Tuesday

“He said, ‘Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house—for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment….[Abraham] said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”—Luke 16:27-28, 31

As a historian, I look for a paper trail of evidence to substantiate my claims.  If I’m claiming a group of people expressed specific political beliefs for a specific reason, I’d better be able to show you a document—or better yet, several—that explains The So-and-So’s Society’s political platform and how members Ex and Why put it into action.

We humans like explanations.  We like to see proof.  Whenever I get into discussions with students about source reliability, someone always suggests that the only folks who really know what happened are those who were there.  That may on some level be true, but it’s a slippery slope to travel.  After all, if the subject under discussion first arose more than a few decades ago it’s a good bet Ex and Why are dead.

In the Lazarus story Jesus indicates we all may need to think a little more like historians.  We have a record of instructions—it’s called the Bible.  We use our evaluative tools—prayer and God-given reason—to analyze it.  In the end, however, we must believe the source evidence if we are to become heirs to the promises it contains. -- LG

Lord, help us to trust in your promises—even when we cannot see the eyewitness evidence for ourselves.  Thank you for your written record.  Amen.