While Scripture tells us that faith is the substance of things not seen, it can also be the substance of things we refuse to hear. It’s sad to see many Christians dismiss people because they have been told to reject them or they are not willing to listen to what they have to say.

After Balaam was upset with his donkey, he beat the donkey. Then, “The Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak” (Numbers 22:28). We refuse to listen to some people because of our premature and uninformed judgments of them, just like Balaam did when he punished his donkey, not knowing God could make an animal speak.

Two current interviewers have fallen victim to the same kind of judgments: Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson. Both interviewers have opened the door to more extended and detailed interviews, not just another quick video clip from our preferred news source. If God can speak through a donkey, He can speak through people we dislike and may prematurely reject because they do not align with our particular worldview.

Recently, Tucker Carson interviewed a believer who holds a Ph.D. from Oxford. His name is Jeremian Johnston. Johnston spoke regarding the validity of the Shroud of Turin, providing new evidence of the shroud’s significance, evidence not available in times past when our current investigative tools were not available.

I, like many followers of Jesus, had prematurely dismissed the significance of the Shroud of Turin. The shroud was something we did not need to have faith in Jesus. While that is true, it overlooks the significance of the shroud.. What Johnston revealed in his interview with Tucker Carson was astounding.

Because of the evidence provided by his investigation, I listened to his interview with new ears. As an example, he traced the different kinds of pollen embedded in the shroud that were only present in Israel at the time of Jesus’ death. If Jesus did stumble while carrying His cross, the shroud also reveals soil on Jesus’ feet, nose, and forehead, revealing what would happen if someone fell face down while carrying a heavy object. That soil found in the shroud was only present in the soil of Israel. And the list of more distinctives continued to increase the validity of the shroud’s significance.

The Lord is providing extraordinary evidence of Jesus’ life and resurrection. Only a person under the influence of a dismisive spirit will neglect such evidence out of hand without further inquiry. We should look at current and previously unknown evidence that is being presented and allow the Spirit to confirm what is true or false.

To reject an interviewer and the person being interviewed is not a wise choice to make. It’s like beating a donkey and missing out on something the Lord wants to say through a source we did not expect would be able to speak to us a word from the Lord.

Here is the interview of Jeremiah Johnston on the Tucker Carson show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKMQY49py4w