Things the Bible Doesn't Say
Too often those who are familiar with the Bible, those of us who grew up in Sunday School and heard Bible stories read at home every night, will unconsciously substitute our traditional Bible story for what the Bible actually says. Somehow, we manage to read the words while our mind replaces the text with a modified fanciful story. Here I will try to look at four common Bible stories that many of us get wrong.
Did Jesus actually sweat blood before his crucifixion?
This is a misconception so common and widespread that we have probably all heard sermons where the speaker quotes medical "experts" to explain that, under great stress and agony, a person will actually sweat blood. All very interesting, however that's not what the Bible says.
Let's approach the subject this way. Suppose you were in a serious car accident. You are injured and have lost a lot of blood. An ambulance races you to the hospital where a nurse begins to hook up a blood transfusion. Before she pokes the needle into your vein you ask, "Is that my blood type?" And she replies, "Well, it's LIKE your blood type". Would you be a bit concerned?
Or ladies, suppose your boyfriend, the one you hope will eventually pop the question, arrives at your door with a small ring box. Inside is a beautiful ring with a sparkling stone on top. You exclaim, "Is that a diamond?" And he says, "Well, it's LIKE a diamond." A bit disappointing?
In each situation, what does the word LIKE mean? It means that one thing is similar to another but not the same. So, what does the passage in Luke 22:44 say?
"And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Luke 22:44 NIV
That means that his sweat was not just a thin moisture on his face. He sweated so much that the sweat dripped off his face like blood drops. It does not say his sweat was blood. It does not even say His sweat was like blood. It dripped like blood. In fact, if LIKE means similar but not the same, then the passage specifically says it was not blood. It dripped like blood, but it was sweat.
The Greek word translated as "like" in Luke 22:44 is hosei. It is translated other places as "as though", "about", "as", "as it had been", or "as it were". Let's look at a few other places where hosei is used.
Matthew 9:26 - The people did not become sheep. They were scattered as sheep.
Matthew 28:3 - He was not dressed in snow. His raiment was white as snow.
Mark 9:26 - The demon-possessed man was not dead. He was like dead.
Hebrews 11:12 - Abraham's descendents were not made of sand. Their numbers were as the sand by the seashore. Like the sand on the seashore, they were too many to count.
There are many other examples, but these should be enough to show that "like" in Luke 22:44 does not mean that His sweat was blood.
Did Jesus use a little boy's lunch to feed 5,000 people?
This too is a very common misconception. It forms a nice story about how this little boy offered his lunch to Jesus, and Jesus used it to feed 5,000 people. It makes for a nice Sunday School story with several good applications; however, it is not what the Bible says. So, what does the passage actually say? All four Gospels give the account of the feeding of the five thousand, but nowhere in those accounts does it mention a boy's lunch. You can read the accounts in Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6. What is mentioned five times is the fact that the disciples discussed buying food. I have lived and traveled extensively in Asia. One thing that is common, whenever a crowd forms, there are always enterprising merchants, often young boys, mingling in the crowd and selling their wares. They may have chewing gum, hot tea, "biscuits" (cookies for Americans), or snacks. When the disciples went looking for where they could buy food, they came across this boy. “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are these for so many people?” (John 6:9 NASB) What he had, five loaves and two fishes, was definitely not enough to feed the crowd. On the other hand, five loaves of bread and two fishes would have made an enormous lunch for a boy who had followed a crowd to see Jesus.
The feeding of the 5,000 is no less miraculous if the food came from a street vendor rather than from a boy's lunch. But let's not add to the simple narrative.
Were Mary and Joseph not able to find an inn before Jesus was born?
Oh, this is a cute Christmas story that is repeated every year in many Christmas pageants. Joseph is seen leading the donkey on which sits a very pregnant Mary, in agony as the birth pains are coming. But as they go from one inn to another, they find they are all full. Finally, in desperation, they arrive at a stable with some clean straw, just in time for Jesus to be born. A nice story, but totally fictional. Nowhere do the Gospel accounts say anything like that.
First of all, we need to examine why they were going to Bethlehem. It wasn't because a major maternity center was there. Everyone was told to go to their family origin. Joseph was from the lineage of David. His ancestors and relatives were living in Bethlehem. So, when he arrived for taxation with his new wife, why would he stay in an "inn" as the King James states? He didn't. They went to his relatives’ home, along with several other travelling relatives. They didn't have cell phones. They didn't FaceTime with their cousins. So, when Joseph visited his family home, all the relatives wanted to get together and share their news. How long did they stay there? We don't know. But no Scripture account hints that baby Jesus was born as soon as they arrived. It says that while they were there, the time came to deliver the baby. It may have been a few days after they arrived. It may have been a month later. We don't know.
Now the word wrongly translated as "inn" in Luke 2:7 more accurately refers to the guest chamber in the house — probably the place where several out-of-town relatives were staying. The Greek word is katalyma, the same word used to describe the guest chamber where Jesus ate the last supper with his disciples (Mark 14:13-14). When Jesus gives the account of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:34), he says the man was taken to an inn (pandocheion). That Greek word means a public house for the reception of strangers. Mary and Joseph were in the guest chamber of their relative's house, likely with other relatives. That wasn't a convenient place for Mary to deliver her first-born son. So, they retired to the only other available place in their relative's house — the stable. And that's where Jesus was born.
Was Jesus invited to a feast when Mary Magdalene anointed his feet with perfume?
Another nice (fictional) story. A rich man put on a feast at which Jesus was a guest. Except that's not what the Bible says. It does say in Luke 7:36-50 that Jesus was eating at the house of a Pharisee. There is no mention of a feast or party. He was a guest there. But that does not imply that he was an honored guest. In fact, when Jesus rebuked the Pharisee (vv. 44-47), he acknowledges that he was not an honored guest.
In Asia, there are two reasons for inviting a guest to your home. One is what we are familiar with. You have a close friend, you want to acknowledge your friendship and do something nice for your friend, so you invite him to a meal. But the other reason for inviting a guest, one that we are not familiar with, is to show your superiority over your guest. It gives you boasting rights. This Pharisee could now boast that Jesus had come to his house to eat. He provided food to Jesus. He could now boast, "When Jesus needs a good meal he comes to my house". The recipient of charity has lower social status than the giver. Now the travelling prophet Jesus would be indebted to this Pharisee.
It may also seem strange to our Western minds how that Mary Magdalene could come into the Pharisee's dining room while they were eating. But quite likely that was not the situation at all. It is common now, and probably was in Jesus' time, for the rich to have a large courtyard in the entrance of their house. This is considered a common area where people are free to come and go. Often meals are provided in these court yards, and the host may not even know all who are there. This was likely the situation where Jesus was eating like any one of several common folks, when Mary came in and anointed his feet. And the fact that Jesus stooped so low as to allow a poor common woman to touch is feet was criticized by the Pharisee, who felt socially superior to Jesus.
Why is this important?
We recently watched two versions of Hansel and Gretel on YouTube. In one version, the witch locked Hansel in a cage. In the other she locked him in a room. We would ask, "What difference does it make? It's just a fairy tale." But the Bible is not a fairy tale. We claim it is the true word of God, an accurate account of God's dealings with man. Yet if we treat it like a fairy tale, allowing events to change according to our imaginations, the world will be convinced that it is just a fanciful invention of ancient man who believed in superstition because they didn't understand modern science. In order to inspire confidence in the Word of God we must stay true to the text.
We have enough scoffers and doubters who are ready to challenge everything from the Bible. We read or hear comments from unbelievers accusing us of believing in "a magical sky daddy", and we groan at the wildly twisted theology spouted by mockers. Let's not give them more ammunition. So, it's important that we don't add to Scripture, that we don't customize Scripture passages according to our traditions and imaginations.