At what age was Jesus baptized?

Sincerely,
Water Wonderer

Dear Water Wonderer,

Jesus was baptized right before He began preaching.  In Luke 3:21-22, we see that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist.  Luke 3:23 says that Jesus was about thirty years old when He was baptized and started preaching.

About the prodigal son in Lk. 15, you said that it is important to God that we all come back, so He can forgive us.  But then why can’t all people just be, like, crazy, and in the end of their lives, go to God and ask for forgiveness and all will be fine?  What is the argument that keeps someone from doing that?

Sincerely,
Last Minute Convert

Dear Last Minute Convert,

The easiest way to answer this question is by referring to Gal 6:7 which says that God can’t be “mocked”.  This means that we can’t trick God or fool Him into believing we have changed when we really haven’t.  Rom 8:27 says that God searches our hearts, and 1 Jhn 3:20 says that God knows all things.  When we come to God for forgiveness, God expects us to not only want forgiveness, but to change our mind about sin.  The word ‘repent’ means ‘to change your mind’, and repentance is a requirement for salvation (Acts 2:38).  If we attempt to live a sinful life and just “fool” God by asking for forgiveness at the end, it won’t work.  God knows whether or not we have truly repented of our sins and are truly sorry for the sins we have committed.  It isn’t enough to want forgiveness; you have to hate sin and really believe that you were in the wrong.  Our faith in God must be a sincere faith (1 Tim 1:5).  If it isn’t sincere, God will know, and He won’t be tricked.

      Isaiah 43:27, Romans 5:12, 14, and 19 all say that sin started with Adam. But 1 Timothy 2:14 seems to say that Eve started it first.  So who is to blame?

Sincerely,
Is It Her Fault?

Dear Is It Her Fault,

Well, if you asked Adam and Eve, it was the other one (Gen 3:11-13).  Though Eve was the first to eat of the fruit (Gen 3:6), Adam was the patriarch and the first created human.  Rom 5:12-19 is simply saying that from the generation of Adam until the days of Christ, sin reigned.  The sins of Adam and Eve were so tied together that you might as well say that they sinned at the same time.  Like two robbers in the same heist – their sins are intertwined.

     In tracing the apostles’ calling, one of the gospels says Andrew was with John the Baptist and then went and found his brother Simon Peter to tell him.  Another book says they both were in their boat when Jesus called them.  Please explain.

Sincerely,
Two Places At Once?

Dear Two Places At Once,

If all we do is read Matt 4:18-20, it is easy to get the impression that when Jesus told Andrew and Peter to leave their boat and follow Him that it was the very first time they had met Jesus, but that wasn’t the case.  By the time Jesus called those two men to leave their fishing and become “fishers of men”, they were already well-acquainted with Jesus, and they knew exactly who they would be following.

In Jhn 1:35-42, we see the very first encounter that Andrew and Peter had with Jesus.  As you said, Andrew was told about Jesus because he had been listening to John the Baptist preach, and Peter found out because Andrew told him.  This happened right when Jesus first began to preach and teach… He hadn’t even performed a miracle yet (we won’t see that miracle until Jhn 2:1-11).

When we read in Matt 4:18-22, Mk 1:16-20, and Lk 5:9-11 of Peter and Andrew leaving their boats and following Christ – this was a totally different level of commitment that happened later.  Peter and Andrew knew who Jesus was at this point, and now Jesus was calling them to not just listen to Him, but to help Him in His preaching.

     In Acts 1:20, Peter quotes Psalm 109:8.  Can it be said that Psalm 109, especially verse eight, serves as a prophecy as well as a hymn by King David?

Sincerely,
Pointing To Prophecy

Dear Pointing To Prophecy,

Sometimes, Old Testament verses are quoted in the New Testament because they are prophecies that are being fulfilled – like Peter did in Acts 2:16-21.  However, we must also remember that the Old Testament does more than just prophecy about Christ and His kingdom.  The Old Testament is full of examples and principles that are useful to us (1 Cor 10:11).  In the case of Acts 1:20, Peter and the rest of the apostles had to decide what to do about Judas’ death.  Should they leave his position vacant?  Should they replace him with another apostle?  How should they handle the void created in the apostleship by this wicked man?  Peter quotes Ps 109:8 because that Psalm addresses the principle that it is a good thing when a good man replaces the office of a bad man.  Peter referred to Ps 109, not because it was prophetic about their specific circumstance, but because it is a universal truth that good people should take the place of bad people in positions of authority.

Did Jesus marry Mary Magdalene?

Sincerely,
Wedding Bells?

Dear Wedding Bells,

There is ZERO reason to believe that Jesus had a relationship with Mary Magdalene… that is just apocryphal mumbo-jumbo.  Apocryphal books are books outside of the Bible that were written years after the Bible was completed… most of them hundreds of years after.  Read “Books of the Apocrypha” to better understand that topic.

Ever since Jesus lived, people have been trying to create stories to alter His life and smear His reputation.  However, when we go to the Bible, we see that Jesus was never married.  Mary Magdalene was one of many women that followed Christ and supported Him in His preaching, but He was not married to her (Lk 8:1-3).