Q.5. _"How can we reconcile the statement that James, who was the Lord's brother, was also the son of Alpheus. It appears there were but two Jameses among the apostles, and James the less is the son of Alpheus, and identical with the apostle of that name referred to in Acts 15:13, 21:18, and Gal., 1:19, 2:9. Who is the James of Matt. 13:55 and Mark 6:3 ? It appears to the mind very evident that this is the Lord's brother, referred to by Paul; but how, then, is he the son of Alpheus?"
J.H.G.
Ans.-It is, as you say, evident that the James spoken of in passages is one person. He is the son of Mary (wife of Cleopas, the Hebrew form of "Alpheus" the Greek word). Mark 15:40; Matt, 27:50; Luke 24:10. This Mary was the sister of our Lord's mother (Jno. xix 25); so that, according to familiar Hebrew usage, her children, being near relatives of our Lord Jesus, were called His brethren. Jacob tells Rachel he was her father's brother; literally, he was nephew to Laban. Lot says to Abram, "We be brethren." Jude was another of these sons, and he was the brother of James. (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13; Jude 1.)
Q. 6.-" How are we to reconcile the call of Andrew and Peter seen in Jno. 1:(as it appears they met the Lord and began their discipleship down by the Jordan,) with that of Matt, 4:, where the Lord meets and calls them up by the sea of Galilee ?" J. H. C.
Ans. -The first call, at Jordan, was when John the Baptist had pointed out Jesus as the " Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world."They follow Jesus, and become acquainted Him. This was their salvation-call. Next, at Galilee, we their call from their nets, to be "fishers of men." This was their service-call. All the Lord's people have these two %-first, to Jesus as Saviour-the Lamb of God; second, as Lord and Master. So far from conflicting, they fill out and sup-" one another. After the first call, Andrew and Peter evidently did not give up their former occupation; after the second, they did.
Q. 7.-"How do we reconcile the account of the last passover Jesus kept with the disciples as seen in the synoptic gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke, with the account in Jno. 13:? In Jno. 18:28 and 19:14, it appears the passover had not been observed by the Jews, while Jesus and His disciples had kept it; and the accounts in the three first gospels seem to be clear it was the regular time (14th Nisan) to observe it." J. B. G.
Ans.-There can be no question that our Lord and His disciples, ate the passover on the proper night. The Jews also, doubtless, ate it on the same night. The passages referred to in John do not mean that they had not eaten the passover-supper, but refer to the whole feast of unleavened bread, as in Luke 22:1-"Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the passover.""The preparation" in Jno. 19:14 is not the preparation for the passover, but for the Sabbath, following which was "an high day." (Luke 23:54; Mark 15:42; Jno. 19:31.)
Q. 8.-"Does the fact of the Lord Jesus being the first-fruits of the resurrection forbid the thought that the body of Moses was raised from among the dead ?How else could his body have been seen on the mount of transfiguration ? Could not Moses, and others mentioned in the New Testament have been raised in virtue of Christ's resurrection not yet accomplished ?"- S.A.C.
Ans.-It is evident that Scripture is purposely silent with regard to the resurrection of persons before that of our Lord took place. Not that it was impossible that such did take place, but they are not mentioned prominently, because Christ was not yet risen. There are but three cases which could have occurred,- that of Moses, who appeared glorified on the "holy mount" along with Elijah, who typified the " changed" saints, as Moses did the sleeping ones raised. Enoch was translated that he should not see death. He was not, for God took him. In both his case and that of Elijah, it seems a necessary inference that they were "changed," which answers to resurrection. But, as was said, all is left in obscurity till the resurrection of our Lord. Even those graves which were opened at our Lord's crucifixion did not yield up their dead till after His resurrection. (Matt, 27:51-53.) Besides these, there were in Old-Testament times, but specially in our Lord's life, many raisings from the dead; but these were only temporary. The persons were still mortal, and in due time again fell asleep.