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Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins
Does Science Sustain Jesus' Messianic Claim?
When the disciples of John the Baptist questioned Jesus about His claim to be the Messiah, Jesus responded:
“Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” Luke 7:22
It might have been easier for Him merely to say, “Yes,” than refer to the prophets, but their fulfillment was His proof, the evidence of His deity.
From Genesis to Malachi there are many messianic prophecies. Some are more specific than others, some are more familiar than others, but they stand as powerful proof of Jesus’ messianic mission.
In his book, Science Speaks (Moody Press), Peter Stoner, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Pasadena City College, examines principles of probability as they apply to the Bible and its prophetic statements about Jesus of Nazareth.
The issue is: Do the prophecies of the Old Testament and Jesus’ fulfillment of them demand our belief and acceptance of Him as the foretold messiah? Stoner concludes, using mathematical and other scientific principles, that those disciplines prove conclusively that Jesus is indeed the messiah.
Stoner sets forth sixty-one prophecies and the probability that one man could have fulfilled them all just as they were written. Even if we are not proficient in the principles of probability, it is apparent from Stoner’s study that science and mathematics concur that Jesus fulfilled them all.
As a means of illustrating the difficulty of one man fulfilling these prophecies, Stoner chooses just eight of these sixty-one and makes the following statement.
“The probability of one man fulfilling eight of the prophecies of the Messiah is 1 in 10 to the 17th power. That is illustrated by taking 100,000,000,000,000,000 silver dollars and laying them out on the state of Texas. They would cover the entire state two feet deep. Now, mark one of the silver dollars and stir (!) the whole mass thoroughly. Then blindfold a person and tell him he/she can travel as far as they want but must pick up that one marked silver dollar on the first try. What chance would anyone have?”
Mathematically it would be the same chance of Jesus fulfilling just eight of those sixty-one prophecies previously mentioned. When you include all sixty-one, the probability is 1 in 10 to the 157th power (1-10157) and that is the number one with 157 zeroes behind it. Merely counting to this number, one number at a time, would take you many more years than you have left to live.
Who would go up against odds that great? But if one denies Jesus is the Messiah he/she must do just that. The truth is – the Bible is right about Jesus!
Adding to the evidence, highly respected mathematician Emile Borel states that anything having less than a chance of 1 in 10 to the fiftieth power (1-1050) will never happen, regardless of the time available. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies because He is just what the Bible says He is – the Son of God – and that is the only way it could have happened!
That is the reason Jesus told John’s disciples to compare what He had been doing with what the prophets foretold the Messiah would do. We already know John was powerful in announcing that Jesus is the “lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world,” John 1:29. John accomplished his task, Isaiah 40:3, John 1:23.
Some of the prophecies Stoner gives as keys to this study are the following, including their fulfillment:
- Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem of Judea, Micah 5:2 (fulfilled in Luke 2).
- Born of a “virgin,” Isaiah 7:14 (fulfilled in Matthew 1:18-25).
- Babies slaughtered at time of His birth, Jeremiah 31 (see Matthew 2).
- Rejected by His own, Isaiah 53:3 (see John 7:5, 48).
- Betrayed by a friend for thirty pieces of silver, Zechariah 11 (Matthew 27).
- Crucified among thieves, buried with rich, Isaiah 53:9 (Matthew 27:38-60).
- Betrayal price purchased potter’s field, Zechariah 11:13 (Matthew 27:7).
Note that the words of Jesus given in Luke 7:22 spoke of prophecies regarding the blind, lame, lepers, deaf and the dead being raised by Jesus, Isaiah 29, 32, 61 (see Luke 4, 7, 17; Matthew 15, 21, John 9).
Believing in Jesus is pre-requisite to receiving the salvation He brought to man. He either is the Son of God, or He is not. The facts, the prophecies, even science tells us He fulfilled all things “which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms.” Luke 24:44. Believe it!
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“Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me,”
“For two thousand years Christ has been the central character of history.”
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God Said No
I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No.
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No.
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No.
Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is learned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
God Said, No.
I give you blessings: Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No.
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No.
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No.
I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me love others as much as He loves me.
God said….Ahhhh, finally, you have the idea.
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