CASE FOR CHRIST FOR KIDS UPDATED AND EXPANDED

Zondervan

Contents

Chapter One

Did you know there is life on the moon?

Back in 1835, a newspaper called the New York Sun printed an entire series of articles claiming that life had been discovered on the moon. A famous scientist named Sir John Herschel was said to have rigged up a really effective new telescope. He could peer through its lens and see exactly what was happening up on the lunar surface. Supposedly he had spotted buffalo, goats, unicorns, and even winged humanoids building temples!

Also, it seemed as if the moon would make a terrific vacation site. There were beaches, oceans, and forests up there. You could enjoy them as you took a walk in the earthlight.

Some people got pretty excited. But when someone checked with Sir John Herschel, the whole story fell apart. He said he didn't have a new telescope and he had no idea what was on the moon. But he did have a good laugh!

This was what we call a "hoax" today-a story created to attract attention. The crazy story made the Sun a very popular paper, even after everyone found out the truth. But it just goes to show: Don't believe everything you read. When you hear a wild claim, find out the truth for yourself. See if the story holds up.

You've heard a lot about Jesus-the guy who was born in a manger and died on the cross to save you from your sins. Why not see if the story of Jesus holds up? After all, it's a bigger deal than goats on the moon. Some people think he was simply a nice guy and a good teacher. He was just a regular person who taught people to live by the Golden Rule. Others think he never lived at all. Still others believe he was something more than "regular." They say he was the Son of God, and that we should love him and follow him in all that we do.

There's a lot of differences in those ideas, isn't there? You need to decide for yourself what you think about Jesus. It isn't enough to repeat something you've heard without thinking about it yourself. There are several points for you to look at. First, what did Jesus say about himself? Was he crazy or dishonest? And how much evidence is there to support the amazing claims people make about him? Nearly all of Christians' ideas about Jesus come from the Bible, but how do you know those Bible stories are true? And last but most important, there is the matter of Christ coming back from the dead. It's the single most important claim anyone can make about Jesus.

WHAT DID THE MAN SAY ABOUT HIMSELF?

Most of our information about Jesus comes from one book-the Bible. Historians have found more than one hundred stories about Jesus in other ancient writings, but the Bible is still the most complete source of information about him. So it's important to figure out whether the Bible can be trusted. What if that book is wrong? If somebody proves that the Bible is made up, that casts a lot of doubt on Jesus. In a few pages we'll take a close look at that question. But for now, let's go to the stories and simply find out what Jesus said.

All of the stories about Jesus are found in four books called the "Gospels" (which means "good news"). One of the Gospels is called John. Listen to what it says about Jesus. It calls him "the Word."

Stop! Time out! "The Word"? Jesus didn't say a word here! This is other people making a big deal about him. If he's something special, we should hear it from his own lips. Otherwise it would seem that people made claims about him that he never intended.

Surely he didn't go around calling himself "the Word" or "the One and Only." So we turn over to the longest gospel, the one called Matthew. It has a whole lot of statements from Jesus' own mouth.

Here's a passage that comes right to the point. Jesus asks his friends, "Who do you say I am?" His friend Peter says that Jesus is "the Christ ... the Son of the living God." Again, these people seem eager to make a big deal.

But Jesus does not act embarrassed, like he would have if that hadn't been true. Far from it! He seems very pleased by Peter's words, and he says, "No mere man showed this to you. My Father in heaven showed it to you"(Matthew 16:15-17).

And back in John's gospel they're having still another conversation about this subject. Somebody asks Jesus, "If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." Here is how Jesus answers: "I and the Father are one."

It's right there in John 10, verses 24 and 30. If you read a little closer, you find that this was the kind of remark that could get you into hot water-because once they heard this, the men around Jesus said "'You are only a man. But you claim to be God'"(verse 33). And then they picked up rocks to throw at him!

I'LL BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE IT

So the Bible tells us that Jesus said he was one with the Father. Are you still not so sure about all this? It's hard to trust someone else's word. And guess what? There's another guy like that a few pages later! His name was Thomas, and he was one of Jesus' disciples (his closest friends and followers). When the other disciples told him that Jesus had risen from the dead, Thomas said that he'd believe it as soon as he saw and touched the cuts and scars on Jesus' hands and feet.

Thomas got his wish! Jesus turned up, gave a show-and-tell of the wounds he'd received on the cross, and Thomas said, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28) Then Jesus said, "You believe because you see me. Those who believe without seeing me will be truly happy"(John 20:29, NCV).

We all want to be truly happy. But it's still expecting a lot for us to believe this man was God just because he said he was. On the other hand, after looking at the Bible, we have to admit one thing: Jesus made some mighty big claims about himself. He wasn't at all shy about calling himself One with God-or about letting his friends call him such things.

Well, Jesus talked the talk. So what? Maybe he wasn't telling the truth. He wouldn't be the first guy to stretch the truth a little. Let's consider that point.

WAS JESUS LYING ABOUT HIMSELF?

You've known people who exaggerated their own abilities: "I can beat that video game in one day." Or, "I'm the smartest kid at school." People usually stretch the truth in order to get something they want-usually respect or attention. What about Jesus? What did he have to gain by lying about who he was? What benefit did he get by saying he was God's son if he was only a man?

We've already seen one answer to that: rocks! In those days, you could be stoned to death just for saying the wrong thing. People had to speak very carefully. In Mark's gospel, Jesus was put on trial because of the things he had said. They put him on the spot: "Are you the Christ? Are you the Son of the Blessed One?" (Mark 14:61) And he replied, "I am" (verse 62). Jesus has seen people beaten and crucified. He knows there are many people who want to kill him. He knows the consequences of lying. But he's sticking to what he knows to be the truth.

Now think about the kid who lies about his video game skills. Would he stick to his story if a whole mob of kids threatened to attack him because of his words? That's what Jesus could get for telling a fib: terrible beatings and then death. He insisted on his claim, and they insisted on killing him.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from CASE FOR CHRIST FOR KIDS UPDATED AND EXPANDEDby LEE STROBEL ROB SUGGS ROBERT ELMER Copyright © 2010 by Lee Strobel and Robert Elmer. Excerpted by permission.
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