Is Jesus Real?

 Today's message is a response to someone close to me who struggles with the relationship between science and faith.  I have a feeling this struggle is common throughout the world.  As I reflect on my life I believe my faith has helped me to endure in situations where failure seemed eminent.  Is Jesus real?  If so, is he God?  What evidence is there that Jesus is who he says he is?

Before I get too deep today, I would like to pose a question for those reading today's story.  Does evil exist?  If the answer is yes, where do you think evil comes from?  Is it possible that evil exists beyond our own realm?  In my opinion, it may be easier to persuade nonbelievers about the existence of Jesus by first offering examples of evil that we cannot see with our own eyes yet we can accept when the evidence is scrutinized.

How can it be that people who appear to be under the influence of evil can suddenly speak in ancient tongues when they've never been exposed to these languages?  How can a person who appears to be possessed toss a 300 pound human across the room with one arm?  Can science explain this?  Perhaps a worthy explanation comes from stories in the Bible about demons who roam the planet in search of souls they wish to possess.

If the modern day stories about demons are verifiable, perhaps someone searching for the source of these demons could go back in time by reading passages in the Bible about demons who paid a great deal of attention to Jesus.  Why did these demons care about influencing Jesus?  How did these demons know who Jesus is?

If I were in a court of law attempting to prove the existence of Jesus, I would offer witness testimony from the very demons who are attacking us.  How can these demons defy the laws of nature?  Perhaps there is something about them that gives us a glimpse of their enemy – Jesus.  If they are real, maybe Jesus is real.  The leap of faith is easier to make when one considers the actions of the demons who are in our world today.  

For those who deny the Bible because they find think it goes against science, I offer my two cents.  Science is an attempt to understand what we do not know.  We don't know everything.  Science has its own gaps.  If Jesus is real and everything he says is true, it's easy to see how science is merely a tool for explaining who God is.  I don't have all the answers here.  I do have faith.  This is a gift.  It's all I have to offer for those who aren't sure if Jesus is real.  Have a great day.