“This is the third time I am coming to visit you (and as the Scriptures say, “The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”). I have already warned those who had been sinning when I was there on my second visit. Now I again warn them and all others, just as I did before, that next time I will not spare them.”
2 Corinthians 13:1-2 NLT
We begin the last chapter of 2 Corinthians considering what Paul is intending to do in this, his third visit to the church in Corinth. The sinning amongst the believers will be his focus when he arrives, and he issued a warning in advance, probably in the hope that all would be sorted out by the time he gets to Corinth. Paul had obviously heard things about the goings-on in the church and reassured them that he wouldn’t act just on one person’s testimony. Paul quoted Deuteronomy 19:15, “You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”. This common-sense principle still underpins our legal system today, and the prosecution of anyone in the “dock” accused of a crime will need evidence that is backed up by a variety of factors, one of which is the importance of multi-witness testimony.
There were twelve men who spent three years of so in the company of Jesus, and in that time they were convinced that Jesus was who He said He was, the Son of God. And they continued through the rest of their lives suffering greatly for their testimony about who he was. Before the Sanhedrin, Peter said, “Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead” (Acts 4:10). This was a testimony that silenced the High Council, and we read, “But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say” (Acts 4:14). In this case, Peter was the witness and his testimony was boldly proclaimed and backed up by the miracle that had taken place. We can just imagine the religious hierarchy staring at Peter open-mouthed, for once silenced by such indisputable evidence. There was nothing in their law book that could cope with this. And Acts 4:33 recorded “The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all”.
The Gospels are full of the works and sayings of Jesus, and they were witnessed by His disciples and many others at the time. Paul wrote, “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:3-7). Lawyers today have examined the available evidence for the death and resurrection of Jesus and have concluded that there was sufficient to meet the threshold of achieving a positive confirmation of the truth of it. So why is it that people still won’t believe in Jesus? Evidence from far more than the required “two or three” exists.
People don’t believe in Jesus because it is a deliberate act of their will to deny the truth. They know that if they do believe in the evidence, then they will have to make some changes in their lives. Big changes for some, if not most, and in the verses we are considering today, the biggest issue is that of sin. Sin is defined as rebellion against God and His ways, but mis- and disinformation conspires to cover it up, or call it something else. Blame for sinful behaviour is apportioned to a number of factors, such as upbringing, social circumstances, or a popular one today – mental health. These are all valid to a greater or lesser degree, and they play a big part in defining who a person is, but they only mask the fundamental problem. I met a man the other day with a bright yellow sweatshirt emblazoned with the strap line “ADHD is not a lifestyle choice”. It probably isn’t – I’m not qualified to express even an opinion – but I worship a God who is bigger than any human condition, and we pilgrims know that He can take the weakest human being and turn them into a mighty man or woman of God. Paul wrote, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong” (1 Corinthians 1:27). God uses people who are weak, powerless, inadequate, uneducated, even sick, physically or mentally, to witness for Him. I have a dear friend who was hospitalised for some weeks recently with a heart condition, but even in his distress, he made sure that all the doctors and nurses knew about his faith in Jesus.
We pilgrims are counted amongst the “two or three” swelling the numbers who witness for Jesus into an uncountable multitude. And yet there are many more who do not know Him, and we have to tell them that they will perish in their sins unless they make the right choice to follow and believe in Jesus. What else can we do, other than tell people about God’s love and grace, about how he sent His Son, Jesus, to die for everyone, taking on their sins and taking on Himself the punishment for what was legally ours?
Dear Heavenly Father. We understand that we are Your witnesses here in this sad and dying world, and we pray that we will get opportunities to declare “the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” whenever we can. In Your precious name we pray. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 