Greatest Hoax or Greatest Miracle?

What is the difference between believing in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and Jesus? The answer of course is that one is real and the other two are not. But how do we know that? How do we know whether something in history happened or not? After all, we were not there. The answer of course is evidence and there is a ton of it that substantiates the claims that Christians make about Jesus. As Resurrection Sunday (Easter) approaches, I will share some of that evidence with you.
Believe it or not, there are some today who claim that Jesus never existed, that he is a mythical figure. This is a position that no serious scholar or ever skeptic can hold. Within 150 years after his death, Jesus was mentioned by at least 42 different sources. That number was probably greater but the 42 are the writings that survived. 9 of those 42 sources were totally non-Christian ones. In comparison, only 5 sources survive that mention Julius Caesar and his military conquests; yet we all believe, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” Jesus definitely lived.
We also know a great deal about his death. All four gospel writers in the New Testament report that he died by crucifixion. However, you don’t need the Bible to know that and many more details about his death. The Roman historian Tacitus wrote in his Annuls that “Jesus suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate.” The Jewish historian Josephus, also not a Christian, wrote in his work Antiquities that Jesus was crucified at the hands of Pilate.
So Jesus lived and died, but who was he? Many believe that he was the long awaited and promised Messiah. One reason for this belief has to do with the prophecies made in the Old Testament that predated him by hundreds of years. Jesus fulfilled hundreds of these prophecies including 61 which are considered the “major ones.” Mathematicians have calculated the probability that any human would fulfill just 8 of them. The result: one chance in one hundred million billion. That is a one with seventeen zeros behind it if you are counting.
Many of the prophecies he had no control over and could not have possibly manipulated. Prophecies like Micah 5:2 which says he would be born in Bethlehem. Isaiah 7:14 that says he would be born of a virgin. Psalm 41:9 says he would be betrayed, Zechariah 11:13 says he would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver. Zechariah 12:10 says his side would be pierced and Isaiah 53 describes crucifixion centuries before it was invented. Indeed, the whole chapter of Isaiah 53 is a prophecy that Jesus alone fulfils.
Next time we will look at some of the abundance of evidence that Jesus indeed rose from the grave. God Blessings be with you!