Who is the Real Jesus?
In the course of human history, no life has been as thoroughly examined as that of Jesus of Nazareth. A good standard by which to measure this intense interest is Encyclopedia Britannica, which uses over 20,000 words to describe the life of Jesus, far outweighing articles on the lives of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Aristotle or Galileo. It is no wonder that more theories have been concocted about Jesus Christ than any other person in history, including John F. Kennedy and Elvis Presley combined! Added to this, the last century saw the rise of a scholarly movement that seeks to unveil the so-called ‘historical Jesus’ as if this is somehow different from the biblical Jesus. A person could be easily forgiven for crying out: “Would the real Jesus please stand up?” Who is the real Jesus? What did he really say and do? How did he perceive his mission from God? How can we be certain about anything in his life? The case for the historical Jesus is tried on two grounds: Was Jesus a real man in history? and Is the Gospel record credible? The answer to both questions is “YES!”
Jesus’ life was recorded in human history. No serious scholar can deny His actual existence. His life can be pinpointed with great accuracy to a specific year and period, the first century, which is the best documented period in ancient times. It is known that He suffered under Pontius Pilate. Cornelius Tacitus, known to have great integrity as a chronicler of history, noted the crucifixion in his Annals and it is the only pagan document to survive to date that mentions Pontius Pilate in relation to the execution of Jesus. The existence and crucifixion of Jesus was never called into question in the first centuries of this era. Even those who would be treated as hostile witnesses provide indirect testimony to the supernatural elements in the story of Jesus can be found in the Babylonian Talmud (written by Jews bitterly opposed to the message of Christ). It confirms that Jesus was hanged (crucified) on the eve of Passover and attributed extraordinary things to Him and called them sorcery. Flavius Josephus, a 1st century Jewish historian of Jewish Antiquities, wrote about the events in the life of Jesus and his followers.
There are also numerous eyewitness accounts that survive to this day. People of the 1st century were just as skeptical as those of the 21st. In 2 Peter 1:16 "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty." he rebukes those who refute the historical facts. The apostles’ message was always based on Acts 5:32 “We are witnesses of these things …” It’s hard to disbelieve what you have witnessed with your own eyes.
There is also an appeal to common knowledge. Used frequently in evangelism, it is a plea to believe what is claimed according to what you already know to be true. Many of the miracles and teachings of Jesus were witnessed by a great number of people. There were 5000 alone at the ‘fishes and loaves’ miracle! Acts 2:22 “… as you yourselves know.” Acts 26:26 “The king is familiar with these things …” As records were still available to well into the 2nd and 3rd centuries, Justin Martyr was able to investigate the historical facts and verify them as accurate hundreds of years later!
There are answers for the critic. Trying to date the Gospels to a later time would allow for Jesus to become ‘mythologized’ but there is irrefutable proof that the writings are dated to a specific time in history during and immediately after his life. 1) There is no mention of the destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70) by any of the Gospel authors, 2) The New Testament quotes in the Dead Sea Scrolls are dated before Qumran’s destruction in AD 68; 3) The book of Acts ends at Paul’s arrest AD 66, but does not include his execution or Jerusalem’s sack in AD 70; 4) The Gospel’s detailed record of 1st century life in Palestine could only come of eyewitness testimony
The argument for the material to be ‘legendary’ is debunked as soon as an early date for the composition of the Gospel accounts is established. Legendary exaggeration becomes unlikely as the time between actual events and their recording is not long enough to corrupt the essential details. It’s the same with the documents of today compared to the earlier writings. The Dead Sea Scrolls (the oldest physical writings) prove today’s translations are essentially the same.
In the case for Christ, Simon Greenleaf, arguably the greatest legal mind ever known, concluded “A proposition of fact is proved when its truth is established by competent and satisfactory evidence.” Of the Gospel accounts he wrote, “Every document … the law presumes to be genuine and devolves on the opposing party the burden of proving it to be otherwise.” And these documents state:
• Jesus lived
• Jesus taught
• Jesus performed miracles
• Jesus was crucified
No informed person can ever conclude that Jesus never existed. The Gospel record is proven to be credible making the Bible the most reliable source of information on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. The evidence is conclusive that the ‘historical Jesus’ is identical to the biblical Jesus. Want to know ‘Who is the Real Jesus?’ Read the Bible. Have a blessed week.
