|
|
An Assessment Of
The Media's Denial Of Jesus' Resurrection
1. They Possess Thomas’ Initial Skepticism
2. They Lack Thomas’ Later Faith
Text: John 20:24-29
24 But Thomas, one of the Twelve, who was called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 Therefore the other disciples told him repeatedly, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the mark of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will absolutely not believe!”
26 And after eight days his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus comes when the doors had been locked, and he stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
27 After that he says to Thomas, “Reach out your finger here and see my hands, and reach out your hand and put it into my side, and be not unbelieving but believing.”
28 Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus says to him, “Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are the ones who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Sermon:
What are we to think of the media’s articles which appear from time to time, especially just before Christmas and Easter? Their headlines state something like: “Bible Scholars Deny Jesus' Virgin Birth.” “Jesus' Resurrection A Hoax.” “Jesus' Body Still Lies In Palestine.” When you read those articles, you discover that biblical scholars state the Bible is nothing but the traditions of the ancient Christians and that the accounts of Jesus' virgin birth and resurrection are only myths--traditions and legends of the early Christian church. Don’t those articles make you wonder: “How can biblical scholars say such things?”
I know such media reports are disturbing, because my members have cut out such articles and given them to me. How should we assess such articles of the media that deny Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Based on the above sermon text it can be stated that those who are behind those articles possess Thomas’ initial skepticism but lack Thomas’ later faith. The writers of the articles are modern day Doubting Thomases. They refuse to believe the simple historical truth, as Thomas did at first.
On Easter evening the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples in the locked room. He assured them that God's peace remained with them. But he scolded them for not believing the women's reports of his resurrection. He then showed them his hands and side to prove to them that they were seeing the same Jesus who had been crucified and had died on the cross. The disciples then believed he had risen from the dead and rejoiced in his resurrection.
Verses 24, 25 of our text, however, tell us: “But Thomas, one of the Twelve, who was called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. Therefore the other disciples told him repeatedly, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the mark of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will absolutely not believe!' ”
Thomas was a true skeptic. He did not believe the reports of Jesus' resurrection. If he lived among us today, he would be the person who says, "I'm from Missouri: you gotta show me." He thought seeing was believing. He must have tangible proof before he would believe Jesus' had risen from the dead.
Thomas' skepticism is understandable. I doubt that if we had been in Thomas' position, we would have acted any differently than he did. We would not have believed the reports of Jesus' resurrection either. Quite frankly, none of the disciples believed Jesus had risen from the dead until after they had seen the empty tomb or Jesus in person. So it is unlikely that we would have believed the report of Jesus' resurrection either. Suppose someone told you today that a person who had died had come back from the dead and was living. Would you believe it? I doubt it.
The media today is just as skeptical as Thomas was initially. Like Thomas, their reason gets in the way of their having faith. While we are shocked by the liberal articles of the media, we are in our own ways no better than they are. Our reason gets in the way of our faith, too. We tend to believe what we see rather than what we are told, even by the Word of God. We see hard times in our life, and we are tempted to doubt God's Word which says he is watching over us and caring for us every minute of every day. We see things go wrong in our lives and in the world around us, and we are tempted to doubt God's Word that says our Lord is in control of all things. We see the suffering that comes into our lives, and we are tempted to doubt the goodness of God and that he causes all things to work for our good. Instead of believing what our Lord has told us, we go by what we see and then grumble and complain about our life's situation.
Since we rely on what we see and are slow to believe what the Bible says, we should be able to understand that we too would have been skeptical about Jesus' resurrection and denied its having occurred, just as Doubting Thomas did and the media now does today.
For the same lack of concrete visible evidence that Thomas wanted, the liberal scholars and media have rejected and denied the biblical teaching that Jesus rose bodily from the grave Easter morning. Behind their skepticism lies a rank unbelief and refusal to accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God and that what it says is the truth.
The media’s denials of Jesus’ resurrection are nothing new. Skeptics, like them, have been denying the resurrection of Jesus since the day he rose from the dead. As we must contend with the skeptical media of today, so Paul had to contend with such skeptics during his apostolic ministry. When he proclaimed Jesus' resurrection to the Greeks in Athens, the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him and called him a babbler. This is told to us in Acts 17:18: “Then some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began conversing with him, and some started to say, “What might this babbler be trying to say? And others, “He seems to be a preacher of strange deities” – because he kept preaching the gospel about Jesus and the resurrection.” When Paul was then brought to the Areopagus in Athens and he spoke to the men who were gathered there, Acts 17:32 says, “Now when they heard about a resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff.” Among the Christians in Corinth, some said there was no such thing as the resurrection of the dead. Thus Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:12 “. . . how is it possible that some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?”
The liberal Bible scholars of today, whose views are published in the media’s articles, are no different from the liberal scholars who preceded them during the last three hundred years. For the last three centuries so-called biblical scholars have denied the bodily resurrection of Jesus. In the 1700's, during the age of rationalism, liberal scholars brought forth their theories that tried to explain away the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ. A scholar named Reimarus adopted the Jewish lie that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus from the tomb. He called his theory the fraud theory. He claimed, as the Jewish chief priests paid the Roman soldiers to say, that the disciples stole Jesus' body during the night and then spread the story Jesus had risen from the dead.
Another scholar of the 1700's, Heinrich Paulus, said the disciples believed Jesus had risen from the dead because they were ignorant, unschooled men, who did not understand the scientific laws of nature. He said that if they had understood the laws of science, they would have known that miracles cannot happen, including Jesus' resurrection, for the laws of nature make miracles an impossibility.
In the 1800's the German theologian Schleiermacher speculated that Jesus had never died on the cross. He claimed Jesus passed into what he called a state of suspended animation, in which it only appeared Jesus' body was dead. Actually, he said, Jesus was still living, but his vital signs could not be observed.
The liberal theologians and media of today in like manner reject the physical resurrection of Jesus. They speak of his resurrection in the sense that he lives on in the hearts and minds of those who believe in him, but his body is still lying in an unmarked Palestinian grave somewhere.
Like Thomas, not having seen the resurrected Lord Jesus with their very own eyes, the liberal scholars and media writers refuse to believe Jesus rose from the dead. So they explain his resurrection away as a myth -- nothing more than a fabricated story that contains a spiritual lesson to learn.
Doubting Thomas actually did us a favor. By refusing to believe the reports of Jesus' resurrection, he demanded what we ourselves would have demanded if we had been there -- visible proof. For a lack of such visible proof, the modern skeptics, whose denials you see in the newspapers and news magazines, also refuse to believe Jesus rose from the dead.
The truth is, however: Jesus did rise from the dead. Verses 26, 27 of our text state: “And after eight days his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus comes when the doors had been locked, and he stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” After that he says to Thomas, “Reach out your finger here and see my hands, and reach out your hand and put it into my side, and be not unbelieving but believing!' ” Thomas had been saying that seeing is believing, so Jesus told him to come and see for himself and start believing.
Thomas reaction was, “My Lord and my God!” He, who had been a skeptic, became convinced. He no longer had any doubts. He was then quick to confess what he had come to know and believe: Jesus was truly the Lord and God.
In spite of the media’s articles that deny Jesus rose from the dead, his resurrection is a historical fact. Thomas' testimony is solid evidence of it. The testimony of the other apostles and the women is valid evidence of his resurrection as well. They were eyewitnesses. Their testimonies all agree. Jesus himself said that in the eyes of two or three witnesses a matter would be established. Well, there were many more than two or three eyewitnesses to his resurrection, so the matter has been established. And the very fact that Thomas was so outspoken about denying Jesus' resurrection but then believed it himself, strengthens his testimony. He would not have believed it, if the evidence had not been so compelling that he finally had to accept it and admit the fact.
The risen Lord Jesus is our Lord and God too. Through his Word he also comes to us with his greeting, “Peace be with you.” We have God's peace, for Jesus' death paid for our sins. And since our sins have been paid for and forgiven, we are no longer subject to eternal punishment. We will rise to live eternally even as Jesus rose and is living now. His encouragement to Thomas is fitting for us today, as it is for those who write those liberal articles in the media: “Be not unbelieving but believing!”
Those who believe will be saved. Therefore verse 29 states that Jesus told Thomas, “Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are the ones who have not seen and yet have believed.” We have not seen Jesus' resurrection, yet we believe it. Let us go forth, then, in the confidence of having his blessing and peace. And don’t be disturbed by those articles in the newspapers and news magazines that deny Jesus' resurrection. They are merely the product of liberal unbelievers who will not accept the biblical truth: Jesus rose from the dead and lives eternally. Take their words as worth less than a grain of salt.
Amen.
2. They Lack Thomas’ Later Faith
Text: John 20:24-29
24 But Thomas, one of the Twelve, who was called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 Therefore the other disciples told him repeatedly, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the mark of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will absolutely not believe!”
26 And after eight days his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus comes when the doors had been locked, and he stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
27 After that he says to Thomas, “Reach out your finger here and see my hands, and reach out your hand and put it into my side, and be not unbelieving but believing.”
28 Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus says to him, “Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are the ones who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Sermon:
What are we to think of the media’s articles which appear from time to time, especially just before Christmas and Easter? Their headlines state something like: “Bible Scholars Deny Jesus' Virgin Birth.” “Jesus' Resurrection A Hoax.” “Jesus' Body Still Lies In Palestine.” When you read those articles, you discover that biblical scholars state the Bible is nothing but the traditions of the ancient Christians and that the accounts of Jesus' virgin birth and resurrection are only myths--traditions and legends of the early Christian church. Don’t those articles make you wonder: “How can biblical scholars say such things?”
I know such media reports are disturbing, because my members have cut out such articles and given them to me. How should we assess such articles of the media that deny Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Based on the above sermon text it can be stated that those who are behind those articles possess Thomas’ initial skepticism but lack Thomas’ later faith. The writers of the articles are modern day Doubting Thomases. They refuse to believe the simple historical truth, as Thomas did at first.
On Easter evening the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples in the locked room. He assured them that God's peace remained with them. But he scolded them for not believing the women's reports of his resurrection. He then showed them his hands and side to prove to them that they were seeing the same Jesus who had been crucified and had died on the cross. The disciples then believed he had risen from the dead and rejoiced in his resurrection.
Verses 24, 25 of our text, however, tell us: “But Thomas, one of the Twelve, who was called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. Therefore the other disciples told him repeatedly, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the mark of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will absolutely not believe!' ”
Thomas was a true skeptic. He did not believe the reports of Jesus' resurrection. If he lived among us today, he would be the person who says, "I'm from Missouri: you gotta show me." He thought seeing was believing. He must have tangible proof before he would believe Jesus' had risen from the dead.
Thomas' skepticism is understandable. I doubt that if we had been in Thomas' position, we would have acted any differently than he did. We would not have believed the reports of Jesus' resurrection either. Quite frankly, none of the disciples believed Jesus had risen from the dead until after they had seen the empty tomb or Jesus in person. So it is unlikely that we would have believed the report of Jesus' resurrection either. Suppose someone told you today that a person who had died had come back from the dead and was living. Would you believe it? I doubt it.
The media today is just as skeptical as Thomas was initially. Like Thomas, their reason gets in the way of their having faith. While we are shocked by the liberal articles of the media, we are in our own ways no better than they are. Our reason gets in the way of our faith, too. We tend to believe what we see rather than what we are told, even by the Word of God. We see hard times in our life, and we are tempted to doubt God's Word which says he is watching over us and caring for us every minute of every day. We see things go wrong in our lives and in the world around us, and we are tempted to doubt God's Word that says our Lord is in control of all things. We see the suffering that comes into our lives, and we are tempted to doubt the goodness of God and that he causes all things to work for our good. Instead of believing what our Lord has told us, we go by what we see and then grumble and complain about our life's situation.
Since we rely on what we see and are slow to believe what the Bible says, we should be able to understand that we too would have been skeptical about Jesus' resurrection and denied its having occurred, just as Doubting Thomas did and the media now does today.
For the same lack of concrete visible evidence that Thomas wanted, the liberal scholars and media have rejected and denied the biblical teaching that Jesus rose bodily from the grave Easter morning. Behind their skepticism lies a rank unbelief and refusal to accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God and that what it says is the truth.
The media’s denials of Jesus’ resurrection are nothing new. Skeptics, like them, have been denying the resurrection of Jesus since the day he rose from the dead. As we must contend with the skeptical media of today, so Paul had to contend with such skeptics during his apostolic ministry. When he proclaimed Jesus' resurrection to the Greeks in Athens, the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him and called him a babbler. This is told to us in Acts 17:18: “Then some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began conversing with him, and some started to say, “What might this babbler be trying to say? And others, “He seems to be a preacher of strange deities” – because he kept preaching the gospel about Jesus and the resurrection.” When Paul was then brought to the Areopagus in Athens and he spoke to the men who were gathered there, Acts 17:32 says, “Now when they heard about a resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff.” Among the Christians in Corinth, some said there was no such thing as the resurrection of the dead. Thus Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:12 “. . . how is it possible that some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?”
The liberal Bible scholars of today, whose views are published in the media’s articles, are no different from the liberal scholars who preceded them during the last three hundred years. For the last three centuries so-called biblical scholars have denied the bodily resurrection of Jesus. In the 1700's, during the age of rationalism, liberal scholars brought forth their theories that tried to explain away the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ. A scholar named Reimarus adopted the Jewish lie that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus from the tomb. He called his theory the fraud theory. He claimed, as the Jewish chief priests paid the Roman soldiers to say, that the disciples stole Jesus' body during the night and then spread the story Jesus had risen from the dead.
Another scholar of the 1700's, Heinrich Paulus, said the disciples believed Jesus had risen from the dead because they were ignorant, unschooled men, who did not understand the scientific laws of nature. He said that if they had understood the laws of science, they would have known that miracles cannot happen, including Jesus' resurrection, for the laws of nature make miracles an impossibility.
In the 1800's the German theologian Schleiermacher speculated that Jesus had never died on the cross. He claimed Jesus passed into what he called a state of suspended animation, in which it only appeared Jesus' body was dead. Actually, he said, Jesus was still living, but his vital signs could not be observed.
The liberal theologians and media of today in like manner reject the physical resurrection of Jesus. They speak of his resurrection in the sense that he lives on in the hearts and minds of those who believe in him, but his body is still lying in an unmarked Palestinian grave somewhere.
Like Thomas, not having seen the resurrected Lord Jesus with their very own eyes, the liberal scholars and media writers refuse to believe Jesus rose from the dead. So they explain his resurrection away as a myth -- nothing more than a fabricated story that contains a spiritual lesson to learn.
Doubting Thomas actually did us a favor. By refusing to believe the reports of Jesus' resurrection, he demanded what we ourselves would have demanded if we had been there -- visible proof. For a lack of such visible proof, the modern skeptics, whose denials you see in the newspapers and news magazines, also refuse to believe Jesus rose from the dead.
The truth is, however: Jesus did rise from the dead. Verses 26, 27 of our text state: “And after eight days his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus comes when the doors had been locked, and he stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” After that he says to Thomas, “Reach out your finger here and see my hands, and reach out your hand and put it into my side, and be not unbelieving but believing!' ” Thomas had been saying that seeing is believing, so Jesus told him to come and see for himself and start believing.
Thomas reaction was, “My Lord and my God!” He, who had been a skeptic, became convinced. He no longer had any doubts. He was then quick to confess what he had come to know and believe: Jesus was truly the Lord and God.
In spite of the media’s articles that deny Jesus rose from the dead, his resurrection is a historical fact. Thomas' testimony is solid evidence of it. The testimony of the other apostles and the women is valid evidence of his resurrection as well. They were eyewitnesses. Their testimonies all agree. Jesus himself said that in the eyes of two or three witnesses a matter would be established. Well, there were many more than two or three eyewitnesses to his resurrection, so the matter has been established. And the very fact that Thomas was so outspoken about denying Jesus' resurrection but then believed it himself, strengthens his testimony. He would not have believed it, if the evidence had not been so compelling that he finally had to accept it and admit the fact.
The risen Lord Jesus is our Lord and God too. Through his Word he also comes to us with his greeting, “Peace be with you.” We have God's peace, for Jesus' death paid for our sins. And since our sins have been paid for and forgiven, we are no longer subject to eternal punishment. We will rise to live eternally even as Jesus rose and is living now. His encouragement to Thomas is fitting for us today, as it is for those who write those liberal articles in the media: “Be not unbelieving but believing!”
Those who believe will be saved. Therefore verse 29 states that Jesus told Thomas, “Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are the ones who have not seen and yet have believed.” We have not seen Jesus' resurrection, yet we believe it. Let us go forth, then, in the confidence of having his blessing and peace. And don’t be disturbed by those articles in the newspapers and news magazines that deny Jesus' resurrection. They are merely the product of liberal unbelievers who will not accept the biblical truth: Jesus rose from the dead and lives eternally. Take their words as worth less than a grain of salt.
Amen.
Return to the Sermons page.
