Prove It! Series

Scripture Reading: Luke 11:29-32

As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

Reflection

How about a little lesson in mathematics for something a little different today? A proof is a logical argument that tries to establish without any doubt that something is true. We generally use two forms of reasoning to arrive at a conclusion: inductive and deductive. I'm not gonna go heavy, so stay with me. Let's imagine that you have seen a hundred sheep, and all of them are white. You might conclude that all sheep are white. That's inductive reasoning. Since you haven't seen all the sheep on the planet, there's no saying there isn;t a black sheep hidden away. But inductive reasoning allows you to revise your conclusion if you come across a black sheep, so it's ok.

Deductive reasoning starts from a general statement we know for sure is true. Let's say you know that all sheep eat grass and the animal in front of you is a sheep, then you know that animal likes to eat grass. This is a fact, established without doubt, if your basic premise is correct. It can be wrong only if your basic premise that all sheep eat grass is wrong, or if your observation that the animal in front of you is a sheep is incorrect. Now, what has this gotta do with what we read today?

People keep asking for proof about who Jesus is. It began with Satan in the wilderness who demanded Jesus prove he was Son of God (see Matthew 4:1-11). Then the Pharisees and teachers of the law kept asking Jesus to prove that he was who he said he was (see Luke 5:21). Later, John's disciples would go to Jesus asking him to prove if he was the one they were expecting or they should look for another (see Luke 7:19). And, here, in today's passage, we find the crowd asking him to prove who he was! So, how about using some deductive reasoning?

Jesus had just delivered a man from a demon. Who can deliver a man from a demon except for God? So, if Jesus had delivered a man from a demon, then who was he? Who can work miracles like multiplying food to feed thousands, calm storms, walk on water, and bring the dead back to life except God? So, if Jesus worked all these miracles, then who was he? Who can die and rise from the dead except God? So if Jesus died and rose again, then who was he? Of course, skeptics would say they have no evidence of any of this. Good thing, then, that Jesus continues to work miracles, no?

And for those who still say, "Prove it!" Jesus says, “Ok. On Judgement Day, I will."

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Today's devotional — Prove It! — is based on Luke 11:29-32. The reflection is by Aneel Aranha, founder of Holy Spirit Interactive (HSI). Follow him on Facebook: fb.com/aneelaranha