Follow Where the Evidence Leads

At the New Wine Leaders Conference in Harrogate this month, Ian Parkinson talked about an invitation he received recently from the local Humanist Association. They thought it would be a good idea to ‘grill the local vicar’ and I am sure they felt confident they could make him squirm a bit with some very tricky questions. What better opportunity to publicly demonstrate the triumph of science and reason over ancient myths and superstitions?

Ian accepted the invitation and was duly given a pretty hard time with some tough questioning. But at a certain point in the evening the subject of miracles came up. “Oh, and when did you last see a miracle then?” he was asked. “Well, as a matter of fact,” said Ian, “about two weeks ago.”

He then related the story of two children jumping on a trampoline with their two year old brother. The older children hit the trampoline at the same time and the infant was duly propelled through the air, landing awkwardly, before being rushed off to A & E. Dozens of people were alerted through Ian's church’s social media and began to pray. It was a broken femur. They put the little tot’s leg into a temporary cast and asked that he come back in a couple of days.

When he returned they checked the x-ray again but found nothing. Not only that, but the little boy was racing around the room as they checked the scans. He was given the all clear and discharged. His dad, who had not been a Christian, duly gave his life to Christ saying, “I didn’t know God could do things like this.”

Wonderful isn’t it?

But unfortunately those sceptics who invited Ian to their meeting did not really enjoy the story. “There must have been an error in the original x-ray.” “Someone must have read the scan wrongly.” So Ian just borrowed their language and replied with a smile, “Oh, I think we need to take the science seriously, follow where the evidence leads and not be biased by our preconceptions.” I would love to have seen their faces.

As for that little lad’s miraculous recovery, so for the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. On a different scale obviously. But the principle is the same - follow where the evidence leads. 

• Jesus died from severe scourging and crucifixion
• His body was taken down and buried in a stone tomb 
• The tomb was then found to be empty
• No one was ever able to account for the body
• Over 500 people saw Jesus alive in different places at different times
• Crestfallen losers became confident heralds overnight 
• A handful of nobodies from nowhere became world history’s biggest ever movement 
• Their rapid growth took place in the face of sustained violence against them

Whatever is at the epicentre of such a spiritual earthquake, it has to be something totally out of the ordinary. 

And it is. Christ is risen!