When I first opened the pages of the New Testament, I didn’t approach it as a believer—I came at it as a skeptic, a detective trained to look for evidence. At that time, I was a naturalist. I didn’t believe in the supernatural, and as I read about the miracles Jesus performed, I couldn’t help but wonder: was He just a magician? After all, even in the ancient world, people practiced illusions and tricks. Could He have been a clever performer who simply fooled His followers?
But as I looked closer at the accounts in Scripture, I began to see that what Jesus did didn’t fit the category of magic. Magicians create illusions—things that appear real but aren’t. Jesus, on the other hand, did things that could be verified by those around Him. Feeding over five thousand people from a few loaves and fish isn’t sleight of hand. Everyone present touched and ate the food. That’s not a parlor trick; that’s an act of real power.
Then I turned my focus to the one event that mattered more than any miracle—the resurrection. If Jesus truly rose from the grave, then He wasn’t a magician, a myth, or a man making bold claims. He was exactly who He said He was: God incarnate. As an investigator, I knew that if the resurrection was true, it changed everything. So I started there.
The first question I had to settle was simple: was Jesus really dead? The Gospel accounts provide details that are medically significant, details the writers themselves would never have understood scientifically. For instance, John records that when a Roman soldier pierced Jesus’ side, water flowed out along with blood. That description may sound poetic at first, but it actually reveals something profound. Water emerging from the chest cavity indicates a condition called pericardial or pleural effusion—fluid that accumulates only after the heart stops beating. In other words, that small observation tucked away in John’s Gospel is silent forensic testimony that Jesus was indeed dead.
Once I was convinced of His death, another question emerged: did people really see Him alive again, or was this all a deception? If it was a lie, what would the disciples stand to gain from maintaining it? Most people lie for money, power, or fame. Yet the followers of Jesus gained none of those things. Instead, they lost everything—their freedom, their social standing, and in most cases, their lives. These men and women willingly suffered and died because they were convinced of what they had seen. They didn’t just believe a story; they staked their lives on it. Nothing about their testimony fits the motives of fraud or illusion.
So what do we do with that? If Jesus really died and truly rose again—if the evidence points to that conclusion—then we’re no longer talking about magic, deception, or myth. We’re talking about a supernatural event grounded in history and witnessed by real people who were transformed by the truth of it.
When I finally followed the evidence where it led, I had to face a life-changing reality: Jesus wasn’t a magician performing tricks to impress crowds. He was God in human flesh—demonstrating divine power in ways no illusionist could replicate. The resurrection wasn’t a performance; it was the ultimate proof. And once I recognized that truth, everything about my worldview shifted. The skeptic in me had to surrender to the facts I uncovered as an investigator. When I finally followed the evidence where it led, I had to face a life-changing reality: Jesus wasn’t a magician performing tricks to impress crowds. Share on X
Jesus didn’t come to entertain or deceive. He came to reveal the truth, conquer death, and offer eternal life. And when you see the evidence for who He really is, you realize that the greatest miracle isn’t just in what He did—but in who He is.
For more information about the reliability of the New Testament gospels and the case for Christianity, please read Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. This book teaches readers ten principles of cold-case investigations and applies these strategies to investigate the claims of the gospel authors. The book is accompanied by an eight-session Cold-Case Christianity DVD Set (and Participant’s Guide) to help individuals or small groups examine the evidence and make the case.
