(As seen in John’s Gospel)
When Nicodemus came to the Lord Jesus by night he explained the reason for his visit: “we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him” (Jn 3.2). The other Gospels generally describe the miracles as “mighty works”, but John uses a word that is usually translated “signs”. Evidently Nicodemus had heard of, or seen, the wonderful works that the Lord Jesus had done, and had recognised in them signs that God was behind them. The Lord Jesus Himself indicated to the Jews that the works He did were evidence of who He was: “the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me” (5.36). In the upper room, the Lord identified His works as reasons for the disciples to believe: “believe me for the very works’ sake” (14.11).
Faith and the Senses
Another criticism levelled by sceptics against those of us who are believers is that faith is all in our minds, that it resists the hard evidence of reality – what we know through our senses. It is significant that John writes his Gospel as the record of an eyewitness. The events and discourses that he writes about are things that he saw and heard himself – with his own eyes and his own ears. This is what he meant when he wrote “and he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe” (19.35), and “this is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things” (21.24).
This explains why John omits many things from his Gospel. For example, the record of events at the cross is surprisingly brief. This may be because John left the cross to take the Lord’s mother to a place he had in Jerusalem (19.27), and returned only to witness the closing scene (19.28-30).
In light of the fact that John was a witness of these events, it is interesting to note how his Gospel refers to the role of the senses. The signs that the Lord performed could be subjected to investigation – they were neither prestidigitation* nor imagination.
Taste: At Cana of Galilee the Lord instructed the servants to “draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast” (2.8). When they did that the ruler of the feast “tasted the water that was made wine” (2.9). It was neither a convincing story nor wishful thinking, but tasting, that persuaded the ruler that it was “good wine” (2.10), and thus “his disciples believed on him” (2.11).
Hearing: After the Samaritan woman met the Lord Jesus she told the men of the city. When they came out to meet him, their response was “now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves” (4.42). For these men, it was not someone else’s report, but the evidence of their own ears, that persuaded them that “this is indeed the Christ.”
Smell: At the grave of Lazarus the Lord Jesus gave the command to take away the stone (11.39), only to be met with the objection “Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.” Yet, when the grave was opened, there was no smell of death as Lazarus was called forth, “that they may believe” (11.42).
Sight: The raising of Lazarus was well attested. John wrote that “many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother” (11.19). They knew that “he had lain in the grave four days” (11.17), and at the grave Jesus referred to “the people which stand by” (11.42). Therefore, it is of particular note that John records that “many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him” (11.45).
Touch: When the disciples met Thomas following the resurrection he appeared unconvinced, and set a test for his faith. When the Lord Jesus again appeared He invited him to “reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing” (20.27). We don’t know whether Thomas acted upon those words, but the evidence was available to touch and to feel.
John does not rely on the gullibility of people, or on their susceptibility to tales of the miraculous. He shows that their faith was the sensible response of people who were properly in touch with the reality of what was going on around them.
Faith and the Sepulchre
There is no evidence whatever that the disciples who “forsook him, and fled” (Mt 26.56) had the ‘inner strength’ to quickly regain their composure to carry on the work of bold fearless evangelism recorded in Acts. John himself records that Peter was sufficiently fearful to three times deny his links with the Lord Jesus (Jn 18. 17, 25, 27). He goes on to record that on the first day of the week “the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews” (20.19). Not only were these men fearful, but among their number was at least one sceptic.
What made the change in these men? What transformed this group of disappointed and dejected men into believers? It was the evidence of the resurrection that inflamed their faith. John is careful to catalogue how this change took place. Matthew and Mark use a little over 400 words to record events following the resurrection; Luke uses around 1,000; but John extends to almost 1,450. His aim is to detail the impact of the resurrection on the disciples and, in chapter 20, he underscores the point about ‘believing’ seven times (vv 8, 25, 27, 29, 31). The crucifixion had a dramatic effect upon the disciples, but the resurrection had a far greater impact.
John’s record begins with the report of Mary Magdalene: “they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre” (20.2). On arrival at the sepulchre, John would have seen what Mary had seen: “the stone taken away from the sepulchre” (v 1). Without going into the sepulchre, John stooped and “looking in, saw the linen clothes lying” (v 6). None of these three events prompted John to believe – neither hearing about it, looking towards, nor looking into, the dark sepulchre. It was only when he “went in” (v 8), and had seen “the linen clothes lie” (v 6) “and the napkin, that was about his head ... wrapped together in a place by itself” (v 7) that he “believed” (v 8). John is not presenting a theory that was devised behind closed doors, but a fact that was attested to by his experience of the evidence in the empty sepulchre.
Dead men don’t rise. Confronted with this startling fact, what else could they do but believe? The empty sepulchre is the sound bedrock for faith. As Paul wrote, “if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ... but now is Christ risen from the dead” (1 Cor 15.17, 20). Our faith does “not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (2.5). It is well founded on fact.
Conclusion
The faith that sceptics deride is a straw man. It is not the faith of the apostles, and it is not the faith of the Bible. The faith that John writes about “that ye might believe” is a faith based on evidences that were attested to by the Scriptures, the Signs, the Senses and the Sepulchre. It is little wonder that, later in his life, the apostle Peter made clear that “we have not followed cunningly devised fables” (2 Pet 1.16), and emphasised the fact that the apostles were “eyewitnesses”. Faith is not blind, nor is it ‘hope against hope’. Indeed, it is because of these evidences which are recorded in holy Scripture that faith for the believer gives understanding – “through faith we understand” (Heb 11.3); it provides assurance - “in full assurance of faith” (10.22); it produces stability - “by faith ye stand” (2 Cor 1.24); and it grants acceptance with God - “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb 11.6). We are believers!
* Prestidigitation – sleight of hand.
(Concluded)
