The other day, I was listening to a YouTube clip featuring Dr. Hugh Ross, a Christian astrophysicist, and Ravi Zacharias, one of the greatest apologists of our time. Both men are so brilliant and both speak with great wisdom, gentleness and care. It seems that never does a rash, brash, unkind or poorly-thought-out word proceed from either man’s lips. They’re some of the best spokespeople for Christianity you could ever hear in our time. You can hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYBHacV9vPU&t=1193s and the part I’m describing starts 19 minutes in…
The clip features a call-in radio program, and near the end of it, an obviously educated woman called in to argue. She said she was “appalled” at what these men said, and felt they should be kept off the air, their views were so outrageous and narrow-minded. Ravi dealt with her and, in my opinion, rather deftly showed what was incorrect about her statements and thinking. But she certainly didn’t appreciate his words to her or accept them. Her opinion was unchanged at the end – Ravi and Hugh were really terrible people with outrageous views, completely out of touch for the 21st century.
This really struck me! Ravi and Hugh Ross, appalling? Outrageous? Wow! If she thinks that about them, what chance does a guy like me have?! I’m not nearly as wise or as good with words. Sometimes I don’t say things in the right way. I’ve been known to open my mouth before properly engaging my brain, and besides, I don’t know nearly as much as those men. Yet this woman thinks they’re terrible?!
At that very time I happened to be reading through the Gospel of John and noticed things in chapters 7, 9, and 10, that related to this episode. In chapter 7, temple guards were sent to arrest Jesus, but failed to do so. When they came back to those who’d sent them, their explanation was, “No man ever spoke like this man.” (Jn. 7:46)
These guys certainly weren’t theologians or intellectuals. They were guards. But they recognized how special Jesus was, how amazingly wise, how obviously inspired by God’s Spirit. Their bosses however, were disgusted and let it be known that, in their opinion, people who were impressed by Jesus were people who didn’t know the law, the Word of God. In fact, they thought they were cursed (Jn. 7:47-49), because they were deceived into thinking this Jesus was somebody they should listen to.
Nicodemus was there, and he was one of them, a Pharisee, but he urged that they would all listen to Jesus before prejudging Him. Nicodemus, we know, was one who came to Jesus by night to question Him about eternal life, and he eventually became a true disciple. He helped Joseph of Arimathea bury Jesus. So here were two Pharisees who were open to Jesus, while most of their associates thought it a sign of ignorance and being under God’s curse to believe in Him. What a contrast!
In chapter 9, I read about the blind man whose eyes Jesus opened. For experiencing a wonderful miracle like that, the man was criticized and called a terrible sinner! The Pharisees said Jesus was a sinner too, and the man should give the glory to God, not Jesus, because “we don’t know where this man is from” (Jn. 9:28).The formerly blind man replied (paraphrasing here), “Well, that’s pretty amazing that you don’t know where He’s from! Has there ever been in all of history a person who could give sight to a blind man?! Isn’t it obvious that if this Man were not from God, He could never do such a thing?” (Jn. 9:30-33) A blind man saw the truth, while the people who supposedly had their sight and were so spiritually trained and wise, they couldn’t see the Truth when He was standing right in front of them.
Then I was reading John 10 and came to verses 19-21, where some people said it was wrong to listen to Jesus because He was a “raving lunatic” and demon-possessed, while other, more open-minded people said, “Hey wait a minute, can a demon-possessed person open the eyes of the blind as this Man has?”
Jesus was the most wonderful Person who ever walked this earth. He was God in human flesh! His words were wiser than Solomon’s. He went around doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). Yet half the people (or more) thought He was crazy and of the devil! People who supposedly had sight were blinder than bats, spiritually! Other people, whose minds and hearts were open, saw things for what they were, and they believed Jesus was God’s Son, the Messiah.
Back to the YouTube radio program. Ravi Zacharias is “appalling” and “outrageous”! Things haven’t changed much, have they? Even choice servants of God are thought crazy, mentally challenged, narrow-minded, fanatics, hate-mongers, out of touch with the modern world. Well, I guess they’re in good company, because, that’s what they said about Jesus! He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, and no man ever spoke like Him! Everything He ever did was good. If that’s crazy, count me in! I want to be on His side!
I guess the point is, we should take heart when people mock us or think us foolish or stupid for following Jesus, or when they get offended at us. We should be glad if they criticize our beliefs and sayings (Lu. 6:22, 23). There’s no way we’re going to convince everyone or make them all like us if they even hated Jesus and even hate guys like Ravi and Hugh!
Let’s just make up our minds to do the best we can, to learn all we can, to present the truth as best we can. Obviously we want to do our best to not offend unnecessarily. But rest assured. If they think Ravi is terrible, and they thought Jesus was raving mad, they might not like you either, if you start talking about Jesus. It’s alright. Maybe in time they’ll see. We’ll keep witnessing and praying for people.
But this world is hostile and it’s divided. Some want to find truth, but a lot don’t. That’s just the way it is and we’re fooling ourselves if we think differently. Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword (Matt. 10:34). He divides people into those who are open and willing to learn, to “see,” and those who are willfully blind!