Sarah Silverman and the Eternal Gospel

Recently, comedian Sarah Silverman was asked who her favorite fictional hero is. She answered, “Jesus?” Silverman has a history of taking jabs at both Jesus and Christians.

Over the last several years, there has been a growing trend in popular culture to put forth the assumption that Jesus is merely a mythological figure of history. However, absolutely no credible historian, Christian or otherwise, holds to this view. The reason? History is overflowing with credible sources proving that Jesus really lived.

But better than that, history is full of credible, non-Christian early sources that say Jesus lived in Judea during the reign of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, was called the Messiah, had a brother named James, was executed by Pontius Pilate, and began a movement of followers who bore the name ‘Christians’.

Here are a couple of these non-Christian credible early sources.

When the Emperor [Nero] learned of the death of Festus, he sent Albanos as procurator to Judea. The King [Herod Agrippa II] took the office of high priest [in Jerusalem] away from Joseph and gave it to the son of Ananos, who was also called Ananos. … Ananos thought that this was a favorable time for him since Festus had died and Albanus was still on his way. Therefore he convened the high council of judges and brought before them James, the brother of Jesus (called the “Messiah”), and several others. He accused them of transgressing the laws and had them stoned. – Josephus 62-63CE Antiquities of the Jews XX.9.1

No humane endeavors, no princely generosity, no efforts to placate the gods were able to dispel the scandalous suspicion that the burning of the city was the result of an order. To silence this rumor, Nero pushed the Christians forward as the culprits and punished them with ingenious cruelty, as they were generally hated for their infamous deeds. The one from whom this name originated, Christ, had been executed during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of the procurator, Pontius Pilate.  – Cornelius Tacitus 115CE (Roman Historian), Annals XV.44

Josephus was a Jewish historian of royal and priestly descent who eventually worked for the Roman Empire. Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman senator and historian who chronicled the affairs of the Empire. Though everyone is ultimately responsible for Jesus' crucifixion, the Bible shows the Jews and the Romans working together to execute Him, and both groups viewed the early Christians as a threat.

History records both groups starting rumors about the early Christians in an attempt to convince people not to join the movement. However, one rumor they never spread was that Jesus never existed. Why do you think they never tried that tactic? It’s simple. It wouldn’t have gained any traction. It would have been rejected out-of-hand on the basis of its absolute absurdity. Everyone knew Jesus existed.

So why do folks like Sarah Silverman stoop to such sophomoric antics to express their dislike of Jesus?

I remember the last time I went to a haunted house. I was about 20 years old. While my friends and I waited in line to enter, we couldn’t help but overhear the big dudes in front of us making fun of and teasing each other about how ridiculous haunted houses are. They both had significant others, and appeared to want to look tough in front of their girlfriends.

After we got inside, we started hearing shrieks of terror from just in front of our group. They weren’t feminine and they weren’t from children. It was the two dudes. They were horrified, and it was glorious. All of that talk in the line was just a cover for their anxiety. 

Silverman may say she’s an atheist, but I don't believe that's true. I think she is just afraid of facing God, and uses comedy and mockery as a shroud to hide that terror. And I can understand why. She’s probably read the Bible and come across passages like Revelation 21:8. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

Humans have a tendency to make light of the things that terrify us. Doing so appears to take the power away from the objects of our fears. But try was we may, all the jokes we can muster don’t change the truth of the impending judgment to come. Make no mistake about it; Jesus is coming to judge. He said it Himself in John 5, and Paul confirmed it in 2 Corinthians 5.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. – 2 Corinthians 5:10

If you really believed that every thing you ever said, everything you ever thought, everything you ever did was going to be judged against God’s holiness, and that would affect your eternal state, would it change the way you live? Would it change the way you parent? Would it change the way you date? Would it change what you feel is acceptable to watch on TV? Would it change the way you act when no one is around?

If so, let me assure you of a few things. Jesus really walked the earth and lived for us. Lord Jesus died for everyone. Jesus rose again on the third day. Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days later. Jesus is ruling at His Father’s side. And Lord Jesus is returning soon to judge the living and the dead. All who repent and fully entrust their lives to Him will be given a new heart and new mind, new desires, will be transformed to be more and more like Him, and will be with Him forever.

With those truths in mind, let us believe the eternal Gospel as stated in Revelation 14:6-7: And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.”