I CAN UNDERSTAND
WHY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE
TROUBLES BELIEVING IN GOD. ONE DIFFICULTY WE HAVE IN
THINKING ABOUT THE QUESTION,
DOES GOD EXIST? IS THE QUESTION,
WELL, WHICH GOD? JESUS SAW HIS ROLE NOT
TO PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF GOD,
BUT RATHER TO REVEAL WHO GOD IS. ON THIS DAY OF DISCOVERY. MART DEHAAN: THIS IS
THE LAND OF ABRAHAM. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BEAUTY
OF THIS JUDEAN WILDERNESS, YOU GET THE SENSE THAT
THINGS HAVEN'T CHANGED
HERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME. AND HERE IN ISRAEL, AMONG
THE PEOPLE, IT'S ALSO TRUE THAT
MANY THINGS HAVE NOT CHANGED. MANY HERE CONTINUE TO BELIEVE
IN THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM. OTHERS, AS IN OUR OWN HOMETOWNS,
FOR PERSONAL REASONS,
HAVE LOST THE FAITH. AND THEN THERE ARE
A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO,
FOR PRACTICAL REASONS, ARE CONVINCED THAT
IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER
ONE WAY OR THE OTHER... WHETHER ONE BELIEVES
IN THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. WELL, TODAY WE'RE GOING TO HEAR
FROM SOME WHO... WHO BELIEVE
THERE ARE IMPLICATIONS... TO WHETHER OR NOT
WE BELIEVE OR NOT. BUT THEY'RE SENSITIVE
TO THE FACT THAT... THAT MANY HAVE
A HARD TIME BELIEVING... BELIEVING IN EVIDENCE
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, LET ALONE FOR
THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT
JESUS SAID ABOUT HIM. MART: MANY HAVE PROBABLY
NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT
JESUS SAID ABOUT GOD, BUT MOST HAVE OR HAVE HAD
QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER
GOD EXISTS AT ALL. THE LARGEST OBSTACLE
TO BELIEVING IN GOD
IS OUR SUFFERING. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT. YOU HEAR THAT EVERYWHERE
YOU GO AND IT'S BEEN
THAT WAY FOR CENTURIES. ONE OF THE MAIN
OBJECTIONS THAT... TO GOD'S EXISTENCE THAT I WOULD
RUN INTO WOULD BE THE SUFFERING, THE AMOUNT OF SUFFERING AND PAIN THAT YOU SEE IN THE WORLD, AND THAT IS A VERY GOOD
OBJECTION, HONESTLY. IF HE REALLY IS
THE LORD OF THE WORLD, WHY DO THINGS BREAK AND PEOPLE GET BROKEN IN THE PROCESS? IF GOD EXISTS AND
HE'S PERFECTLY GOOD, THEN HE WOULD WANT TO PREVENT SUFFERING, BUT WE SUFFER. IF GOD EXISTS AND HE WAS
UTTERLY POWERFUL, OMNIPOTENT,
POWERFUL WITHOUT QUALIFICATION, THEN HE COULD PREVENT
OUR SUFFERING. SO HE'S GOOD AND
HE'S ALL-POWERFUL, SO HE HAS THE WILL AS A GOOD
BEING TO PREVENT OUR SUFFERING, AND THE POWER AS AN OMNIPOTENT
BEING TO PREVENT OUR SUFFERING,
SO WHY DO WE SUFFER? WHY DO RAPES HAPPEN? WHY IS
THERE MURDERS GOING ON?
AGAIN, SENSELESS THING. WHY DO WOMEN GET ABUSED
BY MEN AND HE JUST SEEMS
TO TURN AN EYE... EVEN WHEN THEY'RE CRYING
OUT TO HIM, "LORD, HELP ME,"
AND NOTHING HAPPENS. MART: FROM THE CROSS,
EVEN JESUS SEEMED TO ASK... THE KIND OF QUESTION THAT SUFFERING PEOPLE OFTEN ASK. MAYBE GOD DOESN'T EXIST. MAYBE GOD EXISTS
BUT HE'S NOT GOOD, OR MAYBE GOD EXISTS, HE'S GOOD
BUT HE'S NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH
TO DEAL WITH OUR PROBLEMS. THIS IS A MAJOR OBSTACLE
TO BELIEF IN GOD. HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY BELIEVE
GOD IS GOOD AND LOVING... WHEN THAT KIND OF STUFF
HAPPENS, NOT JUST OCCASIONALLY,
BUT ALL THE TIME? AND THE...
THE PERPETRATORS OF THIS
KIND OF EVIL JUST WALK FREE. PEOPLE ARE VERY SKEPTICAL ABOUT
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD TODAY. I MEAN, THEY LIKE TO THINK
OF THEMSELVES AS AGNOSTIC,
THOSE WHO REALLY CAN'T KNOW. IT'S JUST NOT THE KIND OF
QUESTION THAT CAN BE KNOWN. AND SO THEY KIND OF TURN THEIR
BACK ON THE WHOLE QUESTION, THINKING THAT IT'S
A HOPELESS PURSUIT. BUT THERE ARE OTHER
PROBLEMS, AS WELL. FOR EXAMPLE, TODAY IT'S
COMMON TO HEAR PEOPLE SAY
THAT TRUTH IS RELATIVE, YOU KNOW, YOUR TRUTH
IS DIFFERENT THAN MY TRUTH, AND WHAT YOU BELIEVE
MAY BE TRUE FOR YOU BUT
WHAT I BELIEVE IS TRUE FOR ME. I CAN UNDERSTAND
WHY PEOPLE WOULD HAVE
TROUBLES BELIEVING IN GOD. I MYSELF WAS NOT A PERSON WHO
BELIEVED IN THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
UNTIL I WAS IN COLLEGE, AND SO WHEN PEOPLE TELL ME
THEY HAVE TROUBLES WITH
CERTAIN THINGS, ACTUALLY, I REMEMBER BEING THERE MYSELF AND ONE OF THE PROBLEMS
THAT I HAD PERSONALLY... WAS THAT GOD'S NOT
A PHYSICAL PRESENCE WITH ME. I CAN'T JUST SPEAK
FACE TO FACE WITH HIM. I DON'T SEE HIM PHYSICALLY
ON A DAILY BASIS, AND EVERYTHING THAT I WAS
TAUGHT IN MY LIFE WAS FROM
A NATURALISTIC POINT OF VIEW, THAT IF I CAN'T SEE IT, TEST IT,
PUT IT IN A LAB EXPERIMENT, THAT IT WASN'T
SOMETHING I COULD KNOW, AND SO THIS WAS A VERY DIFFICULT
THING FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT PART OF
HOW IT'S DIFFICULT TO... BELIEVE IN A GOD THAT YOU
CAN'T IMMEDIATELY SEE.
THAT'S DIFFICULT, OR EXPERIENCE FROM THE FIVE...
THE FIVE SENSES, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T SMELL HIM,
TASTE HIM, TOUCH HIM,
THOSE SORTS OF THINGS. THERE ARE SOME TODAY
WHO WOULD SAY THAT... CHRISTIANITY IS NOT A CREDIBLE
WORLDVIEW IN WHICH TO BELIEVE, BECAUSE IT CAN'T
BE PROVEN BY SCIENCE, AS THOUGH IF IT'S
NON-SCIENCE IT'S NONSENSE. I THINK THAT SKEPTICISM
IS PART OF IT FOR SOME PEOPLE, BUT SECULARISM IS AN ATTITUDE
THAT GOD, EVEN IF GOD EXISTS,
IS IRRELEVANT TO OUR LIVES. YOU CAN BELIEVE IN GOD
AND BE A SECULARIST IF
IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER, IF GOD JUST SEEMS
COMPLETELY DISTANT. FOR MANY PEOPLE,
THEY DON'T BELIEVE, NOT BECAUSE THE EVIDENCE
IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH, BUT THEY MAY NOT LIKE
THE IMPLICATIONS OF
WHERE THEY'RE GOING. WHAT IF THEY HAVE TO CHANGE
THEIR LIFESTYLE? WHAT IF
THEY NEED A NEW JOB? WHAT IF THEY CAN'T TALK TO THEIR
KIDS THE WAY THEY TALK TO THEM? WHAT IF THEY CAN'T TREAT
THEIR WIVES OR HUSBANDS
THE WAY THEY DO NOW? I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF
IMPLICATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY, AND IT COULD BE BECAUSE I'M NOT READY FOR THE IMPLICATIONS, NOT BECAUSE I CAN'T
EXPLAIN AWAY YOUR EVIDENCE. SO THERE'S A HUNDRED
REASONS WHY PEOPLE DON'T
COME TO CHRIST, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY, REALLY SPECIAL
THAT WE SERVE A GOD WHO
LETS US BELIEVE... FOR GOOD REASONS, BAD REASONS, AND LETS US WALK AWAY, I THINK FOR BAD REASONS,
BUT HE LETS YOU WALK AWAY. MART: WHAT'S INTERESTING
IS THAT EVEN THOUGH
THERE'S BEEN... A MODERN RESURGENCE OF ATHEISM THAT SAYS THERE IS NO GOD, RESEARCH CONTINUES TO SHOW THAT
THE GREAT MAJORITY OF PEOPLE... IN THE UNITED STATES
CONTINUE TO BELIEVE IN GOD. THE GALLUP RESEARCH GROUP
REPORTS THAT... NINE OUT OF TEN CONTINUE
TO SAY THAT THEY DO BELIEVE, AND THIS IS ONLY SLIGHTLY
DOWN SINCE THE 1940S. ANOTHER POLL INDICATES
THAT 72 PERCENT SAY THEY
ARE CERTAIN THERE IS A GOD, 14 PERCENT SAY GOD PROBABLY
EXISTS BUT HAVE A FEW DOUBTS. AND ONLY THREE PERCENT
SAY THAT THEY ARE CERTAIN
THAT GOD DOES NOT EXIST. ONE DIFFICULTY WE HAVE IN
THINKING ABOUT THE QUESTION,
DOES GOD EXIST? IS THE QUESTION,
WELL, WHICH GOD? WHICH GOD ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? AND WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING
ABOUT RELIGION HERE, AND SOMETIMES THE WORD
"GOD" GETS MIXED UP WITH
THE WORD "RELIGION". WHAT RELIGION SHOULD I BE AND
WHAT GOD SHOULD I BELIEVE IN? BUT THE FACT IS THAT THERE
ARE SOME RELIGIONS THAT DENY
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. THEY'RE RELIGIOUS
BUT THEY ARE NOT THEISTIC. THEY DON'T AFFIRM THAT GOD
EXISTS. SOME DO AND SOME DO NOT. SO THAT'S REALLY
A FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION. MART:
INTERESTINGLY, JESUS SAID THAT
TO KNOW HIM WAS TO KNOW GOD. ALTHOUGH JESUS SAID HIS
DESIRE WAS TO REVEAL
WHAT GOD IS LIKE, MANY HAVE DRAWN
THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS. IN 2006 BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
CONDUCTED A RELIGION SURVEY THAT
DESCRIBED AMERICA'S FOUR GODS. THIS SURVEY CONCLUDED THAT
31.4 PERCENT OF AMERICANS... BELIEVE IN AN AUTHORITARIAN,
A STERN, ENFORCER GOD. 23 PERCENT BELIEVE
IN A BENEVOLENT,
A GIVING, LOVING GOD. 16 PERCENT
BELIEVE IN A CRITICAL,
A JUDGMENTAL, SHAMING GOD. 24.4 PERCENT
SEE GOD AS BEING DISTANT,
OUT OF REACH, UNINVOLVED, AND 5.2 PERCENT CALL
THEMSELVES ATHEIST, BELIEVING
THAT GOD SIMPLY DOESN'T EXIST. THE WORLD OF JESUS WAS EVEN
MORE RELIGIOUS THAN OUR OWN, IN THE DAYS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,
EVERYONE SEEMED TO HAVE SOME
KIND OF BELIEF IN GOD, OR GODS. THERE WAS NO SUCH WORLDVIEW
WHICH BASICALLY DENIED
THE EXISTENCE OF "GOD". SO THERE WERE NO ATHEISTS,
LIKE YOU AND I WOULD THINK OF
ATHEISTS TODAY, AT THAT TIME. THEY BELIEVED IN SOME DEITY, BE
IT A PAGAN DEITY OR BELIEVED... BELIEVED IN SOME KIND
OF A FORCE OR RELIGIOUS
PERSPECTIVE THAT SAID... ULTIMATELY THERE IS SOME COHERENCE TO REALITY AND THERE
IS A FORCE BEHIND THIS REALITY. SO THERE WAS NO SUCH THING
CALLED ATHEISM... THAT WAS PRACTICED FROM
A MODERN PERSPECTIVE. WHEN YOU AND I THINK
OF THE WORD ATHEISM, WE THINK OF A PERSON
OR AN INDIVIDUAL DENYING
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, BUT THAT WAS
NOT THE CASE IN THE EARLY
CHURCH MILIEU OR CONTEXT. MART: YET, BY THE TIME JESUS
LEFT THE SCENE, THE THINGS
HE HAD SAID ABOUT GOD... CAUSED HIS FOLLOWERS
TO BE ACCUSED OF BEING
ATHEISTS AND EVEN WORSE. WELL, THE THREE POPULAR CHARGES
THAT WERE LEVELED AGAINST... EARLY FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST WERE
ATHEISM, CANNIBALISM AND INCEST. MART: BECAUSE FOLLOWERS OF JESUS
WOULD NOT BOW TO ANY OTHER GOD, THEY WERE ACCUSED OF ATHEISM. BECAUSE THEY ACCEPTED
A JESUS WHO TOLD THEM TO
EAT BREAD AND DRINK WINE... AS A WAY OF EATING HIS FLESH
AND DRINKING HIS BLOOD, THEY WERE ACCUSED
OF CANNIBALISM. AND BECAUSE THEY SPOKE
OF LOVING ONE ANOTHER
AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THEY WERE ACCUSED OF INCEST. THE CHARGE OF ATHEISM THAT
WAS LEVELED AGAINST THE EARLY
FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST... WAS A CHARGE THAT BASICALLY
SAID THAT THESE INDIVIDUALS... DID NOT PRACTICE THE RITUALS
OF THE ROMAN PAGAN RELIGION. NOW, ATHEISM WAS NOT
THAT THEY DID NOT BELIEVE
IN THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. IT IS THAT THEY DID NOT PRACTICE
THE RITUALS, SO IRRESPECTIVE OF
THE WORLDVIEW YOU HELD TO, THE RELIGIOUS WORLD...
WORLDVIEW OR FAITH YOU HELD TO, IF YOU DID NOT PRACTICE
THE RITUALS THAT PERTAINED
TO THAT FAITH, YOU WERE LABELED AS AN ATHEIST. SO WHEN YOU AND I THINK
OF THE WORD ATHEIST...
ATHEIST OR ATHEISM, WE BASICALLY THINK OF A PERSON
WHO DENIES THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, AND SO THAT'S NOT
WHAT ATHEISM MEANT IN
THE EARLY CHURCH CONTEXT. NO OTHER PLACE IN THE WORLD
IS AS CLOSELY LINKED TO
BELIEF IN ONE GOD... AS THE CITY OF JERUSALEM. HERE JEWISH, CHRISTIAN,
AND MUSLIM PEOPLE... AGREE THAT REAL SPIRITUALITY
IS ROOTED IN ONE GOD,
RATHER THAN MANY, BUT WHAT THEY DISAGREE ABOUT
IS WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT GOD. WHERE WE SEE THE REAL
CLASH BETWEEN JESUS AND
HIS JEWISH CULTURE... IS IN WHAT HE SAID, NOT ONLY
ABOUT GOD, BUT IN THE WAY HE
IDENTIFIED HIMSELF WITH GOD. AT THIS POINT WE'RE TOLD THAT
THE JEWISH RELIGIOUS LEADERS PICKED UP STONES TO KILL JESUS. WHEN JESUS ASKED THEM
WHY THEY WANTED TO KILL HIM, THEY SAID IT WAS BECAUSE,
AS A MAN, HE WAS CLAIMING
EQUALITY WITH GOD. THE UNIQUE FEATURE OF
JUDAISM IN THE WORLD OF
JESUS, AT THE TIME OF JESUS, WAS THAT IT WAS MONOTHEISTIC. THERE WAS A BELIEF IN ONE GOD. IN THE SURROUNDING CULTURES
OF THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD, THEY
WERE PREDOMINATELY POLYTHEISTIC. THEY BELIEVED IN MANY
DEITIES, MANY GODS. NOT ALL OF THEM WERE GOOD GODS. THERE WERE GOOD GODS AND BAD
GODS AND OFTENTIMES THEY WERE
FIGHTING AGAINST EACH OTHER. BUT THE... THE REAL UNIQUE
FEATURE OF JUDAISM WAS THAT
THEY BELIEVED IN ONE GOD, A GOOD GOD. AS JESUS CAME INTO THAT WORLD,
THAT WAS HIS UNDERSTANDING
OF WHO GOD WAS ALL ABOUT. IT IS ONE GOD. "BEHOLD,
THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE GOD," AND JESUS GREW UP
IN THAT SETTING. VERY SOON JESUS NOT ONLY
RETAINED THE UNDERSTANDING
IN JUDAISM OF MONOTHEISM, BUT HE... HE THREW A VERY
INTERESTING CURVE ON THAT, WHERE HE NOW BEGAN TO SPEAK
TO THE FATHER AS HIS ONLY SON. IS THAT NOW TURNING
TO POLYTHEISM? NO. WHAT JESUS WAS DOING WAS
LETTING US HAVE A DEEPER INSIGHT
INTO THE VERY NATURE OF GOD, THAT THERE IS ONE GOD,
ONE ESSENCE OF GOD, BUT GOD IS IN THREE
PERSONAL DISTINCTIONS, THAT HE IS GOD THE SON IN
RELATIONSHIP TO GOD THE FATHER. NOW, THAT IS A MIND-BOGGLING
CONCEPT AND FOR ME THAT PROBABLY
IS ONE OF THE MOST... DIFFICULT PARADIGM
SHIFTS IN HUMAN HISTORY, FOR GOOD JEWISH BELIEVERS
WHO WERE MONOTHEISTS NOW
TO TRY TO WRESTLE WITH... UNDERSTANDING THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD
THE FATHER AND GOD THE SON. THERE WERE PERSONAL
DISTINCTIONS BUT THEY
WERE OF THE SAME ESSENCE. IN HIS GIVING THE GREAT
COMMISSION JUST PRIOR TO HIM
ASCENDING BACK TO THE FATHER, JESUS GIVES A GREAT COMMISSION
TO HIS DISCIPLES TO MAKE
DISCIPLES OF ALL THE NATIONS, AND THEN TO HAVE THEM BAPTIZED
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER,
SON AND HOLY SPIRIT. WHOA! NOW WE NOT ONLY HAVE TWO
PERSONAL DISTINCTIONS IN THE
GODHEAD, BUT WE HAVE THREE. THAT IS A PROFOUND
UNDERSTANDING OF WHO GOD IS, AND IT HELPS US TO
UNDERSTAND THE NATURE
OF THE RELATIONSHIP... BETWEEN JESUS AND HIS
FATHER AND THE MISSION THAT
THE FATHER SENT HIM TO DO. IF WE BELIEVE THAT GOD EXISTS
AND THAT GOD HAS EXISTED FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME, IS THE CREATOR
OF TIME AND SPACE, CREATOR OF OUR OWN EXISTENCE AND CREATED US WITH CONSCIENCE AND
SOUL AND ALL OF THESE THINGS, MORAL SENSIBILITIES, THEN IT
SEEMS LIKE A GOD LIKE THAT WOULD
NOT WANT TO LEAVE US IN DESPAIR, WOULD NOT WANT TO
LEAVE US IN THE DARK, WOULD NOT WANT TO
ABANDON OR LEAVE US ALONE
ON A SEA OF NOTHINGNESS... AS COSMIC ORPHANS,
AS SARTRE SAID. THIS ISN'T WHAT HE WOULD WANT. SO WHAT WOULD HE WANT? HE WOULD WANT
TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.
HE WOULD WANT TO RESCUE US. WELL, THAT'S WHAT ANY
LEGITIMATE FAITH SHOULD EXPLAIN:
HOW GOD HAS DONE PRECISELY THAT. NOW, SUPPOSE YOU HEAR THAT
THIS IS HOW GOD HAS DONE THIS
FOR US THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. HOW WOULD YOU KNOW THAT IT
WAS TRUE WHEN THERE WERE OTHER
VIEWS ABOUT HOW GOD DID THIS? WELL, YOU'VE GOT
TWO CHOICES AT THIS POINT. ONE IS JUST COME OUT AND SAY,
"I'M IT, YOU KNOW, BELIEVE IN... BELIEVE IN ME," AND IN THE GOSPEL OF
JOHN WE GET SOME OF THAT. ACTUALLY, IN MOST OF
THE MATERIAL THAT WE HAVE IN
THE BIBLE, WE DON'T GET THAT, WHICH IS A LITTLE
KIND OF SURPRISING. WHAT WE GET IS
THE EVIDENCE OF GOD'S CARE,
THE EVIDENCE OF GOD'S LOVE, OR SAYING THINGS LIKE, "I HAVE
THE AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SINS, "BECAUSE I'M GONNA
SHOW YOU BY SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T NORMALLY HAPPEN... "THAT I HAVE THE AUTHORITY
TO FORGIVE SINS." SO HE MAKES A PARALYTIC
WHO CAN'T WALK, HE GIVES
HIM THE ABILITY TO WALK. HE SAYS, "THAT YOU MIGHT
KNOW THAT THE SON OF MAN... "HAS AUTHORITY ON LIFE
TO FORGIVE SINS, I SAY
TO YOU GET UP AND WALK." AND WHEN THE PARALYTIC WALKS,
HIS WALK TALKS... AND SAYS THE SON OF MAN HAS AUTHORITY TO FORGIVE SINS. HE TAKES SOMETHING YOU
CAN'T SEE AND SHOWS IT BY
SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN. AND LIKEWISE,
I THINK IN THINKING
ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, AND JESUS' CLAIMS
WITH REFERENCE TO GOD, HE TAKES
SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN'T SEE... I MEAN, SOMEONE DOESN'T
SHOW UP AND SAY, "I'M GOD." YOU KNOW, HE... HE TAKES SOMETHING YOU CAN'T... BUT HE DEMONSTRATES AUTHORITY
AND THE CAPABILITY OF
DOING THINGS... THAT YOU ASSOCIATE WITH GOD,
SO YOU SAY, "GOD MUST
BE IN OUR MIDST." THAT'S THE WAY HE DID IT,
NOT THROUGH PHILOSOPHY, NOT THROUGH LOGICAL ARGUMENT, THROUGH DEMONSTRATION. JESUS SAW HIS ROLE NOT TO
PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, BUT RATHER TO REVEAL WHO GOD IS. HE SAID, "NO ONE HAS SEEN
THE FATHER EXCEPT THE SON," AND SO AS A RESULT OF THAT
HE SAID, "IF YOU SEE ME,
YOU HAVE SEEN THE FATHER." WE ASK HOW JESUS POINTED
AT THE EXISTENCE OF GOD, IN A VERY REAL SENSE
HE POINTED TO HIMSELF... AS BEING THE IMAGE
OR THE REFLECTION OF GOD. THE ONE WHO SEES THE SON
SEES THE FATHER. IF SOMEONE WANTS TO
KNOW WHO THE FATHER IS,
HE CAN LOOK TO THE SON. SO IN THIS RELATIONSHIP,
JESUS PORTRAYS HIMSELF AS KIND
OF THE VISIBLE AUDIOVISUAL... IMAGE OF WHO GOD IS AND IN THAT
WAY POINTS TO GOD'S EXISTENCE. THEIR RELATIONSHIP
WAS SO CLOSE AND SO TIGHT AND
SO REFLECTIVE OF ONE ANOTHER, YOU KNOW,
EVEN THOUGH HUMAN BEINGS ARE
MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, PUT A LITTLE "I" ON THAT. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT JESUS,
HE'S MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD. MAKE THAT A CAPITAL "I". MART: SO WHILE THERE ARE MANY
REASONS TO AVOID THINKING ABOUT
WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT GOD, NO ONE HAS EVER GIVEN
US MORE REASON TO DO SO. AS IN THE FIRST CENTURY
WHERE THERE WERE LOTS OF
DIFFERENT MASTERS... IN THE WORLD OF JUDAISM AND
THE WIDER GRECO-ROMAN WORLD, ONE FINALLY HAD TO MAKE
A DETERMINATION AS TO WHICH ONE
IS THE RIGHT ONE, THE GOOD ONE. WHEN JESUS CAME ON THE SCENE,
HE DID NOT OFFER HIMSELF
AS JUST ANOTHER OPTION. HE SAID, "YOU ARE EITHER WITH
ME OR YOU ARE AGAINST ME." IT WAS NOT JUST ONE
OF MANY CHOICES. IN OUR DAY WE LIKEWISE HAVE
MANY, MANY CHOICES OF WHERE
WE CAN PLACE OUR ALLEGIANCE, BUT JESUS CALLS US
TO HIMSELF PERSONALLY AND
SAYS, "I'M NOT JUST A RABBI. "I'M NOT JUST
A REVOLUTIONARY LEADER. "I'M NOT JUST A GREAT TEACHER," ALTHOUGH HE IS ALL OF THOSE. HE MAKES A CLAIM THAT IS
VIRTUALLY UNHEARD OF, AND THAT IS THE CLAIM
TO BE SENT BY THE FATHER AS
THE ONE WAY TO KNOW THE FATHER, AND MADE THE CLAIM THAT
HE WAS NOT JUST A PROPHET
OR A PRIEST OR A KING, BUT HE WAS LORD. HE WAS...
HE WAS GOD IN FLESH. THAT'S A RADICAL CLAIM
THAT REALLY DESERVES ALL
OF US TO SIT UP AND SAY, "WHOA, I BETTER AT LEAST
LOOK INTO THIS." AND SO THE DISCUSSION CONTINUES. IS THERE A REAL GOD
WHO MADE US IN HIS OWN IMAGE? OR HAVE WE MADE HIM
IN OUR LIKENESS? INTERESTINGLY, NO OTHER
PLACE IN THE WORLD... REVOLVES AROUND THE QUESTION
OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
QUITE LIKE THE... THE LAND, THE PEOPLE
AND THE STORY OF ISRAEL. AND MORE SPECIFICALLY...
MORE SPECIFICALLY, WE COME
TO THE QUESTION ABOUT JESUS. AS WE'VE HEARD TODAY,
IS THERE EVIDENCE? CAN WE BELIEVE THAT WHEN
JESUS TALKED ABOUT COMING
TO REVEAL THE FATHER, AND TO BE GOD AMONG US,
THAT THAT ENDS UP NOT JUST
BEING A MATTER OF FAITH, BUT A MATTER OF
OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE? THERE'S NO QUESTION
THAT JESUS CHANGED HISTORY. HE CHANGED THE DEBATE ABOUT GOD
BY PUTTING HIMSELF AT THE CENTER
OF THE ARGUMENT, BUT NOT JUST TO ARGUE.
