Sunday/Luke's First

Nearly one in nine U.S. employees is directly employed by the government.

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"String theory is fashion, quantum physics is faith, and cosmic inflation is fantasy."--Roger Penrose

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Sunday/Luke's First

After mentioning that many descriptions of the life of Christ have been circulated, Luke writes to the "most excellent Theophilus" and explains his plans:

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events
that have been fulfilled among us,
just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning
and ministers of the word have handed them down to us,
I too have decided,
after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you,
most excellent Theophilus,
so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings
you have received.

His first story is the famous speech in the temple in which Christ reads a prophecy by Isiah predicting God's sending a minister to man, ending in the electrifying "Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

Christ's claims caused a riot in the temple. But his claims did not create the gospel, the actions of his followers did. The lynchpin of Christ's life is not what he did or said but his disciples' belief in what he did and said. Christ's supernatural claims became significant not in his followers' hearts but in their acts. Christ created impossible milestones for his earthly life. His followers would have stayed with him--even died, as they all did--only if those impossible milestones were reached.

It is man's belief that creates the truth of Christ's story. Christ's story depends upon man.