Random Bible Question Time with Luke

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Whenever I teach Sunday School, I spend about 10 minutes at the end of class doing “Random Bible Question Time with Luke.” This the part of the show where you can ask me anything you’ve ever wondered about God, religion, or the Bible. Over the years, we’ve dealt with all sorts of questions ranging from, “Is there someone named Bob in the Bible?” to, “Why does God allow bad stuff to happen?”

My mom suggested that I start posting my answers here every now and again as encouragement for you. And I thought that was a great idea. So, here are a few of the questions I’ve had in the recent months, and how I answered them:

Is there anyone named Bob in the Bible? No.

What’s the difference between Catholics and Christians? Catholics are Christians, just another form of Christianity–much like the different denominations. We hold different views on some things, and do our services in different ways, but we all believe in Jesus and His death and resurrection for our salvation.

Why do all Mormon Temples look the same? I’m not sure about the Temples, but every Book of Mormon is the same. That way people can say, “Turn to page 125″ and everyone will be at the same spot. We don’t have that with our Bibles. But Mormons like that their books are uniform. The way Mormon Temples look probably has roots in the Masons, a group Joseph Smith used as a foundation for many of the things he instituted in Mormonism.

Why is the Devil’s number 666? The Bible doesn’t exactly say. However, Numerology may play a part in this. If I remember correctly, six is the number for imperfection and man (it is one less than seven, which is the “perfect” number). Three may mean the three persons of God–Trinity–and so perhaps it is the number of an imperfect god. But I don’t know, exactly. On the other hand, Numerology is fascinating. Each letter in Hebrew is given a value, and you can do some fun stuff with words that way. For instance, if you add the value of “Mother” and “Father” together, you get the value for the word “Child.” Cool, eh?

Where did Jesus perform the water into wine miracle? Cana in Galilee.

Can you believe in two religions (Christianity and Judaism)? First, we need to remember that you can be Jewish in two ways: Ethnically/socially and religiously. I have a little Jewish blood in me, so I’m part Jewish by heritage. You can also believe and follow Jewish teachings, which would make you religiously Jewish. There are also Messianic Jews, who believe that Jesus was the Messiah. And that’s the big difference between Judaism and Christianity: Non-Messianic Jews don’t believe Jesus was the Savior and are still waiting for the Messiah to come. And that’s the important difference: Jesus. You can follow other practices and customs–much like our different denominations–but the important thing is Jesus. So, yes, you can be both Jewish and Christian, but you need to get Jesus right.

Why are bunnies and eggs part of Easter? Easter used to be a pagan celebration of fertility, and bunnies breed very quickly. And eggs are also a symbol of new life. These symbols stayed when we started to celebrate the new life we have in Christ when He died and rose again.

Okay, class dismissed. If your parents are here, you can leave with them. Have a great week!

Feedback? Did you like this? Would you like more of these? Or are you thinking, ‘Please, Luke, don’t give us any more of your answers to random Bible questions!’ Be honest. I think this kind of thing is important, but I don’t want to bore you or drive you batty.

Luke Holzmann is the son of John and Sarita Holzmann, founders of Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd., in Littleton, CO, where he is the Media Relations Specialist. He attended Biola University, in La Mirada, CA, and earned the BA in Motion Picture Production. You can find his work at http://www.sonlightblog.com/, production-now.com, and lukeholzmann.blogspot.com.