The Daily Word: Monday, May 31st, 2021
2 Samuel 17:1-29
John 19:23-42
Psalm 119:129-152
Proverbs 16:12-13
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Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. – Jn. 19:35
John was confident in his story because he had seen Jesus with his own eyes. He saw Jesus crucified. He watched as one of the soldiers “pierced his side with a spear” (v. 34). He knew that what he was writing was true, because he had witnessed it! And he was recording it so that every new generation of believers would read his testimony and believe that Jesus died on the Cross in their place!
Before you dismiss John’s account, keep in mind that all of human history is based on the testimony of eyewitnesses. Why would you believe the books you read in school, but not the Book you read in church? In fact, the historical evidence for the veracity of the Bible is much stronger than most of the literature we accept as historical truth. Everything we know about Julius Caesar comes from twelve manuscripts of his Gallic Wars. All that we learn about Aristotle comes from fewer than ten copies of his poetics. Socrates has no surviving manuscripts at all; everything we know about him was written by Plato. Yet we have over six thousand New Testament manuscripts written within two and a half decades of the originals.[1] Are you convinced yet?
John believed it because he saw it. And as you make a commitment to believe Jesus with your whole heart, He will show you that He is real, and that His Bible can be trusted.
Prayer:
Father, show me that Your word is true. Give me faith to trust that I can believe in You! I want to believe in You with all my heart! But I need a little convincing. Talk to me. Show me who You are, and give me confidence in everything You have done!
© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.
[1] Excerpted from “Why I Choose to Believe the Bible Is True” by Voddie Baucham: https://bit.ly/3uCtlTB