
John 17 - Jesus prays for his disciples + Believers
John 18 - Jesus and Pilate
Jesus' temptation(s) in the wilderness by Satan (in Matt. 4 &...
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Does the Greek of John 20:28 address two persons or one?
I don't know Greek and even less about rules of Greek grammar. Can somebody please help me by reviewing a statement written by a popular Unitarian?
Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my ...
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Why does Jesus turn to the Father to forgive in Luke 23:34?
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. Luke 23:34 KJV
If Jesus has the power to forgive sins, why in this specific case ...
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In what sense would Nathanael have "seen" in John 1:51?
In John 1:51, Jesus tells Nathanael that he will "see the heavens opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man".
John 1:49-51 (ESV)
49 Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, ...
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Are Simon the Pharisee (in Luke) and Simon the leper (in other Gospels) the same person?
Quoting from the ESV:
Luke 7:37-38 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment......
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If Jesus is God, how can we make sense of Him calling the Father "my God" in John 20:17?
John 20:16-17 (NASB):
16 Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended ...
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Proper translation of John 1:1
Is there any particular reason why "kai Theós ēn ho Lógos" is translated "and the Word was God" and not "and God was the Word"?
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"My son" in Hosea 11:1 quoted in Matt. 2:14-15
Matthew 2:14-15 (NASB) reads:
14So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill ...
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In Matt. 26:63–65, Why is Jesus’ admission to being the “Son of God” equated with “blasphemy”?
In Matt. 26:63–65, Jesus effectively admits to being the “son of God” according to his response to the chief priest, (i.e., “You said.”).
English translation:
63 But Jesus kept silent. And the ...
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Understanding Jesus' apparent lie in John 7:8
John 7:8:
"...You go to the festival. I am not[a] going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come."
The all important footnote:
[a] John 7:8 Some manuscripts not yet
It seems ...
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What was meant by "paradise" when Jesus spoke to the thief on the cross?
As he was crucified, Jesus engaged in a conversation with one of the thieves hung along side him. At the end of that conversation is this pronouncement:
Luke 23:43 (ESV)
43 And he said to him, "...
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In John 14:9, what is the meaning of the phrase “He who has seen me has seen the Father”?
In John 14:9, it is written,
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew ...
user862
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John 8:57 and the age of Jesus, before his crucifixion
I was doing some reading in the Book "Ante Nicene Fathers" in Irenaeus' "Against Heresies" Book 2 Chapter 22 (book II chapter XXII) Irenaeus quoted John 8:57, in his argument to the Valentinens that ...
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Does Peter suggest Jesus "descended into hell"?
1 Peter 3:18-22 (ESV):
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which ...
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What does "made perfect" mean in Heb 5:9?
Hebrews 5:8-10 (ESV)
Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by ...
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What does "word of God" mean in Hebrews 4:12?
Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, ...
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In John 12:20-26 why does John include the account of the Greeks wanting to see Jesus?
20 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at
the feast. 21 Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of
Galilee, and asked him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus....
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Does the adulterer in Matthew 5:32 cause the spouse to commit adultery or make her a victim of adultery?
What exactly was Jesus saying in Matthew 5:32?
Matthew 5:32 (NKJV)
But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and ...
user2027
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Is Keller's view of the father in the Prodigal Son parable a reasonable interpretation?
In Tim Keller's book "The Prodigal God", Keller points out a fairly incredible dichotomy between older and younger brothers - and the parallels between these categories and our society.
In the final ...
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What is the correct translation of ἁμαρτίαν in 2 Corinthians 5:21? What did God make Jesus?
The Greek text of 2 Cor. 5:21 has been translated in various ways:
τὸν γὰρ μὴ γνόντα ἁμαρτίαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησεν ἵνα ἡμεῖς γινώμεθα δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ
If the translation of ἁμαρτίαν ...
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Who is "The Son" in Hebrews chapter 1: 8 ? Is He God in the strictest sense of the word, or a created being?
The majority of versions render Hebrew 1:8 along the lines of the NASB, where it is written..
But of the Son He says,
"Your throne, O God is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the ...
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Why did Jesus delay four days in going to the tomb of Lazarus?
The event of Lazarus death is recorded in John chapter 11. In verse 6 we read that he stayed two days where he was, after learning of his death.
"So when He heard that he was sick, He remained ...
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Why was Jesus baptized?
Matthew 3:16 (KJV) 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and ...
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When did Joseph, Jesus's father, die?
I heard someone claim that Joseph, Jesus's father, died a very short time after Jesus was born.
But we know from Luke 2:41-52, that when Jesus was twelve years old he went with his parents (οἱ γονεῖς ...
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John 1:1 - How would Λόγος (Logos) be understood in Hellenistic philosophy?
In John 1:1 (NIV, KJV, ESV, NASB, RSV, ASV, NRSV), the text is often translated as something close to
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
"the Word" as ...
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Accuracy of Alfred Edersheim's "Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah"
Edersheim's book The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah has been called "one of the best known and most important references on the life of Christ ever written." However, a lot has changed in the ...
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When was Jesus rich? 2 Corinthian 8:9
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
2 Corinthians 8:9
This either means ...
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Why did the women want to anoint Jesus after his body had already been laid in the tomb
After Jesus’ death on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea went to the Roman governor Pilate to request Jesus’ body. Nicodemus, the Pharisee who had visited Jesus at night to ask questions about God’s ...
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What does Jesus mean in Matthew 26:64 with "You have said so"?
There was a question recently about this verse and what Jesus actually meant here. So, I thought I'd post this question to see what you guys thought.
In Matthew 26, Jesus is before the Sanhedrin. ...
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Did Jesus have the legal authority to cleanse the temple?
The narrative of Jesus' cleansing of the temple is present in all four gospels: Mark 11:15-17, Matthew 21:12-13, Luke 19:45-46, John 2:13-17. When He cleanses the temple, there does not seem to be any ...
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