A Visit With Jesus

 Difficult Sayings of Jesus

Some statements made by Jesus can sound startling, puzzling, or even contradictory when they are separated from their language, setting, and biblical background. This collection examines those difficult sayings directly.

Each entry explains why the saying has caused difficulty, presents interpretations that have received serious consideration, and offers an assessment of what the saying most likely means.

Illustration of Green Wood and Dry Wood

Green Wood and Dry Wood

  Luke 23:27-31
Figurative Language Eschatological
If they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?

Why is this difficult? Who or what do the green and dry wood represent, and what approaching event is Jesus warning about?

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Illustration of The Corpse and the Vultures

The Corpse and the Vultures

  Matthew 24:28; Luke 17:37
Figurative Language Eschatological
Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

Why is this difficult? What do the corpse and gathering birds represent, and how does the saying relate to judgment and the coming of the Son of Man?

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Illustration of This Generation Will Not Pass Away

This Generation Will Not Pass Away

  Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32
Language Eschatological
This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

Why is this difficult? What does Jesus mean by this generation, and which predicted events does he say will occur before it passes away?

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Illustration of Some Standing Here Will Not Taste Death

Some Standing Here Will Not Taste Death

  Matthew 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27
Eschatological
Some standing here will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.

Why is this difficult? What event did Jesus expect some of his hearers to witness during their lifetimes?

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Illustration of Before the Son of Man Comes

Before the Son of Man Comes

  Matthew 10:23
Eschatological
You will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Why is this difficult? What coming of the Son of Man does Jesus mean, and how does it relate to the mission of the disciples?

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Illustration of Not Even the Son Knows

Not Even the Son Knows

  Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32
Theological Apparent Tension Eschatological
No one knows... not even the Son, but only the Father.

Why is this difficult? How can Jesus say that the Son does not know something known by the Father?

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Reading Difficult Sayings

A difficult saying is not necessarily an obscure saying. Sometimes the difficulty comes from an unfamiliar figure of speech, a first-century custom, or a biblical reference that Jesus' first hearers would have recognized more readily than we do.

Other sayings raise genuine interpretive or theological questions on which careful readers have reached different conclusions.

These studies try to distinguish what can be explained with confidence from what remains debated.

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