Jesus Cares
Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist and outspoken atheist author who lives in the United Kingdom. Previously, Dawkins has proudly declared he believes that 'the Christian faith is nonsense'. But he recently changed his attitude - slightly, very slightly... In an interview he said, "I call myself a cultural Christian." "I'm not a believer, but there is a distinction between being a believing Christian and a cultural Christian." "I find that I like to live in a culturally Christian country, although I do not believe a single word of the Christian faith."
Dawkins added, "I love hymns and Christmas carols and I sort of feel at home in the Christian ethos, and I feel that we are a Christian country in that sense." "It's true that statistically, the number of people who actually believe in Christianity is going down and I'm happy with that, but I would not be happy if, for example, we lost all our cathedrals and our beautiful parish churches. So, I count myself a cultural Christian. I think it would matter if we... substituted any alternative religion, that would be truly dreadful."
That doesn't sound very 'tolerant' for a secular atheist... I'm not exactly sure how he's come to this belief - but he's getting closer... Mr. Dawkins enjoys the Christian culture and the general Christian values it brings, but what he fails to understand is from where the culture and those values come...
We just celebrated Easter last week – Resurrection Sunday – the account of how Jesus came and demonstrated His almighty power in rising from the grave! And I think it's appropriate to linger with this account a bit longer. 'God in the flesh' came and personally taught man – Jesus taught us God's Truth Himself. But yet many still miss what makes all the difference. Or more appropriately - Who makes all the difference.
Now, I spoke about Jesus' resurrection – but how can we be sure it's true? There is credibility of the facts and that truth can be lived out today. We find these words in Acts 1:1-3 (NIV)...
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach (2) until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. (3) After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
These words were written by Luke, the author of the Gospel of Luke. He was a physician and a historian. He was very thorough in his documentation and even literary critics of ancient manuscripts agree that Luke's work is among the most respected documents of it's time. In it's time – it was accepted as fact. That's one of the reasons why the early Church grew by leaps and bounds, because people who were there could vouch for the truth of Luke's claims.
Let's say that it were possible to bring in today all the people who actually saw Jesus, with their own eyes, after he rose from the dead. How many would that be? It's documented that well over five hundred people claimed to have seen Jesus alive after His crucifixion and many had a physical contact such as a hug, holding his hand or even sharing a meal with him.
The fact is Jesus did rise from the dead. Many of you today, really don't need convincing – that's why you're here – you believe. But Jesus didn't give so much evidence just so you'd believe a fact from the past. Jesus said, in John 10:9-10 (NIV)...
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. (10) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Jesus wasn't just referring to eternal life. Jesus wasn't just giving us facts so that we'd believe and go to Heaven - someday. Jesus was also talking about helping us to live right now!
I want to look at three specific occasions where Jesus appeared to people after His death. In these encounters, Jesus wasn't only concerned with these people's future situations, but He was also concerned with their struggles in that moment. The first encounter was an instance where Jesus truly cared about a woman who was…
I. Struggling with grief
One of the first to see Jesus alive again was Mary Magdalene. She and other women had come to His tomb early in the morning of the third day. When she realized the stone was rolled away and the body gone, she was grieving deeply because her Lord was dead and now apparently someone had taken his body. And if we look at Mark's account - Mary was addressed by an angel who said...
Mark 16:6-7 (NIV)
"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. (7) But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"
But as Mary stayed and cried because of her grief, then Jesus Himself greeted her, from John 20:15-18 (NIV)...
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." (16) Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
(17) Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" (18) Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.
If you read the passage before this - some of the disciples had been there already and gone home. But Jesus appeared to Mary, even before He chose to show Himself to the 12 Disciples. Why would Jesus stop to visit with Mary even before He ascended to His Father? Why would He stop just long enough to dry her tears and then leave? - Because Jesus was moved by her grief. Even though Jesus understood there was no real reason to cry – He apparently didn't want Mary to bear that grief for a moment longer than she had to.
Jesus was concerned with comforting Mary's pain right then and there. But ultimately He was more concerned with conquering her pain! Jesus cared about Mary's pain, but He wasn't simply there to talk about her pain – He was there to do something about it! Jesus was about His mission of defeating death, of conquering sin! But Jesus was moved to compassion and He was concerned with wiping away Mary's tears in that moment. But He was also concerned about changing everything so that Mary would never have a reason for tears again!
And did you catch what was in that previous passage from Mark? Before Mary saw Jesus - she was told to go tell the Good News to the disciples and Peter. And I think Peter was singled out because he, too, was struggling. Peter was…
II. Struggling with failure
Peter had been following Jesus for some time now, but it was at this juncture that he began to realize that Jesus was so much more than he ever thought. In Peter's first encounter with Jesus, in a fishing boat, Jesus performed the miracle of filling his nets instantly with fish - right in front of him. Peter was shocked and pulled away from Him because he knew that he was in the presence of great power – but he didn't realize then just how powerful Jesus was.
In order to understand Peter's struggle, we need to look a little at who Peter was. When we talk about Peter being a fisherman, don't think of someone out in a boat with his line in the water and his hat pulled down over his eyes. Peter was a commercial fisherman. Peter worked long, hard hours at pulling in nets full of fish everyday to feed his family. He was a strong man, a 'man's man'.
We know that Peter was the one who cut off a guy's ear when they tried to take Jesus from the Garden of Gethsemane. It's recorded that Peter and John are the only two disciples with the courage to follow the crowd to Jesus' trial. But Peter's courage ran out. It's at this moment that Peter fulfills Jesus' prophecy that He would deny Christ three times before the rooster crowed.
Matthew 26:74-75 (NIV)
Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. (75) Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.
When we see the description of Peter weeping, you can be sure it was because Peter was a man who felt the pain of failure deeply. He'd broken his word to Jesus when He needed him most. He didn't know if he could ever come back from such a betrayal.
If you're anything like me, you've probably felt the pain of failure at some point in your life. Maybe it was failure at work, failure in a relationship, with your spouse, with your children, or maybe a friend. That pain of failure was deep in Peter because he knew he'd sinned against God – He'd denied even knowing Jesus.
Now, you probably haven't outright denied Jesus with your words, but perhaps with your actions... Perhaps you're the only one who knows what your struggle is. Actually, that's not accurate – Jesus knows.
Jesus specifically asked to see Peter after His resurrection because He cared for Peter deeply and wanted to help him in his struggle. He went to Peter to acknowledge the failure, the betrayal, but to also let Him know he was forgiven.
Jesus cared and reached out to help Mary in her grief. Jesus cared and reached out to help Peter in his struggle with his own failure. And Jesus also cared about one man…
III. Struggling with doubt
We see in the book of John that Jesus appeared to the disciples when they were in a locked room. He showed Himself to them as proof that he was indeed alive. But tor whatever reason, the disciple Thomas wasn't among them at that point.
John 20:24-25 (NIV)
Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. (25) So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
Thomas, one of Jesus' close followers – one who had seen Jesus' miracles – doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead. It's not a surprise that many today have doubts, too. Of course it's easy to come down hard on a guy called 'doubting Thomas' for his unbelief, but let's look at who Thomas was.
Before the events of Jesus' trial and crucifixion, Jesus suggested that He and the disciples return to Judea. Most of them reminded Jesus that the last time they were in Judea the people there tried to kill Him. When Jesus wasn't dissuaded from His plans - despite the risk, Thomas said "Let us also go, that we may die with him." Pretty cheery guy, right?
I don't know that Thomas should be remembered so much for his doubting, but maybe for his realistic approach to situations. The fact was, even though Thomas believed it meant certain death to return to Judea – he still went. He didn't want anyone to be under any illusions of safety, he just wanted them to know what they were in for – but he went. Thomas definitely had his doubts, but he was still faithful.
And Thomas had doubts about the resurrection of Jesus. What he wanted was evidence. Thomas wanted to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that His Lord was alive. He wasn't about to simply take the word of his friends and get his hopes up – he wanted to have genuine proof.
One week later, when Thomas was with the other disciples, Jesus showed up again. He didn't shame Thomas for his unbelief or make him feel guilty. Jesus gave Thomas what he needed, physical proof.
John 20:27-29 (NIV)
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." (28) Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" (29) Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
That last part – that's us. We haven't had the benefit of being able to touch Jesus' scars firsthand – but yet we believe.
I've spoken to people over the years who've had genuine doubts. Sometimes I think people believe that it's a sin to have any kind of doubt. Many times, they slowly voice their questions in a soft whisper, almost afraid that 'God might hear them'. As we see in the example of Thomas – it's okay to ask questions. Jesus is willing to help those who are genuinely struggling with doubt; those looking for answers.
Now granted, there are some in this world who are asking questions, not to reassure their faith but to try and tear down the faith of others. Thomas' intention was to fully understand His Lord, and Jesus was more than willing to provide answers. Those who aren't really interested in the truth wouldn't accept Jesus' answers anyway.
Remember - there were many soldiers and rulers and religious leaders who witnessed first hand Jesus' resurrection, and they still rejected it. It's people like that who will never believe, not because of a lack of evidence, but because they choose not to believe.
So What?
Back to the opening when I spoke about Richard Dawkins. When he was asked whether he sees the decline in church attendance and the construction of some 6,000 mosques, with many more planned, as a problem, Dawkins responded: "Yes, I do, really. I have to choose my words carefully: If I had to choose between Christianity and Islam, I'd choose Christianity every single time." "It seems to me to be a fundamentally decent religion, in a way that I think Islam is not."
- And in that choice, he's absolutely right. Richard Dawkins isn't a believer by any stretch - but he is struggling, and what we see in scripture is - Jesus cares about Richard Dawkins. What Mr. Dawkins doesn't understand is that Jesus Christ makes all the difference!
Now I know some might say, 'Well aren't you being a little close minded by dismissing other religions that don't accept Jesus as God's Son?
It's not that I'm closed minded – but I'm not blind either. Jesus is superior to every other religious leader in history! Not a single one of them conquered death. They lived and died and are still in the grave. Therefore their opinions don't have any more credibility than my opinions. So I put my trust in The God who conquered death! I will trust His Word over anyone and everyone!
And what does His Word say? Jesus died and He rose again. He wants a relationship with you. Just as He cared about wiping away Mary's pain; just as he desired to forgive Peter's sin and help him past his failure; just as he willingly answered Thomas's doubts – Jesus cares deeply about you - and me, too.
Jesus is alive and He wants to help you in your struggles. Jesus rose from the dead – that is a fact. You can choose to accept it, or reject it. If you've accepted that fact – great – now live out that truth and share it with others! If you're still struggling with doubt – you can trust Jesus! I promise you – He keeps His promises. Not even death can keep Jesus from keeping His promise! And He says to follow Him!