The Gospels vs. The National Enquirer

“The face of Jesus has been found enshrined in a tortilla in the town of Guadalajara, Mexico.” The National Enquirer.

“This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” The Bible

     Which is a greater stretch for you to believe – Jesus’ image in a tortilla or Jesus, a personal Savior, dying on a cross and being raised from the dead for the forgiveness of your sins?

     Carefully consider the introduction to Luke’s Gospel:

     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. 3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.  (Luke 1:1-4, NIV)

     At the time of Luke's writing, there were many religions competing for the hearts and minds of people in the Roman Empire...not unlike today’s world. The learned class was searching for trustworthy knowledge to guide them in their life’s journey. Into this fray came Dr. Luke seeking to dispel some of the rumors swirling about. Misinformation like the following still abounds:

     “The Bible is a product of man…Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book.”[1]

      How do Christians counter such claims? In other words, what makes these Bible representations about Jesus reliable? First, Luke showed the extreme care he took, as an historian, in researching his work. He carefully investigated everything from the beginning in order to write an orderly account. 

     “While it is true that some historians of antiquity were not as careful as others, it is overstating the case to deny that good history existed. The Hellenistic historian Polybius criticizes other writers for making up dramatic scenes and calls on them to ‘simply record what really happened and what really was said…’ Other ancient historians make similar comments. This confirms that intelligent writers and readers of the first century were concerned with distinguishing fact from fiction.”[2]

     Luke spent time carefully investigating the multiple manuscripts and eyewitness accounts that told of the things that have been fulfilled among us regarding the life and teachings of Jesus. Luke desired to examine all the data available to him so that he could give as detailed a picture as possible to those seeking the truth. 

     Throughout his travels, Luke sought to investigate all the eyewitness accounts and written works about Jesus that he could find so that others might know the true story of Jesus from the beginning.

     Second, Luke makes it clear in verse four that he is writing this Gospel so that Theophilus, the letter’s recipient, would know the certainty of what he had been taught regarding Jesus. The word certainty comes from root meaning ‘not tripped up.’  Luke’s goal was that, “Theophilus shall know that the faith which he has embraced has an impregnable historical foundation.”[3]

     Luke was writing at a time in history when eyewitnesses were still orally transmitting the Gospel traditions. Because of these eyewitnesses, and his readers' knowledge of the oral traditions, Luke could not radically restructure the truth without his veracity being challenged. Furthermore, if Luke sought to deceive his readers, would it not be wiser to claim to be an eyewitness himself? Rather, he further argues his case for certainty by showing the close relationship between his Gospel and the testimony of eyewitnesses. 

     As the Apostle Peter stated, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Peter 1:16).

     Last, Luke seeks in his prologue to assure his readers about the certainty of what they had been taught by pointing to Jesus' life as fulfilling the teachings of Scripture - things that had been fulfilled in the midst of these eyewitnesses. 

      “In the Old Testament there are sixty major messianic prophecies and approximately 270 ramifications that were fulfilled in one person, Jesus Christ. Using the science of probability, we find the chances of just forty-eight of these prophecies being fulfilled in one person to be right at one in ten to the 157^th power. Furthermore, the task of matching up God’s address with one man is further complicated by the fact that all the prophecies of the Messiah were made at least 400 years before He was to appear.”[4]

     If that is not enough to convince you to proceed in your own investigation, than consider the following facts about the New Testament as a whole:

There are more than 5,300 known Greek manuscripts of the New Testament.  Add over 10,000 Latin Vulgate and at least 9,300 other early versions and we have more than 24,000 manuscript copies of portions of the New Testament in existence.

No other document of antiquity even begins to approach such numbers and attestation.  In comparison, the Iliad by Homer is second with only 643 manuscripts that still survive [and yet few, if any, question the authenticity of Homer’s work].

[Furthermore,] in no other case is the interval of time between composition of the book and the date of the earliest extant [existing] manuscripts so short as in that of the New Testament. We have scraps dated within 25 years of composition, whole sections within 250 years; compared to the Iliad - next closest at 500 years! [5]

(Personal Jesus was written based upon Priscilla Presley's relationship to Elvis...which, like any human relationship, will always fail to answer the ultimate questions. I chose Johnny Cash's version - maybe it's the 25 years I've been in Texas...but I also attached Depeche Mode's Stargate Mix as a peace offering to those who see Cash as a usurper of the real 'owners' of the song. May your choice help you to understand the offer of the real Personal Jesus.)

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[1] Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. New York: Doubleday, 2001, p. 231.

[2]  Arnold, Clinton E. (General Editor). Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2002, p. 322.

[3] Earle, Ralph. Word Meanings in the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1986, p. 51.

[4] McDowell, Josh. A Ready Defense. San Bernardino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, 1991, pgs. 209-214.

[5] Ibid, pgs. 43-47.