An analysis of a story in Three Versions:
Jesus Drives out a Demon and Heals a Person
(Matthew 12:22-32//Mark 3:20-30//Luke 11:14-23)

Introduction
I find it fascinating but also a bit confusing that the bible has more than one account of similar stories. The versions are alike yet have obvious differences as well. How can we explain these discrepancies? Do we need to? It is understandable to me why people have trouble sorting through the different versions, in the hopes of finding the truth. Will we ever be able to find out what the true stories are? Did the authors of the gospel even really know what the truth was? This we will never really know for sure, but what we can do is look at the analogous passages and sort out the …show more content…

Perhaps Jesus used a standard rebuttal for doubters and had said similar things many times in different situations. It is well known that Jesus was at odds with the scribes, priests and Pharisees throughout the gospels, so perhaps each of these stories are just one in an series of similar confrontations with them.

Step # 3
What you learned about Jesus and what he is about

In all three stories Jesus had followers (many followers in the Mark version), but he also seemed to have a band of skeptics who wanted to plant the seeds of doubt in the believers minds. Jesus seems to be an articulate man, able to deal with doubters in a calm and eloquent manner. He seems to be intellectual, drawing from a wide source of knowledge. He is quick to think on his toes, and able to give answers immediately when they are asked of him.
Jesus also seems to be a rebel, upsetting the balance and messing with the traditions and rituals that had been handed down for generations. I can see why this would not be taken lightly. Here is a man claiming that everything that was being taught was wrong. He was threatening the balance and understanding of what life is about, who God is and what it all means. This was a young man, coming in and announcing that he was right, and that changes needed to be made. He was a threat to the traditional society. This is my explanation for why his family chose to restrain him in the Mark version of the story. I don’t think that they didn’t