- Travel just about
anywhere on this planet
00:00:01.10\00:00:02.56
and you're going to
find people who are familiar
00:00:02.56\00:00:05.37
with Jesus of Nazareth
because, well, he's hands down
00:00:05.37\00:00:08.97
the most well-known
character in the history
00:00:08.97\00:00:11.44
of the entire human race.
00:00:11.44\00:00:13.58
So today on "Authentic,"
we're gonna explore why that is.
00:00:13.58\00:00:17.58
[gentle Western music]
00:00:18.58\00:00:21.85
Today we're
gonna look at something
00:00:39.00\00:00:40.24
I've talked about
several times before,
00:00:40.24\00:00:42.40
but I'm convinced
it's important enough
00:00:42.40\00:00:44.41
that we should probably come
back at least one more time.
00:00:44.41\00:00:47.81
Why is Jesus of
Nazareth so important?
00:00:48.94\00:00:51.91
I mean, here we are nearly
2000 years after his ministry
00:00:51.91\00:00:55.32
and the whole world is
still talking about him.
00:00:55.32\00:00:58.52
He never wrote a book, and
apart from his early childhood
00:00:58.52\00:01:01.79
in Egypt, he never
really traveled anywhere.
00:01:01.79\00:01:04.49
And yet today, out of
what, eight billion people,
00:01:04.49\00:01:07.50
almost 2 1/2 billion
claim to be Christians
00:01:07.50\00:01:11.07
and nearly two billion Muslims
00:01:11.07\00:01:13.44
still revere Jesus as a prophet.
00:01:13.44\00:01:16.47
That means that
more than half the people
00:01:16.47\00:01:18.54
living on this
planet claim to have respect
00:01:18.54\00:01:21.61
for this humble peasant
carpenter who lived 2000 years
00:01:21.61\00:01:26.25
ago. And I'm guessing the number
00:01:26.25\00:01:27.48
is actually
probably higher than that.
00:01:27.48\00:01:30.22
Nobody else has had that
kind of impact on our culture.
00:01:30.22\00:01:35.02
Walk into just
about any bookstore
00:01:35.02\00:01:37.33
almost anywhere on the planet
00:01:37.33\00:01:39.39
and you're
pretty much guaranteed
00:01:39.39\00:01:41.06
to defined books about Jesus,
00:01:41.06\00:01:42.86
or at least
books that mention Him.
00:01:42.86\00:01:46.07
I mean, even some of
these weird flying saucer cults
00:01:46.07\00:01:49.47
you find in places
like Southern California,
00:01:49.47\00:01:52.84
they can't seem
to help themselves.
00:01:52.84\00:01:54.94
Somehow, the
so-called aliens making contact
00:01:54.94\00:01:58.18
with these people always seem
00:01:58.18\00:01:59.55
to bring up the
subject of Jesus,
00:01:59.55\00:02:01.95
which means that no matter
how strange their beliefs,
00:02:01.95\00:02:05.19
no matter how convinced
they are that they're speaking
00:02:05.19\00:02:07.42
to extraterrestrials,
they still kind of realize
00:02:07.42\00:02:10.73
that Jesus is important
enough to our human history
00:02:10.73\00:02:13.86
that any new religious
idea is going to have to try
00:02:13.86\00:02:17.27
and explain who He was
or just explain Him away.
00:02:17.27\00:02:22.27
So why is that?
00:02:22.87\00:02:24.97
What exactly is it about
this man that has arrested
00:02:24.97\00:02:27.94
our collective
attention for two millennia?
00:02:27.94\00:02:31.15
I suppose you might explain
it by referring to the fact
00:02:31.15\00:02:34.28
that Rome was the dominant
world power of the first century
00:02:34.28\00:02:38.39
and by the fourth century,
00:02:38.39\00:02:40.02
the Roman emperor
had adopted Christianity
00:02:40.02\00:02:42.72
as the official
religion of state.
00:02:42.72\00:02:45.53
Now, if they had adopted the
faith of Zoroaster at the time,
00:02:45.53\00:02:49.46
you could argue then Zarathustra
would hold the position
00:02:49.46\00:02:52.53
of honor that is
now bestowed on Jesus.
00:02:52.53\00:02:55.57
We still have Jesus
in our culture today
00:02:55.57\00:02:58.14
because in many
ways we are still living
00:02:58.14\00:03:00.78
in what is really the
remnants of the Roman Empire.
00:03:00.78\00:03:04.68
But honestly,
that's an explanation
00:03:04.68\00:03:06.65
I don't find very
convincing because a lot
00:03:06.65\00:03:09.25
of notable emperors were
very fond of pagan deities
00:03:09.25\00:03:13.19
and paganism today,
as you've likely noticed,
00:03:13.19\00:03:15.96
is more of a
specialty boutique religion
00:03:15.96\00:03:18.93
for a handful of people.
00:03:18.93\00:03:20.93
It's not a global phenomenon.
00:03:20.93\00:03:23.06
I mean, don't get me wrong,
00:03:23.06\00:03:24.57
I actually have friends
who are practicing pagans,
00:03:24.57\00:03:26.87
so it is a real thing,
but it hasn't captivated
00:03:26.87\00:03:30.67
the world's imagination
the way that Jesus has.
00:03:30.67\00:03:33.54
So yes, there is
an argument to be made
00:03:34.74\00:03:37.21
that putting the power of
the state behind a religion
00:03:37.21\00:03:39.95
ensures its longevity,
00:03:39.95\00:03:42.28
but it's not the only
factor here by a long shot.
00:03:42.28\00:03:45.62
I remember back in college
00:03:45.62\00:03:47.06
when I was not a
practicing Christian.
00:03:47.06\00:03:49.69
I went to some kind
of town hall meeting
00:03:49.69\00:03:52.09
where a heated debate broke out
00:03:52.09\00:03:53.66
after they opened
the mics to the public.
00:03:53.66\00:03:56.16
Now, to be honest, I don't
really remember what the topic
00:03:56.16\00:03:59.40
of that conference was,
00:03:59.40\00:04:00.90
but it was almost
certainly political because,
00:04:00.90\00:04:03.67
well, that was my
whole world at the time.
00:04:03.67\00:04:06.17
And whatever the topic was,
00:04:06.17\00:04:08.14
I do remember this angry man
who stood up and made a speech
00:04:08.14\00:04:11.41
about Christians that
was not very flattering,
00:04:11.41\00:04:14.58
and when he was
finished berating them, he said,
00:04:14.58\00:04:17.29
"It seems obvious to me
00:04:17.29\00:04:18.65
that Christianity's
going to disappear
00:04:18.65\00:04:20.46
from the earth in
the next generation."
00:04:20.46\00:04:23.06
In fact, I think he
might have said 20 years.
00:04:23.06\00:04:26.23
Now, that was 35 years ago
00:04:26.23\00:04:28.10
and there are very few
signs of Jesus going anywhere.
00:04:28.10\00:04:31.37
I mean, yeah, there
has been a small decline
00:04:31.37\00:04:34.57
in organized Christian
churches during that time,
00:04:34.57\00:04:36.97
at least here in
North America, but globally,
00:04:36.97\00:04:41.01
Christianity's as
big as it ever has been.
00:04:41.01\00:04:43.61
In fact, it's even
bigger and it's growing.
00:04:43.61\00:04:46.48
And the question we
need to think about is why.
00:04:47.65\00:04:51.19
And I realize millions of people
have tackled this question
00:04:51.19\00:04:54.22
and there's just no chance
00:04:54.22\00:04:56.02
that a half hour
show can do this justice,
00:04:56.02\00:04:58.26
so maybe I'll just
narrow the focus a little bit
00:04:58.26\00:05:01.33
and look at something I'm
convinced is not the reason
00:05:01.33\00:05:05.17
for Jesus' popularity.
00:05:05.17\00:05:07.40
And this is
something I started thinking
00:05:07.40\00:05:09.14
about when I was
reading Eunapius,
00:05:09.14\00:05:12.07
a rather
well-known stoic philosopher
00:05:12.07\00:05:14.08
who lived during
the fourth century
00:05:14.08\00:05:16.41
at about the time
that Rome was transitioning
00:05:16.41\00:05:19.18
from Pagan to Christian.
00:05:19.18\00:05:21.58
After Constantine died,
00:05:21.58\00:05:23.32
one of his sons,
Constantius II, took his place.
00:05:23.32\00:05:27.19
And then when he died,
we got Constantine's nephew,
00:05:27.19\00:05:30.59
a man by the name of Julian.
00:05:30.59\00:05:32.46
And Julian was determined
to reverse the Christianization
00:05:33.93\00:05:36.80
of the Empire of Rome and
return Rome to its pagan roots,
00:05:36.80\00:05:40.80
which is why we call him
today Julian the Apostate,
00:05:40.80\00:05:45.51
and of course he
failed because Rome
00:05:45.51\00:05:47.94
became more and more
Christian as time went along,
00:05:47.94\00:05:50.65
to the point where Christians
00:05:50.65\00:05:52.48
started openly
persecuting pagans,
00:05:52.48\00:05:55.12
which is the part of the story
that doesn't often get told
00:05:55.12\00:05:58.32
from Christian pulpits.
00:05:58.32\00:06:00.59
So Eunapius the Stoic
was living during that time
00:06:00.59\00:06:04.13
and his writings, at
least what's left of them,
00:06:04.13\00:06:06.70
give us a glimpse into
this rapidly-changing world.
00:06:06.70\00:06:10.10
His most famous work
is actually a biography
00:06:10.10\00:06:12.63
of other
philosophers, and at one point,
00:06:12.63\00:06:15.24
he discusses a man by
the name of Iamblichus
00:06:15.24\00:06:17.61
and what I find fascinating
is the fact that Iamblichus
00:06:17.61\00:06:21.94
had a reputation
as a miracle worker.
00:06:21.94\00:06:25.01
Of course, Jesus also had a
reputation as a miracle worker,
00:06:25.01\00:06:28.55
but most of you have
never heard of Iamblichus,
00:06:28.55\00:06:31.19
so let me read you a little bit
00:06:31.19\00:06:33.32
from this account of
the ancient philosopher,
00:06:33.32\00:06:35.72
and this is a
story where his students
00:06:35.72\00:06:37.69
come to ask him a question.
00:06:37.69\00:06:40.26
"Nevertheless, they
say, a rumor has reached us
00:06:40.26\00:06:43.87
through your slaves that
when you pray to the gods,
00:06:43.87\00:06:47.40
you soar aloft from the earth
00:06:47.40\00:06:49.07
more than 10
cubits to all appearance,
00:06:49.07\00:06:51.94
that your body and
your garments change
00:06:51.94\00:06:53.98
to a beautiful golden hue,
00:06:53.98\00:06:56.24
and presently, when
your prayer is ended,
00:06:56.24\00:06:58.01
your body becomes as
it was before you prayed
00:06:58.01\00:07:00.55
and then you come down to
earth and associate with us."
00:07:00.55\00:07:03.85
Apparently this
philosopher would float
00:07:04.92\00:07:07.02
in the sky when he prayed,
00:07:07.02\00:07:08.96
which is a much
different scenario
00:07:08.96\00:07:10.83
than the picture we
get of Jesus when He prays.
00:07:10.83\00:07:14.30
In John 17, we have the words
00:07:14.30\00:07:16.16
of an actual
prayer that Christ prayed,
00:07:16.16\00:07:19.03
a conversation He had
with his Heavenly Father
00:07:19.03\00:07:21.94
and there's no mention
00:07:21.94\00:07:23.30
of an altered
appearance or levitation.
00:07:23.30\00:07:26.34
I mean, we do find
a transfigured Jesus
00:07:26.34\00:07:29.18
on the Mount in Matthew 18,
00:07:29.18\00:07:31.48
but but that's a
different kind of story.
00:07:31.48\00:07:34.35
For the most part,
Jesus looked perfectly human.
00:07:34.35\00:07:37.92
And when Jesus
prayed in Gethsemane,
00:07:37.92\00:07:40.02
he was a profoundly
tortured man, sweating blood.
00:07:41.36\00:07:44.66
He wasn't
levitating above the ground.
00:07:44.66\00:07:46.73
Of course, Iamblichus
never levitated either
00:07:47.93\00:07:50.67
and he quickly dispelled the
rumor when he heard about it,
00:07:50.67\00:07:53.94
but then we get a
story from the city of Gadara
00:07:53.94\00:07:56.71
where the great
philosopher appeared
00:07:56.71\00:07:58.41
to produce living
people out of thin air
00:07:58.41\00:08:01.24
like a magic trick,
or maybe I should say
00:08:01.24\00:08:03.95
out of thin water because
that's how the story goes.
00:08:03.95\00:08:06.88
Here's what it says.
00:08:06.88\00:08:08.45
"He at once touched
the water with his hand.
00:08:08.45\00:08:11.25
He happened to be
sitting on the ledge
00:08:11.25\00:08:12.99
of the spring where
the overflow runs off,
00:08:12.99\00:08:15.59
and uttering a brief summons,
00:08:15.59\00:08:17.06
he called for a boy
from the depth of the spring.
00:08:17.06\00:08:20.16
He was white-skinned
and of medium height.
00:08:20.16\00:08:22.36
His locks were golden
and his back and breast shone
00:08:22.36\00:08:25.37
and he exactly
resembled one who was bathing
00:08:25.37\00:08:28.67
or had just bathed."
00:08:28.67\00:08:30.61
A few minutes later,
according to this story,
00:08:30.61\00:08:32.51
Iamblichus has
touched another spring
00:08:32.51\00:08:34.38
and he pulled
another boy out of the water.
00:08:34.38\00:08:36.64
And then when
the story's finished,
00:08:36.64\00:08:37.95
he puts the boys
back and I guess they
00:08:37.95\00:08:40.15
either dissolved in the
water or magically disappeared.
00:08:40.15\00:08:43.69
And you know what else
has magically disappeared?
00:08:43.69\00:08:46.12
My time, so here's
what we're going to do.
00:08:46.12\00:08:48.89
We're gonna take a quick break
00:08:48.89\00:08:50.13
and I'll be right
back to tell you why
00:08:50.13\00:08:51.69
that very strange
story got me thinking.
00:08:51.69\00:08:55.26
- [Narrator] Life
can throw a lot at us.
00:08:59.20\00:09:01.60
Sometimes we don't
have all the answers,
00:09:01.60\00:09:05.01
but that's where
the Bible comes in.
00:09:05.01\00:09:07.44
It's our guide to a
more fulfilling life.
00:09:07.44\00:09:10.51
Here at "The Voice of Prophecy,"
00:09:10.51\00:09:12.05
we've created the
"Discover Bible Guides"
00:09:12.05\00:09:14.22
to be your guide to the Bible.
00:09:14.22\00:09:15.82
They're designed to
be simple, easy to use,
00:09:15.82\00:09:18.29
and provide answers to many
of life's toughest questions,
00:09:18.29\00:09:21.32
and they're absolutely free,
00:09:21.32\00:09:23.36
so jump online
now or give us a call
00:09:23.36\00:09:25.69
and start your
journey of discovery.
00:09:25.69\00:09:27.93
- One of the few things we
know about Eunapius or Eunapius,
00:09:29.30\00:09:32.27
I've never really
known how to pronounce that,
00:09:32.27\00:09:34.77
but we know that his
history is not exactly airtight.
00:09:34.77\00:09:38.71
Well, it's more or
less a reliable account,
00:09:38.71\00:09:41.14
or at least an
honest retelling of stories
00:09:41.14\00:09:43.41
the way he understood them,
00:09:43.41\00:09:45.28
scholars have noticed a few
mistaken details here and there.
00:09:45.28\00:09:49.08
So, like with
most ancient sources,
00:09:49.08\00:09:51.52
you've got to take what he
says with the grain of salt.
00:09:51.52\00:09:54.46
Just because he says that one
of these ancient philosophers
00:09:54.46\00:09:57.53
was pulling boys out of the
water like a stage magician,
00:09:57.53\00:10:01.13
it doesn't mean that anybody
actually saw that happen,
00:10:01.13\00:10:03.53
it just means that
Eunapius heard about it.
00:10:03.53\00:10:07.17
But it's these miracle stories
that really got me thinking.
00:10:07.17\00:10:10.47
We know that the teachings
of Iamblichus were influential
00:10:10.47\00:10:13.68
because the Emperor
Julian was a fan of his
00:10:13.68\00:10:16.88
and kept company with
some of his disciples.
00:10:16.88\00:10:20.08
And we know some
of what he taught
00:10:20.08\00:10:22.18
because of the fragments
of his writings that survived
00:10:22.18\00:10:25.55
and because he is
sometimes quoted by others,
00:10:25.55\00:10:29.22
but what really
struck me as odd is the way
00:10:29.22\00:10:32.09
that Eunapius provides us
with none of his teachings.
00:10:32.09\00:10:36.30
The entire
account is almost purely
00:10:36.30\00:10:38.83
about those signs and wonders.
00:10:38.83\00:10:41.94
I mean, we have one brief
story about a tricky question
00:10:41.94\00:10:45.61
another philosopher asked
Iamblichus and it went like
00:10:45.61\00:10:49.91
this: "Tell me, philosopher,
is a rich man either
00:10:49.91\00:10:52.65
unjust or the heir of
the unjust, yes or no?
00:10:52.65\00:10:55.82
For there is no middle course."
00:10:55.82\00:10:58.05
According to the story,
Iamblichus deflected that
00:10:58.05\00:11:00.92
question and just
ended the meeting.
00:11:00.92\00:11:03.02
I suppose it might
be a little like Jesus
00:11:03.02\00:11:05.59
deflecting some of the
questions the Pharisees
00:11:05.59\00:11:07.66
used to try and trap
Him, but in that case,
00:11:07.66\00:11:11.20
the questioners were
trying to ruin Jesus,
00:11:11.20\00:11:13.34
not trying to learn
something, and that's it.
00:11:13.34\00:11:16.81
That's all the
Iamblichus teaching we have.
00:11:16.81\00:11:19.74
And honestly, I find
that kind of frustrating
00:11:19.74\00:11:21.91
because if an
historical character
00:11:21.91\00:11:24.41
is known for unusual wisdom,
I'd like to read some of that.
00:11:24.41\00:11:28.22
And whether or not he
could perform a miracle
00:11:28.22\00:11:30.15
is neither here or
there as far as I'm concerned.
00:11:30.15\00:11:33.49
And while Eunapius
probably had good reasons
00:11:33.49\00:11:36.49
for the way he
chose to tell the story,
00:11:36.49\00:11:39.03
I find it frustrating
that he never gets to the part
00:11:39.03\00:11:41.90
I think is most important,
00:11:41.90\00:11:44.13
what the great
philosopher taught,
00:11:44.13\00:11:46.67
because that would give
me a glimpse of his character
00:11:46.67\00:11:49.67
and give me some kind
of idea who he really was,
00:11:49.67\00:11:53.11
whether or not
he's worth listening to.
00:11:53.11\00:11:55.38
Now, it's entirely
possible that the author
00:11:56.51\00:11:59.15
thought everybody already
knew what Iamblichus taught,
00:11:59.15\00:12:01.98
so he didn't feel the
need to repeat anything
00:12:01.98\00:12:04.49
and we do have enough material
left over from other sources
00:12:04.49\00:12:08.19
to kind of piece together
some of what he believed.
00:12:08.19\00:12:11.59
But again, Eunapius
only focuses on the miracles,
00:12:11.59\00:12:16.56
which brings me back to Jesus.
00:12:17.43\00:12:19.17
As most of you were aware,
00:12:19.17\00:12:20.70
because Jesus is still
so popular 2000 years later,
00:12:20.70\00:12:24.71
the gospels have more
than a few miracle stories.
00:12:24.71\00:12:28.28
Jesus turned water into wine.
00:12:28.28\00:12:30.41
He healed the sick and
restored sight to the blind.
00:12:30.41\00:12:33.58
He multiplied
the loaves and fishes
00:12:33.58\00:12:35.42
and he even raised the dead.
00:12:35.42\00:12:38.39
There's no question that
Jesus worked a lot of miracles,
00:12:38.39\00:12:42.36
but I want you
to think about this.
00:12:42.36\00:12:45.13
Are those miracles the
foundation of the Christian
00:12:45.13\00:12:49.66
faith? And the answer is no.
00:12:49.66\00:12:52.07
I would argue that if
the Bible didn't record
00:12:52.07\00:12:54.07
a single miracle from Jesus,
00:12:54.07\00:12:55.87
He would still
command the attention
00:12:55.87\00:12:57.97
of the whole world today.
00:12:57.97\00:12:59.81
Of course, there's one
miracle that has to happen
00:12:59.81\00:13:03.14
to make the faith work
00:13:03.14\00:13:04.28
and that's the
resurrection of Christ.
00:13:04.28\00:13:06.58
Paul makes a very
convincing argument
00:13:06.58\00:13:08.82
in 1 Corinthians 15 that if
Jesus didn't actually come back
00:13:08.82\00:13:12.72
from the dead, there
would be no Christian faith.
00:13:12.72\00:13:16.06
Here's what he says
in 1 Corinthians 15:
00:13:16.06\00:13:19.49
"But if there is no
resurrection of the dead,
00:13:20.86\00:13:23.13
then Christ is not risen.
00:13:23.13\00:13:25.13
And if Christ is not risen,
00:13:25.13\00:13:26.67
then our preaching is empty
and your faith is also empty."
00:13:26.67\00:13:31.34
So yeah, without
the resurrection,
00:13:31.34\00:13:33.84
there's no Christian faith,
and I'd be a fool to argue
00:13:33.84\00:13:36.88
that the other miracles Jesus
performed weren't important
00:13:36.88\00:13:40.08
because, well, the disciples
found them important enough
00:13:40.08\00:13:43.39
to tell us about them.
00:13:43.39\00:13:44.55
But are all those signs
and wonders the foundation
00:13:45.99\00:13:49.59
of the Christian faith?
00:13:49.59\00:13:51.19
Absolutely not.
00:13:51.19\00:13:52.79
I'd argue that the faith is
based on something much deeper.
00:13:52.79\00:13:56.77
Let me take you over to
the real Lord's Prayer now
00:13:58.87\00:14:01.47
in John 17, and I call
this the real Lord's Prayer
00:14:01.47\00:14:05.37
because, well,
Jesus actually prayed it.
00:14:05.37\00:14:08.24
What we usually
call the Lord's Prayer
00:14:08.24\00:14:10.68
is actually a model prayer that
Jesus gave us as a template.
00:14:10.68\00:14:14.98
But in John 17, we actually
get to eavesdrop on Jesus
00:14:14.98\00:14:18.29
as He talks to
His Heavenly Father
00:14:18.29\00:14:20.66
and here's what He
says starting in verse four:
00:14:20.66\00:14:23.26
"I have
glorified You on the earth.
00:14:24.46\00:14:26.90
I have finished the work
which You have given Me to do,
00:14:26.90\00:14:29.83
and now, oh Father, glorify
Me together with Yourself
00:14:29.83\00:14:33.94
with the glory which I had
with You before the world was.
00:14:33.94\00:14:37.64
I have manifested Your name."
00:14:37.64\00:14:40.84
That's another way of
saying your character.
00:14:40.84\00:14:43.21
"I have manifested
Your name to the men
00:14:44.38\00:14:47.32
whom You have given
Me out of the world.
00:14:47.32\00:14:49.05
They were Yours,
You gave them to Me,
00:14:49.05\00:14:51.19
and they have kept Your Word.
00:14:51.19\00:14:53.25
Now they have
known that all things
00:14:53.25\00:14:55.09
which You have
given Me are from you."
00:14:55.09\00:14:57.56
So in this prayer,
00:14:58.69\00:15:00.23
what does Jesus say the
purpose of His mission was?
00:15:00.23\00:15:03.06
He says "He came to show
us the character of God."
00:15:03.06\00:15:07.04
What we have in the person
of Christ according to the Bible
00:15:07.04\00:15:10.71
is the one and only human being
00:15:10.71\00:15:12.77
who ever lived a
perfect human life.
00:15:12.77\00:15:15.41
While, all of us were originally
made in the image of God,
00:15:15.41\00:15:18.98
Jesus is the only one
who's ever pulled it off.
00:15:18.98\00:15:21.82
He lived a life
that perfectly reflected
00:15:21.82\00:15:24.39
the character of God.
00:15:24.39\00:15:26.39
You might call it the
only authentic human life
00:15:26.39\00:15:30.16
in the history of humanity.
00:15:30.16\00:15:32.19
And I would argue that this
00:15:33.40\00:15:35.36
is one of the biggest
reasons the name of Jesus
00:15:35.36\00:15:37.60
is still in
circulation to this day.
00:15:37.60\00:15:40.10
He was different
from the rest of us
00:15:40.10\00:15:41.90
in a very compelling way.
00:15:41.90\00:15:44.64
And when you're
confronted with Jesus
00:15:44.64\00:15:46.01
like Pontius Pilate was,
00:15:46.01\00:15:48.24
you quickly get the
sense that He represents
00:15:48.24\00:15:50.85
what you and I
are supposed to be.
00:15:50.85\00:15:54.15
I think I've
mentioned this on another show,
00:15:54.15\00:15:55.88
but even Thomas Jefferson,
who actually took a razor blade
00:15:55.88\00:15:59.75
to the New Testament to
get rid of the miracles,
00:15:59.75\00:16:02.79
was still astonished with
the picture of Jesus left over
00:16:02.79\00:16:06.90
when he was finished.
00:16:06.90\00:16:08.56
In a letter to
William Short, back in 1820,
00:16:08.56\00:16:11.60
Jefferson
expressed deep admiration
00:16:11.60\00:16:14.04
for what he called the
"innocence of Jesus' character,
00:16:14.04\00:16:17.71
the purity and
sublimity of his moral precepts,
00:16:17.71\00:16:20.48
the eloquence of his inculcates,
00:16:20.48\00:16:22.78
the beauty of the epilogues
in which he conveys them."
00:16:22.78\00:16:26.11
In another letter he
wrote when he was president
00:16:27.52\00:16:29.05
he said this:
00:16:29.05\00:16:30.55
"The Christian religion,
when divested of the rags
00:16:30.55\00:16:33.76
in which they have enveloped it
00:16:33.76\00:16:35.12
and brought to
the original purity
00:16:35.12\00:16:37.13
and simplicity of its
benevolent institutor,
00:16:37.13\00:16:40.20
is a religion of all
others most friendly to liberty,
00:16:40.20\00:16:42.93
science and the freest
expansion of the human mind."
00:16:42.93\00:16:46.40
What Jefferson was doing
was trying to make a philosopher
00:16:47.87\00:16:50.17
out of Jesus and he
used some of Jesus' teachings
00:16:50.17\00:16:52.97
to help create
the American Republic
00:16:52.97\00:16:56.31
and what he discovered
was that you can take away
00:16:56.31\00:16:58.71
all of the miracles,
00:16:58.71\00:16:59.91
all of the
supernatural parts of the story,
00:16:59.91\00:17:02.98
and you still have a
very compelling Jesus.
00:17:02.98\00:17:07.16
I'll be right back after this.
00:17:07.16\00:17:09.39
- [Narrator] Here at
the "Voice of Prophecy,"
00:17:12.43\00:17:13.90
we're committed to
creating top-quality programming
00:17:13.90\00:17:16.36
for the whole family,
00:17:16.36\00:17:17.80
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00:17:17.80\00:17:20.90
"Discovery Mountain"
is a Bible-based program
00:17:20.90\00:17:23.47
for kids of all
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00:17:23.47\00:17:25.81
Your family will enjoy
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00:17:25.81\00:17:28.58
from this small
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00:17:28.58\00:17:31.45
With 24 seasonal
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00:17:31.45\00:17:33.95
and fresh content every week,
00:17:33.95\00:17:36.08
there's always a new
adventure just on the horizon.
00:17:36.08\00:17:39.29
- Just before the break,
00:17:42.79\00:17:44.33
I was talking about Thomas
Jefferson who was a deist.
00:17:44.33\00:17:48.16
He believed there was a
God of some kind out there,
00:17:48.16\00:17:51.57
but that God probably
kickstarted this universe
00:17:51.57\00:17:54.07
and then didn't
bother with us after that.
00:17:54.07\00:17:56.84
Of course, while I certainly
respect the intelligence
00:17:56.84\00:18:00.08
of Jefferson, I mean, he
was clearly smarter than me,
00:18:00.08\00:18:03.88
I find myself in a
much different camp
00:18:03.88\00:18:06.05
because I do believe in a
personal God who does intervene
00:18:06.05\00:18:11.05
in the affairs of humanity,
but the real point is this.
00:18:12.52\00:18:15.86
It's not the
miracles that have put Jesus
00:18:15.86\00:18:18.03
at the apex of history because,
00:18:18.03\00:18:20.53
whether or not a lame
man walked 2000 years ago
00:18:20.53\00:18:24.43
isn't really gonna
change how I live my life today.
00:18:24.43\00:18:27.94
The person of Jesus, however,
00:18:27.94\00:18:30.21
certainly does have an
impact on who I want to be.
00:18:30.21\00:18:34.21
I mean history, it's
full of miracle stories,
00:18:34.21\00:18:37.48
and you'll find
supernatural tales
00:18:37.48\00:18:39.05
connected to the lives of
all kinds of famous people,
00:18:39.05\00:18:43.05
but Jesus is
something well beyond that.
00:18:43.05\00:18:46.52
In fact, the
Bible actually cautions
00:18:47.72\00:18:50.66
against using
miracles as proof of anything.
00:18:50.66\00:18:54.00
Take for example, the
strange parable that you find
00:18:54.00\00:18:57.37
in Luke 16 where Jesus
tells the now-famous story
00:18:57.37\00:19:01.87
of the rich man and Lazarus.
00:19:01.87\00:19:04.11
Today some well-meaning
Christians have taken that story
00:19:04.11\00:19:07.24
to be a literal
historical account
00:19:07.24\00:19:09.68
as if a man living in
hell and a man living in heaven
00:19:09.68\00:19:13.65
were actually able
to talk to each other,
00:19:13.65\00:19:16.15
but the context
reveals very clearly
00:19:16.15\00:19:18.79
that this story is a parable.
00:19:18.79\00:19:21.29
I mean, just look at
the language you find
00:19:21.29\00:19:22.82
at the top of the
story where Jesus says:
00:19:22.82\00:19:25.33
"There was a certain rich
man who was clothed in purple
00:19:25.33\00:19:28.86
and fine linen and
fared sumptuous every day."
00:19:28.86\00:19:32.93
Now, if you go back
through the previous chapters,
00:19:32.93\00:19:35.34
you'll find Jesus
starting a lot of parables
00:19:35.34\00:19:37.77
with that very same language.
00:19:37.77\00:19:39.81
"There was a certain
man who did this or that."
00:19:39.81\00:19:43.38
And the fact that this
story comes after a long string
00:19:43.38\00:19:46.41
of similar parables tells you
this is not a literal account.
00:19:46.41\00:19:51.42
But now let's get
back to the matter at hand
00:19:52.99\00:19:54.86
and that's miracles.
00:19:54.86\00:19:56.86
At the end of this parable,
00:19:56.86\00:19:58.26
the beggar,
Lazarus, is with Abraham
00:19:58.26\00:20:01.50
and the rich man is in torment.
00:20:01.50\00:20:03.10
It's really a parable
about the nation of Israel
00:20:03.10\00:20:06.07
who laid claim to
Abraham as their father,
00:20:06.07\00:20:09.07
and it's a story about
the Gentiles who were treated
00:20:09.07\00:20:12.57
as if they were unclean dogs.
00:20:12.57\00:20:14.88
And what Jesus is
doing with this story
00:20:14.88\00:20:17.11
is warning the Pharisees
00:20:17.11\00:20:18.61
that they could quickly
lose their chosen people status
00:20:18.61\00:20:22.58
if they continued the
path they were walking.
00:20:22.58\00:20:25.55
At the end of the story,
00:20:25.55\00:20:26.99
Jesus has the rich man
begging Abraham to raise Lazarus
00:20:26.99\00:20:31.13
from the dead and send
him out to warn his relatives.
00:20:31.13\00:20:34.66
So, now listen to
how Abraham responds,
00:20:34.66\00:20:38.60
and I don't want
you to miss the point.
00:20:38.60\00:20:39.87
It says, "Abraham said to him,
00:20:39.87\00:20:43.34
'They have Moses and the
prophets, let them hear them.'
00:20:43.34\00:20:46.84
And he said,
'No, father Abraham,
00:20:46.84\00:20:48.81
but if one goes to them from
the dead, they will repent.'"
00:20:48.81\00:20:53.58
So what would that be?
00:20:53.58\00:20:55.32
That would be a miracle.
00:20:55.32\00:20:57.32
It continues:
00:20:57.32\00:20:58.72
"But he said to him,
if they do not hear Moses
00:20:58.72\00:21:01.69
and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
00:21:01.69\00:21:04.46
though one rise from the dead."
00:21:04.46\00:21:07.30
So here's what I'm getting at.
00:21:08.63\00:21:10.30
The New Testament illustrates
00:21:10.30\00:21:12.27
the deity of
Christ with miracles,
00:21:12.27\00:21:14.77
but it doesn't use those
miracles to defend his deity.
00:21:14.77\00:21:18.71
I mean, just
consider the fact that Jesus
00:21:18.71\00:21:20.78
later literally raised a
man named Lazarus from the dead,
00:21:20.78\00:21:25.31
but the people who saw him do
that still wanted to kill him.
00:21:25.31\00:21:29.85
The miracles didn't
cause the religious authorities
00:21:29.85\00:21:32.62
to believe, in fact, they
only deepen their resistance.
00:21:32.62\00:21:36.76
The New
Testament does not appeal
00:21:37.93\00:21:40.30
to Jesus' miracles
to prove He's Messiah.
00:21:40.30\00:21:44.07
It appeals to the
Old Testament to do that.
00:21:44.07\00:21:46.77
It points to fulfilled prophecy.
00:21:46.77\00:21:49.64
You'll find this especially
in the writings of Paul.
00:21:49.64\00:21:52.44
Over and over and over and over,
00:21:52.44\00:21:54.94
he refers to the Old Testament
00:21:54.94\00:21:57.31
as proof that Jesus
is what he claimed to be.
00:21:57.31\00:22:00.95
That's why I insist that
you can discover the deity
00:22:00.95\00:22:04.65
and the importance of Christ
quite apart from the miracles.
00:22:04.65\00:22:08.82
In fact, you actually have Jesus
00:22:08.82\00:22:11.06
rebuking the authorities
when they ask for one.
00:22:11.06\00:22:14.36
I mean, just listen
to this, Matthew 16.
00:22:14.36\00:22:17.27
This is a very
pointed statement.
00:22:17.27\00:22:19.23
It says, "Then the
Pharisees and Sadducees came,
00:22:19.23\00:22:23.74
and testing Him, asked
that He would show them
00:22:23.74\00:22:25.84
a sign from heaven.
00:22:25.84\00:22:27.74
He answered and said to them,
00:22:27.74\00:22:29.84
'When it is evening, you
say it will be fair weather,
00:22:29.84\00:22:32.45
for the sky is red.
00:22:32.45\00:22:34.15
And in the morning it
will be foul weather today,
00:22:34.15\00:22:36.32
for the sky is
red and threatening.
00:22:36.32\00:22:39.02
Hypocrites, you know how to
discern the face of the sky,
00:22:39.02\00:22:42.56
but you cannot discern
the signs of the times.
00:22:42.56\00:22:45.89
A wicked and adulterous
generation seeks after a sign
00:22:45.89\00:22:49.46
and no sign shall be given to it
00:22:49.46\00:22:52.30
except the sign of
the prophet Jonah.'
00:22:52.30\00:22:54.94
And He left them and departed."
00:22:54.94\00:22:57.24
Instead of working a
miracle to convince these guys,
00:22:58.67\00:23:01.64
Jesus points them to
the fulfillment of prophecy.
00:23:01.64\00:23:04.91
He refers to the
signs of the times
00:23:04.91\00:23:07.55
and tells them that
they should know who He is
00:23:07.55\00:23:11.22
the same way they can
read the change of the weather.
00:23:11.22\00:23:14.62
And then He
finishes by telling them
00:23:14.62\00:23:16.52
that only wicked
people demand miracles.
00:23:16.52\00:23:20.46
So again, I don't, for one
minute, doubt the importance
00:23:20.46\00:23:24.67
of the miracles and I
really do believe they happened,
00:23:24.67\00:23:28.17
but they are not the
foundation of my faith.
00:23:28.17\00:23:31.11
They only serve
to illustrate it.
00:23:31.11\00:23:33.84
My faith is rooted
in the person of Christ
00:23:33.84\00:23:36.71
because He is
utterly unlike anybody
00:23:36.71\00:23:40.28
in the history of humanity,
00:23:40.28\00:23:42.42
and the more you
get to know who He is
00:23:42.42\00:23:45.12
the more you
comprehend the character of God.
00:23:45.12\00:23:49.29
I'll be right back after this.
00:23:49.29\00:23:51.53
- [Narrator] Dragons,
beasts, cryptic statues.
00:23:55.03\00:23:59.33
Bible prophecy can be
incredibly vivid and confusing.
00:23:59.33\00:24:03.87
If you've ever read
Daniel or Revelation
00:24:03.87\00:24:06.04
and come away scratching
your head, you're not alone.
00:24:06.04\00:24:09.08
Our free "Focus
on Prophecy Guides"
00:24:09.08\00:24:11.48
are designed to help you unlock
the mysteries of the Bible
00:24:11.48\00:24:14.28
and deepen your
understanding of God's plan
00:24:14.28\00:24:16.75
for you and our world.
00:24:16.75\00:24:18.35
Study online or
request them by mail
00:24:18.35\00:24:20.82
and start bringing
prophecy into focus today.
00:24:20.82\00:24:23.69
- All right, I'm completely
out of time yet again this week,
00:24:25.09\00:24:28.50
but let me just take
one moment to underline
00:24:28.50\00:24:30.87
why I find this
subject so compelling.
00:24:30.87\00:24:34.24
There's a tendency for people
to believe in the miraculous,
00:24:34.24\00:24:37.94
but according to the Bible,
00:24:37.94\00:24:39.14
that can actually
get you into trouble.
00:24:39.14\00:24:41.18
I mean, never forget
that Pharaoh's magicians
00:24:41.18\00:24:43.91
were also able to change
walking sticks into snakes
00:24:43.91\00:24:47.45
like Moses did and
there's no question
00:24:47.45\00:24:49.98
those guys were
playing for the wrong team.
00:24:49.98\00:24:52.79
In the Book of Revelation,
00:24:52.79\00:24:54.26
it's the second beast
who performs the miracles,
00:24:54.26\00:24:57.33
which serves as a
warning that not everything
00:24:57.33\00:24:59.69
in this world is the
way it appears to be.
00:24:59.69\00:25:02.26
In his first letter
to the Church of Corinth,
00:25:03.47\00:25:05.87
Paul says something
that every Christian
00:25:05.87\00:25:07.57
should take to heart.
00:25:07.57\00:25:09.14
He writes, "For Jews demand
signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
00:25:09.14\00:25:13.88
but we preach Christ crucified,
00:25:13.88\00:25:15.84
a stumbling block to
Jews and folly to Gentiles."
00:25:15.84\00:25:20.52
For the Jews, Jesus seemed
like a bad fit from Messiah
00:25:20.52\00:25:23.85
because they assumed
that a messianic king
00:25:23.85\00:25:25.99
would dispense with the Romans
00:25:25.99\00:25:28.06
and a man who died
a humiliating death
00:25:28.06\00:25:30.66
that was usually
reserved for criminals,
00:25:30.66\00:25:33.40
well, he couldn't
possibly have the power of God,
00:25:33.40\00:25:35.60
not as far as
they were concerned.
00:25:35.60\00:25:37.93
The Greeks, on the other hand,
00:25:37.93\00:25:39.33
were looking for a great
philosopher, like Jefferson was,
00:25:39.33\00:25:43.24
and to them there was no way,
00:25:43.24\00:25:44.77
that a deity would become
a mere physical human being
00:25:44.77\00:25:47.88
and then die a physical death.
00:25:47.88\00:25:49.64
What the Greeks
wanted was rationality
00:25:49.64\00:25:53.38
and it occurs to me that we
still have both kinds of people
00:25:53.38\00:25:55.82
in the Christian world today.
00:25:55.82\00:25:57.89
We have those who
love to dwell on miracles,
00:25:57.89\00:26:00.66
who love a big show of power,
and they fill the airwaves
00:26:00.66\00:26:04.29
with wonder-working preachers
who appear to heal the sick.
00:26:04.29\00:26:08.30
These people want
signs and wonders.
00:26:08.30\00:26:11.77
But then on the other hand,
00:26:11.77\00:26:12.97
we also have
Christians who reduce the faith
00:26:12.97\00:26:14.97
to a matter of rationality
and you'll find some of this
00:26:14.97\00:26:18.14
in the older
mainstream churches.
00:26:18.14\00:26:20.84
These are people who
want to philosophies,
00:26:20.84\00:26:23.18
they wanna
rationalize everything,
00:26:23.18\00:26:25.55
and naturally, I am kind
of attracted to that side
00:26:25.55\00:26:28.28
of the equation, but the cross
of Christ doesn't really fit
00:26:28.28\00:26:33.29
and it demands that
we dig a little deeper.
00:26:34.46\00:26:36.42
You can't easily explain a God
00:26:36.42\00:26:38.66
who becomes a flesh and
blood human being and then dies
00:26:38.66\00:26:42.13
in a way that, well, it doesn't
make sense to most people.
00:26:42.13\00:26:46.70
This is just not
a simple concept.
00:26:46.70\00:26:49.47
When you read
the words of Christ,
00:26:49.47\00:26:51.41
the ones preserved here
in the pages of the Bible,
00:26:51.41\00:26:54.38
you're going to find
that there's nothing facile,
00:26:54.38\00:26:56.71
nothing easy about His teaching.
00:26:56.71\00:26:59.41
It's not easy, and it
runs against the grain
00:26:59.41\00:27:02.08
of conventional wisdom in
a very oddly compelling way,
00:27:02.08\00:27:06.39
which is why I urge you to
put aside the books you've read
00:27:07.82\00:27:10.19
about Jesus and the movies
you've watched about His life
00:27:10.19\00:27:15.16
and just read the Bible.
00:27:15.90\00:27:18.20
Read the source
document for yourself.
00:27:18.20\00:27:21.37
This is not a simplistic faith
00:27:21.37\00:27:24.81
and there's a reason
that people have clung
00:27:24.81\00:27:26.57
to this book now
for thousands of years.
00:27:26.57\00:27:30.21
Something like four
billion people still respect
00:27:30.21\00:27:32.81
and even revere this
humble carpenter from Nazareth
00:27:32.81\00:27:35.75
and there's a really
good reason for that.
00:27:35.75\00:27:38.19
And like Elijah
waiting for God in a cave,
00:27:38.19\00:27:40.29
you're not gonna find
that reason in the spectacular.
00:27:40.29\00:27:42.99
You're gonna find it
the small, still voice
00:27:42.99\00:27:46.09
that continues to speak
through the most memorable man
00:27:46.09\00:27:49.73
in the history of the world.
00:27:49.73\00:27:52.30
I'm Shawn Boostra.
00:27:52.30\00:27:53.70
You've been
watching "Authentic."
00:27:53.70\00:27:55.74
Thanks for joining me.
00:27:55.74\00:27:57.41
[gentle Western music]
00:27:57.41\00:28:00.68