Teacher, we wish to see a sign. 

How many signs did these Pharisees need?   For months, they had seen Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead.   Would another sign really have made a difference for them?   When a person steadfastly refuses to believe something, even in the face of overwhelming data, it’s probably not because of weak faith;  it’s more likely because of a hardened heart.

What about us?   What kinds of signs has Jesus left us to strengthen and reaffirm our faith?

Well, first, there is historical evidence outside of the New Testament that Jesus existed.   We have accounts from the Roman historians Tacitus and Suetonius.   We also have the Jewish historian Josephus, who wrote that Jesus was “a doer of great works” who “was crucified.”

Then there is also the New Testament itself.   We could say that the Bible is unreliable, but again, historical evidence seems to point away from that.   Writings about other historical figures from that time—people like Julius Caesar and Tacitus—exist, but the oldest reliable manuscripts come from nearly a thousand years after their deaths.

What’s more, only a few copies of these manuscripts have survived.   By contrast, nearly five thousand copies of the Greek New Testament and ten thousand copies of its Latin translation exist—and they date back as far as AD 130.   Clearly, we can rely on these accounts of Jesus far more than the accounts of Tacitus and Caesar!

Then, of course, there were the apostles themselves.   If Jesus weren’t God and if he hadn’t risen from the dead, there would be no reason for his disciples to dedicate their lives to spreading the good news of the resurrection.   At the very least, there would be no need for them to become martyrs for the cause.

That’s a lot of signs!   So the question is not “Did Jesus exist?”   Neither is the question “Did people really believe he is the Son of God?”   The only question left for us is “Can I believe that Jesus is who the Scriptures say he is?   Can I stake my life on him and his promises?”

C. S. Lewis once said that the evidence leaves us with only three possibilities:   Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord.   Let’s believe the third option, and give him our hearts today.

word among us