Defending the Reality of Miracles: Eyewitness Accounts and Historical Evidence

2. The Case for ChristbyLee Strobel

3. Class 3 – The Case for Christ • Questions from Class 2 • How many people were recorded seeing Jesus after his resurrection? Were their observations recorded as truthful? • How should we tie what we've learned in class 2 to the new archeological discovery of what they believe is Noah's ark? • How do we use historical evidence to communicate with those who come to us with questions of Christianity?

4. Did the books that comprise the New Testament all come from actual letters? If so, were the letters meant to be sent to someone specific? • I've never heard of Jesus having "biological" siblings; was James an actual brother or more of a follower (referred to as a brother)? • Have you always believed what you do now or was there a definite point in your life that your beliefs changed

5. Rebuttal Evidence – Gregory Boyd • Jesus Seminar – claims: • Only 2% of Jesus attributed sayings authentic • Include Gospel of Thomas in scriptures • Jesus naturalistic - a man like everyone else • Followers didn’t see him as Son of God • No resurrection • Miracles didn’t happen • Material in Gospels added later

6. Rebuttal to Jesus Seminar • Key assumptions • Jesus was a man just like other people • Miracles don’t happen, nothing supernatural occurs • Facts are gathered to support these assumptions • Seminar requires more than one source for authentication • Even though Matthew, Mark, Luke and John agree, the gospels combined are seen as one source

7. Miracles • Cures, Exorcisms, Resurrections, Control Over Nature • Water to wine • Cast out demons • Curing leprosy • Large catches of fish – twice • Paralyzed man, crippled man (Bethesda) • Withered Hand • Raising people from death • Lazarus, Jairus daughter, widow’s son

8. Healing the blind • Feeding 4,000, 5,000 men (women not counted) • Walked on water • Cured many kinds of illnesses • Calmed a storm

9. Arguments for reality of miracles: • Eyewitness accounts • Matthew, John, Mark through Peter, Luke through disciples • Secular historians such as Josephus mentioned he performed miracles • His enemies mention his miracles (sorcery) • Crowds followed him because of miraculous feats

10. Gospel accounts of miracles could have been refuted by people still alive when Gospels were written if not true • Unexplained transformation of lives; historically and today

11. Arguments against miracles: • Most arguments revolve around natural laws which are believed immutable • We have never seen a withered hand healed or seen a person walk on water or a dead person brought to life; therefore it can’t have happened • The Enlightenment and the Age of Reason led to skepticism in intellectual circles – use of scientific method

12. Appollonius • Supposedly did miracles similar to those of Jesus • One biographer, century and a half after he lived • Biographer was paid by a follower of Appollonius • Biographers statements tentative, “it is reported”, “etc.”

13. Mystery Religions • Refers to dying and rising from death, often related to crop cycles • Written after the 2nd century, likely borrowed from Christianity • Gospels of Judas, Thomas, Phillip, Mary • Heavily influenced by Gnosticism • Matter evil, spirit good • God could not be involved with matter, human flesh – God is spirit • Emanations further and further from God created the world, God didn’t • Emanations are progressively more physical, less spiritual

14. Secret Mark • No copy of it exists • Cross Gospel • Outlandish material • The cross “talks” • Jesus huge • Gospel of Thomas • Not consistent with Jesus teaching • Mid 2nd century, Gnosticism • Role of women very different from Jesus teaching

15. Identity Evidence – Ben Witherington • Jesus did not announce himself as Yahweh (God) • The Jews had no concept of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), wouldn’t understand • Jesus refers to God as “Abba”, a personal term • Jesus repeatedly uses term “Son of Man”, term in Daniel 7 referring to the Messiah • Johns picture of Jesus:

16. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:1-3, 14

17. Peter identified Jesus • “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” • Jesus says Peter is blessed by God to understand this • Conversation with Samaritan woman • “I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” • Then Jesus declared: “I who speak to you am he.” • Evidence is clear that Jesus thought of himself as being the Messiah, the Son of God

18. Psychological Evidence; was Jesus sane? • Interview with Dr. Gary Collins, Psychologist • Jesus emotions were appropriate to the occasion • Anger at money changers, Pharisees • Wept that Lazarus was dead • Sorrow over Jerusalem’s indifference to his message • No misperceptions • No paranoid views of people or events

19. No odd or unsuitable behavior • Didn’t dress oddly • Relationships were solid • Didn’t engage in bizarre actions • Led a balanced life • Recognized the need for fellowship, teaching, and also solitude and prayer, sense of humor

20. Did he hypnotize people? • Some people are susceptible to hypnosis, some aren’t. Impossible to hypnotize large groups • Hypnosis doesn’t work on skeptics • James, Paul were doubters • Thomas was skeptical also, along with many Romans, Jewish authorities • Healing of lepers, shriveled hand, raising the dead not possible through suggestion and hypnosis

21. Exorcism • Jesus probably did drive out demons or heal psychosomatic disorders, but many of his miracles can’t be placed in these categories • Lazarus raised from the dead • Withered hand • Water to wine

22. Profile – Dr. D.A. Carson • Does Jesus possess the attributes of God? • Jesus forgave sins – something God would do • Jewish authorities declared this blasphemy • Philippians 2 • Being in the form of God, (Jesus) did not think equality with God was something to be exploited, but emptied himself • Jesus was made of same stuff as God, but came as a servant – left some things to God • Said He didn’t know the hour of His return • Couldn’t do miracles in Nazareth because of their unbelief

23. Why would a loving God and a loving Savior consign people to hell? • God is also a just God – actions have consquences • Sin or evil is putting our own actions before God’s – missing the mark of what we are called to be • If God is fair, just and really cares he won’t ignore deliberate sin • A parent would not ignore a child’s bad behavior

24. Donald Carson says the Bible indicates different degrees of punishment • Carson: “If sin had no consequences chaos (hell) would result” • Carson indicates that at the end justice will be done and it will be seen as “fair”

25. The Unforgivable Sin • Matthew 12:31-32 • Luke 12:10 • “And Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” • Sin against the Holy Spirit • The Holy Spirit draws us toward God, Jesus, right relationships – a “still small voice” • When one pushes away the promptings of the Spirit repeatedly we eventually lose the ability to perceive it, hence we are lost • Some have said hell is separation from God, on earth and in eternity

26. Jesus and Slavery • Jesus did not come to change governments, social systems, taxation (Render to Caesar that which is Caesar’s) • He came to change lives • He impacted how masters treated slaves, how slaves did their jobs, how men treated their neighbors, parents related to children, etc. • Christianity was the driving force to end slavery (Wilberforce) in England and also impacted Abraham Lincoln and others in the U.S.

27. Was Jesus the Messiah? • Louis Lapides – A Jewish Christian • Old Testament prophesies concerning the Messiah are numerous, a few examples: • Born of a virgin • Born in Bethlehem • Descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, tribe of Judah, house of David (Genesis, Jeremiah) • Gifts from magi • Deaths of infants in Bethlehem • Out of Egypt • Nazarene

28. Spoke in parables • From Galilee • Performed miracles • Came riding on a donkey • Silent before accusers • Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver • Vinegar to drink • Soldiers cast lots for clothes • Falsely accused

29. Nails in hands and feet • Crucified • Pierced • Bones unbroken • Darkness over the land • Light to gentiles • Rose from dead

30. Arguments for Jesus being the Messiah • Odds of Jesus fulfilling messianic prophesies by chance are very slim • Gospels altered to match prophecy? • There were witnesses to Jesus life who would have objected to false reports • The Jews who opposed Jesus would have pointed out falsehoods

31. Intentional fulfillment by Jesus • Many prophecies couldn’t have been manipulated (30 pieces of silver, ancestry, birthplace, crucifixion, pierced, legs unbroken, soldiers gambled, miracles, etc.) • Christians misinterpret prophecies? • Doesn’t hold up, prophecies are clear • Many Jews have come to faith after studying prophecies of Old Testament in relations to Jesus life