My brother gave me a set of cassette tapes on understanding the Bible and asked me to review them to see if they were OK. The introduction went well but after that things went haywire. One of the first things I heard was that Moses didn't write Genesis. It was written by a number of different people. Of course I was familiar with the concept and knew where the man was going. He was about to question everything in the Bible. The Old Testament is full of allegories and not real stories. The miracles did not really happen but were just myths.

Did Moses actually write Genesis and did the great fish actually swallow Jonah? How can we know for sure? Well, as it turns out, it really isn't all that difficult. All we need to do is to ask someone who actually knows.

When Jes us was on earth he had access to exactly the same books that we now call the Old Testament. The books were not in exactly the same order as the Old Testament we have today, but all the books were the same. So, if there were any corrections to be made in the Old Testament Jesus would have surely mentioned them. Remember, if the Bible is inspired of God, then it must have been preserved by God, otherwise inspiration would have been no benefit.

The Writings of Moses

In John 5:46-47 Jesus said, "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"

The Book of Moses

In Mark 12:26 Jesus speaks of the "book of Moses." "And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?" A reference to Exodus 3:6. Looks like Jesus attributed Exodus to Moses.

Adam and Eve

In Matthew 19:4 Jesus confirms the existence of Adam and Eve. And he answered and said unto them, "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female."

Noah and the Flood

In Matthew 24:37-38 Jesus confirms the existence of Noah and the flood. "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe [Noah] entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

In Matthew 8:11 Jesus verifies the existence of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven."

Lot

In Luke 17:28 Jesus verifies the existence of Lot, Abraham's nephew. "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded."

Sodom and Gomorrah

In Luke 17:29 Jesus confirms the story of Sodom being destroyed by fire rained from heaven in Genesis 19. "But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all."

Lot's Wife

In Luke 17:32 Jesus verifies the existence of Lot's wife. "Remember Lot's wife."

The Burning Bush

Also in Mark 12:26 Jesus confirms the story of Moses and the burning bush. "And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?"

Moses and the Fiery Serpent

In John 3:14 Jesus verifies the story of Moses and the serpent lifted up on a pole found in Numbers 21. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up."

King David

In Mark 2:25 he verified the account of David in 1 Samuel 21. "And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him?"

David and the Psalms

In Mark 12:36 Jesus confirms that David was inspired of the Holy Ghost when he wrote Psalm 110. "For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool."

Solomon, his wisdom and the Queen of Sheba

In Matthew 12:42 Jesus confirms the existence of Solomon and his wisdom and the Queen of Sheba found in 1 Kings 10. "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here."

Jonah and the Whale

Matthew 12:40-41 Jesus verifies the existence of Jonah, the great fish and the story of Ninevah. "For as Jonas [Jonah] was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here."

The Prophet Elijah

In Luke 4:25-26 Jesus verifies the existence of Elijah and the story of the drought and the widow woman that miraculously fed him in 1 Kings 17. "But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias [Elijah], when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow."

The Prophet Elisha

In Luke 4:27 Jesus verifies the existence of Elisha and the cleansing of the leprosy of Naaman in 2 Kings 5. "And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus [Elisha] the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian."

Never once did Jesus call into question anything that is written in the Old Testament.
 
When you begin to question the Bible and believe parts are only myths or allegories, then who becomes the authority to tell us which is true and which is not? To do so will quickly run you to the position that no one actually knows which is true and which is not.

If you claim to be a Christian it only makes sense to me that you would accept the teachings of Jesus above any other, and He never questioned the authenticity of the Word of God.


    

JESUS AND THE
INTELLECTUALS

by Raymond McAlister
September 2010

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