As we move through Advent and finish up our reading of the psalms, I’m going to move slowly through the Advent narrative in Luke, as well. I love the opening, which ties in with yesterday’s theme: God is real, and he acts.

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. (Luke 1.1 – 4, ESV)

Key concepts:

• “Eyewitnesses”
• “An orderly account”
• “That you may have certainty”

It’s become fashionable to treat the gospels as a myth, to not believe Jesus was a real historical figure. I just read Between Heaven and Hell, a book constructed around the beliefs of John Kennedy (humanist), CS Lewis (Christian) and Aldous Huxley (eastern pantheism). They died within hours of each other November 22, 1963, and the book imagines a 3-way conversation in some sort of afterlife. CS Lewis’ arguments defeated them both, proving, as much as one can, that Jesus is real and God in the flesh. For example, here’s a snippet of an exchange between Lewis and Kennedy:

Lewis: Either Jesus is God or a bad man. He is not a bad man. Therefore, he is God. Then we explained and expanded the argument by classifying people and defining sages. The second form of the argument was this: First premise: Jesus is a sage, and therefore trustable. Second premise: He claimed to be God. The premises are true.

Kennedy: Both those premises seem to be true.

Lewis: Then the only question remaining is the logic of the argument. Is there any fallacy in arguing that if what trustable people say is true, and if this trustable person said he was God, then he was God? (page 66, 67)

Peter, one of the eyewitnesses, nailed it:

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. (2 Peter 1.16 – 18, ESV)