Where did Jesus go?

IS IT right for anyone to pick a verse from the Bible and start arguing against the infallibility of God’s Word? Does it make sense to build an argument on a bible verse and ridicule the existence of Christ Jesus and the authenticity of Christianity? Is it fair that people build theories around a Bible verse and make damning statements about the Church without considering its context?

A lot of people do these things and think they are right and that their actions are justifiable. But this is self-delusion, because their actions portray them as lacking in solid biblical knowledge and understanding. First, a person needs the Spirit of God to understand the things of God. Second, a biblical text must be read and interpreted in its context and in comparison and contrast with other texts.

In two previous articles, we have sought to discuss two Bible verses that have been misinterpreted and distorted to challenge the integrity of the Bible. In these two articles we have studied Matthew 16: 27-28 which says: “For the Son of man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will render to each one according to what he has done. . Truly I tell you, there are some here who will not taste death until they see the Son of man coming into his kingdom.

However, in this article we discuss Matthew 10:23, another controversial verse that many have taught out of context, resulting in the unfortunate mockery of the Bible and its God. The verse says: “When they persecute you in one city, flee to another, for verily I say to you, you will not have passed through all the cities of Israel until the coming of the Son of man.

Many have misinterpreted the above scripture passage to mean that Jesus Christ promised his disciples that he would die, ascend to the Father, and return from heaven to judge the world before his disciples did he. had sent to finish preaching in Jewish towns. .

But is this interpretation correct? Certainly not! It is wrong and needs to be corrected. It is not appropriate to take part of Scripture and explain it out of context. It is necessary that we read the whole chapter or even more and compare and contrast with other passages of Scripture to be able to have proper insight and understanding.

Therefore, the first verse that we have to start our studies in order to understand the text is Matthew 10: 1 until verse 42, then we have to continue from Matthew 11: 1. In Matthew 10: 1, it is written: “And he (Jesus) called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and heal all sickness and all affliction… These twelve whom Jesus sent, saying to them: “Go… to the lost sheep of Israel.

In verse 23 of Matthew chapter 10, Jesus said: “When they persecute you in one city, flee to another, for verily I say to you, you will not have passed through all the cities of Israel before the Son of man does not come. “This is the basis of this article. Pay attention to the clause:” … you will not have passed through all the cities of Israel … ”

The above clause indicates that Christ was speaking directly and specifically to the 12 apostles he sent. Remember that in verse 5 it is written: “These twelve Jesus sent them out saying to them,” Do not go anywhere among the Gentiles and do not enter the city of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep. of the house of Israel.

So Jesus said to them, “You will not have gone through all the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes. These words of Christ to His disciples are at the origin of all the controversy surrounding the verse, the misinterpretation of which has helped to question the honesty of the Bible.

Now there are two basic questions to ask if we are to fully understand the text. First, where did Jesus Christ tell His disciples He was going? Second, where would He come from? The answers to these questions would help us put the interpretation in its proper perspective. We know that in the above scripture passage, Christ Jesus did not speak of his death, burial or resurrection, much less going to heaven. So where exactly did the Savior of the world say he was going, and where would he come from after sending his 12 apostles?

It is not appropriate to rush into a baseless claim that Matthew 10:23 was fulfilled in the first century or that Christ would not return given the fact that all of the disciples Jesus taught had died centuries ago. Many simply communicate this inaccurate teaching, encouraging people to relax and have fun, thereby promoting hedonism or self-indulgence.

As I said earlier, a person who decides to teach from the Bible should not just quote a verse out of context and make definitive statements. There is always the need for a broader reading of chapters and verses to be able to make sense of a verse. An avid reader of the Bible and more importantly of the Gospel of Matthew would know the correct answer to the two questions posed above.

It is clearly stated in Matthew 11: 1 which reads: “When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their towns. But in which region were these towns located? The new international version of the Bible describes them as “cities of Galilee”. It is now quite clear that Christ Jesus did not ascend to heaven after asking his 12 disciples to go and preach the gospel. So certainly He wouldn’t come from heaven, but He would actually come from these cities after preaching there.

By James Quansah

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