Faithful Living: What are the chances that Jesus really is the Christ?

Some people love math. I barely tolerated it; just enough to get by. Then there are people that have a passion for statistics, and others love to postulate on statistical probabilities, adinfinitum.

OK, let’s try this scenario on for size. What are the chances that a virgin teenage girl, say 13 or 14, named Mary, who lived in the village of Nazareth along with her fiance Joseph, would immaculately conceive by the Holy Spirit and later give birth to a little boy, after traveling fully pregnant, on a donkey about 90 miles — a 4-5-day journey on foot — to the birthplace of Joseph’s ancestor, King David? This little baby would grow up to eventually save humanity from their sins. Come on, stat-people and mathematicians, I’ll wait for your answer.

Well, if you want to ponder the question before answering, by all means. I have been wondering about it for years and I keep coming up with the same conclusion. It is not humanly possible. The odds are beyond infinite.

Empower International has a great article online that speaks of the chances of the prophetic inferences of the who, what, where, when, why and how of our Lord as referenced in the Old Testament of the Bible. Check out the article with this link: empower.global/the-mathematical-probability-that-jesus-is-the-christ. Below is an excerpt:

“After examining only eight different prophecies, they conservatively estimated that the chance of one man fulfilling all eight prophecies was one in 10^17. To illustrate how large the number 10^17 is (a figure with 17 zeros), the professor gave this illustration: If you mark one of ten tickets, and place all the tickets in a hat, and thoroughly stir them, and then ask a blindfolded man to draw one, his chance of getting the right ticket is one in ten. Suppose that we take 10^17 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They’ll cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up the one silver dollar that has the special mark on it. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets would’ve had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time.”

Jonathan Bernis noted that the mathematician Peter Stoner counted the probability of a single man fulfilling just 48 of the Old Testament prophesies that specifically point to our Lord would be one in 10 followed by 157 zeros. He later indicated that Jesus fulfilled more than 324 prophesies. The probability of attaining that number is incalculable.

How is it that 40 men over the span of 1,500 years, writing independently of one another, pointed to only one man, the God-Man Jesus? The Bible is described as the greatest literary work of all time — authored by none other than God Himself. The Bible is the most read compendium of books ever recorded. What baffles me, as well, is how all the books came together and in the proper order. The only One who could have accomplished this, is — yes, you guessed it — The Ancient of Days.

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Two Old Testament prophets, Micah and Isaiah, prophesied about the coming Messiah nearly 700 years before He was born. Here are just three prophetic passages:

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” Micah 5:2 ESV

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 ESV

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” Isaiah 9: 6-7 ESV

I hope this Christmas season filled your heart and home with faith, family and friends. May the wonder of this amazing love story continue to permeate deep into our souls. May the fragrance of God’s graciousness linger long into the New Year. May the shear awe of this little Child, capture a lifelong fascination that will grow stronger with each passing day. Acknowledging this precious Gift is the first step.

Best wishes for good health, happiness and a contented New Year with Christ’s peace lavished upon you and those you love.

— Joe Wagley is a Realtor and broker in Lenawee County. He is the owner of The Wagley Group Real Estate Advisors in Adrian and Manitou Beach. He can be reached at 517-265-6000 or at Joe@TheWagleyGroup.com.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Joe Wagley: What are the chances that Jesus really is the Christ?