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So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” [John 20:25 NIV]
"Seeing is believing." This is the current philosophy with regard to anything supernatural. And yet, there is a remarkable amount of superstition still present in our postmodern society. People still read their star signs and discuss everyday events in the light of some predictions by astrologers. Many are convinced of various theories which they have read on the Internet or social media and they accept them at face value without any questioning.
Thomas has been much criticised and maligned in church circles. The Bible emphasises the need for faith instead of relying solely on empirical evidence. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews speaks of this.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. [Hebrews 11:1-3 NIV]
Does this mean that as Christians we should disregard the scientist or the historian? In some Christian circles, there was a tendency to dismiss any form of knowledge which seemed to contradict the Bible and to suggest that the Bible is God's word and so it must be true and no defence was necessary. This sort of simplistic approach to knowledge is unhelpful and puts a barrier between us and scientists or historians or whatever academic study seems to be in conflict with the Bible. Here is a quote from a book which I have found helpful.
Too often the Christian faith is not considered seriously, merely looked upon as one of a number of truth claims and not built on any verifiable truth. Faith and superstition look like partners [Paul E. Little: Know Why You Believe IVP Books page 20). The same author points out that when we put our faith in God, this involves our whole being - our mind, our emotions and our will. When Jesus was arguing with his critics, the Pharisees and the Sadducees he replied to their provocative question, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law." Jesus reply is helpful in this context - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." [Matthew 33:37 Paul Little also refers to Paul being involved in reasoning and defending the Gospel in a rational way. (See Philippians 1:7 where Paul speaks about 'defending and confirming the Gospel.'
Professor John Lennox is a respected scholar but he is also an evangelical Christian who believes in the Bible and he argues that the creation account given in Genesis is rational - not a product of the imagination or a work of fantasy. He argues logically that an all-powerful eternal being created a universe. He confutes the atheists who claim that the world came from nothing and came about totally by chance. I am more comfortable with history than science, however.
I have quoted from Richard Bauckham in previous Day Shares and he examines rationally the evidence the Bible presents for the life of Jesus. He is an evangelical Christian but he approaches the Gospel records from the point of view of a historian. There have been historians who have challenged the accuracy and reliability of the Gospels and some Christians have gone on the defensive in the same way that they have gone in the defensive against the scientists when it seems that our belief in threatened. Bauckham presents the Gospels as eye-witness testimony. This is not just oral history which is passed down from one person to another and from one generation to another and all the time it is being distorted. Bauckham examines the evidence in the Gospels and in early history of the church for named-eyewitnesses such as Mary Magdalene, John the writer of the fourth Gospel, Peter, and many more. Some of these eyewitnesses were still alive when the four gospels were written and so people could go to meet them to verify their testimony. Far from undermining the Gospels, this presents a valid argument which is convincing in an age of scepticism and cynicism. Such an approach strengthens faith instead of weakening it. Bauckham shows that the three so-called synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) emphasise the sense of seeing in all the witness statements - this shows that they were physically present to witness the event for themselves and did not hear about it second-hand from someone else. Here are some examples of these statements and I have added the emphasis.
Many women were there, watching from a distance [Matthew 27:55a NIV] Also Mark 15:40 and Luke 23:49
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he (that is, Jesus) was laid [Mark 15:47]
The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. Luke 23:55 NIV]
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. [Matthew 28:1 NIV]
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. [Mark 16:4-5 NIV]
The angel said to the women ………. Come and see the place where he lay. [Matthew 28:5a, 6 NIV]
"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. [Mark 16:6 NIV]
So as we read the Gospels we are provided with the evidence of those who did see the amazing evidence with their own eyes. Although we were not present, we are able to believe their testimony with conviction. The Gospel writers spell it out for us. Although we were not personally eyewitnesses, we have the testimony of others and our call is to exercise faith in their testimony. This testimony stands up to scrutiny and is a powerful witness to the amazing events recorded in the Gospels.
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