Bible Question:
My name is Cory and I am a first time poster. I recently came to Christ and I have been studying the Bible. I was reading the Gospels and had a question concerning Simon Peter’s first encounter with Christ. I would like to know if anyone could help me understand this better. (Matthew 4:18-22, Luke 5:3-10, and Mark 1:16-20) The stories mirror each other, with a slight variation in Luke. But the gist is Simon Peter, his brother Andrew, Zebedee and John are all out on the water in their fishing boats. Jesus approaches them, with or without a miracle story, and then calls them to be fisher’s of men. (John 1:40-42) Here is my question. John’s story states that Andrew heard John the Baptist testify of Jesus and was convinced Jesus was the Christ. So he went to fetch is brother, Simon Peter, and present him to Jesus. I appreciate anyone helping me with this query. |
Bible Answer: Dear Cory, You need to harmonize them? You are thinking that this is all happening simultaneously and is the same event and it is not. Here is a good website to visit to see this as it happens in some kind of chronological order. http://www.blueletterbible.org/study/harmony/index.html Per BLB the event told in John is not the same as the three told in the other gospels and happens sometime before them. The chart at the website above harmonizes the verses you questioned. My Study Bible however shows the questioned events depicted in John happening at some time before the events in Matthew and Mark and these two as being in harmony and the same event but the event in Luke happens later after the events questioned in Matthew and Mark. What happened in Luke is after the four fisherman follow (Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20), Jesus teaching with great authority (Mark 1:21-28, Luke 4:31-37), Jesus Healing Peter’s mother-in-law and others (Matthew 8:14-17, Mark 1:29-34, Luke 4:38-41) and preaching throughout Galilee (Matthew 4:23-25, Mark 1:35-39, Luke 4:42-44. Then the events of Luke 5:1-11 and the miraculous catch of fish. This link below seems to be more in line with my Study Bible and might be easier to follow. http://www.lifeofchrist.com/life/harmony.html Hope this helps you and also hope that I didn’t mess this up as I typed it out. WOS |