Nothing But The Facts
And you are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:48
Witnesses – We have an English word that is the direct descendent of the Greek word translated “witness.” Once you recognize the Greek, you will be enlightened about the implications of being a witness. The Greek word is martus from which we derive the English “martyr.” A witness in Greek is one who stakes his life on the claim of truth. Perhaps we need to bring back the tradition of placing your hand on the Bible in a court of law and swearing before God and men that you will tell the truth and nothing but the truth, on pain of eternal death.
Luke has a special meaning for this Greek word martus. In our contemporary religious circles, we often think of “witness” as a personal testimony. We “witness” to the truth in our lives by telling our story of Jesus’ redemption. But this is not what Luke has in mind. Luke’s use of martus is about facts that were clearly known by everyone. Luke is not concerned with my personal spiritual encounter. He is concerned with the historical record – what really happened in the public arena. Luke wants a witness to observable events. When Jesus says to these two men, “You are witnesses,” he means that they know all about the actual, publicly-acknowledged events of His crucifixion and death. Now they are witnesses to His actual, physical resurrection. This is not an inward, personal, spiritual encounter. This is flesh and blood reality. This is the stuff that makes witnesses into martyrs.
Much of contemporary religion seems content to claim nothing more than the inner spiritual encounter with the Lord. As long as something happens to me, I am content with the claims of Christianity. But this has never been the Christian message. The Christian message is about what really happened. Divorced from observable, publicly-acknowledged facts, Christianity deteriorates into my religious feelings. Coupled with the facts of history, Christianity becomes the single, compelling message for all Mankind. It’s not good enough to just believe what I feel. If Jesus really rose from the dead, as the record demonstrates, then He has a claim on every person on the planet, no exceptions.
Does your faith rest on the record or are you content to have a religious experience? If you believe because these events really happened, then it is impossible not to witness to the facts. If the record is true, all those who refuse to believe condemn themselves. They are like the man who claims the Holocaust never happened or the journey to the moon was a fake. They are fools, playing games with their own souls. Will you let them die in disbelief, or will you set the record straight?
