Narratives in the Bible are not Always Chronological
It always surprises me how many Christian's believe narratives in the Bible must always be strictly chronological. One pastor I knew thought Eve was created after the seventh day. In the Old Testament, they did not follow a strict chronology. For instance, Genesis 2:7 occurs before Genesis 2:3. In Daniel 5:30-31, Belshazzar is killed. Daniel 7:1 says, "the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon" (NASB).
Even the gospels aren't strictly chronological. This doesn't mean the Bible has errors or isn't inspired. That would only be the case if the Bible said it was strictly chronological but then was not. In Matthew 13:54-58, Jesus teaches in his hometown and gives the "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household" (ESV) speech. This is well into Jesus' ministry. In contrast, the same account is found at the beginning of his ministry in Mark 6:1-6, Luke 4:16-24, and John 4:43-45.
In Matthew 9:18, Jairus' daughter dies just before he heals the woman with the discharge of blood (Matthew 9:20-22). In Luke 8:49 and Mark 5:35, the daughter dies after Jesus heals the woman of the discharge of blood (Luke 8:43-48; Mark 5:25-34).
In Matthew 26:57-69 and Mark 14:53-67, we see the chief priests bringing forth the false witnesses, and Jesus was beaten and spit on. Then Peter denies he knew Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72). However, in Luke 22:55-62 Peter denies Jesus first, and then they bring the false witnesses and beat and spit on Jesus (Luke 22:63-71).
In Matthew 27:15-23 and John 18:40, Barabbas is freed followed by Jesus receiving the crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29 and John 19:2). Then in John 19:9, Pilate asks where Jesus was from. Whereas in Luke 23:6-7 Pilate learns Jesus is from Galilee, and then in Luke 23:25, Barabbas is released.
In Mark 11:12-19, Jesus curses the fig tree and drives out the money changers from the temple. In Matthew 21:12-19, Jesus drives out the money changers from the temple and then curses the fig tree. What's more, in John 2:13-25, driving out the money changers is one of the first stories John tells. In comparison, this happened at the end of his ministry in Matthew and Mark.
Each author is telling a story and has specific points they are trying to get across. Some of the accounts are topical, i.e., events occurring on the Sabbath. So don't be shaken when someone tells you the Bible has a contradiction. I assure you, it does not. The chronology of the Bible is clearly on purpose.
A classic example of this is in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 21:2, John talks about New Jerusalem coming down from heaven. Then in Revelation 21:10, John sees New Jerusalem coming down from heaven again. Is this a contradiction? No! John is telling a story and getting his points across. One of his main points was to demonstrate that his narrative was not strictly chronological.
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