You’re in a conversation, and someone says: “Jesus is just an ancient teacher whom Christian traditions have made into God.” “What Would You Say?” Jesus is a very popular figure, even among people who aren’t religious. So, it is not unusual to hear someone appeal to what Jesus would have done or said as a moral example, while at the same time denying that He was God. In fact, a group of 19th-century religious scholars launched a quest to find the so-called “Historical Jesus,” while rejecting up front anything about His life and ministry that was supernatural, such as miracles and the resurrection. In the late 20th century, another group of skeptical scholars known as the “Jesus Seminar,” attempted to determine what Jesus taught while assuming that the Gospel accounts were not true, and that Jesus never claimed to be God. On a more popular level today, Jesus is often thought of as a kind of spiritualist guru or portrayed as a progressive revolutionary. Whether or not Jesus was God in the flesh, like the Gospels claim He is, or just a “good teacher” and religious example to follow makes a big difference. So... The next time you hear someone claim that Jesus was “just an ancient teacher” but not God, here are three things to remember: First: The New Testament Gospels are the only historically reliable sources we have about the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. People who reject that Jesus was God have to reject some of the things that the Gospel writers claim about Jesus, while accepting others. But how do we know which parts we can trust and which parts we should reject? Often, skeptics end up keeping those parts of the Gospels that describe the kind of Jesus they want to accept, and end up with a Jesus they’ve pieced together. In other words, skeptics can be guilty of what they are assuming about Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Not only is that inconsistent, but it ignores the fact that the Gospel writers have provided a reliable account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Not only are the books full of eyewitness accounts of His life and ministry, the authors had strong incentive to rightly preserve and pass on the details they contain. And, the accounts also corroborate each other. At the very least, to dismiss the Gospels up front, and assume that they could not possibly be reliable accounts, means we are left with no real sources about His life to conclude He was even a good teacher. Second: Jesus’ life and ministry fulfilled at least 300 prophecies from the Old Testament. Many of the prophecies offered in the Old Testament about who the Messiah would be and what He would do included very specific details. In 700 BC, the prophet Micah predicted the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. The prophet Zechariah announced that the coming Savior would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. Some Psalms point to a crucifixion-like death, centuries before this became a common means of execution under the Romans. Some skeptics claim that these prophecies were read back into the Old Testament by those in power in the early church. However, there are far too many details mentioned to be mere coincidence. The odds of one man’s life matching so many of these predicted details would be astronomical. In fact, according to Professor Peter Stoner, “The chance that any man … fulfilled [even] eight prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power.” That’s 1 in 100 quadrillion, which is equivalent to mixing up enough silver dollars to cover the state of Texas two feet deep and finding the exact right silver dollar among them. Third: Eyewitnesses confirmed Jesus’s ministry and identity. In addition to the miraculous prophetic detail, Jesus performed miracles during His earthly ministry that were attested to by eyewitnesses and recorded in the Scripture and history. Even his enemies who denied that He was the Messiah never disputed that Jesus of Nazareth performed miracles and wonders. In fact, after the crucifixion and resurrection, Peter, in the Pentecost sermon to the crowd in Jerusalem, reminded his audience that Jesus had fed 5,000 people, had restored sight to the blind, and had raised the dead to life. Peter claimed that all these miracles were done by Jesus, “in your midst.” (Acts 2:22) After Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, He appeared to over 500 witnesses, according to the testimony of Paul the Apostle. In other words, Jesus was much more than just a teacher. His life was more than an example for us to follow. Every one of Jesus’ miracles demonstrates that Jesus had power over the human body, over nature, even over death itself. So, the next time someone says, “Jesus is just an ancient teacher whom Christian traditions have made into God, but I just don’t think He was God,” ask them to consider these three things… 1. The New Testament Gospels are the only historically reliable sources we have about the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. 2. Jesus’ life and ministry fulfilled at least 300 prophecies from the Old Testament. 3. Eyewitnesses confirmed Jesus’ ministry and identity.
Colson Center
Shane Morris : Sep 15, 2021 4:00:22 AM
