I have a whole bunch of questions about the book of Matthew?

[aqua6dementia]

I tried posting these on Yahoo! Answers, but no-one could help, no i'm gonna try here


I know that there are quite a few questions here (i'm a bit of an inquisitive bunny... and also not the brightest spark heh) but if anyone could answer even one or two I would be royally chuffed lol. I've put down the KJV verses, just because it seems to be the most widely used.

So... here goes!

Are courts wrong?
5:25-26
25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Is it wrong to make prommises or commitments to friends, or even in marriage vows?
5:34-37
34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Is it wrong to refuse to carry our a terrorist attack, or to refuse to help an unjust cause? What about to refuse to give all your possessions to a robber? Is it wrong to take a person who has wronged you to law enforcement e.g. go to the police about being raped?
5:39-42
39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Is it wrong to carry an outward sign of Christianity, such as to wear a cross or to wear an 'I love Jesus' t-shirt or similar? Assuming that, as in some versions of the Bible, this verse includes showing that it is wrong to show that anything you do you do for God, to make yourself seem like a better person. For example, wearing a cross, it could be deemed under this verse, would simply be showing the world that you are a follower of Christ and therefor must be a do-gooder and better than everyone else (not what I think, but an argument that could be put forward)
6:1
1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Who are the 'dogs' and 'pigs'?
7:6
6Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Is it wrong to pray, or to spread the gospel, 'In the name of Jesus'?
7:21-24
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

What does 8:21-22 mean?
21And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

What does 9:14-18 mean?
14Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
15And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
16No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
17Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Does this verse suggest that some races - or people? - are more 'able' to follow God than others?
11:21
21Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Are some people 'unfixeable'?
12:43-46
43When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

What is 'the awful horror of which Daniel Spoke'?
24:15
15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand

The majority of these (and quite possibly all of them) are probably just due to be being silly and mis-understanding scripture, but I figure that even if that IS the case, the only way i'm gonna learn is by asking! If you don't like the KJV, then biblegateway is the coolest for looking up scripture.

Thankin' you in advance dudes and dudettes

 

[ClayDS1130]

Hey, I am glad that as an agnostic you are reading the Bible and asking honest questions.

5:25-26 All this is saying is to make peace with the other person if possible, so you don't go through unnecessary trouble and end up looking like a greedy miser who won't pay off what he owes.

5:34-37 This is in reference to casual oaths, which were commonly made at the time, and usually not followed through on. He was saying how it is terrible to make an oath in God's name and then not fulfill it.

5:39-42 Here He was referring to people who personally offended you, not people seeking to harm others.

6:1 No, it's not at all wrong to openly profess your faith. In fact, in 5:16, "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." He was talking about (as becomes evident in the verses following this one) people who do good things just so they can be praised by people. The real motive for doing good things should be so God will be glorified.

7:6 The pigs and dogs are people who scorn at and hate God and the good news of Christ. If we were to go up to someone like that and say, "Jesus loves you," they would just laugh and ridicule; tearing to pieces the lovely thing that was set before them.

7:21-24 Not at all! These people in this passage are people who claimed to be Christians but were not. They did things in the name of Jesus, but did not really live for God.

8:21-22 A more modern translation, the New Living Translation (done in the 1990s) translates verse 22 as, "Let the spiritually dead [those who are not concerned about following Jesus] bury their own dead." He was saying that if the man was serious about following Him, he should do it and not make excuses to wait.

9:14-18 Jesus was saying that His disciples didn't fast because there was no reason to, because He was with them, and that they would fast when He was gone.

11:21 No, not at all. Jesus was saying that the cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida were being more evil than Tyre and Sidon, because Tyre and Sidon would have repented if He had done the miracles in them that He had done in those cities.

12:43-46 No, no one is unfixable. Jesus was talking about "this generation," and how they entertained demonic thoughts in their hearts.

24:15 It's called the "abomination of desolation" when the Temple will be defiled. It is mentioned in Daniel 9:27.

 

[aqua6dementia]

Thanks, that is REALLY useful info!

Cheers for taking the time to write it down for me, it's MUCH appreciated

 

[LamorakDesGalis]

I know that there are quite a few questions here (i'm a bit of an inquisitive bunny... and also not the brightest spark heh) but if anyone could answer even one or two I would be royally chuffed lol.

Feel free to ask questions anytime...

Are courts wrong?
5:25-26
25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

No, the point of the passage of Matthew 5:21-26 is dealing with one's anger. Jesus gave an illustration of how things taken to court (at the time) could spiral into drastic consequences. So to head off that hypothetical situation, one should settle matters with their adversary quickly and "on the way" to the court.

Is it wrong to make prommises or commitments to friends, or even in marriage vows?
5:34-37
34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

No, it is not wrong to make vows. Otherwise lots of monks and nuns would be in big trouble, eh?

Jesus was telling the people not to make picky little distinctions in making "real" oaths. For example, some thought that swearing toward Jerusalem was a binding oath, while swearing by Jerusalem was not. Its a lot like kids who say crossing your fingers negates anything they might swear by. Jesus' response is to say stop playing these games - let your "yes" be "yes" and your "no" be "no."

Is it wrong to refuse to carry our a terrorist attack, or to refuse to help an unjust cause? What about to refuse to give all your possessions to a robber? Is it wrong to take a person who has wronged you to law enforcement e.g. go to the police about being raped?
5:39-42
39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

For 99.99% of Christians, terrorist attacks are just evil and wrong. There is nothing in Christian theology or practice by which one gains anything before God by killing innocent - and even not innocent people.

What Matthew 5:39-42 is communicating is to not retaliate or seek revenge for the real (or perceived) wrong. Back in Jesus' day, Roman soldiers could require any person to help carry their load for the length of a mile. Jesus said, don't just carry it the required mile - carry it an extra mile. There is a sense of going beyond the requirement with the idea that this behavior will have an impact on the other person.

Is it wrong to carry an outward sign of Christianity, such as to wear a cross or to wear an 'I love Jesus' t-shirt or similar? Assuming that, as in some versions of the Bible, this verse includes showing that it is wrong to show that anything you do you do for God, to make yourself seem like a better person. For example, wearing a cross, it could be deemed under this verse, would simply be showing the world that you are a follower of Christ and therefor must be a do-gooder and better than everyone else (not what I think, but an argument that could be put forward)6:1

It is not wrong to wear crosses or wear t-shirts per se. What this passage is addressing is a person's intent. One person could wear a cross to honor and glorify God while another might wear it to make others think they are pious.

1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Jesus is telling the people that those who do their deeds (giving, prayer, and fasting) just to make themselves look good isn't going to receive any rewards from God. God knows the heart and the intent of the person, so He can't be fooled.

Who are the 'dogs' and 'pigs'?
7:6
6Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

In Jesus' day, both dogs and pigs were not regarded highly. In 7:6, dogs and pigs represent people who disdain the message and then turn on the messenger.

Is it wrong to pray, or to spread the gospel, 'In the name of Jesus'?
7:21-24
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

What this passage is teaching is that not everyone who thinks highly of Jesus is going to enter heaven. The verse 21 "Lord, Lord" is not a salvific title here, its a title of respect - such as "teacher" or "sir." The "I never knew you" implies that there was never a personal relationship between them and Jesus.

What does 8:21-22 mean?
21And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

In this passage a disciple told Jesus he would follow him, but he wanted to wait until his father died first (21). The culture at the time placed high emphasis on the duty of one to bury their parents when they died. Jesus' reply - "let the dead bury their dead" - means let those who are spiritually dead bury those who are physically dead. Jesus was making high demands on the disciple because His time on earth was short - about 33 years and a 3 year ministry.[/quote]

What does 9:14-18 mean?
14Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
15And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
16No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
17Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

The Gospel of Matthew used the image to describe the Messiah (Matthew 22:2 and 25:1-5). John the Baptist referred to himself as the friend of the bridegroom (John 3:29). This image of the groom also describes God (Isaiah 54:5-6, Hosea 2:16-20). With this backdrop of images in mind, Jesus referred to Himself as the bridegroom. The friends of the bridegroom - the disciples - do not mourn (fast) while the bridegroom is here. When Jesus is taken away - is killed - then the friends of the bridegroom will fast.

In verses 16-17, Jesus is using illustrations to contrast Judaism and its specific laws and traditions (old garment, old wine skin) with a newer Christianity.

Does this verse suggest that some races - or people? - are more 'able' to follow God than others?
11:21
21Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

No, what Jesus was saying was that He performed mighty miracles in these Jewish towns and the overall response from them was minimal at best. Both Tyre and Sidon, which the prophets in the OT condemned because of their Baal worship and treatment of Israel, were Gentile towns. The people in Bethsaida and Chorazin were expecting a Messiah and yet they rejected the Messiah. Jesus was saying if he did the same miracles in these Gentile towns who were under judgment, they would have responded much differently than the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida.

Are some people 'unfixeable'?
12:43-46
43When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Some people in Scripture are "unfixable" - see Jude 3-16. As for Matthew 12:43-45...After the evil spirit left, the man remained "empty and swept." That suggests the man attempted to reform but was not filled with God's presence.

What is 'the awful horror of which Daniel Spoke'?
24:15
15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand

The reference is Daniel 9:27, where a certain leader will setup "an abomination that causes desolation" in the Jewish temple. Many Christians understand the leader to be the future Anti-Christ.

The majority of these (and quite possibly all of them) are probably just due to be being silly and mis-understanding scripture, but I figure that even if that IS the case, the only way i'm gonna learn is by asking! If you don't like the KJV, then biblegateway is the coolest for looking up scripture.

You have very good questions.


LDG

 

[Macca]

I tried posting these on Yahoo! Answers, but no-one could help, no i'm gonna try here


I know that there are quite a few questions here (i'm a bit of an inquisitive bunny... and also not the brightest spark heh) but if anyone could answer even one or two I would be royally chuffed lol. I've put down the KJV verses, just because it seems to be the most widely used.

So... here goes!

Are courts wrong?
5:25-26
25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Is it wrong to make prommises or commitments to friends, or even in marriage vows?
5:34-37
34But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: 35Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.
36Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Is it wrong to refuse to carry our a terrorist attack, or to refuse to help an unjust cause? What about to refuse to give all your possessions to a robber? Is it wrong to take a person who has wronged you to law enforcement e.g. go to the police about being raped?
5:39-42
39But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
41And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
42Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Is it wrong to carry an outward sign of Christianity, such as to wear a cross or to wear an 'I love Jesus' t-shirt or similar? Assuming that, as in some versions of the Bible, this verse includes showing that it is wrong to show that anything you do you do for God, to make yourself seem like a better person. For example, wearing a cross, it could be deemed under this verse, would simply be showing the world that you are a follower of Christ and therefor must be a do-gooder and better than everyone else (not what I think, but an argument that could be put forward)
6:1
1Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

Who are the 'dogs' and 'pigs'?
7:6
6Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Is it wrong to pray, or to spread the gospel, 'In the name of Jesus'?
7:21-24
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

What does 8:21-22 mean?
21And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

What does 9:14-18 mean?
14Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?
15And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
16No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
17Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.

Does this verse suggest that some races - or people? - are more 'able' to follow God than others?
11:21
21Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

Are some people 'unfixeable'?
12:43-46
43When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

What is 'the awful horror of which Daniel Spoke'?
24:15
15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand

The majority of these (and quite possibly all of them) are probably just due to be being silly and mis-understanding scripture, but I figure that even if that IS the case, the only way i'm gonna learn is by asking! If you don't like the KJV, then biblegateway is the coolest for looking up scripture.

Thankin' you in advance dudes and dudettes

1/ Jesus was speaking about Jews taking Jews to court, and said it was better to sort it out before the court put a judgment in place that may be unpleasant.
2/ There is an affirmation that can be taken in court, rather than swearing on the Bible.
Jesus was saying that you were not to lie, if you had to swear by something then your veracity was in question.
3/ The law is enforceable, but grace and mercy come first.
4/ This is talking about "showing off" in god as many of the pharisees did. Doing things just to have people think you are holy is wrong. Wearing tee shirts and the like are not necessarily wrong, depends on your motive.
5/ Some people would (and still do today) make fun of God, His Word and those who speak the things of God publicly.
6/ There are many who proclaim to be Christians but live opposing lifestyles. The Name of Jesus has power.
There is an incident in the Acts of the apostles where seven sons of Sceva were driving out demons "in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches" when one demon replied "Jesus I know and Paul I have heard of but who are you?".
7/ Jesus suggests that the work of the kingdom is for born again believers, the worldly work is for the spiritually dead.
8/ Jesus is the bridegroom, the disciples were with Him and were not fasting, but when Jesus was gone from them would be time enough to fast.
9/ Again Jesus was comparing unbelieving Jews to some areas of His ministry that had accepted His teaching, whereas many Jews hadn't.
10/ Not unfixable, but if an area in your life is dealt with, you need to reinforce that area so that it doesn't come back worse than ever.
11/ Daniel was speaking of the desolation of the temple in Jerusalem when wrong sacrifices were offered on the altar.
From Jesus' words it is understood that the temple will be re-built and the same or similar sacrifices will be made again.
I hope this helps.