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.
