Pastor John, 

I am just curious about something.  What would have been the perks for Matthew to be a tax collector?  It must have been hard for him to have everyone hate him.  I would think he was not forced by Rome to do it; otherwise, the Jews would not have hated him, but would have just blamed Rome.  I am getting that from them saying Jesus sat with tax collectors and sinners.  So there must have been something that drew him to be a tax collector.  I feel like I know a lot more about Paul than I do Matthew.

It made me think that Matthew might have been somewhat prepared for the persecution after Jesus touched him because he was familiar with being hated. Or not. 

Beth D.

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Hi, Beth.

Matthew could have been drawn to being a tax collector in order to have a steady income.  WE don’t know.  If so, there were many in Israel who was like him in that regard.  The devoutly nationalistic Jews would have looked down on Matthew for “working with the enemy”, and Jesus had such a Jew as a disciple.  Simon the Canaanite, it appears, belonged to a group whose goal was to drive the hated Romans out of the holy land (hence, “the Canaanite”).  That Jesus was able to have a tax collector and a Canaanite as disciples at the same time says a lot about their hearts and his power.

You are right in saying that we know far less about Matthew than about Paul.  There is nothing we can do about that.  But hopefully, Jesus will let us meet Matthew one day and find out what history was.

Pastor John

Hi Pastor John, 

During our Old Testament class* we are taking with Mark, Brad and Allison, Mark asked, “where did the other people come from?” Today, Michelle and I were listening to one of the CD’s, God is punishing Cain to be cut off.  Our question is where did the other people come from that caused Cain to be afraid?  Up to this point all we know are the descendants from Adam, no one else. 

Thank you,

Kevin

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Hi, Kevin.

You all are doing a good thing, going through the online Old Testament class.

As you continue through the Old Testament, and the New, for that matter, you will find that there are stories that leave off a critical time element, so that the events seem out of sync, if not impossible.  I suspect that is the case here.  The story you mentioned makes it seem as if Adam only had two children, Cain and Abel, at the time Cain murdered Abel.  But those two sons were both grown at the time (just how old they were, we cannot say), and I assume that Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters during the previous years.  Apparently, Adam’s sons and daughters married one another.  As Adam’s family expanded, there would have been quite a few children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, etc., and they could not all have lived in the same area.

Adam would have had a multitude of children over his lifetime: “And the days of Adam after he fathered Seth were eight hundred years, and he fathered sons and daughters.  And all of the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died” (Gen. 5:4–5).  And after earth’s population increased sufficiently, God forbade marriages of close kin.  Before then, however, very close kin could marry.  Abraham and Sarah were half-brother and sister, and God was OK with that in their time, but in the law (centuries later), God plainly forbade such marriages (Lev. 18:9, 11).

There are many unanswered, and unanswerable, questions about the earliest days of earth (Genesis 1–11), and we wonder about such things, but we have to stay focused on what is revealed.  Moses told Israel: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but things that are revealed belong to us and to our children”.

That’s the best I can do with your question because the Bible does not deal with that issue.  It’s one of those “secret things that belong to God”.  So, I just say “OK”, and move on to learn those things God has revealed.

Thanks for the question.  A lot of people have wondered about that, including me.

Pastor John

* Old Testament Course (Pt. 1) – Going to Jesus.com

Pastor John,

What does afflict your souls mean in these verses?

Leviticus 23:27. “Also, on the tenth day of this seventh month shall be the Day for Atonements; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall afflict your souls, and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord.

Leviticus 23:32. It shall be a sabbath of rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. From the ninth day of the month at evening, from twilight to twilight, you shall observe your sabbath.”

Beth D.

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Hi Beth,

That phrase “afflict your souls” means to fast and pray, and to do no work, that is, treat the day as a Sabbath, as God said in Leviticus 19:29 and Numbers 29:7.

Thanks for the question.

Pastor John

John,

Since in Colossians 2:17 “are” is used, is Paul saying the law had not passed away at that time, or is he just communicating it will always be a shadow?

16. Therefore, do not allow anyone to condemn you in matters of eating or drinking, or in regard to a feast, or a new moon, or a Sabbath,
17. which are a shadow of things to come, but the reality is of Christ.

Wendell

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Hi, Wendell.

I am glad you are thinking about what you are reading.  The law probably had not yet passed at the time Paul wrote that letter.  It is the same for other works of Paul.  For instance, the book of Hebrews (which I believe Paul wrote) is filled with present tense verbs when the writer speaks of the law, especially the activities of the priests under the law.

At the same time, the law will always be the shadow of Christ that God intended.  That is what makes study of the law, indeed, the whole Old Testament, so beneficial for believers today.

Thanks for the question.

Pastor John 

Pastor John,

How can Paul say the hope of the Gospel has been preached to very creature ?  I understand creation speaks to the heart that there is a Creator and that being has provided for all by the natural elements (rain, sun, food, life, animals, plants, trees) testifies that the creator cares.

Colossians 1:23.  … provided that you continue in the faith, established, and stable, and unmoved from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a minister. 

Wendell

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Hi, Wendell.

Paul only meant that the gospel had been preached to every race, both Jew and Gentile.

If we take what Paul said literally, we may start acting as crazy as “Saint” Francis of Assisi.  He took Paul literally and went around preaching to animals.  This is from the internet:

“Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and environment, could be viewed as the original Earth Day advocate. … Francis cared for the poor and sick, he preached sermons to animals and praised all creatures as brothers and sisters under God.”

Don’t do that.  Stay sensible and just confess Christ to the humans that you meet.

Hope that helps.

Pastor John

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Pastor John,

Decades ago, I was given permission to fish on property owned by the Catholic church. As a caveat, I was instructed by the priest to pray for each fish that I caught.

I showed no disrespect, but I thought the requirement sounded funny. We eat fish. It seemed strange to pray for a fish that I was going to eat. I could just not eat the fish if it needed saving from me. The man’s request seemed to put fish on a plane that God did not create for a fish.

After seeing Wendell’s email today and your reply, I realized that many people today would probably find virtue in what the priest required of me. At the very least, they would make room for his personal belief system.

But there is no virtue in a personal belief system when it comes to God; it is just being self-willed. Anything done in the name of God that isn’t from God makes us our own God just without saying so.

Jerry

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John,

Your response was not what I was thinking about. Let me say it this way. 

I was thinking creation preaches that there was a Creator, but I can’t see where all have had the gospel he preached. 

For that to happen doesn’t a preacher need to be sent?

Wendell

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Hi Wendell.

I suppose we have to say that God sent His creation, don’t we?  “The heavens declare the glory of God.”

Pastor John

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Pastor John,

Your conversation with Wendell sparked some thoughts.  The gospel is the sweet message of the revelation of Jesus, the son of God who was hidden from the foundation of the world.  And Jesus was only revealed once he came to earth, died, ascended, and sent back the holy Ghost.  But the heavens were declaring the glory of God since creation, even while the Son was hidden.  What changed with the heavens from declaring God’s glory to preaching the gospel of Jesus? 

And yet if it’s not the heavens that preached the gospel to every creature, how could Paul say the gospel had been preached to every creature when he, or others during his day, had not traveled to every part of the world yet to preach the message of Jesus? 

Richard F.

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Hi Richard.

Nothing changed with the heavens at all.  The only thing that changed was man’s understanding of what the heavens were declaring.  It is exactly like the law and the prophets.  The law and the prophets were declaring nothing but God’s glory, as far as Israel knew, until the Son was revealed.  Then men began to understand that the heavens were declaring the glory of both the Father and His Son.  And as David said, there is no place on earth where that message has not been heard:

Psalm 19:

1. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament displays the work of His hands.
2. Day after day pours forth speech, and night after night declares understanding.
3. There is neither speech nor language where their voice is not heard.
4. Their line goes out over all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.

Pastor John