Why believe what Jesus said?
It's probably happened to you. Some religious nutter walks up to you and starts preaching that you are destined for Hell and God says that you have to repent of your sins and follow Jesus and read the Bible. And on they ramble, before you can get a single word in through the back door. But hang on a second, you're thinking, how do you know that the Bible records what God has said to us? How to you know Jesus was God's Son? How do you know that God even exists? With so many other possible lifestyles and cultures around today, with so many other religions saying that they are the way to get to heaven, and so many other people saying that if you do what they say, you can lead a fulfilling life, is there any reason for anybody to believe what someone said or wrote over two thousand years ago?
If these questions are bothering you, then you have come to the right place. This page aims to set out some of the most convincing reasons why Jesus is someone worth listening to. But we are not trying to brain-wash you or trick you into believing something that doesn't make sense. Although Christians are a people of faith, that faith doesn't have to be blind faith - there is more than enough evidence around to back up Jesus' claims, if you have an open mind to consider it:
The story of Jesus' life was foretold
The Bible is an incredible book to read (no, it is not all full of boring genealogies and commandments). Especially when you read what the ancient prophets said. Prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel and Elijah lived in the days when the great kings of Israel ruled, thousands of years before Jesus was ever born. However, as you read through their books, you make an amazing discovery. These prophets foretold, or prophesied, what Jesus would do when he was alive! Not just vague prophesies that could be fulfilled by every second person you meet on the street, but incredible, unexplainable prophesies. Jesus also made some prophesies about his death and resurrection before they happened!
Below are some of the most incredible prophesies about Jesus (although there are many, many more), and if you have a Bible handy you can check them out for yourself. (Note that the Old Testament prophets often spoke in metaphoric or allegoric language, so that the meaning of their prophesies was only clear when read in the context of the fulfilled events...)
| Prophesy | Foretold | Fulfilled |
|---|---|---|
| Jesus would come riding on a donkey. | Zechariah 9:9 | John 12:14-15 |
| He would be betrayed by a friend. | Psalm 41:9, Matthew 21:18, Matthew 26, 21 |
Matthew 26:46, Luke 22:48 |
| His betrayer would dip his bread with Jesus. | Psalm 41:9 | John 13:18-27, Matthew 26:23 |
| He would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, which would be thrown in the temple of the Lord, and then given to the potter. | Zechariah 11:12-13 | Matthew 27:3-10 |
| He would be despised, rejected, and mocked. | Isaiah 53:3, Psalm 22:6-8, Psalm 69:7 |
Matthew 27:39, Mark 15:29, John 19:15 |
| His followers would desert him. | Zechariah 13:7, Matthew 26:31 |
Matthew 26:56, Mark 14:50 |
| Peter (one of his diciples) would deny knowing him three times, and then a rooster would crow. | John 14:38 | John 18:17,25-27 |
| They would strike Jesus. | Micah 5:1 | Mark 15:19 |
| They would cast lots for his clothing. | Psalm 22:18 | John 19:24, Matthew 27:35 |
| They would give him sour wine to drink. | Psalm 69:21 | John 19:29, Matthew 27:34-48 |
| Not one of his bones would be broken. | Psalm 34:20 | John 19:33-36 |
| He would be pierced. | Isaiah 53:5, Zechariah 12:10 |
John 19:34-37 |
| He would die. | Matthew 20:28, Mark 8:31, John 11:51-52 |
John 19:30 |
| He would be brought back to life in three days time! | Matthew 20:19, Mark 10:33-34, Luke 18:33 |
Matthew 28:1-10, John 20:19-31 |
| Jerusalem would be destroyed. | Matthew 24:3 | (This happened in 68-70 AD.) |
We could go on, but the above prophecies are more than enough to make our point. Something incredible is going on. Imagine you purchase lottery tickets, not just for the upcoming draw, but for every draw of the year. One by one, as the lotteries are drawn, you consistently win the prize! By the time you get to the final draw, you are no longer even surprised to win it, because it happens every time! Now, I know you don't need me to tell you that I made up that story. Why? Because it is impossible. It cannot happen in this world - the chances of that happenning are so small that they might as well not exist. And the unescapable fact is that by fulfilling all the above prophesies and more, Jesus has done a feat even more impossible than our imagionary lotto scenario. If you want to look at prophecies about Jesus in more detail, then visit this site.
The explanation? I can only think of one that works - God told the prophets what was going to happen in the future! And since Jesus is God in human form, it was no trouble for him to also make a few prophecies! The only other possibility people have suggested is that the whole Bible was written up in hindsight, as a kind of hoax - but that option isn't even remotely possible. Historians and linguists who critically analyse the Bible all come to the unanimous conclusion that it was written by many different authors in different languages, each written in a unique style, and dated thousands of years apart. Thousands of manuscripts have been discovered, which can be compared to each other to verify their accuracy. In Jesus' day, the Old Testament was recognised as a genuine collection of ancient Jewish writings. See more about the reliability of the Bible.
Jesus' message was unique
If you have ever read the Bible, you probably think it is pretty radical. It is certianly not what you or I would write if we were given a pen and told to write a book about God's plan for humanity. Yet, somehow, the message that Jesus brought (later compiled into what we know as the Bible) convinced thousands of people to follow him him while he was alive, and many more after he returned to Heaven.
Many people believed in Jesus' message, some of them enough to leave their family, friends, and possessions to follow him. All but one of his disciples died for the sake of his message, in pretty horrible ways. Paul, one of Jesus' most dangerous opponnents, became one of his his most devoted followers (read it in Acts chapter 9). There must be something special about the message that Jesus brought for it to attract such loyal followers. Certainly, it couldn't have been a huge conspiracy, a fairy-tale constructed by a group of crafty religious fanatics - because who would die for something they know is a lie? Granted, this argument by itself does not prove Jesus' message was true, but it certainly proves that those who followed him were sincere enough to risk their lives for him.
More can be said about Jesus' message. Many people get the impression that the New Testament (the bit written after Jesus came) often contradicts the Old Testament (written by kings and prophets long before Jesus lived). It is true that Jesus did introduce a lot of new concepts, which angered the Pharisees (the religious leaders of the time) enough to provoke them to kill him. However, Jesus' message did not replace the Old Testament teachings, but rather revealed the full meaning and purpose of them, which before was only partially understood. The Old Testament teachings were like a shadow of what was to come later with Jesus. Unfortunately, many people in Jesus' time thought that he had come to undermine the Old Testament, when he was really fulfilling it.
It is interesting that even after more than two millenia, the Bible is still not outdated. Much of what the Bible says is still relevant today, and its advice could solve many of the problems we see in the world. The Bible tells us to respect our parents and love our children, it tells husbands and wives to love each other. I don't see that happenning much in families today. It tells us to stop ruining our lives on alcohol, it tells us to be honest with each other, it tells us to look after the environment, and it warns of the unhappiness of chasing after money. Can you truthfully say that the world would not be far better if people followed advice like this? And the Bible also contains the solution to the rejection and worthlessness that so many people feel today. How did the authors of the Bible know the problems we would be facing today?
Jesus rose from the dead
Want to give your family and friends a bit of a scare? Try coming back to life after you've already died and been buried. That is what Jesus did, according to the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in the Bible.
It is clear from these accounts that Jesus was already dead when he was taken down from the cross (John 19:33). He was put in an empty tomb, and not only was a huge stone rolled infront of the entrance, but it was guarded at all hours by Roman soldiers (Matthew 27:62-64). But incredibly, when Jesus' followers came several days later, the stone and the soldiers were gone, and the tomb was empty! Jesus then appeared to his followers a number of times before ascending to heaven! (John 20-21). For a more complete proof that Jesus really did rise from the dead, see The Five Proofs of the Resurrection.
If Jesus really passed beyond the grave and back again, then he is certainly in a better position than any other man alive to know what comes after death. If fact, while he was here, Jesus said that the whole reason for his coming was to give his own life in order to save us (ie: get us to Heaven). Think of it like this. Imagine you are in the dentists room, and you queue up behind several other people, all waiting for your appointments. One by one the patients go into the dentist's room, but none of them ever come out again. Would it be any comfort if the person infront of you assured you that nothing suspicious was going on? I doubt it! Imagine your relief when one of the people goes into the dentist's room and then comes back out again! You would be anxious to ask him what was on the other side of the dentist's door. It is like that with Jesus. He came back from the dead - so he can be trusted to know what lies beyond death!
Interested in Jesus?
Jesus claimed that "I am the way, the truth, and the life", and that "no one can come to the Father but through me". Either Jesus was a deluded lunatic, or a liar of the highest order, or he was telling the truth. If you want to learn more about Jesus, then find out who he was and why he died.
If you are still not sure about whether to trust Jesus and the Bible, then you might like to a browse few of the links below, which present the above arguments and more in greater detail. I sincerely hope you find the answer to your questions.