The important role of eyewitnesses in the gospel message (Luke 1:1-2)

Is the Bible's message reliable?
Is the Bible's message questionable?
How can we be sure of the truth of the Bible's story?
What is the significance of the phrase "many have made up the story?"
How important is the role of eyewitnesses in the preaching of the gospel?

The important role of eyewitnesses in the gospel message

 

Luke 1:1-2 ¹ Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,  ² just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

Introduction

The news about Jesus Christ was sensational in the first century. For those who did not know Jesus, the news became a sensation because from the rumors, this person was suspected of having ambitions to become king. However, because of his unlucky fate, before he had the chance to taste the pleasure of being king, he was caught, beaten and crucified to death as a rebel.

During his life, this rebel was considered to like to insult the Sabbath, like to hang out with prostitutes, sit at the same table with tax collectors, like to eat, like to drink and even once bragged that he could build the Temple of God in just 3 days. What a strange person?!

The excitement of the news did not end there, on the third day after being crucified, his body was reported missing. The government and religious leaders spread the news that this person's body was stolen by his followers who then fled because they were afraid of experiencing the same fate as the unfortunate rebel.

Imagine how sensational news like that would be, right?

On the other hand, we who believe in Jesus Christ, are convinced that this is not the case. He was not a rebel, a braggart, and a weirdo. He has risen and we respect Him very much. We are convinced that the story mentioned above is false.

But the problem is, how can we be sure that what we believe is true news? What if it turns out that we are the ones who have been lied to all this time?

Many people… many eyewitnesses

We are grateful that Jesus's event was not subjective, personal, and closed. Rather, it was objective news (meaning, not influenced by someone's feelings), communal (i.e., involving many people), and open (so it could be investigated, traced, and analyzed).

There were many people who witnessed the event. This is important because with many people who witnessed it, there will be many parties who evaluate and judge the truth of the event.

So, if we finally hear the news with the narrative as we know it today, we can be sure that it is true. Because if the news was not true, then the news about Jesus that has reached us today would certainly be very different. If Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John had conveyed false news about Jesus, then of course their news would have been completely corrected by the people who lived in their time. Moreover, Jesus' followers generally did not come from prominent circles. No human being would hesitate or hesitate to "beat" them if they were considered to be lying. The evangelists were simple people, if others could believe their message, then it happened because what they preached was the truth, not because of their status or appearance.

"Many people," Luke said, and they were "eyewitnesses" Luke added. Those people did not deny, did not correct, did not change the news about Jesus. The news about the poor rebel that I mentioned earlier never lasted long. The crowds described by Luke finally judged for themselves which news was true and which news was false.

The Bible that we receive today is a writing that has passed the test of time and the test of the testimony of many people. Various archaeological excavations have been carried out, both with the aim of supporting the testimony of the Bible and with the aim of discrediting it. But until today, archaeological findings have increasingly confirmed that the news conveyed by the Bible is the truth.

The Bible is the only Holy Book that is continuously challenged, both by people who sincerely seek it and by people who are controlled by hatred. No other system of belief has been challenged, questioned, and examined in such detail as the Bible.

There are times when religious people are forbidden to question critically the writings of their holy books. There are serious threats to those who dare to examine and question the contents of the book. But this is not the case with the Bible. Anyone can dissect it to the fullest, either to glorify His Word, or with the aim of insulting. Not a few people hate Jesus Christ and the Bible so much that they dissect the Bible intending to find Christ's weaknesses and trying to prove the stupidity of Christians who want to believe in Him.

But strangely enough, not a few of this group of haters met Christ Jesus personally, then believed in Him, and then turned around, persistently preaching the truth about Him. So, if until now there are people who feel they have never met Jesus Christ personally through the Bible, it is very possible that this happened because the person had never dissected the Bible at all. Because logically, people who hate Him can meet Him, how can people who are really looking not find Him?

The things that have been fulfilled among us..

The story of Jesus Christ is not a fairy tale or myth, but a story based on events that have happened. Based on a true story, if we use today's film terms.

Because it is based on events that have happened, Luke can research the events. Suppose I am very crazy about Spiderman, then I intend to find his house, the office where he works, the location where he usually appears as a hero, and so on. Is something like that possible to do? Of course not, right? Because Spiderman is just an imaginary character. He does not exist in the real world, so I can't research his life.

That is different from the life of Jesus Christ. Luke said that he had investigated all the events carefully from the beginning before he wrote down the results of the investigation regularly for Theophilus (Luke 1:3). Luke did not just hear here and there, or find out casually. Luke investigated all the events carefully. This means that there is sincerity in seeking the truth of the news he heard. He did not just believe it, but conducted a thorough investigation, then wrote it down regularly so that others could read and test his writings.

We have been separated from that event for 2000 years, so it is no longer possible for us to interview Peter, Paul or Zacchaeus. But thanks to Luke, we can study the results of his research today. And thanks to the eyewitnesses, they are trusted sources for Luke to conduct the research.

Frankly, I strongly disagree when I hear people say that the issue of faith is purely subjective. If there is a subjective aspect, that is true, but that it is purely subjective, then that is not true. I take an example like this, if I like chocolate, and other people like coffee, then I agree that it is a subjective issue. If I prefer Batman while other people prefer Ironman, then I totally agree that it is within the realm of each person's subjectivity.

But if I say that the sun rises in the East, while other people believe that the sun rises in the West. Or if we believe that the earth is round, while there are people who believe that the earth is flat. Can such things be called “a matter of faith, depending on the subjectivity of each person?”

The event of Jesus Christ is an event that really happened. There were many people who witnessed the event when it was taking place. And countless people have researched and dissected the event from various disciplines.

No one has received death threats because they intended to research the Bible, question it, or even insult it. And until now, the Bible’s message remains the unshakeable truth.

If only people who insist on saying that the sun rises in the West would wake up earlier and learn the cardinal directions, they would know that I am telling the truth.

If only people who do not believe in Jesus Christ would study the Bible well, they would know that Jesus is indeed the only Lord and Savior available to humans. “No one can come to the Father except through me,” is the confession of the Lord Jesus Himself in John 14:6

May God bless us with the desire to open our hearts and study the Bible seriously, so that through it we can know Jesus Christ personally, as He wants to be known.

So again, there were many people…

How many? We don’t know. And the Bible doesn’t say so either. So, according to Luke, it’s not so much the number of people that matters, but what’s more important is that it prompted Luke to act.

Sometimes we want to know this and that, but don’t put enough emphasis on the action element. Once we know, then what? Luke’s Gospel (like Matthew’s) is a Gospel that places great emphasis on our action or responsibility as human beings (without necessarily conflicting with the principle of grace).

How many people wrote the message? There were so many. Who were they? Luke doesn’t tell us in detail, but what we do know is that among the writers were Matthew, Mark, John, Paul, James, Peter and others. And we also know that only these were ultimately preserved by God. That means that only those writings, namely those which we know as the New Testament, are important for us to pay attention to.

Once again, it’s all about events that happened

Christianity is not based on the imagination of a human being. Christianity is clearly not based on the lies of a man who during his life was immoral and tried to say that he received revelation from God, without anyone else being able to confirm it.

Christianity is news about events that have happened. And there were many eyewitnesses.

who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word

This sentence must refer to the Apostles of Christ. Because they were eyewitnesses to all events related to the Lord Jesus. And they also focused very much on teaching the Word spoken by our Lord.

From the beginning, the Apostles taught a way of church life that placed great importance on the testimony of the Word, so that everyone could know Jesus Christ. We can read this from the story of the lives of the early believers as recorded by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, thus:

Acts 6:1-4  ^{NIV 1} In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. ² So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. ³ Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them ⁴ and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

The church is not a social institution whose main task is to fight poverty and heal the world (although fighting poverty and healing the sick are certainly important). But the church's most important calling is to be a lampstand, a witness to Christ who is a light to the world. So that the world may know the true God and share in His kingdom. These two aspects do not compete with each other but complement each other. Get to know Christ first, then serve the world.

just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first…

Luke must have met the apostles. Luke must have read the writings of Mark, or even Matthew. Luke certainly did not disbelieve the writings of his predecessors. But Luke wanted to investigate it himself. Obviously, Luke was very interested in a truth. The attitude of seeking the truth because of the motivation of being attracted by the truth itself is a positive attitude.

Christianity is based on love, that's right
Christianity is based on events that have happened, that's right.
Christianity is based on truth, that's also right

The Lord Jesus Himself admitted that He is the truth. Christ's words were recorded by Christ's disciple named John: "I am the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6). The truth in this verse is Alethia (ἀλήθεια) which means something that really exists, really happens, a reality. While in Luke 1:4, the term used is ten asfaleian (τὴν ἀσφάλειαν) which means a reality that is safe (secure) to believe in.

Christianity is a system of belief that is based on truth, the only belief that can withstand the test, be it historical tests, location tests, archaeological tests, ethical tests, or moral tests. There is no other belief (system of belief) that can pass the test, like a scientist testing the Bible.

Luke's attitude of seeking truth like this is a commendable attitude and must be emulated, because God is the truth and the record of God's work for humans is also truth.

If we as a congregation do not like the truth, do not have the desire to seek the truth, or are even allergic to it there is a teaching of the Bible, then we miss a treasure of unspeakable value. We have even sinned before the Lord Jesus, our God. Because with such an attitude, it is impossible for us to know Jesus Christ personally.

Such an attitude is very likely a characteristic of people who are not yet saved. Because eternal life is the same as knowing Jesus Christ, as the Lord Himself said. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3)

Closing

Many Christians are satisfied enough to hear other people's sermons, but they themselves are not interested in seeking the truth itself. They swallow whole what religious figures say. But Luke, he sought out the truth, he wanted to know the truth.

Many people can be amazed by Christianity, its teachings, its accuracy in terms of history, its stories that may sound great, but if people are not interested in the truth, then how can they establish a relationship with the Truth itself? How did he come to know the Truth?

Truth has not yet become a deep desire of Christians as a whole. May Luke's attitude be an example for us. And may the Lord Jesus bless us with the ability to love God more deeply. And the ability to glorify others through our loving service. Amen.

 

What does it mean that “the time is near" in Revelation 1:1-3 ?

 

The time is near (Rev 1:3)

¹The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ²who testifies to everything he saw-- that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. ³Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. (Revelation 1:1-3)

In Revelation 1:1-3 we find two expressions related to time. The first we find in verse 1 with the expression “what must soon take place” and the second we find in verse 3 with the expression “the time is near.” In just one chapter we find two similar expressions like these, so we can conclude that there is a sense of urgency in what is being conveyed in Revelation.

Given that the two expressions both suggest a short period of time, the question arises: How soon will these things happen? And how close is the time for the things that are revealed in revelation to happen?

We will reflect on these two expressions that suggest a sense of urgency in terms of time by trying to find what they mean and also by trying to find similar references in the Bible. Hopefully, by doing so, we can understand better what Revelation means through these expressions.

 

The most common mistake in thinking about the message of Revelation

Concerning the time given by the book of Revelation, I have noticed that there are two tendencies or two extreme points in understanding revelation among Christians.

There are certain Christians who go to the extreme of emphasizing that the message of Revelation is about everything that happened in the past, and therefore it seems to have no meaning for us today.

While on the other extreme point, some Christians emphasize that the news of Revelation is about everything that has not happened yet, and will only happen in the future, so that for us now it seems as if the news does not have much relevant meaning.

In my opinion, the news of Revelation refers to events in the past, and in the future and is even relevant to the present.

The news conveyed in Revelation is not always read from the perspective of a story told in chronological order, but rather is more of a parallel picture, complementing each other and strengthening each other between one message and another.

From a Greek cultural perspective, time is not always seen as Chronos, which is where the emphasis is on the relationship between time and the sequence of events that occur in it. In Greek culture, time can also be seen in the sense of Kairos, which is where the emphasis is on the importance of events that are happening at a certain time.

We, in Indonesia, may not be used to understanding time from these two different meanings, kairos and chronos. But to help us understand this, I will try to give a simple example that hopefully can help.

Let's take an example: "studying in elementary school," as an event that we want to associate with Kairos and Chronos. From the perspective of Kairos: studying in elementary school consists of a sequence of events starting from grade 1, then continuing to grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, and so on until grade 6. Meanwhile, from the perspective of Chronos, studying in elementary school would be very appropriate if done at a young age, namely between the ages of 6 and 12 years. Why? Because at that age, learning activities in elementary school are very appropriate. It does not mean that someone cannot attend elementary school at the age of 40. However, from the perspective of Kairos, that is very inappropriate to do, because at the age of 40, we have other important things to do and our responsibilities are usually much greater than the basic things we can learn from elementary school.

If I may summarize in simple language, Chronos talks about time from the perspective of its structure, while Kairos talks about time from the perspective of its content or importance.

The Book of Revelation talks more about various events from the perspective of Kairos than Chronos (although that does not mean that Chronos does not exist at all). Therefore, everything conveyed in the book of Revelation can be read in the past, in the present, and in the future. The fulfillment of the prophecies in Revelation occurs in the near and far future. Every age will see how the seal of God is opened, how the warning trumpet is blown, and how the bowl of God's wrath is poured out on the wicked.

Exceptions may be made for some things that have not yet happened, such as the second coming of Jesus, the final judgment, the marriage supper of the Lamb, and the descent of the new Jerusalem from God.

 

The time is near

For the readers of Revelation in John's time, what was written was about to happen, and some of it had already happened. However, everything that happened was quite general and general, not as a single event that only happened in that era, but as an event that happened frequently, becoming a kind of pattern across the ages.

The main point here is that everything that is reported here is expected to make the reader always prepare themselves, the time is near, so do not delay any longer to do whatever God wants us to do. Prepare yourself to experience all forms of life's difficulties whenever they occur in life. Prepare yourself to serve God as described in Revelation itself.

The message of the Bible that the time is near is not exclusively the property of the Book of Revelation. Other books in the New Testament also contain this kind of message as I present below.

 

Some Bible verses that emphasize the principle of “the time is near”

Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

In this verse, it says “the coming wrath,” when will that wrath come? No one knows for sure when that wrath will come upon those who are called the brood of vipers. The issue is not when that wrath will come because that wrath will certainly come if they do not repent and continue to live like evil vipers. The Pharisees and Sadducees are not reported to have received that wrath immediately after that sentence was mentioned, but we know that in their hardness of heart that did not want to repent, it showed that God was angry with them and did not soften their hearts.

Up until the day Jesus was crucified, we know that many Pharisees still had hardened hearts. Rather than repent, they actually mocked and insulted the crucified Jesus. Their failure to see Jesus as Savior was already a form of God's wrath toward them at that time, and someday after they die, they will find God's wrath even more real.

There are two reasons why God's wrath against the wicked is not immediately seen as a punishment:

1. Opportunity to repent
2. Waiting for their wickedness to be complete.

Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

The Kingdom of Heaven is a condition or nature where heavenly things reign in the world. This is marked by the presence of Jesus Christ serving the world directly as a human being. Not an ordinary human being, but a perfect human being representing Heaven. Jesus is the King, therefore when Jesus began to serve humans, it can be said that that was when Heaven began to carry out its kingdom function more clearly.

It is said to be near, meaning it has not arrived. Why has it not arrived? Because Jesus has not died and risen from the dead. When Jesus has risen from the dead, then that is the moment when the Kingdom of Heaven has become more real or we say it has arrived.

The church is a real manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on this sinful earth. We can say so because Jesus Christ himself is the head of the church.

Matthew 24:33-34
³³ Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. ³⁴ I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

This sentence clearly refers to the time when the disciples and the people who lived in that time were still around. They would be eyewitnesses that what Jesus said would come true. In history, this became real when Emperor Nero (and other emperors who hated the church) came to power and exercised their power tyrannically and killed believers.

Does this mean that this sentence is no longer useful? Of course not, because even now, many people and many world governments act like Nero towards the church. They are hostile to the church; they are hostile to Christ and they persecute the children of God.

With the death of Christ, his resurrection, and his ascension to heaven, Satan directed his anger at the church. This is revealed in the book of Revelation, namely about the Dragon, the woman, and her child.

 

Conclusion:

The phrase about the time being near is a message for us to see the importance of time. The time we have will not always be ours. Therefore, it is important to see how we fill our time, namely by paying attention to what our God has done both for our lives and for the whole world.

The readers of Revelation in John’s day would have naturally accepted the meaning of the words “the time is near.” They most likely took it literally and found comfort and strength in it. It is unlikely that the readers of that time would have thought about the times we live in today.

As we can read in Revelation, Christ’s victory is a certainty. The persecuted would have felt comforted and opened their minds to the fact that what they were experiencing was not a situation beyond Christ’s control. Their suffering and even their eventual death were things they had to experience as a consequence of following Jesus. And the bitter consequences they experienced gave them extraordinary hope for life after their lives were taken.

Below, as a closing, I present another message from Jesus to all of us, regarding always being on guard.

Matthew 24:42-51
⁴²"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. ⁴⁵"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. ⁴⁷I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' ⁴⁹and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. ⁵⁰The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. ⁵¹He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

Matthew 25:1-13
¹"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ²Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. ⁶"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' ⁷"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' ⁹"'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' ¹⁰"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. ¹¹"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!' ¹²"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' ¹³"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.