Resolving Bible Contradiction: Wait Onshore Until Dark?

There seems to be a contradiction in the bible between Matt 14 and John 6.  This is the passage between the feeding of the 5000 and Jesus walking on water.  After the feeding of the 5000, Jesus sends the disciples away, and then after dismissing the crowd, goes up the mountain to pray alone. This time alone goes past sundown and into the night.   During the night, Jesus sees the disciples rowing out on the lake, and He comes to them, walking on the surface of the water.

Between the miracles of feeding the 5000 from just a few loaves of bread plus a few fish, and the miracle of walking on water, is a small detail almost missed.  John 6 seems to say that Jesus told the disciples to go to the lake shore and wait for him, but after dark, they went ahead and crossed the lake  by boat.  Matt 14 and Mark 6 seems to say that Jesus sent His disciples to go in the boat and cross the lake.

To reconcile these passages, the reader would have to guess that Jesus told His disciples to wait for him by the lake shore until sunset, while He went away to pray.  Then, if He didn't come to them by dark, they were to start to row the boat across the lake towards Bethsaida.

Now, the reader knows not to add to scripture or put words in Jesus' mouth (like some popular Christian books do).  So, the contradiction must be left as is.  Yet, the reader also expects God not to contradict Himself.  So, we are left with an educated guess that Jesus' disciples would obey him, waiting for Him on the lake shore until sunset, and then, if He didn't show up by then, casting out from shore and rowing across the lake.

This is a small example of a bible contradiction that can be resolved.  This one is easy.  However, there are many passages that seem to conflict.  There are aspects of God which seem to be at odds.  How can one resolve God's holiness with His mercy, His loving kindness with His sovereignty, His omniscience with His listening to our prayers?  All I can say is if one little contradiction can be resolved, then the harder ones are possible, too.

1 Corinthians 13:12
Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1corinthians13:12&version=NLT

John 6:16-17
That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him.
But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john6:16-17&version=NLT

Matthew 14:22-23
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home.
After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew14:22-23&version=NLT

John 6:16-17
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,
where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john6:16-17&version=NIV

This contradiction shows up in the New Living Translation, and in the Living Bible.  It doesn't seem to show up in John 6 of the NIV and other bible versions.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

'Amuse' Is NOT "to not think"

There are several web sites, mainly Christian, which redefine the word 'amuse' as "not thinking". This is unfortunate and wrong.

 I don't think that the word 'amuse' is the opposite of 'muse'. I looked it up in the dictionary and found that it came from French. So, the 'a-' is not meaning 'Not' like in Greek (e.g., a-millennial means 'not millennial'). The 'a-' instead means 'at' or 'to'. So, the French meaning is more like 'at thinking' or 'cause to think'.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=amuse

Now, I understand that there is a tendency for people to sometimes seek too much diversion, and thus to not think too seriously. But on the other hand, sometimes people can worry too much. I think Jesus was 'amusing' (getting the people to think straight) His listeners with the truth when he mentioned the lilies of the field and the birds of the air (Luke 12:27).

I believe there is a wrong assumption that serious thinking can only be good, and thus, non-serious thinking is bad. However, not only worry, but also, anger, fear, pride, and guilt are certainly serious but not necessarily good. In the bible, it mentions that God laughs or is amused (Psalms 2:4). Smiling and laughing is part of human nature. There is a time to laugh and cry (Ecc 3:4).  Amusement can lead away from God or it can lead to clearer thinking.

So, not all amusements are wrong. It's just that there is a tendency in fallen human nature to escape, to pursue vain glories. The need to be amused is exaggerated because of the effects of sin. Laughing at somebody or something other than ourselves temporarily relieves our consciences or our worries.

However, laughing at ourselves seems to be healthier. That kind of amusement happens when personal issues are dealt with. The humility here is real and lasting, not the temporary relief with distractions. Instead of escaping to minor attractions, we find our strength outside ourselves, and we can learn to lighten-up in a more lasting way. I'm not talking about hero worship, which is also temporary. What I mean is dependence on God. God's yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt 11:30).

I also wonder how the word 'music' has to do with 'muse' and thinking. Doesn't 1 Samuel show how David's harp playing helped King Saul draw his mind away from his despair of his deselection as king and his jealousy of David? Except, with Saul, the music acted more like a drug, and the evil thoughts came right back when the music went away. Perhaps, it was not just the music, but also the presence of a godly David that cheered Saul. Saul had lost the presence of God, and had gained evil thoughts. David spelled 'relief'.

So, I think the word amuse actually means to stimulate thought that is more balanced, a diversion from ones own perspective. One just has to enter "amuse" and "to not think" in a search engine to find quite a few web sites which try to redefine the word 'amuse'. However, that word is suppose to mean "to cause to think". It is my hope that people will have a reason to rethink what amusement means, not to assign it off as merely wasting time.