Why People Thousands of Years Later Don’t Know More Than the Eyewitnesses
by Gardner Hall
The president of Colombia caused quite a stir in Latin America when he recently said, "Jesus made love, yes ... because a man like that couldn't exist without love." There’s more to the quote that I don’t care to repeat, but this kind of nonsense is heard increasingly. Here are two of many reasons why it makes no sense:
Who Knows More About Jesus?
It’s absurd to think that men living 2,000 years after Jesus think they know more about his life than eyewitnesses who walked and talked with him. This is a mistake that our Muslim friends make. They say that Jesus didn't really die on the cross. However, an eyewitness, the apostle John, sincerely and graphically testifies that he saw the following with his own eyes:
“The soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; but after they came to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. Yet one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out” (John 19:32-34).
Whom are we going to believe: An eyewitness, John, who gave this graphic and sincere testimony, or Muhammad, a man who lived 600 years later? Of course, it’s prejudice that causes our Muslim friends to give more weight to the testimony of someone who saw nothing over that of someone who was present at the event in question and whose testimony exudes sincerity.
The president of Colombia has the same problem. He wants us to believe his wild speculations more than the sincere testimony of those who knew Jesus well and were willing to die to back up their claim that their friend lived without sin.
Jesus' Enemies Were Motivated to Find Fault in Him
That leads us to the second problem: Jesus had many enemies. How much they would have loved to find some fault in Him to discredit Him! Someone who has as many enemies as Jesus did lives under a microscope. They analyze every aspect of his life to find any fault they can. But Jesus' enemies could not find any fault with Him, no hint of indiscretion.
Jesus was so pure that He could confidently challenge His enemies: "Which one of you convicts Me of sin?" (John 8:46) He knew they couldn’t do it, no matter how much they wanted to.
The problem today is that carnal men cannot imagine such a thing as a pure life. Therefore, they pour forth their foolish nonsense and thereby reveal their shallow thinking.
I prefer to believe the eyewitnesses whose testimony is found in books like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. I wish the president of Colombia and others would read this gripping testimony instead of talking about what they don't know. Thank God for the help His word gives us in dealing with those who attack everything good and sacred.
