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 Examining
the Witnesses by David J. Riggs
In the Scriptures there are several witnesses who attest to the fact
of the resurrection of Christ. A careful examination of the
witnesses will increase and strengthen our faith, renew and enrich
our hope.
Three things must be considered to decide a case upon given
testimony. (1) Are the witnesses honest? (2) Are the facts of a
plain, tangible nature? (3) How many witnesses are involved?
If one establishes these three things beyond lingering doubt, he
could have no better evidence in any court of law. It is the
strongest evidence within the power of mortal man.
First, then, we inquire, "Were the witnesses honest men?” This
must be determined from the circumstances of the case. What were
they to gain by their testimony? Did they gain large fortunes? Were
they promoted to honor or high position? Were they given a
comfortable, easy life? Some have been known to receive such things
after giving certain testimony. However, the witnesses of the
resurrection received only to the contrary (1 Cor. 4:9-13).
Furthermore, we ask, "Did their testimony agree?" Mark said of the
witnesses who testified against Jesus, "...Their testimonies did not
agree." (Mark 14:56). There are no contradictions in the testimony
of those who witnessed of the resurrection. Also, we question, "Were
they willing to stand behind their testimony?" Some in the face of
affliction have changed their testimony, but the apostles and early
Christians were willing to suffer imprisonment and death for the
testimony of Jesus (Acts 5:28-29; Rev. 6:9; 12:11; 20:4). It is not
in human nature for men to suffer and die for something they know to
be false and promises no earthly rewards. Thus, we have established
the witnesses to be honest.
Next, we inquire, "Were the facts of the resurrection of a plain,
tangible nature?" There are three ways a deception could have been
wrought. (1) Had they been only partially acquainted with Jesus,
they could have mistaken Him for some other. (2) If He had been
absent for a long time, they could have forgotten His general
appearance. (3) If they did not have a fair opportunity to identify
Him, they could have been deceived.
They were not partially acquainted with Him. They had been closely
associated with Him for over three years and would have known His
walk, voice, color of eyes, and even the very lines on His face.
Jesus needed only to call out Mary Magdalene's name for her to
recognize Him (John 20:15-17). They were not away from Him for a
long time. He was crucified on Friday and raised on Sunday - hardly
enough time to erase Him from their memory. They had a fair
opportunity to identify Him after He was raised. He was in their
presence (Matt. 28:9-10; John 20:19-20) and ate with them (Luke
24:36-43; Acts 10:40-41). They were associated with Him for forty
days (Acts 1:3) and at last saw Him taken up into heaven (Acts
1:9-12).
As to the number of witnesses, besides those mentioned above, on one
occasion Jesus was seen of above five hundred brethren at once (1
Cor. 15:6). We close with these words from the apostle John: "That
which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have
seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have
handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we
have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life,
which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) that which
we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have
fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and
with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that
your joy may be full." (1 John 1:1-4) ~
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I'm Too Busy for Church
by Jonathan L. Perz
It is Sunday morning—time to assemble with the saints of our Lord.
Believe it or not, for many, this is a moment of decision. There are
so many things around the house calling your name—lawn mowing,
repairing the thing-a-ma-jig, washing the car, etc. As all of these
things flash through your mind, the Lord calls. You may actually
find yourself asking, “Whose call do I heed?”
Do you decide on Sunday morning, or evening, or Wednesday evening,
whether or not you are “going to church?” Do you find that chores
around the house, fishing, hunting, watching sports, working, or
other things, win out over the Lord? What a shameful predicament
many place themselves in!
It is shameful because, some day, when the Lord returns again, you
will have to explain to Him why you said, “I’m too busy for church.”
It is written, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body,
according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians
5:10).
Though it is true that attending church is not the ‘end all’ of
Christianity, it is nevertheless commanded (Hebrews 10:24-25). Any
Christian who must ask himself at the appointed time if he is going
to assemble with the saints needs to realize the dilapidated
condition of his soul. For the convicted, faithful, zealous
Christian, such an appointment is automatic! There is never a doubt,
only the faithful fact that he will be there when the saints meet!
When one is too busy to go to church, what they really say is: “I’m
too busy for my brethren (Hebrews 10:24-25)” and “I’m too busy for
the Lord (Ephesians 1:22-23; Matthew 25:40, 45).” If one is too busy
for these, he is too busy for heaven! The next time you find
yourself thinking, “I’m too busy for church;” remember what that
translates into—“I’m too busy for heaven!” ~
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 Zeal
Without Knowledgeby David King
“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that
they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for
God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of
God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own
righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Rom.
10:1-3).
Paul pinpointed the Jews’ refusal to accept the gospel as an
intellectual failure: they had “a zeal for God, but not according to
knowledge.”
They were “ignorant” of God’s plan for making man righteous, so they
rejected it. In reading this, we are tempted to draw a
comparison to the Jews’ ancestors during Old Testament times. Back
then, the prophets
attributed Israel’s waywardness to their ignorance of God’s law
(e.g., “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” Hos. 4:6).
But that comparison doesn’t quite hold up. The Old Testament Jews
were literally ignorant of the most basic content of God’s law. They
knew nothing of the history of their people. They had no idea who
God was or what He wanted. The Scriptures were a complete mystery to
them. In every sense of the word, they were ignorant.
But that condition did not exist among the Jews of Paul’s
generation. These people knew the Scriptures backward and forward.
They prided themselves on being “the people of God,” separated from
the rest of humanity by their high moral character and deep respect
for the Creator. They knew the Law, they knew the rules, they knew
of the coming Messiah. In every sense of the word, they “had a zeal
for God” — and were proud of it.
But therein lay the problem. Their academic knowledge of God’s Law
had crossed over into arrogance. Their preoccupation with the finer
points of the Law became a stumbling block that caused them to
overlook the underlying principles of that Law. They could recite
the most minute details of the Law, and explain exactly how to apply
those details in every aspect of life, but in doing so they
“neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and
faith” (Matt. 23:23). So instead of the Law serving as a guide to
lead them to the Messiah, it became an instrument of
self-aggrandizement, a means of “establishing their own
righteousness” before God and others.
When Jesus finally came, He did not fit their elaborate
interpretation of what the Kingdom should be, so they rejected Him.
They were “ignorant” by virtue of their misguided theology. And as
long as they maintained that condescending air of superiority, they
would never be able to understand what Jesus and His gospel were all
about.
The great irony in all of this is that the Jews’ ignorance of God’s
plan was due to a misguided zeal for God’s book. Their very
knowledge of the Scriptures blinded them to the larger message of
the book.
There is a warning here for God’s people today. Certainly, God wants
us to know His Law and obey it. But we must never allow that
knowledge to foster a spirit of self-importance that overrides our
humility before God. ~
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