Skeptics, Cynics, and the Savior
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25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Today, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, the title of my message is, [Skeptics, Cynics, and the Savior].
Who has ever heard something that sounded too good to be true?
Or maybe we’ve seen an ad that promised low risk and huge reward?
Many marketers, sales people, and national figures make promises that seem too good to be true. It has happened for years. At one time it was:
My parents and grandparents read the newspaper and it had big promises for just a little money down.
When I was a kid we had telemarketers call every night during dinner trying to make a big promise.
Now, I get emails and sometimes texts with these huge promises that always sound too good to be true!
The result of too good to be true marketing campaigns is that is creates skeptics and cynics.
A skeptic is someone who is inclined to question or doubt.
A cynic is one who believes people are motivated by self-interest.
A skeptic will ask, are you telling me the truth?
A cynic will assume you are lying.
A skeptic will wonder how can this be?
A cynic has decided this can’t be.
A skeptic wonders what’s in this for you?
A cynic thinks you are trying to take advantage of me.
A skeptic will question because they seek the truth, but often cynics already have their minds made up about the issue.
And all this goes back to promises that sound too good to be true.
Today, we’re celebrating the culmination of events that was fueled by skepticism and cynicism. The skeptics acted out of doubt, but the cynics operated out of doubt, and together they sought to kill the Savior of the world.
But the crucifixion and resurrection were the result of ignorance concerning promises that were true, but sounded too good to be true.
And it all started when a prophet made this promise— Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
That promise may not sound like much to us, but it was revolutionary 2,000 years ago. The prophet’s promise about a coming Savior meant God’s people would throw off the yoke of Roman oppression and return Israel to power in the world.
Many begin to follow this Man they believed to be the Savior, but slowly skeptics and cynics began to doubt and not believe.
Their problem came because this Savior used methods and had a mindset that was unconventional:
He was born to an unwed mother
He was raised in an poor community
He called fisherman to be disciples
He accepted immoral people like tax collectors
He healed and performed miracles for common people
At first, the religious elite attempted to ignore this Man, assuming His influence would die out overtime. There had been other prolific teachers and others who performed miracles.
But this Man did something that was recorded only three times in their history. He begin to raise people from the dead. Suddenly, attention begin to intensify about the Man many believed to be the Savior.
Along with the attention, skeptics and cynics began to cast doubt and disbelief about the Savior.
Today, I want to look at the progression of what happened as Jesus took power over death. I have four points about what the skeptics and cynics did to our Savior, [Calling on Jesus], [Condescending to Jesus], [Questioning Jesus], and [Killing Jesus].
Let’s begin
1. Calling on Jesus
1. Calling on Jesus
14 Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
15 So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
By this point in Jesus’ ministry, He gained a reputation as a Man who had power to heal. Therefore, people followed Him wherever He went.
After healing and teaching in Capernaum, Jesus goes to a town about twenty-five miles away. The town, more of a village was called Nain, and it had about 200 residents.
When they entered the city, they came upon a funeral procession. Try to imagine the sight, Jesus came with twelve disciples and a huge crowd of people.
They interrupted the funeral procession of a man, the only son of a widow. That little detail, only son, is important. In those days, a widow was left destitute if she did not have a son, who could work and provide for her.
When Jesus saw her, His heart broke for her and he told her not to cry. Then He went to the coffin, which was more like a cot, and looked at the boy.
Back then, bodies were not prepared for burial like they are today. They would have taken strips of cloth and soaked in 75 pounds of spices to help the decaying process.
Jesus looked at the boy and stopped the procession and commanded the boy to rise and live. Immediately the boy was risen from the dead!
Notice the response of the crowd:
16 Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.”
17 And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.
A sense of awe and wonder swept over the region. Jesus did what the Prophet Elijah and Elisha did, He raised the dead. Word got around the area.
This man Jesus even has power over the dead. Initially people called on Jesus in praise, magnifying God for what He did.
But remember this, Satan always wants to distract us from what Jesus wants to do. So he began to sow seeds of doubt and disbelief.
First, the disciples of John became a little skeptical. They told John what happened, and they came to Jesus wondering, are the promised one, the Savior, or should we look for someone else?
Jesus answered:
22 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
He listed what God did, and included the fact that God had given Him power over death.
If we were to read every verse in Luke, we would see that the Pharisees began to become even more cynical about Jesus. They wanted to know, what’s in it for Him?
At first people began to call on Jesus. But as time progressed, the voice of the skeptics and cynics grew against the Savior and they were now...
2. Condescending to Jesus
2. Condescending to Jesus
40 So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him.
41 And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house,
42 for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him.
Remember that crowds of people flung to Jesus. They wanted to be healed and set free from their ailments. Desparate people flocked to Him, even a Jewish leader named Jairus.
He had a big problem. His twelve-year-old daughter was near death. She was his only daughter and he trusted Jesus could heal her.
Jesus agreed to go, but it took time. Hundreds pressed in around Him and the disciples, longing to touch Him so they might be healed. It was at this time that a women who had been sick for twelve years pressed in to touch His garment.
When she did, she was healed, and her and Jesus had a conversation about what took place. While this went on, Jairus’ daughter died.
49 While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”
Someone came to tell the sad news, and notice what they said, do not bother the Teacher. They were skeptical about His ability to raise the dead.
Sure, He could have healed her, but now it was too late, she died. But Jesus told Jairus, do not yield to your fear, have faith for she will live again.
They got to the house and there were already a crowd of mourners and weepers. These were professionals who were paid to weep and wail at the loss of the daughter. But listen to Jesus,
52 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.
When He announced that she was just asleep, which was symbolic. She really was dead, but He had power over death. Notice what the crowd did.
No longer did they call on Him in praise and worship. They were condescending. They mocked Him. They laughed in His face. These professional mourners had seen a lot of death, and they KNEW this girl was dead.
But Jesus went on in the room with Peter, James, and John, His closest disciples. He grabbed the girls hand and said, little girl, RISE.
Her spirit returned to her body and she stood and ate. Jesus did something peculiar when her parents saw their daughter was alive.
56 And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.
He told them to keep it a secret. Why? Because the skepticism and cynicism grew. Voices of opposition got louder as they doubted and disbelieved the Savior.
At one time they called on God, now they were condescending to Jesus, but soon, even those closest to Him began to...
3. Questioning Jesus
3. Questioning Jesus
4 When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.
About six months before Jesus’ death, He received word that His close friend was sick. The man’s name was Lazarus. Jesus was a frequent guest in Lazarus’ home.
Jesus did something peculiar. He did not rush to Lazarus’ side. Instead, He took His time getting there. The disciples were skeptical, if you want to heal him, you better get their quick.
But Jesus explained that God would receive glory through Lazarus’ situation and it would not end in death. The disciples assumed he would be just fine.
Jesus finally broke the news, Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I am glad he died.
Now the disciples were confused as was Lazarus’ family. When He arrived to his home, Lazarus’ sisters, Mary and Martha, met with Jesus.
They couldn’t understand why Jesus took so long. Martha even explained, IF you had been here, my brother would still be alive. Notice the hint of skepticism, they believed Jesus could heal, but raising him from the dead seemed too much.
Jesus told her that Lazarus would rise again. Martha thought, I know at the final resurrection, all the dead will rise. But Jesus wanted her to see a new dimension of His abilities and power.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
27 She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
He introduced His position, I Am the Resurrection, I Am Life. If you will cling to me in faith, you will live forever. Martha confirmed she believed, but she was still a little skeptical.
Especially when Jesus went to the tomb. He told them to remove the stone. Martha tried to stop Him, by explaining he had been dead for four days, but this point, he stunk.
I would say in this crowd there were skeptics and cynics. Some doubted Jesus knew what He was doing and others didn’t believe He could do anything about death.
But Jesus had a plan.
41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”
43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”
44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”
I can almost picture it in my mind. This event was agonizing for Jesus. He knew He was the Resurrection and the Life. He is the Savior, but He was surrounded by skeptics and cynics.
So He prayed to God, He wanted everyone to see the power of God. At that moment, His peculiar actions started to make sense.
Why did He wait four days?
Skeptics and cynics could have explained the Widow of Nain’s son as being in a coma, not a true resurrection
Skeptics and cynics could have condescendingly explained that Jairus’ daughter was asleep and not really dead.
Now the skeptics and cynics knew it was impossible because Lazarus was clearly dead and this would go nowhere!
But Jesus spoke and He was direct, LAZARUS, come forth. Why did He specify LAZARUS? Because as the resurrection and the life, had He said COME FORTH, every sainted dead from Adam to Abraham to David to Lazarus would have bust forth from their graves!
The skeptics and cynics could not deny what Jesus did!
People had called on Him, were condescending to Him, questioned Him, but now, they were set on...
4. Killing Jesus
4. Killing Jesus
53 Then, from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death.
When the religious leaders heard what Jesus did, they knew they had to do something. Jesus rocked the boat too much. He was too unconventional, and He disrupted their plans.
They had one choice— kill Him. For the next six months they made that their aim. They methodically spewed their cynical lies, causing even His closest followers to become cynical.
Think about it with me:
They got Judas, one of His own followers on their side. He sold out his Savior for thirty pieces of silver.
Once in custody, Pilate, who had legal authority to sentence Him to death, was skeptical. He questioned His position as King of the Jews, but he found no fault in Him.
So the enemies of our Savior conspired to give the people a choice, release Jesus, an innocent man from custody or release, Barabbas, a notorious murderer from prison.
The cynical Pharisees caused well meaning seekers to become skeptical. They distorted truth and told outright lies, so much so, the crowds that once called on Him, now condescendingly questioned His position and questioned His right to live.
They cried out CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM.
Cynically, the religious elite took delight as the soldiers:
mocked Him
beat Him
abused Him
spit at Him
put nails in Him
placed a crown of thorns on His head
and sent Him to death on a cross
It all seemed over when Jesus cried out:
30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
All hope seemed lost as it appeared that He gave up. How could the resurrection and life die?
The cynics thought they won and the skeptics assumed their doubt was right, maybe this man was too good to be true.
But what they did not know as they waited for those three long days, was the SAVIOR was stronger than any skeptic or cynic!
After three days, the women went to prepare His body for burial, but to their astonishment, the stone was rolled away and His body was gone.
Now they were even more confused, until the Savior silenced any potential skepticism or cynicism with the angels instructions:
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
Close:
He is RISEN. The Savior overcame the skeptics doubt and the cynics disbelief. Jesus truly does have power over death as the Resurrection and the Life.
This morning, I looked at four resurrections in the gospels, three preformed by Jesus and one happened to Jesus. But God is still raising people from the dead.
There is another resurrection I want to reference today. In fact it is MULTIPLE resurrections, thousands, even millions of resurrections that have taken place since Jesus rose.
The resurrection I want to speak of is not physical, though there are reports of people being raised from the dead I can share later.
The same Jesus who raised people from the dead in scripture, raised me from the dead spiritually. And the good news is, the same Jesus STILL raises people from the dead.
However, we live in an age of skeptics and cynics. In fact, the progression of doubt and disbelief in the life of Jesus mirrors what we’ve faced in our nation.
There was a day in our country where we called out to God nationally. Schools had prayer. People read the scriptures. Churches were filled.
But over the course of the last century, we’ve witnessed a progression, people stopped calling on Jesus. Society became condescending toward Jesus. Social elites and universities began to question Jesus.
And now, many would be content to kill the notion of Jesus and promote a society of people who follow whatever path is best for them.
We live in an age of skepticism. People doubt the existence of a higher power. They are okay with morality and many seek for truth, but have yet to find truth.
Then there are those who are caught up in cynicism. They mock faith, they do not believe in the existence of a personal Savior, and they are content living life without God’s activity.
In fact, this week Gallup released a poll that revealed for the FIRST TIME EVER, Church Membership/Attendance has dipped below 50%. Only 47% of Americans affiliate with a church.
We are in a similar situation as they were in the times of Christ. Satan has whispered lies that cause people do doubt, leading to skeptics.
He has gripped the hearts of many who are cynical about the need of a relationship with God.
He continues to march down a path hoping to kill off the Jesus movement.
But I feel in my Spirit, on THIS resurrection Sunday, the future may look bleak, but remember, Jesus is not confined to a tomb. He is alive forevermore.
And history proves, SKEPTICS AND CYNICS are NO MATCH for the Savior!
He is STILL the Resurrection and the Life.
And He is looking for a people who will call on His name and invite Him into their lives, homes, marriages, families, and country.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
For the same Spirit who breathed life into the body of Jesus can breath life into our Spirits and make us alive in Christ.
Therefore, today is a day to let Jesus resurrect the spiritually dead.
For those who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior, He will forgive and raise to new life.
But also, He wants to resurrect our relationship with Him. Many struggle with the future because of difficulties in the past, but today Jesus will resurrect and bring life to:
dead dreams
lost hope
silenced confidence
backslidden people
cold and distant relationships
sickened bodies
difficult situations
The resurrection and the life is here today. This promise might sound to good to be true, but we have a SAVIOR who is ALIVE.
So let’s call on Him instead of being condescending or questioning to Him.
Let’s seek Him, walking in His power for death could not hold Him.
I do not want to be a skeptic or a cynic. I want to be forever changed by the Savior!