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For Bible Study Nerds

Did you notice that only Satan worked miracles during the temptation of Christ? The devil first appeared out of nowhere (Matthew 4:3). Then he miraculously transported Jesus to the highest point of the Jerusalem temple (4:5). Lastly, he transported Jesus to a high mountain and gave him a supernatural vision of “all the kingdoms of…

In relating the events of Jesus’ temptation, Matthew presents Satan (“the devil”) without any introduction or explanation except to say he is a “tempter.” The assumption appears to be that Matthew’s Jewish readers a) already knew who Satan was, and b) accepted that Satan was a literal, living being. Satan’s name in Hebrew (śᾱtᾱn) and…

According to Matthew, Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world as his third and final temptation. Luke 4:5-12, however, appears to indicate that the kingdoms were Satan’s second temptation. Which author got it right? Well, most scholars answer that question this way: Both are right. The consensus of academic thought is that Matthew was…

The baptism of Jesus was a revelatory moment in history, and is generally considered the moment that “marks both His inauguration as the servant Messiah and the dawning of a new age of the Spirit.” In that context, it’s significant that Matthew records the physical manifestation of all three Persons of the Trinity as being…

Jesus’ request to be baptized by John the Baptist caused unique problems, both for John and for Christians who came later. One Bible historian reports that “There is evidence that some early Christians found Jesus’ baptism somewhat embarrassing, either because it implied that Jesus, like his fellow Israelites, needed to repent, or because it implied…

The Jordan River figures prominently in Biblical history, but the river itself isn’t as impressive as the events that surround it. Still, covering about 70 miles in length, it’s the biggest river in Israel and its waters feed a fertile valley situated between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. Melting snow from Mount…

John the Baptist identified three types of baptisms: By water, by the Holy Spirit, and by fire. But what do those mean? In John’s use, water baptism was a symbol of repentance in the heart and mind of the person who was baptized. “The Jew who accepted baptism from John,” explains one Bible scholar, “confessed…

John the Baptist was a notable figure who shows up in both Bible history and Roman historical records from the time of Jesus. Here’s what we know about him: His father Zechariah was a temple priest, and his mother Elizabeth was a relative of Jesus’ mother, Mary. In that sense, John and Jesus may have…

Reader Appeal: Students, Pastors, Youth Pastors Genre: Cultural / Historical Reference FBSN Rating: B   One big obstacle to understanding the Bible, especially for younger Christians, is the enormous cultural differences between our modern society and the lives of the ancients. In an age of international democratization, media saturation, and moral intolerance, how are we…

It is significant that John the Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees a “brood of vipers,” which basically meant he viewed them as poisonous children of snakes. In the ancient world this was an especially contemptuous insult because of a common belief regarding the circumstances of viper births. Many thought that some breeds of viper…
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