Jesus Evidenced

What Did Jesus Do?

“Unless I see in his hands the mark...and place my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
“Put your finger here...and put out your hand...Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
John 20.25, 27

They say seeing is believing, though the Bible instructs us that, “faith comes by hearing” (Romans 10.17). I don't know if it is all that important that the evidence be visual or auditory, but it seems, well, evident, that faith is not something we are born with, but rather acquire/receive based on our accepting some kind of testimony as reliable. To the end that the world might believe, Jesus evidenced in word and in works.

Thomas, who hardly deserves to be known as “the Doubter,” unless we are all willing to accept the label, apparently was a visual learner; the reports Thomas heard from the other apostles were not enough to convince him that Christ had risen, he needed some hard evidence, a hearsay Savior just wouldn't do. Jesus, as we know from the passage in John 20, obliged Thomas, who, upon seeing the Lord, and the unmistakable marks of His crucifixion, believed without actually having to put his finger and hand in the scars. The truth is, Jesus had in fact been evidencing for quite some time before His death.

Take the time some of the disciples of John the Baptist came on behalf of their master to inquire if Jesus was “the one who is to come, or shall we look for another” (Luke 7.19). The Lord responded by telling them to go and report to John the evidence of what they had seen Him do: the blind received their sight, the lame walked, lepers were cleansed, the deaf were made to hear, the dead were raised, and the poor heard the preaching of the good news (Luke 7.22). For the disciples of John seeing was believing, but for John himself, faith would come by hearing the testimony of his disciples. Either way, Jesus evidenced.

When the testimony of Jesus incited, rather than convinced, a group of Jews who were in Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication, He said to them,

“If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;
but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works,”
John 10.37-38


Though His words may have offended them, they had the evidence of their own eyes, which witnessed the works Jesus had performed, and gave unmistakable testimony that He was the Son of Man. Even if they didn't like what they heard, the Jews would have a hard time refuting what their eyes had seen. Jesus evidenced.

Some sought entertainment, rather than evidence that Jesus was the Messiah; Herod for instance. The puppet ruler of Galilee was ecstatic when he learned that Pilate was sending Jesus to him to interrogate. Herod had heard a lot about the rabbi from Nazareth, but what he really wanted was to see some sign performed. (Luke 23.6-11) But Jesus did no sign for Herod, for the signs Jesus did were not a matter of satisfying anyone's curiosity, but rather He performed the works of the Father. Jesus didn't entertain, He eveidenced.

With Christ risen, and now ascended into heaven how does Jesus evidence today? Through His body, the Church. The thing of it is, though faith comes by hearing, seeing is still believing. Which is to say, we can talk to people about Jesus from now until the cows come home, but if they never see Christ in us, they will likely dismiss our testimony for lack of evidence of Jesus. Works without faith are no more than the kind of entertainment Herod sought from Jesus; but faith without works, without tangible evidence, well it's quite dead and useless, as James cautioned (James 2.17). Real evidence involves the Word being living and active, working in the world to accomplish the will of the Father. That's what Jesus, the Word of God Incarnate, did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4