Reliable Witnesses
I always find it fascinating that people of “reason” lack reason when it comes to something they are against. Through the years, I have heard criticisms that the Bible was being made up and manipulated and, therefore, not trustworthy. The proof often focuses on the differences in the four Gospels, seldom acknowledging their consistencies.
When I encounter these criticisms, I often think: “Well, duh, of course there are differences. They were written by four different people at different times within different contexts to different audiences.” But can they be reliable witnesses?
Recently, I was inspired to conduct an experiment, and my test subjects would be my three siblings, Chipster, Sir Knight, and T.O. I also joined them in this endeavor. The task was to have the four of us write down as much as we could remember about our grandfather, Oscar, who died a little over 30 years ago. I gave no instructions other than recounting what they remember (don’t look things up). I prescribed no format and only gave them one hint as an example. The results were revealing, exciting, and even entertaining.
Just in formatting, there was a narrative, a combo of narrative and bullet lists, and bullet lists only, reflecting our different personalities, backgrounds, and seasons of life. All four witnesses had some common facts, differing recollections, individual memories, and specific details not mentioned by the others. Yet all four painted a consistent picture of the same man we all knew and loved. After decades, Oscar became real again through our memories and descriptions of him, including peculiar mannerisms and habits, gracious personality, speech impediments, and even glimpses of our grandmother, Edith.
It’s been over 30 years. The four witnesses ranged in age from 55 to 63. If people of the future read these recollections, they could also reflect on the life of a man everybody called Oscar, even though his real first name was Joseph (it took him years to discover this himself!). I think we can be considered reliable witnesses.
After nearly 2000 years, the writings of four individuals (two direct eyewitnesses and two sharing the stories of other witnesses) speak to the life, teachings, signs and wonders, crucifixion, and resurrection of a man, a laborer, a rabbi, a friend, a son, and a Savior are still with us today. And those accounts call us to:
- love, not hate,
- embrace, not separate,
- serve, not be served
- humbleness, not arrogance
- selflessness, not selfishness
If there was ever a LIFE worth following, we could rely on these stories handed down to at least 140 generations of people by four reliable witnesses who wrote some 20 to 50 years after that LIFE gave us life. And based on what we have witnessed in the past few decades, especially the last four years, we need that story more than ever!
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34-35
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