DID YOU EVER WONDER WHY YAHSHUA (JESUS) DID NOT WRITE HIS OWN BOOK?
WHY DO WE HAVE MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE AND JOHN AS THE 4 GOSPELS – BUT NO GOSPEL ACCORDING TO (YAHSHUA) JESUS?
I MEAN HE COULD HAVE SAT DOWN AND WRITTEN OUT HIS MESSAGE - GOT IT ABSOLUTELY RIGHT AND THEN WE WOULDN'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS – RIGHT?
AND HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED HOW LITTLE JESUS HAD TO SAY? HE WAS A MAN OF FEW WORDS FOR THE MOST PART – HOWEVER THERE WERE TIMES WHEN HE WOULD WAX ELOQUENT FOR LONGER PERIODS.
LET’S GO BACK TO MY EARLIER QUESTION – WHY DIDN’T JESUS WRITE HIS OWN BOOK?
IMAGINE FOR A MOMENT THAT YOU’RE SITTING ON A JURY – AND AN ATTORNEY HAS PUT A MAN ON THE WITNESS STAND TO TELL YOU HIS STORY.
HE ASKS THE MAN, “NOW WOULD YOU PLEASE TELL THE MEMBERS OF THE JURY, WHERE YOU WERE AND WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT 10 O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING ON JUNE THE 30TH?”
AND THE MAN—TELLS YOU HIS STORY—HE SEEMS HONEST—HIS STORY IS REASONABLE. BUT YOU HAVE ACTUALLY NO FRAME OR REFERENCE TO KNOW WHETHER HE IS TELLING YOU THE TRUTH OR NOT.
THE PROBLEM IS—HIS STORY IS RATHER SELF SERVING. HE HAS EVERY REASON TO TELL YOU HIS STORY THIS WAY. SO—ALTHOUGH YOU MAY WANT TO BELIEVE HIM—YOU REALLY HAVE NO WAY TO KNOW FOR SURE.
NOW SUPPOSE THAT INSTEAD OF THAT—THE ATTORNEY HAD PUT A SUCCESSION OF 4 WITNESSES ON THE STAND—ALL OF THEM TELL YOU ROUGHLY THE SAME THING ABOUT WHAT THE MAN WAS DOING AT 10 O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING ON JUNE 30TH—BECAUSE THEY SAW HIM—DOING IT.
WHICH OF THESE ARE YOU MORE LIKELY TO BELIEVE? WELL, YOU’RE FAR MORE LIKELY TO BELIEVE THE WITNESSES. YOU’VE GOT 4 OF THEM WHO TELL YOU WHAT HE WAS DOING—WHERE HE WAS STANDING AT THAT HOUR—AND WHAT HIS ACTIONS WERE.
SO CONSEQUENTLY--YOU CAN HAVE SOME REASONABLE ASSURANCE THAT IS ACTUALLY WHAT TOOK PLACE.
NOW JESUS HIMSELF SAID THIS—AND HE SAID IT IN JOHN 5:30
John 5:30 I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me.
John 5:31 “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.
ISN’T THAT INTERESTING?—JESUS SAID, “IF I BEAR WITNESS OF MYSELF—MY WITNESS IS NOT TRUE”
NOW—HE DID’NT MEAN THAT IF HE BORE WITNESS OF HIMSELF—THAT HE WOULD BE LYING—WHAT HE MEANT WAS THAT IF HE BORE WITNESS OF HIMSELF (EVEN THOUGH IT WAS TRUE)—IT WOULD NOT IN A LEGAL SENSE ESTABLISH THE TRUTH.
IN OTHER WORDS—YOU CANNOT ESTABLISH THE TRUTH BY BEARING WITNESS ABOUT YOURSELF—YOU HAVE TO HAVE INDEPENDENT WITNESSES.
THE REASON THAT JESUS DID NOT WRITE HIS OWN BOOK—WAS BECAUSE IF HE HAD WRITTEN HIS OWN BOOK—HE WOULD HAVE BEEN BEARING WITNESS OF HIMSELF—AND THE BOOK WOULD HAVE HAD NO STANDING AS REAL EVIDENCE.
NOW THERE’S A REVEALING INCIDENT IN THE BOOK OF ACTS THAT I THINK UNDERLINES THIS—IN ACTS 1:15.
THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST ITEMS OF BUSINESS THE APOSTLES HAD TO CONDUCT—AFTER THE ASCENCION OF JESUS—AFTER HE HAD RETURNED TO HEAVEN—AND WHILE THEY WERE WAITING IN JERUSALEM—FOR THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
IN ACTS 1:15 IT SAYS,
Act 1:15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said,
Act 1:16 “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus;
Act 1:17 for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry."
Act 1:21 “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
(SO IT’S GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO JESUS BAPTISM—AND FROM THE TIME THAT HE CALLED THE DISCIPLES—AND THEN WAS CARRYING ON HIS MINISTRY FOR 3 ½ YEARS.
AMONG THOSE MEN THAT HAD BEEN WITH US—ALL THAT TIME VERSE 22
Act 1:22 beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection."
THAT’S INTERESTING. IT SEEMS THERE HAD TO BE 12—NOT 11—NOT 13—BUT 12—SPECIFIC—WITNESSES OF JESUS RESURRECTION. AND NOT ONLY OF THE RESURRECTION—BECAUSE THEY WANTED THEM ALL THE WAY FROM JESUS BAPTISM FORWARD—AND WANTED A COMPLETE RECORD OF JESUS MINISTRY. FROM 12 WITNESSES—PEOPLE WHO SAW IT.
NOW THE IDEA OF WITNESSES AND TESTIMONY—IS A POWERFUL AND RECURRING THEME IN THE BIBLE—YOU RUN INTO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
AND THE IDEA IS EXPRESSED IN NUM 35:30.
Num 35:30 whoever kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness is not sufficient testimony against a person for the death penalty.
NOW THAT’S PRETTY EASY TO SEE WHY THAT IS SO. BECAUSE THE ONE WITNESS COULD HAVE BEEN THE KILLER HIMSELF—AND THEN HE TESTIFIES AGAINST MR “A” OVERTHERE THAT HE KILLED THE FELLOW—AND THAT WOULD NOT BE JUSTICE.
NOTICE DEUTERONOMY 17:6
Deu 17:6 whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness.
THERE IS VERY GREAT DOUBT, FRANKLY, ON SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE CONVICTED ON CIRCUMSTANCIAL EVIDENCE—AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THEY WOULD BE PUT TO DEATH UNDER THE ISRAELITE SYSTEM. BECAUSE IF THEY DO NOT HAVE MORE THAN ONE WITNESS—THEY CAN’T PUT HIM TO DEATH.
THE IDEA OF WITNESSES AND TESTIMONY CONTINUES IN DEUTERONOMY 5:20
Deu 5:20 ‘You shall not bear FALSE WITNESS against your neighbor.
NOTICE THE IMPORTANCE THAT GOD MAKES OF WITNESSES—IT IS ONE OF THE 10 COMMANDMENTS! AND NOTICE THE IMPORTANCE HE PLACES OF NOT BEING A FALSE WITNESS.
NOTICE MATTHEW 18:15
NOW THIS SAME THEME IS FOUND IN THE NEW TESTATMENT—BECAUSE JESUS WHEN TALKING TO HIS DISCIPLES ABOUT PROBLEMS BETWEEN BROTHER AND BROTHER IN THE CHURCH—SAID THIS IN MATTHEW 18:15:
Mat 18:15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
Mat 18:16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY WORD MAY BE ESTABLISHED.'
SO ONE PERSON’S WORD IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH—YOU NEED WITNESSES—AND YOU NEED TWO OR THREE.
ALSO NOTICE 2 CORINTHIANS 13:1
PAUL IN REFERENCE TO ONE OF THE CONFLICTS GOING ON AMONG THE CHURCH IN CORINTH SAID THIS:
2Co 13:1 This will be the third time I am coming to you. "BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY WORD SHALL BE ESTABLISHED."
NOW COMING BACK TO OUR SUBJECT AT HAND—WHY DID JESUS JUST NOT WRITE HIS OWN BOOK?
HE DID NOT WRITE HIS OWN BOOK BECAUSE HE INTENDED THAT EVERY WORD BE ESTABLISHED—BY 2 OR 3 WITNESSES.
SO WE HAVE IN THE NEW TESTATMENT—THE 4 GOSPEL ACCOUNTS. THERE ARE 2 OR 3 EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS—AND ONE HISTORICAL ACCOUNT BY A CONTEMPORARY WHOSE NAME WAS LUKE—THE PHYSICIAN.
HE WAS IN A WAY—AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER—WHO WHILE ALL THE PEOPLE WERE STILL ALIVE WHO HAD EXPERIENCED THESE THINGS—WENT OUT AND GATHERED INFORMATION—AND WROTE UP HIS ACCOUNT.
THIS IS THE PECULIAR GENIUS OF THE BIBLE—IN THAT IT IS IN THE ACCOUNT OF WITNESSES OF THE THINGS THAT TOOK PLACE.