More Than Enough to Believe

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The Gospels only tell a small part of the life and times of Jesus. Perhaps that is one reason why the skeptics disbelieve the account that we do have recorded for us. The current commercial on some channels concerns a program that will, I suppose, explain why these particular “experts” don’t believe that any of the disciples had actually ever met Jesus! It probably has to do with the differences between the Gospels and because of the gaps in information that are obvious.

One “expert” in the commercial for the program throws his arm up in the air and says: “The Bible may be divinely inspired but it has human fingerprints all over it!”

Duh. Divine inspiration never rubbed out the personalities and particular quirks of the writers God chose to record His story.

But arguments aside, we acknowledge the gaps in the record. John, writing in John 20:30, 31 explains the reason why there are gaps.

“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Looks like the disciples must have been with Jesus to see these miracles, but the bigger issue is why we have the information we have, and only the information we have.

WHAT WE HAVE IS ALL WE NEED TO HAVE A PERSONAL ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST, BE FORGIVEN, AND LIVE TO WORSHIP AND SERVE HIM.

Jesus told the story of a rich man who went to hell (Luke 12:19ff) A little late, he calls out to God to send Lazarus back from the dead to tell his brothers about how they could avoid ending up in the terrible place that was now his permanent home. He was told that if his brothers wouldn’t listen to Moses and the prophets who had delivered the message to them, even the appearance of a dead man wouldn’t make a difference.

It is a human tendency, a sinful one, to ignore the proof already existent and then to demand more proof.

John says that what is recorded is enough. What we don’t know we don’t need to know. What we need to know is all there. The question remains: What are we going to do with what we already DO know?

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