Argument of the Skeptic
Day 148 May 27
Argument of the Skeptic
"But some of them said, Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" John 11:37
John records seven signs in his gospel, each illustrating some particular aspect of Jesus' authority. The seventh and climatic sign was the raising of Lazarus, showing that Jesus had power over death.
Lazarus, the friend of Jesus was sick when word came to the Savior that He was needed. Jesus not only waited until Lazarus was dead, but the body had begun to decay. Upon arriving in Bethany people began to comment on His absence: "If you had been here; he would not have died."1 Of course, implied in such a statement is: "You ought to have been here."
But the argument of the skeptic was different: "Jesus didn't prevent His friend, whom He supposedly loved, from dying. Either Jesus lacked power and thus the healing of the blind man was staged, or Jesus didn't really love Lazarus, in spite of His tears." The Bible is full of this kind of thinking. "You who would destroy the temple and build in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."2 Again, you see clearly the implication, "If you don't come down from the cross, it is because you are not the Son of God."
The skeptic says, "In order for me to believe, God must meet my conditions; I must see to believe." God will meet you more than half way if you truly seek Him with all your heart. But there are not enough miracles in the arsenal of God to convince the skeptic, just as miracles did not convince the skeptics of Jesus' day.
1 John 11:21 2 Matthew 27:40
These are "Thoughts From The Diary Of a Desperate Man" by Walter Henrichsen. They will be posted each day with permission, but will be removed as the new day is posted. If you would like to purchase a copy, please click on this link: https://www.leadershipfoundation.org
Walt is now with the Lord, but had a rich ministry with Christian business men which flowed out of his work with the Navigators. His desire is that we might learn to "think Biblically". "As people of the Book, our objective is to see things as God sees them, as they truly are. How does one accomplish this task? The only way I know is through Scripture. I suggest that the concepts found in these devotions ought to influence how we evaluate our sojourn in Christ. I pray that they will be some small help to you, resulting the the glory of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."