A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John (Jn 5:31-47)
+ Jesus said to the Jews :”If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true. But there is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true. You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.
He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you,
because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.
You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life.
“I do not accept human praise; moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him.
How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
The Gospel of the Lord
Reflection
Today as then, many people still do not believe that Jesus was sent by God. While those who still do not believe in his Divinity claim to use reason to support their position, the truth is that reason in all its forms testify to Jesus’s divinity!
As in the case last week, here is another bible passage where Jesus uses sound logic to prove his divinity to those who deny it. In today’s legal terms, one would say that Jesus presents a “preponderance of evidence” to support his case. For those who are open to the truth, the numerous evidence that Jesus offers should have been enough to convince the people of his heavenly origin “Beyond any Reasonable Doubt” (another modern legal term).
Unfortunately, as we know, many in the crowd still refused to accept him as the messiah. But the rejection of Jesus’ divinity still happens now. These deniers not only reject John the Baptist, the miracles, Moses, the prophets, or the law, they ignore mathematics and science as well.
In regard to mathematics, Professor Peter Stoner, calculated that the probability of one person fulfilling only eight major prophecies is about one in 10^17 (1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000). Some other mathematicians, by using up to 48 key prophecies, have calculated the probability to be one in 10^157. And still others suggest the odds are about one in 10^2000. To put it in perspective, the odds of winning the Powerball are about 10^6!
As impressive as the testimony mathematics offers is, science offers even more impressive evidence. In 1978 a team of scientists and technicians studied the Shroud of Turin. It was named the STURP Project. The scientific phenomenon that started the project and the subsequent results are truly astonishing! And while we are in this topic, let us also consider what the Sudarium of Oviedo offers in way of scientific testimony!
These days, as the world becomes more secular, people point to reason and science as their basis to reject the divinity of Jesus. However, Jesus is counting on us to continue presenting to the world all the preponderance of evidence that exists and that testifies on his behalf, including math and science. The world believes they have reason and science to support their rejection of Jesus. The truth is that even reason and science speak on his behalf!
Action of the Day.
Read more about the mathematical and scientific evidence that supports the divinity of Jesus. While it may be difficult to get a copy of Professor Peter Stoner’s book “Science Speaks: An Evaluation of Certain Christian Evidence” there are plenty of online postings discussing its content. Similarly, there are many online sources and articles that speak of the scientific evidence surrounding the Shroud of Turin. As with any online search, be sure to look only into reliable sources. For the Shroud of Turin, I will recommend start with https://www.shroud.com/ . With this new information, Jesus is inviting you to help the world believe in his words!
DEACON5 website link: https://deacon5.com/
Click below for audio reflection!
