Compelling New Jesus Discoveries
Jesus and Healing
As I mentioned in my newsletter email, Jesus is central to who we are as a practice. He is our Savior and vital to every aspect of our lives.
We also believe that the depth of healing for all of our spiritual and psychological wounds is dependent to some extent on how close we get to Jesus, and how much we let him minister to our deepest wounds. Therefore, growing in our knowledge and conviction that he truly was who he said he was is genuinely important, especially because we will only let him into our toughest places to the extent we trust him.
A Compelling New Book on the Historicity of Jesus
A new book by Jeremiah Johnston called The Jesus Discoveries: 10 Historic Finds That Bring Us Face-to-Face with Jesus just came out.
It is remarkably well written, and I wanted to share a few excerpts from the first chapter, which focuses on new substantial evidence regarding the Shroud of Turin.
If you don't know, the Shroud of Turin is a somewhat controversial piece of evidence that many believe is THE burial cloth of Jesus. While the author is clear that all evidence at some level requires a step of faith, the following pieces were so stunning I had to share them. I hope and pray these thoughts richly bless you.
Pollen and the Burial Cloth
Johnston writes this about what was found in the burial cloth. "The pioneering work of forensic botanist Max Frei-Sulzer revealed that the Shroud contains pollen from at least fifty-eight species, many of which are unique to the Jerusalem region and bloom during the springtime—precisely when the crucifixion occurred, according to the gospels. This regional specificity situates the Shroud in first-century Judea, and strongly supports its Jewish provenance" p. 17.
Imagine that. They found pollen in the Shroud! Who would have thought!
Jerusalem Limestone Dust around His Feet
Johnston writes: "Mineral analysis of limestone dust from the feet region matches samples from ancient tombs in Jerusalem. Dust from the feet area of the Shroud contained a specific calcium carbonate from travertine aragonite limestone, similar to dust taken from a tomb in Jerusalem. These are not circumstantial coincidences; they are cumulative clues. Max Frei [who discovered this] was a well-respected forensic scientist well-known for his work outside of the Shroud research, such as his work investigating the “Hitler Diaries” p. 17.
Limstone dust from the Jerusalem area. Again, who would have thought!
Scourge Marks all over His Body
This was really sobering, and gave me a much deeper visceral appreciation for all that Jesus went through for us who follow him.
Johnston writes: "Scourge marks consistent with a Roman flagrum, a whip constructed with three cords, each ending in two lead or metal balls. (Scourge lacerations numbering 372 are visible, but the lateral sides of the image on the Shroud aren’t shown. Total lacerations are estimated at 700.) Head wounds consistent with wearing a crown of thorns" p 22.
Man, that is so intense. When you look at the image of the Shroud in the book, it is alarming to see all these dots on the legs, back, and chest of Jesus where those balls hit his body. For us. What love!
The Odds
Johnston lists seven characteristics that are unique to the Shroud and consistent with the biblical account of the crucifixion. He shares that roughly 200,000 people were likely crucified during the Roman era and draws on Professor Barberis, (a highly qualified professor and statistician), to help calculate the odds that one man would meet all those qualifications.
He writes: "Each of these characteristics (see page 30, lower image) on its own might be noteworthy, but Barberis calculated the cumulative probability of a single crucified man exhibiting all seven. His conclusion? The odds are 1 in 200 billion. That is, of 200 billion crucifixions, only one individual would have exhibited this precise profile" 26.
Amazing.
The Supernatural Power of the Resurrection
Johnston interviewed a scientist named Paolo Di Lazzaro, who has specialized in working to replicate the image that is on the Shroud. After years of work and calculations, the level of energy required to create that image is far beyond what any human effort is currently capable of.
Johnston writes: "To put Paolo Di Lazzaro’s research calculation in perspective, it would take a burst of thirty-four billion watts of radiant energy delivered in one 40-billionth of a second to create the image on the Shroud of Turin. That’s more energy than all power plants on earth could generate at once, and it had to be delivered with surgical precision and speed" p. 28.
Stunning. That number is truly inconceivable. But God obviously has that much power. After all, He spoke the sun and the planets and all creation into existence. But to imagine that much power was displayed when he raised His Son from the dead!
I can't help but think about that verse in Ephesians 1, where Paul writes: "That power is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ Jesus when he raised him from the dead" (19-20).
That much power is accessible to us. The hard hard part is slowing down enough and surrendering enough to let him minister to us with both his power and tenderness.
Wrapping Up
May these thoughts and ideas nurture and inspire you. May you be motivated to research Jesus more and more yourself. And may the Holy Spirit guide you so that you might experience greater life in Him and live in greater ways for Him.