In Jesus’ day, there were some who didn’t really care what he said, but they were bound and determined to use his words against him. For example Jesus said, ‘”Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?”’ (John 8:51-53)
People are still twisting God’s word to make it seem like contradictory nonsense. I actually read one rant that insisted the Bible condoned cannibalism! This is either an elementary reading problem or else it must just be spiteful propaganda. Or is it? Perhaps it is merely symptomatic of their blindness. At any rate, since thankfully there aren’t many people jumping in with the biblical cannibalism ranter here are some more popular misconstruals: The Bible endorses slavery or genocide. The Bible says things like wisdom is pointless folly but other places praises wisdom so therefore we should dismiss it out of hand as God’s Word. Or depending on which gospel you read, Jesus acts like a different person entirely. And they mislead with various other details. These accusations are no less ignorant than Jesus’ audience in John 8 who forced a meaning on his words that he had no intention of conveying and didn’t bother to try to clear it up with him. And I know this not by some superior schmartz or an inside chat with God, but by the context of John 8 and also by simply reading how Jesus spells it out in John 11:25-26, ‘Jesus said to [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”’
I’m not arguing that this proves Jesus was God. Even if Jesus wasn’t God, these hearers twisted his words. He’d be wrong if he wasn’t God, but at least what Jesus was saying would be coherent. However, Jesus was right to say believers would “never see death” or “never die” if what he was saying were true. He wasn’t saying they would never die a natural death first (so his hearers got all upset over nothing), because Jesus had resurrection in view.
So how could they (or we) know that Jesus wasn’t just crazy or lying? Many ways come to mind including his own resurrection and miracles and his integrity, but for the sake of a short blog post, here’s a prophecy he gave which we can immediately agree—whether one is Christian or not—came true and keeps on coming true. And I should note that while a clever mind can always think of probable ways around an undesirable outcome, I believe the cumulative evidence makes only one view the most plausible, and that is that Jesus was right.
In Kenya, Oct 27, 2011: “The [six] attackers believed Hassan had converted to Christianity from Islam, according to Compass Direct News. They hit Hassan on the head, face, back and legs with a metal bar; cut his hands with knives; and stomped on his stomach after he fell to the ground.” Hassan was left for dead but thankfully someone rushed him to a hospital where he even needed a blood transfusion to survive. However, others do not live through similar attacks.
Kenya, Nov. 5, 2011: Suspected extremists sympathetic to al-Shabab threw a grenade into a church elder’s home outside Garissa, Kenya, killing 8-year-old Winnie Mwenda Mutinda and 25-year-old John Kikavu. Three others in the house were seriously injured.
In Israel, c. 33 A.D.: “The hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.” (John 16:2-4)
In the first century, it was among Jews who thought they served God with violence against Christians (and some still do). In the middle ages, it was from others calling themselves Christians, from Muslim conquerors, and from government heads. In recent centuries, it has been from Fascists and even Communists (serving the “greater good”), the K.K.K., superstitious tribes, and radical Hindus and Muslims. And the martyrdoms have only increased.
Looks like Jesus knew what he was talking about.
Erik
Stephen Dawe
Liam
