Preached by Andrew Smellie, 6/8/2008

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The Case for Jesus as the Son of God - Outline

Introduction: If you like mysteries, and you strive to uncover the truth, this lesson is for you. It’s the ultimate Crime Scene Investigation (CSI). It’s the amazing events surrounding the murder of Jesus and the case for him as the son of God.
Matthew 16
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.

- Jesus predicted his death and resurrection.

Case: Is Jesus the Son of God?
- The sign that confirms Jesus is the son of God is:
- Jesus’ resurrection from the death
- Nobody (not even prophets) has done this. Buddha is still in his grave. Mohammad is still in his grave. Jesus did not remain in the grave.
- Matthew 16:4 “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:14 “And if Christ has not been raised; our preaching is useless, and so is your faith.”

Types of Evidence
- Eyewitness testimony
- Is the eyewitness reliable? Biased?
- Supporting testimony
- Can you find a neutral party to confirm some part of the testimony ?
- Material evidence
- Any evidence that confirms what really happened?

Evidence for Jesus Is God
- The Eyewitness testimonies:
- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
- Are they reliable eyewitnesses?
- The Supporting testimonies: Jewish and Roman historians confirm many details about events in the Bible
- The Material evidence:
- Archaeological evidence

Eyewitness Testimonies to Jesus
- The 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

- Why should you believe any of these gospels?

Why Believe:
The Accounts Are Reliable
- Memories fade
- People who witnessed the event die
- The 4 gospels were written very early after Jesus’ death and resurrection: Some scholars say…
- Mark: around 70 A.D.
- Matthew: around 80 A.D.
- Luke: around 80 A.D.
- John: around 90 A.D.

An Earlier Date for Luke
- A case can be made to date the Gospel of Luke before 60 AD (30 yrs after Jesus’ death)
- Gospel of Luke written AFTER Acts
- Acts ENDS without telling us about Paul’s death in 66 AD
- Act probably written BEFORE Paul’s death in 66 AD
- Gospel of Luke would then be written around 60 AD!

Earlier Testimonies to Jesus
- Gospels were all written after Paul’s letters !!!
- Paul’s conversion occurred around 32-35 AD
- Paul’s first meeting with the apostles in Jerusalem occurred around 35-38 AD
- Paul’s ministry probably began in the late 40’s AD
- Paul’s letter probably written in the 50’s A.D. (20 yrs after Jesus’ death)

The Importance of Time of Writing
- There are still people ALIVE in 70 A.D. who were alive in 30-33 A.D.
- If Mark was lying, he would be corrected for sure (what if someone told you that the Korean War never happened?)

Writing Bible vs. Julius Caesar’s Bio
- Bible writing sources are closer in time and more reliable than Caesar’s bio.
Writing Bible vs. Alexander’s Bio
- Bible writing sources are closer in time and more reliable than Alexander’s bio.

Why Believe the Bible: Reliable
- We have documented proof that the Bible is more reliable than historical documents on kings (Alexander, Julius Caesar):
- Bible records what has happened after a shorter period time (memory fades)
- Bible preserves the record for posterity better (that is important because if you lose the writing, the record will not get passed down)
- In fact: The Bible is the most reliable ancient document that we have today !!!

Why Believe the Bible: Authorship
- Suppose: Just suppose you were to invent Christianity as a new religion… from your own fantasy…
- Who would you want as writers of the Gospels?
- Have the most prominent disciples of Jesus write the gospels
- Peter, Thomas
- Well, What do you see in reality?

Believing the Bible: Authorship
- Matthew: one of Jesus’ disciples who was a tax collector (a traitor to Jews!)
- Mark: follower of Peter – he is not even a disciple of Jesus!
- Luke: follower of Paul – he is not even a Jew (Greek)!!!
- John: one of Jesus’ disciples – the youngest (inexperienced) disciple of Jesus

Believing the Bible: Authorship
- If you want to invent a fake religion, you might as well make it look very good by having prominent disciples (like Peter or Thomas) to write the gospels
- Great news: there are gospels that are called:
- Gospel of Thomas
- Gospel of Peter
- Bad news: these books have been removed from the Bible…

“Gospel” of Thomas (150 AD)
- Note the late date of writing (less reliable)!!!
- Gospel of Thomas is loved by “gnostics”
- Gnostics emphasized the humanity of Jesus
- A verse from gospel of Thomas:
- Simon Peter said to them, “Make Mary leave us, for females don’t deserve life”
Jesus said, “Look, I will guide her to make her male…. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven”

“Gospel” of Peter (120 AD)
- Some verses from this “gospel” (concerning Jesus’ resurrection):
- “…they saw three men come out of the tomb, two of them sustaining the other one, and a cross following after them”
- “… The head of the two they saw had heads that reached up to heaven, but the head of him that was led by them went beyond heaven”
- The resurrected Jesus was HUGE

Why believe the Bible: content
- Suppose: Just suppose you were to invent Christianity as a new religion…from your own fantasy…
- How would you portrait Jesus’ disciples – the founders of the new Christian faith?
- As: pure, brave, friendly… like Saints!!!…
- All the usual good qualities of course – who would want to follow bad examples in life?
- What do you see in reality?

Why believe the Bible: content
- How are the disciples described in the Bible…
- Bickering and backstabbing
- Matthew 20:21 “‘What is it you want?’ he asked. She said, ‘Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.’”
- Cowards
- Everyone ran away when Jesus was arrested
- Peter denied Jesus 3 times
- Unbelieving: Thomas!

Why believe the Bible: Content
- Why are the disciples described in the Bible in such a bad light???…
- Because it was the truth
- (The naked truth is not always pretty and clean!!!)

Why believe ? The Evidence!

Why Believe: The Empty Tomb
- We have historical writing from non-Christians in the Jewish Talmud confirming Jesus’ death by crucifixion on Passover:
- It is taught: On the eve of Passover they hung Yeshu (Jesus)… in “Talmud Sanhedrin 43a”
- We have historical writings (many: Paul’s letters, gospels, etc) confirming the apostle’s teaching of Jesus’ resurrection – What can we conclude ?

Why Believe: The Empty Tomb
- Fact: “Jesus did die” (from non-Bible source)
- Jesus’ disciples were preaching He has resurrected
- So what’s the best way to make the apostles shut up on their preaching of Jesus’ resurrection ?
- Show them the dead body of Jesus!!!
- What did the Jewish Leaders do instead:
- Matthew 28:12-13 “…When the chief priest had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers (who were guarding the tomb), a large sum of money, telling them, ‘You are to say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.”‘”
- WHY couldn’t they do it? The Tomb was EMPTY!!!

Why Believe the Bible: Testimonies
“Put your money where you mouth is”
- Talk is cheap (preaching the gospel is cheap)
- Are you willing to back up your message with “money” ?
- Some men are willing to give up their life for a false religion that they believe is true
- No (sane) man is willing to give up his life for a religion that he KNOWS is false!!!
- If Christian faith is a lie, WHO would know?

Why believe the Bible: Testimonies
- If the Christian faith is a lie, then those who started the Christian religion who know:
- Jesus’ 11 apostles (Peter, Matthew, John…)
- Saul of Tarsus (Paul)
- James (brother of Jesus) who was the head of the Church in Jerusalem
- So if any one who knows whether the Christian religion is a lie, it would be these people!!!
- Did they “put their money where their mouth (faith) was?”

Why believe the Bible: Testimonies
- No sane person will die for a religion that they know is a lie:
- Peter was crucified (head down) in Rome.
- Paul was decapitated in Rome around 66 A.D.
- James (the brother of Jesus) was stoned to death in Jerusalem
- What is even more amazing:
- Paul had once persecuted Christians (his own letters)
- Before Jesus’ resurrection, James did not believe (John 7:5) (Try imagine if you were Jesus’ brother)

Why believe the Bible: Testimonies
- All the disciples, Paul and James needed to to to escape death was to deny Jesus.
“Those who denied that they were or had been Christians… These I thought should be discharged.” - A letter by Pliny, a Roman governor

- Why didn’t they do it? Matthew 10:33 “But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”
- If Jesus had not resurrected, they would know. Do you believe that Jesus was still dead?

Evidence from Neutral Parties
Supporting Evidence from Non-Christians
- A testimony in a trial is strongest when the witness has nothing to gain from the outcome
- Gospels are testimonies of Christians
- Luckily, we find plenty of supporting evidence from non-Christian historians
- Note: these historians did not intend to write about Jesus. They wrote about Jesus because of the Christian movement spawn by Jesus’ resurrection

Some famous ancient historians
- Josephus: (37-100 AD), Jewish historian
- Antiquities: on the Jewish history
- War: on the Jewish-Roman war
- Tacitus: (~110 AD), Roman historian
- Annals: History of Rome from begin till 66 AD
- Suetonius: (~60 AD), Roman historian
- Lives of the Caesars: on Roman emperors
- Pliny: (~70-100 AD), Roman governor
- Wrote letters to his Emperor and friend
- BTW: we learn Roman history from writings by Tacitus, Suetonius and Plutarch

Josephus on Jesus
- Jewish Historian Josephus (100 AD) on Jesus:
- Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man…He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles… And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross…

A neutral party confirms:
- Jesus lived (as historical as George Washington!)
- Pilate lived
- Jesus was crucified

Josephus on James and Jesus
- Antiquities, Book 20, Chapter 9
- Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned…
- Historical facts (confirms Bible):
- Jesus lived and had a brother named James
- Jesus was called “Christ” (Messiah) by His followers

Josephus confirms Pilate
- Antiquities, Book 18 , Chapter 3
- But now Pilate, the procurator of Judea, removed the army from Caesarea to Jerusalem, to take their winter quarters there, in order to abolish the Jewish laws.

Jewish Historian agrees with the Bible:
- Matthew 27:2 “They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.”

Tacitus Wrote About Jesus
- Annals, Book XV
“Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name (Christians) had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome, where all things hideous and shameful from every part of the world find their centre and become popular.”

Tacitus on Christians
- Annals, Book XV.
“Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.”

Method of Taking Census Confirmed
- Luke’s description on the census was criticized as inaccurate in the past:
- Luke 2:1 “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world”
- Luke 2:3 “And everyone went to his own town to register.”
- Critics said the way the census was taken was absurd and therefore wrong

Method of taking Census Confirmed
- Archeology proves Luke right!
- A papyrus dated around 104 A.D. by C.Vibius Maximus, Prefect of Egypt:
- The enrollment by household being at hand, it is necessary to notify all who for any cause soever are outside their nomes (administrative divisions of Egypt) to return to their domestic hearths, that they may also accomplish the customary dispensation of enrollment and continue steadfastly in the husbandry that belongs to them.”

Extreme Accuracy of Luke

Luke mentioned minor details that was not important in the story; which checks out:
- Acts 18:2 “There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife, Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them.”

- Luke did not even care to tell us WHY they were expelled from Rome… (clearly because it was not important because everyone KNEW why!!!)

Suetonius Corroborates Luke

In “Life of Claudius” Suetonius wrote:
- As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he [Claudius] expelled them from Rome.
- Even this small detail CHECKS OUT !!!
- If Luke was accurate in minor details, how accurate do you think he is with the main story?
- Luke 1:3 “Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning..”

Testimony of a Former Atheist

William Ramsay in his book “St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen”:
- I began with a mind unfavorable to it [Acts]
- More recently, I found myself often brought into contact with the Book of Acts as an authority for the topography, antiquities, and society of Asia Minor.
- It was gradually borne in upon me that in various details the narrative showed marvelous truth.

Biblical Facts Confirmed by Archeology

Luke 3:1
“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee…”

- A stone inscription was found with Pontius Pilate’s name as governer of Judea.

Biblical People found by Archaeology
Acts 13:6-7
“They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus…”

- In 1877 a stone inscription was found near Paphos bearing Sergius Paulus’ name and title of proconsul.

Remains confirming Biblical events
- That crucifixion was used by Romans in Jesus’ time to execute criminals

Logical Evidence
- Either Jesus is Lord, or…
- He is a legend – he never made the claim of being divine and the church made it up!
- He is a liar – he knew his claims were false but made it up!
- He is a lunatic – he didn’t know his claims were false was was sincere!

So What is Your Verdict?

The only logical answer, “Jesus is Lord.”

Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

- You don’t know who you are until you know Jesus.

1 John 2:3-6
3 “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4 The man who says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

- Are you willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel, which reveals God’s purpose.

John 7:1:16-17
16 “Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. 17 If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.’”

- We need to be men and women of the truth, living out Jesus’ teaching.

For more information
Books:
- “Evidence that Demands a Verdict” by Josh McDowell
- “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel
- “True and Reasonable” by Douglas Jacoby

Categories: Apologetics, Sermons