1 John 1:1

We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.

Most of the letters in the New Testament start with a greeting in which the author identifies himself. The only exceptions to this are the letter to the Hebrews and this first letter of John’s. It seems to me that John was so eager to share his message that he didn’t have time for such pleasantries! He wanted everyone to know that Jesus really was the Son of God and that he came and lived a fully human life here on earth. John wrote this letter towards the end of the first century AD, which was about two generations after the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Some people had come up with the theory that Jesus wasn’t really human at all – he merely appeared to be human. John would have none of it. He knew for certain that Jesus really did come to this earth because he had seen him with his own eyes and even touched him.

Through the centuries, there has been continuous debate about whether Jesus really was a historical figure. The evidence for Jesus is incredibly strong. We not only have the four Gospels, the earliest of which was probably written within 30 years of Jesus’ ministry, but we also have the letters of the apostle Paul, which were written even earlier. Of course, all these writers were followers of Jesus, so it is important to also look for evidence of Christ’s life from non-Christian sources. Most notable of them was Flavius Josephus, who was a Jew and wrote a history of Judaism in around 93 AD. He made two references to Jesus. About 20 years later, two Roman politicians called Pliny and Tacitus wrote about Jesus. Tacitus recorded that Jesus was executed while Pontius Pilate was the Roman prefect in charge of Judaea, and Tiberius was emperor, both of which we know to be historically accurate. Pliny records that when he was governor in northern Turkey, Christians worshipped Christ as a god. Neither of them liked Christians – Pliny writes of their “pig-headed obstinacy” and Tacitus calls their religion a destructive superstition.

The fact that Jesus was a real man was desperately important for John, and it still is today. Our salvation depends upon it.

Question

What encouragement do you draw from the fact that Jesus was a real historical figure?

Prayer

Loving God, thank you that because of your love for us you sent Jesus Christ to our world. Amen