Saturday, March 31, 2018
Evidence required
John 20:24,25
Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
Thomas, as a result of the passage we just read, has been called ‘Doubting Thomas’ for centuries and is almost the patron saint for all persons who call for the evidence before they believe a claim or a doctrine.
Thomas was sceptical about the claims of Jesus’ resurrection and wanted the evidence. The way Thomas responded is no different from the way we do business today. For example, you go to the police with a problem and when they respond they start by taking evidence. You get to court and the lawyers and the judges start to examine and decide on the evidence. In social work, we make decisions or interventions or develop programmes based on the evidence, and we believe that if your evidence base is weak your conclusions should be doubted or challenged.
In an evidence-based culture, our claims about the resurrection are forever going to be challenged and we will always be pressured to produce the evidence. It should be noted that, sometimes, evidence can lead us to the wrong place and the wrong conclusions.
Scientists and mathematicians want evidence that they can process with the tools of their trade, they want to plot graphs and make predictions. But if we believe the mathematicians, we would not even bother to invite people to come to church because mathematics has predicted the death of the church. Here is what a few mathematicians said recently about the church
“Organized religion will all but vanish eventually from nine Western-style democracies, a team of mathematicians predict in a new paper based on census data stretching back 100 years.
It won’t die out completely, but “religion will be driven toward extinction” in countries including Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands, they say.
It will also wither away in Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland and Switzerland, they anticipate.”
They can’t make a prediction about the United States because the U.S. census doesn’t ask about religion, lead author Daniel Abrams told CNN. But nine other countries provide enough data for detailed mathematical modelling, he said. (http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/23/religion-to-go-extinct-in-9-countries-experts-predict/)
Who are these guys? They never read the Bible!
Thomas asked for evidence and Jesus walked through the wall with a body that Thomas could touch as if to say, “you want evidence? Here!”
Evidence is the currency of science, criminal investigation and legal trials. Evidence is the currency by which one fulfils the burden of proof.
Faith, is the stock in trade of the Kingdom of God and, “is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen,” Hebrews 11:1. In other words, being sure of your hope and certain of what you do not see.
Faith produces outcomes that we could not predict based on the evidence.
Jesus was crucified, He was pronounced dead! He was pierced in the side with a spear to make doubly sure! He was placed in a tomb and it was sealed and guards placed in front of it. The evidence was that – that was that – time to leave the dead in the cemetery and move on.
But the reports we have received say that early the Sunday morning Jesus, while no one was looking, broke free from the curse of sin and its attending chains of death. He got up and took back the life He had laid down for a time, and then set out to meet those who were still in mourning for Him. He declared to them that He was now ready to set up His Kingdom.
It’s because of this that, no matter what the mathematicians say, we can plant new churches and expect them to grow despite the fact that the mathematicians have already drawn different conclusions.
It’s because Jesus got up bodily from that tomb that you can bring your hopes to Him and with faith in Him expect results that those around you may doubt today.
It’s because of the resurrection that you can bring your broken relationships, and broken homes to Him and expect reconciliation and restoration. And you can bring your broken bodies to Him and expect results that your doctors do not expect based on the medical evidence.
We now have life through the Spirit because “if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in [us], He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to [our] mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in [us].” Romans 8:11.
But we still have the need for evidence in the evidence-based approach of the world in which we live. I think that Ron Kenoly sums it up best in his song “Yes Lord, I believe.” He has irrefutable evidence that Jesus Christ is raised from the dead …
“I believe the tomb is empty / ‘Cause I know my heart is full / Of the glory and the wonder / Of your name / I believe the power / That raised You / Is alive in me right now / And the joy within my heart / Can’t be contained / Yes Lord, Yes Lord I believe.”
Think on these things:
- Have you ever had doubts about whether Jesus was raised from the dead?
- Are you satisfied that you now have personal evidence of the resurrection of Jesus?
- What would you say to someone who challenges you to prove that Jesus is alive?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would have an experience of the manifest presence of Jesus.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex
