Scientist: Jesus May Have Walked on Ice, Not Water
I have several feelings as I read the article linked to above. The gist of it is that a Florida State professor, Doron Nof, has theorized that atmospheric conditions could have contributed to patches of hard-to-see ice being on the freshwater Sea of Galilee, which could possibly explain scientifically how Jesus could have been recounted as walking on water.
My initial reaction is to roll my eyes. It brings me back to my biology class in college when my prof declared dogmatically that any theory relating to the world being created by intelligent design is not science. The underlying problem logically is that the professor did not realize that her theory of earth’s origins is influenced by her presupposition that God doesn’t exist just as much as someone whose presupposition is that God does exist. But I don’t really give a great deal of emotional energy to this.
Romans 1 comes to mind, with the unrighteousness of men suppressing the plain truth about God for a lie, exchanging His glory for images like themselves. This is what I have done as well as the professor at Florida State, which leads me to the third thought.
“I get hate e-mail on the average every three minutes,” Nof said. One e-mail called him “the most stupid person on the planet” and closed by wishing that he “go to hell where you belong.”
Way to go, “followers” of Christ. Way to exalt your enlightened mind as a cause of boasting over this professor. My attention turned at this point from Nof to the arrogance of some to assume that because they see, it has something to do with them, and because the professor does not see, it has something to do with him. Yesterday I was hit with the weight that God chose me to show forth His power, not mine. The hearts of those who send such things should be broken.
At the same time, it’s not too difficult to imagine that when you do this…
Doron Nof, a professor of oceanography, said a rare combination of water and atmospheric conditions in the Sea of Galilee 2000 years ago may offer a scientific explanation for one of the miracles recounted in the Bible.
You end up with people not believing you when you say:
“I’m not trying to provide any information that has to do with theology here,” Nof said in an interview Wednesday. “All we’ve thought is about the natural process. What theologians or anybody else does with that, it’s their business, so to speak.”
But you are, Professor Nof. If you weren’t, you would simply say, “There may have been patches of ice in extreme conditions on the Sea of Galilee between 2500-1500 years ago.” It’s when you make the leap and theorize that this could explain how Jesus could walk on water that you are providing information that “has to do with theology.” That theory is itself an entering into theological debate.
Now, I realize that such a theory makes good news. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the AP reporter had an agenda and used your science to put forth that agenda. At any rate, I feel like the truth of what Jesus said in His parable about the rich man and Lazarus is true.
“[The rich man] said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16:30-31)
Or walk on water.
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