Dr.Talbots QUESTION BOX
up of His kingdom on the earth but overlooked the references to the cross such as Isaiah 53. Then, too, they shrank from the conception of His being crucified. They were confused and came to the Lord for information about His coming to set up His kingdom (Matt. 24:1-3). Af ter His resurrection, they remem bered what He had told them; and on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came, their eyes were fully opened and they preached sal vation in His power through Christ’s death and resurrection. IS MATTHEW WRONG? Q. It seems to me that there is a mistake in Matthew 27:9, 10 where Matthew states that the prediction regarding the thirty pieces of silver was spoken by Jeremiah but the prophecy actually appears in Zecha- riah 11:12, 13. Can you explain? A. I personally believe that in stat ing that Jeremiah spoke, rather than wrote, the prediction Matthew was not in error. The Holy Spirit knew what the prophets spoke as well as what they wrote. Jude, for instance, records an utterance of Enoch never before recorded. The Holy Spirit knew that Enoch had prophesied and He used it at the appointed time. The New Scofield Reference Edi tion has this explanation of this passage which is worthy of consid eration: “ Matthew 27:9-10 may be an allusion to Jeremiah 18:1-4 and 19:1-3, but the reference is dis tinctly to Zechariah 11:12-13. A Talmudic tradition states that the prophetic writings were placed in the Canon in this order: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, etc. Many Hebrew manuscripts follow this order. Thus Matthew cited the passage as from the roll of the prophets and by the name of the first book.” THE FLOOD AND JONAH Q. Is it true that Jesus Himself cor roborated the fact of the flood and the identity of Jonah? I have been
told it is impossible for a whale to swallow a man. A. Yes, it is. He referred to the “ sign of the prophet Jonah” as an illustration of His own death and resurrection (Matt. 12:38-42). In Matthew 24:37-39 Jesus is quoted as referring to Noah: “ As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” The Apostles also bore witness to the flood: (Heb. 11:7; II Peter 2:5). As for Jonah’s reality, in Mat thew 12:41, four historical person ages beside Jonah are mentioned, men of Nineveh, queen of Sheba, Solomon and Christ Himself. So that any claim that Jonah was but a fictional character is stupid, to say the least. The American Standard Version translates the word “ sea monster” and the New Scofield Bible, “ the great fish ." “ Likely it was the whale shark or the rhinodon, the largest of all fish, so it need not have been a whale. However, that is beside the point, since Jonah 1:17 states that God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. The whole event was a miracle, and the swallowing of Jonah was by no means the greatest miracle, but the preserva tion of his life, and many other supernatural features such as the gourd, the worm, the east wind, and the repentance of the city of Nineveh after Jonah finally deliv ered God’s message to them. PURPOSE OF THE LAW Q. If the law cannot save anyone, why was it given in the first place? A. This is plainly answered by Paul: “ Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgres sions, till the seed (Christ) should come. . . . Wherefore the law is our schoolmaster to b rin g us un to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. . . . After that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (Gal. 3:19, 24, 25; Eph. 2:8-10). ■ THE KING’S BUSINESS
SALVATION OF THE DISCIPLES Q. Were the disciples saved before or after Christ was crucified? A. They were saved before Christ died, some through the preaching of John the Baptist when he said of Jesus: “ Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus told them they should rejoice that their names were written in Heaven (Luke 10:20). Afterwards they were called in His service. WHY LACK OF COMPREHENSION? Q. Why did the disciples not under stand and believe that Christ was to die and rise again? He told them in advance of the events many times. A. Jesus explained it in Luke 24:25: “ . . . slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. . .” Then He pointed out in all the prophets the things co n ce rn ing Himself (v. 25). The human mind is dull to grasp spiritual things and the disciples were no exception. They believed part of the prophecy which had to do with His setting 26
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