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I’m intrigued by the way the four Gospel writers have recorded the dying declarations of Jesus:
- Father, forgive them—only in Luke
- Today you will be with Me in paradise—only in Luke
- Dear women, behold your son—only in John
- My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?—only in Matthew and Mark (and this is the only dying declaration they record)
- I thirst—only in John
- It is finished—only in John
- Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit—only in Luke
This is an excellent apologetic for the legitimacy and authenticity of the historical record.
You know that when your friends are at an important event, not everyone notices the same thing or even to the same extent as the others.
Cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace has pointed out that when he’s conducting an investigation, he separates the eyewitnesses from each other exactly so they don’t get their stories to “match.” Detective Wallace is able to get the full story precisely because of the differences in each of the accounts.
This is why the Gospel writers’ accounts ring true: they tell us the same historical event from their unique perspective. It’s only by reading all of them that we get the full picture. If the death and resurrection of Jesus had been a conspiracy, these writers clearly would have collaborated to “get their story straight” ahead of time, and as a result, we would have four identical stories.
The historicity of Jesus as told in the Bible is spot-on and completely trustworthy!
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April 19, 2021 at 9:12 pm
I’d not thought of it like that, Craig. Indeed, these men were witnesses to a crime, and testified to it as they experience it.
Sadly, not everyone thinks in this way. Beneath your post is a “More on WordPress” area with two “related” posts. In one, Doston Jones asks, “How did the Gospel writers come to know the stories they shared.” And in the other, Vic Leathers asks, “which passion story of jesus (sic) is the true story?”
[ I admit I didn’t read their posts, and it’s possible they are just click baiting. Perhaps they aren’t doubters after all. It was the titles that turned me off.]
Some years ago, some author decided to take all four Gospels and combine them into a single account based only upon what was included in each Gospel. Seriously.
L-RD Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
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