It is Mystery, not Myth

In the children's section of any bookstore, books on the birth of Jesus stand next to Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk. The same parents who describe Santa Claus so convincingly also tell their children of Another who knows if they've been "naughty or nice." No wonder many children cast aside the Father and the Son at about the time they give up their belief in the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny.

But the Gospel Story is not myth or fairy tale. It is history--as solidly believable as Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus. Look at any calendar. The prefixes Sept-, Oct-, Nov-, and Dec- should designate months 7, 8, 9, and 10, not 9, 10, 11, and 12. Why are they off by two digits? Because in their egotism two powerful men, namely Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus, inserted months to honor themselves, pushing the succeeding months back in the year. The calendar's misnamed months testify to the two rulers’ historicity.

The same is true with regard to the year on the calendar. Each passing year recalls the blessed moment when "The Word became flesh and pitched a tent among us." And every stock market report and checkbook entry, every video camera's electronic brain and every letter's postmark, whisper in unison, “He actually lived, truly and literally, in real space and time!"

John cannot be misunderstood: "We heard Him, we saw Him with our eyes, we looked at Him, and our hands touched Him" (1 John 1:1). Paul says Christ was raised and appeared to eyewitnesses, many of whom were still alive to affirm it 25 years later (1 Cor. 15:5-8).

For all of us who follow Him, the story can end, "and they lived happily ever after," because of this very reason: it does not begin with "Once upon a time," but "Once, for all time."

—Steve Singleton
DeeperStudy.com

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The Greek noun mustērion ("mystery, secret") occurs at least 27 times in the New Testament. Before explaining the meaning of the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:11; Matt. 13:11; Luke 8:10), Jesus announces to his disciples that "the secret(s) of the kingdom" is given to them, but not to the others, those on the outside who refuse to see, hear, and turn.

In Paul's writings the apostle often refers to secrets once hidden for long centuries but now revealed in the gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 2:7; 4:1; Rom. 16:25; Eph. 1:9; 3:4; Col. 1:26-27; 1 Tim. 3:16). Revealed also are secrets regarding the Second Coming (1 Cor. 15:51; 2 Thess. 2:7).

In the Apocalypse, some of the symbolism of the Book of Revelation is explained as "the secret" (or "hidden meaning") of this or that revealed in the visions (see Rev. 1:20; 17:5, 7).

In nearly all of these cases, the secret once hidden is now transparent for us to understand. We are no more mystified as we read the accounts of Jesus in the gospels than we would have been if we had seen Him in person.

As Mark Twain used to say, "It's not the parts of the Bible I can't understand that bother me, but the parts I can understand." Jesus cannot be explained away as a legend, a mysterious phantom.

He really lived and lives even today. His challenges still disturbs us, even as His astounding claims stretch our sense of what's possible. We cannot flippantly dismiss Him as unworthy of our attention. His person intrudes into our thinking and demands from us a decisive response.

bird and crossleyRecommended to purchase:

Michael F. Bird and James G. Crossley. How Did Christianity Begin? A Believer and Non-Believer Examine the Evidence (2009)

An engaging introduction to Christian origins from contrasting conservative and secular perspectives. Arranged sequentially, the text addresses topics including the historical Jesus, the resurrection, the apostle Paul, the Gospels, and the early church. Bird and Crossley present their arguments on historicity and meaning. Brief responses by Maurice Casey and Scot McKnight add balance and breadth. 224 pages.

Recommended for online reading:

Shirley Jackson Case. The Historicity of Jesus (1912).

"The main purpose of the present volume is to set forth the evidence for believing in the historical reality of Jesus' existence upon earth.... In presenting the evidence for Jesus historicity, an effort has been made both to meet opponents' objections and at the same time to give a fairly complete collection of the historical data upon which belief in his existence rests."