IS JESUS FAKE NEWS?
Why is this question so important? Because, unlike any other religion, Christianity is tied to a person- Jesus Christ. For all other religions, the prophets and deities had roles to play and teachings to give. In the Christian faith alone, the act of becoming a disciple is intrinsically linked to the establishment of a personal relationship with Christ. And so you could be born into a Christian family and not be Christian, yet you could be a true Christian despite growing up a Hindu. Christianity is different from other religions in the sense that it is not fulfilled by following certain laws or gaining a special knowledge or making sacrifices. True, all these can characterize a Christian’s life, but the cardinal essence of the Christian faith is recognizing the equally fully human and fully divine Jesus Christ, as the one and only Savior of mankind. Hence it is important to analyze if Jesus is indeed the truth.
Truth has become indistinct from fiction these days. With lies being repeated till they are accepted as the norm and with media and big tech distorting news as they please, it requires enquiry to assess the truth. Is Jesus and his message real? In my opinion there are three different questions to ask and test the validity of Christ.
- Was Jesus a real historical figure?
The primary account of Jesus’ life, his death and resurrection are found in the New Testament (NT) of the Bible. And the reliability of the NT as a historical document is a well-accepted fact among secular historians. In fact the manuscript evidence to attest to the authenticity of the NT far exceeds any other ancient document. If man can believe in the story of Caesar (and Cleopatra and the Roman empire and so on), there are several hundred more reasons to believe in the story of the NT. His death was witnessed and so was the empty tomb. Jesus also appeared to more than 500 witnesses after the resurrection, many of who became the torch-bearers of the gospel, giving their life for what they knew was true and not a concocted story.
2. Does he satisfy man’s deepest questions?
Man’s deepest questions are threefold and Christ provides the answers to all three in his personhood like no other. First, we wish to know where we came from. Jesus as the Son of God, being fully divine, existed from the beginning of all creation and declares that we all were created by him and for him. Second, we want to know where we will go after our death. Jesus not only offers resurrection after death to those who believe, but demonstrated his victory over death by himself resurrecting after his crucifixion, becoming the forerunner for all his disciples. Last, we wish to find answers for our life experiences on earth including the need for love and a valid reason for suffering on earth. In Christ not only do we find these answers but also find one who came down to earth and identified with mankind becoming one among us. Search through religions and history- there is none like him who was fully divine, became fully human like us and rose from the death to personally become the answer to man’s deepest questions.
3. What is his visible influence?
Strong lies can temporarily influence cultures and nations, but only the truth can make a lasting impact. No other figure has made an impact for good through generations like Jesus has. No one else comes even close. There may be examples of those who claim to be Christians but are not and have misused his name for evil. But without question, those who have experienced him personally in their lives have changed for good and created good around them for the last 2000 years.
If you seeking for the truth and come across Jesus, rest assured, he is as real as it gets.
