Today I had a class session on the Book of Luke. wow. It was amazing. We looked at different passages, and saw what appears to be mistakes. We then proceeded to discuss how/if The Bible was 'inerrant', faced with those facts. For example, in both Matthew and Mark, they say that "the two robbers rebuked Jesus" while Luke says that "One mocked Jesus, while the other asked Jesus to remember him" (I'm putting all this in my own words in case you didn't know. Just look up the passage if you feel the need). Also, when there is a census before Jesus' birth, Luke states that Quirinius was governor of Syria (Luke 2:2), but Quirinius wasn't governor until 6AD...after Christ had died.
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Did Luke add in the part about the robber? Did Matthew & Mark just not know? Or did each present the story as it best fulfilled his literary goal?
In addition, Luke puts all of Christ's parables next to each other on his journey toward Jeruselem - when they actually took place over various trips. Luke could have meant that the journey toward Jeruselem as Christ's ultimate journey toward the cross...
Besides the fact that the geneology of Jesus Christ Luke presents, is different from the one Matthew puts forward.
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In any case, if The Bible contains 'mistakes', such as stating the wrong governor, is it truely un-erring? Does the 'perfect' Word of God, really mean what we take it to mean?
I came to the conclusion, that even if those facts are wrong, I just can't not believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. But doesn't it seem like if the book I base my beliefs on contains factual erorrs, that I shouldn't continue to believe? Does it sound like I'm blind?
But it seems to me like those facts don't make too great of a difference...does it make a difference who the governor was when Christ was born in the grand scheme of things? does the order of the parables matter?
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And for that matter, what if I wake up one day and realize that my whole life has been a dream? Seriously. This could all be one insanely intense dream. But what if I KNEW that it was all a dream? What am I supposed to do with my life? My life is based on the belief that I am alive and living - if that isn't true, than what is there? I don't know...there is nothing outside of the foundation that I am a real person, who is currently living and experiencing life. If that isn't true, than it would seem to follow that there is nothing.
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Today's session was, I'm pretty sure, my favorite session ever. I have this rushing urge to prove what I believe. Why I do things. Like I have always heard that the reason the geneologies in Luke and Matthew differ because one (I think the one in Luke) is Mary's ancestory, while the other belongs to Joseph. I don't see that from reading the passage though. And I rushed to assert that there was a logical reason for the opposistion; they are simply different sides of the family. But both say "son of Joseph...." not "son of Mary". Now that might be a thing where because Mary married Joseph, they are now one, and it is ancient Rome, so they follow men in a family tree anyway. But I don't know.
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I do the same thing for math. I don't understand math. I really don't. I am able to grasp it to the point of addition, division, etc. I've got basic algebra pretty much down (for me anyway). But when I start to actually THINK about it, I can no longer accept the laws of math and physics. WHY am I using this formula? HOW do I know to use it? Why does 2 + 2 = 4, anyway? Does 2 even exist? Where are these solid, perfect, ANSWERS??? Math just doesn't make ANY sense.
The Bible, is very similar. God does things that don't make sense to me. He works in ways I don't understand and are un-explainable. The Bible will seem to contradict itself because I don't understand what is actually going on. And even if Luke got a detail wrong, does that really compromise my belief? He is a person, after all. God is working through Him to accomplish something really great, and Luke doesn't make up something happening - he might say that someone said something when they didn't, but is that really important?
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I feel like I've come to a place of....peace and rest, I suppose. I don't understand everything. Some things I'm told have misspellings, if you will, but the word still means the same thing. But at the end of the day, God is still God. He is, has been , and will continue to be perfect, holy, merciful, strong and mighty.
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He is SO perfect....it breaks my heart. How can he still love me? I've lied, cheated, coveted, been greedy and selfish...and yet, he still stands there, for ME.
All in all, no matter what, he will remain. He is my lord. My savior. My protector. My reedeemer.
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It's good to question things, make sure you are believeing the right things and not wandering down a dark alley. But I am such a simple-minded, ordinary, faulty, low person. There is just no way I could ever think, even for one second, that my God , one who is the wisest of wise, the most perfect being who loves me more than I could love anything, would forsake me. That he would be a lie. I just can't. Who am I to question God? And I love him so much more every single day. I wish there were words I could use to help someone to understand.
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I am weeping over his love for me....I can't live without him. I would be so lost and hopeless. What purpose would my life have? It's like if my whole life were simply a dream..what would I be living for? Love, fun, success wealth...for what? to wake up and realize that it was all for nothing? There has to be something that will be there when I wake up. And God is there...he is there...loving me as I lay in a coma...ignorant of how he loves me. Cheating on him. Betraying him. Doubting him. While he's saving my life by taking on the pain and punsihment I deserve...
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Oh how I wish I could make everyone understand.
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