It is very common for schools to teach that the beginning of this world happened millions of years ago, and all the plants and animals evolved to what they are today, starting with just a small cell. The truth about God creating the world is rarely taught in schools. We call this, the theory of evolution. Sometimes it is not easy to think of what kind of answer to give as Christians, because the science teachers say that we do not have evidence, and everything we believe in is by faith, and faith has no part in science. They claim that the theory of evolution can be scientifically proven.
There are a few Christian teachers who believe in Creation as the origin of all life, although they are still required to teach the theory of evolution—they teach it as only a theory that is taught in the science community.
Mr. Smith was one such teacher who believed in creation. He prayed for ways that he could witness to his students without bringing opposition from the school. Most of the students and teachers believed in evolution, so it would not be an easy task.
One day, during a lecture about the origin of things, he stated that no one could produce a plausible theory for the origin of odour, colour, taste, shape, or power. His argument was that none of these were the product of development—something that changed or evolved over time. They were the result of a definite decision on the part of the living God. He mentioned things like the fact that strawberries always have the same odour, no matter where they are grown, and that their odour is never confused with the odour of any other thing in all the world. Every fruit has its own odour and so does every animal. The odour of the one is never like the odour of the other and nor does it ever change.
He went on to say that the taste of vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, meats, etc., have always remained the same, and that one is never mistaken for another. He stated that only the living God could give peaches their peculiar taste; that colours could not have happened by themselves; that bananas are yellow because God made them so, and plums are blue or red because God made them so. He stressed the fact that an intelligent God designed each of these by His own power and will. He continued by saying that each plant and animal has its own shape. Chickens do not grow as large as ostriches, neither do bananas grow as long as broomsticks. There are no square apples and no oblong pumpkins with square edges. Everything has its own peculiar shape from God.
He concluded his lecture by stating that the origin of power is a great mystery. Who knows how the sun was first placed in the heavens, or when the first gallon of water ran over Niagara Falls? All of this is a mystery, except as we believe the Bible concerning creation.
During the lecture he had made reference to the resurrection, saying, “Every corn field is a graveyard. A grain of corn is planted in the spring, and while it is dying tender shoots are formed which force their way up through the hard soil to emerge into the sunshine and to grow into a stalk. Every living plant comes out of a grave. We do not understand the power of life, nor how it is that a soft, tender leaf can force its way through the hard ground, break the topsoil, push up a heavy clod and emerge. Every spring we see it done and we rejoice that it is so. The sun above us has the power to dispel the darkness about us and draw latent life into the light.”
At the end of the lecture, a young man came to Mr. Smith with the attitude of one whose intelligence had been insulted. He said, “Surely you do not mean to tell me that you believe in the resurrection?” He replied, “Certainly, I do,” answered Mr. Smith, “A resurrection of the human body will take place in God’s good time, just as there is a resurrection of seeds in their appointed time.” He looked at Mr. Smith in astonishment, as though the teacher was out of his mind and maybe going a little senile. Then he asked, “Do you mean to tell me that you believe that Lazarus came out of the grave when Jesus spoke to him?” “Yes,” replied Mr. Smith, “certainly and positively; there is no question about it. Jesus had given him his life. Jesus had allowed it to be taken from him, and then Jesus could give it back to him again, and He did so.” Again the young man expressed his unbelief in Mr. Smith’s foolishness and said, “You look intelligent. How is it that one who is intelligent would believe such foolishness?”
By this time Mr. Smith thought to ask this wise young man a few questions to see how much he really knew, so he asked, “I suppose you reject the idea of the resurrection because you cannot understand it. Am I correct in this?” “Yes,” he replied, “you are correct. Tell me, how did Lazarus come out of the grave?”
Mr. Smith replied, “Now you have changed the question. First, you asked whether Lazarus did come out, and I replied that he certainly did. Now you ask me how he came out, and I must reply that I do not know.”
The young man seemed to think that he had won the victory, so Mr. Smith continued by asking, “Do you reject the truth of the resurrection simply because you cannot understand it?” The student answered most emphatically, “Yes sir; I will believe nothing that I cannot understand.”
Mr. Smith then decided to ask the student a question from nature. “Do you believe that butterflies come out of cocoons?” He replied that he did. The teacher then asked, “How does the butterfly get out?” This question baffled the young man. The other students standing around listened to the conversation intently. The young man was now seeking to find some answer that would reveal his marvelous knowledge and his wonderful understanding of nature.
After a few moments later he replied rather officiously, “It bites its way out, of course.”
“How many teeth does a butterfly have?” asked Mr. Smith.
He hardly knew what to say to this simple question, so he replied, “I do not know. How many teeth does it have?”
“Well, you see there is at least one thing that you do not know,” was the teacher’s reply. “As a matter of fact a butterfly does not have any teeth at all, not even a mouth, but only a long, slender proboscis.” Again he asked the student, “How does the butterfly get out?”
He replied, “I suppose it emits a sort of acid which burns a hole through the cocoon.”
Mr. Smith then asked him if he did not think it would be strange for a butterfly to emit an acid strong enough to burn through the tough cocoon and yet would not burn itself. He admitted that this was true and that he must be wrong.
“That is right,” said Mr. Smith, “So there are two things that you do not know. Tell me, how does it get out?”
By this time a large number of students had gathered around to listen. His reply to the third question was, “I suppose it must swell up and burst its way out.”
Quickly the teacher answered, “Now there are three things that you do not know, for the cocoon is waterproof, air proof, light proof and heat proof. How could it swell up when there is no air with which to expand? Did you ever try to tear a cocoon with your hands?” The student answered that he had often tried to do it, but had never succeeded.
Then Mr. Smith said to him, “You cannot tear a cocoon with your big, strong hands, but you are so wise and well informed that you are confident that the soft, tender butterfly could tear it by swelling up with air which it does not have.”
One more time the teacher asked him, “How does the butterfly get out?” The student finally gave up. He had to admit that he did not know. The teacher then asked him, “Does the butterfly come out of the cocoon?”
“Yes, certainly it does,” answered the student.
“So did Lazarus come out of the tomb when Jesus spoke,” Mr. Smith replied, “but I cannot tell you how he did it.”
The discussion was over. The young man left the room quietly, defeated. Although it seems that the young man was still not accepting the explanation, many of the other students were. They saw the foolishness of the young man’s argument. A few of them asked more questions, and began to attend the youth Bible Studies on the college campus.
Those with whom we speak are not always willing to listen and accept, but we should always explain the things of God when we have an opportunity. There may be others who are listening and who will accept what we say.
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15