If a crime is committed and a suspect identified,
he will not be (or at least should not be)
condemned without a fair trial. That will usually involve a judge, likely a
jury and a prosecuting attorney, and unless the suspect serves as his own
counsel, a defense attorney. Yet, no decision can be rendered without evidence.
Physical evidence may be presented, but the most common kind of evidence
presented in courts throughout history is testimony,
usually of eyewitnesses – those who
saw the crime personally or have some personal knowledge of what had happened.
The guilty are convicted and the innocent set free (it is hoped) on the basis
of these witnesses. This is the way the Greek legal system worked centuries
before Jesus’ incarnation, and it is the original core meaning and use of the
Greek word, martyr.
In his Gospel, John the Apostle uses
this word of another John – John the Baptist. It describes his mission in verse
seven: “He came as a witness…” His whole purpose in life was to take the stand
in the world’s courtroom about what he knew and had seen concerning the Light
of the World (Jesus Christ). Seven times in this one chapter, the noun or verb
form of witness is used about John
the Baptist’s role. Two other times he uses the similar legal term confess (vs 20) – not the confession of
guilt, but a swearing of certainty and truth.
John the Baptist was not expected to
talk about what he had not experienced or seen. He did not come as a
philosopher. He spoke as an honest witness, and that was enough. People came to
hear him. People changed their lives because of what he said and were willing
to be baptized as a public “confession” of their commitment to change. The
first century Jewish world was ready for Jesus’ arrival because one man had the
courage to talk about what he had experienced.
Even today, advertisers love to use “testimonials”
because one person’s bearing witness to their personal experience is usually
more persuasive than reams of scientific data. Your story of what you have
experienced is powerful. Don’t be afraid to talk about it.
2 comments:
Alan, as I was clicking around to get your post to come up, I ended up on your blog comment page. I was a bit taken aback by some of the language used. Every morning I pray Ps. 19:14. May my thoughts and words be ones that God has placed in me that I as an ambassador of Christ [2 Cor.5:20] will be recognized as one of His by my demeanor. Even worldly people say "Sorry for my 'French'" when they use language out of line for the listener. Not just because I'm a woman, most recognize I'm a Christian by my demeanor than any thing I might use to prove I'm of Jesus [like a cross necklace or carrying a Bible]. People that read your site 'know' what you represent, so why are they using the "f" word and other non-educated language?
Bay,
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