THE ATHEIST'S COMPLAINT:
Did Jesus begin his ministry after John the Baptist was imprisoned (Mark 1:14-15, 17), or was it before John was imprisoned (Jn 1:28-29; 3:25-30)? Is there a contradiction?

RESPONSE:
Let us look at the passages in question:

Mark 1:14-15, 17
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.".... Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men."

John 1:28-29; 3:25-30
These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!..... Then there arose a dispute between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified——behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!" John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. "You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. "He must increase, but I must decrease."

I suppose if the Mark text said that this occasion of preaching in Galilee were the first ever preaching occasion which Jesus had, then the questioner would have a valid point. However, Mark does not say that this was the first time Jesus had ever preached. The 'contradiction' exists because of an assumption placed upon that text which is given no support by this text or any other.

There is no contradiction.

This article is a response to Skeptic's Annotated Bible, but original article is no longer listed

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