The Obvious vs The Obstinate
Why doesn't God appear to skeptics?
March, 2024
Easter, when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is around the corner. We can expect the season to produce the usual bumper crop of lame attempts to give an edgy, cynical take on that event. A more legitimate question involves the idea of "absolute proof." In other words, why didn't Jesus appear to more people? Why does God leave room for doubt? Sure, some might deny an obvious truth for irrational reasons—here's looking at you, flat-earthers. But wouldn't most people, or at least more people, believe if the resurrection was more obvious? Jesus gives the answer in this month's spotlight verse: Luke 16:31.
In short, those who want to reject God always will. That includes resisting obvious evidence. Bringing up the flat earth myth isn't just a random reference: it's a microcosm of how disbelief can work in its most extreme forms. Some insist on conspiracy theories despite absolute proof they are wrong. Jesus' detractors saw Him perform miracles and heard Him speak in person, but still refused to believe (John 5:39–40). If God gives us logic, history, science, philosophy, and personal experience, all of which point to Him, it's insincere for us to demand "even more proof" on top of all He's offered. There is more than enough information to make His existence plain (Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1), and we are obligated to seek truth (Matthew 7:7–8), not to ignore Him for our own purposes.
That concept also explains why Jesus didn't—or hasn't—overtly appeared to everyone. The higher the stakes of an issue, the more personal preference will override reason. Almost no one cares when you prove that Napoleon was not exceptionally short; it's a consequence-free change. That's what makes conspiracy theories like flat-earth puzzling. The shape of the earth implies nothing about personal morals or actions. Yet it's also true that conspiracy theories provide excuses to blame problems on something convenient.
The resurrection provides the ultimate challenge. If that event is true, it has massive implications for how we live and what we think. There is no more life-changing truth than Jesus' rising from death. It's not a truth which can be brushed aside. If it's true, it's the most important of all truths—which is exactly why there will never be enough evidence to convince the unwilling.
Most people are not especially interested in change, or submission, even if they intellectually assent to an idea. Everyone knows that overeating and lack of exercise makes people obese, unhealthy, and unhappy. Yet most people in wealthy countries are overweight and sedentary. The dangers of smoking tobacco are unquestionable, yet some doctors smoke. Every observation and test proves that the earth is spherical, yet there are those who insist it is flat. Even when people "know" things, they are not inclined to "submit" to what they know.
That's why experts in the Old Testament could speak with Jesus face-to-face, and watch Him perform miracles, but refuse to accept that He was the Messiah (John 5:39–40). It's why crowds who heard His preaching and saw further miracles abandoned His teaching when it became difficult (John 6:66). It's why some were willing to go almost all the way in faith, but not quite (Matthew 19:21–22). And why some will fool themselves into thinking they are believers when all they have is superficial agreement (Matthew 7:21–23).
Disobedience and disbelief are not caused by ignorance. They are why a person chooses to be ignorant of what they already know. Much of God's work during the end times emphasizes this point. People will experience overt supernatural events and still refuse to believe (Revelation 16:9–11). They'll see Christ reign for a thousand years and still choose to rebel against Him (Revelation 20:7–9). The Lord allows those things to play out to take away any possible excuse: obliterating any suggestion that if people are properly "informed" they will also be "submissive." Luke 16:31 sums this up: if someone refuses to believe "unless" they've personally witnessed a resurrection, they'll never believe, even if they saw it.
That should come with a tinge of conviction for modern believers. It's easier than ever to access the Bible, to read explanations of it, to understand history, and to hear from qualified teachers. Christians alive today came to faith in a world requiring much less initial trust than expected of prior generations, let alone men like Abraham. Yet most people will reject truth. That's not because they cannot observe what is true or have no access to it. Rather, it's because they do not want to accept what the truth means (John 3:19; Romans 1:18–21).
The same factors revealing truth also enable easier excuses. Today, more than ever, a person can find someone, somewhere, to tell them what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). They can find claims to support grossly false things and fool themselves that they're being objective. We're not really in an era of "great information," but merely one of "easy communication." And not everything people communicate is honest and true, or carefully considered. The proportion of those claiming belief in a flat earth has increased recently, and for those reasons. Some of the sillier excuses to reject the resurrection of Christ have recently gained visibility, for the same reasons.
The proportion of those sincerely willing to follow God has always been small, and no amount of evidence or information will change that (Matthew 7:14). The "leap of faith" is not factual or intellectual, it's spiritual, and requires a person to put someone other than themselves at the top of the chain of command.
-- Editor
