For the time is coming when people will …turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (excerpts)
The headline from last week’s Associated Press story read, “Chinese Villagers Eat Dinosaur Bones.” That single sentence immediately conjured up all kinds of mental images. The first was Fred Flintstone pulling up to his prehistoric drive-in. Then, there was Oliver Twist asking the official of the children’s work house for more food. Lastly, I thought of my family sitting down at the table and one of the children asking me, “Please pass the ketchup.”
Only after all of those thoughts had raced through my mind did I read the entire story. Some folks in central China have found some dinosaur bones and thought they were the remains of flying dragons. In traditional Chinese mythology, bones from a dragon are blessed with magical properties. Believing they had found the real thing, the villagers had ground up the bones and boiled them in their soup for medicine. The soup was then fed to the children as a cure for leg cramps and dizziness.
There is no report as to how the broth tasted, nor has there been any scientific study made as to the effectiveness of grinding the bones up and using them as a paste which, when applied directly, is believed to help heal fractures. What we do know is this: the villagers believe they had discovered real fly-through-the-air dragons’ bones. Scientists have been doing their best to convince the people that these beliefs are nothing more than unproven and unsupported myths.
When it comes to educating people about the myths of dragon bones, most Christians wouldn’t argue with the experts. On the other hand, many of us should object when “experts” put Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection into that same category of “myth.”
Jesus is not a myth. The Son of Mary was a real, physical person who was born when Augustus was Caesar and Quirinius was governor of Syria. He was crucified during the time when Pontius Pilate was procurator of Judea. Jesus’ real life was marked by the fulfillment of the law and the rejection of Satan’s temptations. His real death has redeemed sinful humanity and the Christ’s real resurrection offers forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all who believe on Him as Savior. That’s what the Lord tells us in His Holy Word. That’s God’s truth which can be trusted and is much more than a myth.
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, we give thanks for agile minds that can tell the difference between fact and fiction. We ask the Holy Spirit’s direction and confidence to share the truth of our salvation with others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Today's Bible Readings: 2 Kings 10-12 James 4
To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"