Day 50: Jesus is a Proven Historical Figure

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But you,” he asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.” MATTHEW 16:13–17, EMPHASIS MINE

WHEN I LIVED IN Colorado in my thirties, I was an avid backpacker. I loved hiking through the mountains and watching a stand of Aspen trees sway in unison in the wind like a choreographed group of dancers. I enjoyed climbing high above the tree line in midsummer and discovering patches of snow that hadn’t yet melted, like secret, shimmering diamonds. I savored the sound of high-country creeks tumbling over rocks as they carried melted snow down to the valley below. I was amazed by the gorgeous colors of green and pink refracting on silvery trout scales as they darted about in the crystal clear, freezing cold water. I marveled while I watched the sun set behind one of those beautiful Rocky Mountains I’d been exploring, momentarily leaving a rose gold kiss of last light as it descended. But that’s when my ardent love for the great outdoors comes screeching to a halt because I don’t even like sleeping in a tent in the middle of the wilderness!

Instead, I typically get nervous in the pitch-black of late nights in nature. When an owl’s hoots reverberate through the thin mountain air (and the equally thin nylon of a tent), it tends to sound less like an idyllic woodland creature and more like a wild tetradactyl swooping down on its prey. One night, many years ago, my oh-so-patient best friend Judy and I were camped up high in the saddle of Buckskin Pass in the Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness area near Aspen, when I became convinced there was a man-eating monster just outside our tent. Of course, Judy was fast asleep at that point (because she doesn’t have the same unfounded-nocturnal-camping-terror disease that I do), so I nudged her sleeping bag and whispered, “Jude, wake up, there’s someone out there!” It took several more pokes before she finally rolled over and loudly mumbled grumpily that no one was out there. I emphatically gestured for her to keep her voice down because I didn’t want the half-man-half-bear brute who was surely tromping around our campsite just waiting to maul us to hear us. At which point, Judy flipped on her headlamp, unzipped the tent opening, scrambled outside, and said with exasperation, “Lisa, there’s nothing out here!” Which is when we noticed the retreating backside of a marmot (which are basically chunky but harmless ground squirrels!), whose scrounging for food scraps I’d clearly mistaken for a monster with murderous intent.

Far too many folks have been distracted by the scurrying sounds of seemingly fearsome brutes who are intent on disproving the existence of Jesus rather than recognizing the logical and irrefutable truth that He was a historical figure. All it takes is a quick Google search to realize that millions of precious image-bearers are essentially trembling in their tents with the unfounded belief that there’s no such thing as a God who loves them so much that He’d leave His throne in Glory, commune with humanity, and ultimately condescend to death on a cross to save them. However, the anti-Jesus scoffers and skeptics—whose volume seems to be steadily increasing in our modern age—aren’t telling the whole story when they superciliously cite “facts” in their attempt to prove that an incarnate Messiah never existed.

These night dwellers (whose bark is way worse than their bite, mind you) don’t want the world to know about the overwhelming evidence pointing to the legitimacy of Jesus Christ that has been documented not only by the Bible (which we forget is a verifiable historical document on top of being the living Word of God) and Christian historians and archeologists, but also by numerous non-Christian sources! Including but not limited to the following list compiled by my theological superhero, seminary professor, and esteemed scholar, Dr. Craig Blomberg:

A dozen or more references to Jesus appear in non-Christian Jewish, Greek, and Roman sources in the earliest centuries of the Common Era (i.e., from the birth of Jesus onward, as Christianity and Judaism began to overlap chronologically). These references appear in such diverse sources as Josephus (a first-century Jewish historian), several different portions of the Talmud (an encyclopedic collection of rabbinic traditions, finally codified in the fourth through sixth centuries), the Greek writers Lucian of Samosata and Mara bar Serapion, and Roman historians Thallus, Tacitus, Pliny, and Suetonius.48

Dr. Blomberg goes on to qualify this list by explaining that until recent history, ancient historians focused almost exclusively on the exploits of kings and queens, military conquests and defeats, or the elite of any given society. Therefore, the reams of material about this poor Rabbi from a dinky Middle Eastern village (compiled by mostly non-Jewish unbelievers, which means they had zero motivation to record the details of His life or perpetuate His message) is impressive.

Of course, there are piles upon piles of additional historical evidence supporting the reality of our Redeemer, as well as the current testimonies of approximately 2.5 billion believers! Christianity is not an opiate for the weak-minded masses, a figment of our emotive imaginations, or an existential construct for needy people with unfulfilled hopes and dreams, y’all! The great news of the Gospel, and the Savior that stands at the center of it, is truer than true. So may I encourage those of you who’ve secretly wondered if Jesus really is who you’ve heard He is—or isn’t—to pull back your proverbial tent flap, look past those silly posing erudite thinkers, and responsibly consider the concrete proof of the Christ?

• REREAD MATTHEW 16:13–17. How would you answer Jesus’s question?
• HAVE YOU EVER read a book by a respected academic (like Dr. Craig Blomberg or Dr. Tim Keller or Dr. Craig Keener, for example) about the historical reliability of Jesus? If not, will you consider doing so this season?
• WHAT ARE THE loudest questions still lingering in your mind about who Jesus is?