There’s a subtle affront to Christianity today that could discourage believers if they don’t know any better. But for the sensitive ones, they know there’s clearly an unseen force driving this whole Jesus slander on the internet today.
It’s either Jesus is the cause of all the sufferings in the world today, which of course we can use His whipping of people in the temple to prove as an example, or that Christians are the worst people on earth today who are always trying to shove their ideas down the throats of others. (And FYI, the whipping of the people is often alluded to by mischievous people because apart from John who wrote Jesus made a whip of cords, the other three gospels only detailed Jesus driving people out of the temple probably in a frenzy, which was to fulfil prophecy anyway).
But moving on, can we really prove Jesus hurt anyone in His ministry? The overwhelming evidence would suggest the contrary. Then why do people often neglect Jesus’ ministry and influence with His eventual death and resurrection and choose to rather gnaw at straws? It’s because it serves an agenda. One with an unseen spiritual source and force in the background.
Let’s take a look at Jesus’ ministry for example. Even the most carefree observer can see He cared for all the people He met with. Even for those who didn’t believe in Him or follow Him, He still didn’t cause them harm. He made sure His teachings liberated them from the tyranny of their religious leaders, who only wanted to fleece them and keep them enslaved to bad ways of worshipping God.
And not only that, but He even showed them that sometimes the cause of their suffering was another source of which God wasn’t a part. In so doing, He would eventually pay for it with His own life. But sometimes, our atheist friends would rather neglect this.
While in Cornelius's house, the Apostle Peter summarized Jesus’ ministry, saying God anointed Him with the Holy Ghost and with power, and He went about doing good, which was healing all those who were ill and oppressed by the devil because God was with Him.
The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10.36–38, KJV).
This would mean that whatever Jesus was dealing with with the people at the time was both physical and had oppressive spiritual undertones. And that’s a point often lost in our modern world today. Things often aren’t as they seem. The not-so-subtle assault on the gospel of Jesus isn’t new and has strong devilish roots.
While the people in the synagogue were seeing a woman who was just bent over with Kyphosis, Jesus was seeing a woman who was put in this terrible shape by Satan. While the people saw a man who wasn’t normal and was sleeping in the tombs, Jesus saw a man tormented by demons and set him free. Malchus came to arrest Jesus and Peter in a bid to protect his master and cut off Malchus’ ear, yet Jesus healed Malchus, who still went ahead to arrest Him. This was God in the flesh.
It’s why I often call Jesus God’s argument to man. He is still God's answer to the contradictions we have today. He is the answer for anyone humble enough to see this and receive. For believers in Jesus' resurrection, it’s proof that we aren’t alone. The apostles faced this fierce persecution themselves. And Jesus has given us His help by His spirit. We can rely on the power of the Spirit and continue to forge ahead.
We aren’t to rest on our oars but are to prayerfully consider the work we have received in the Gospel and continue to study the word so we can be bolder in teaching and preaching. It will also mean we get to be bolder in healing the sick in the world today so many can see God’s love tangibly. This is how we show to the world Jesus is not only alive today but is at work through and within us.
Jesus is with us; we are not ignorant of the enemy’s actions. We won’t give up and will save some more people nonetheless.