Sarcastic Ridicule
Jesus knew the sting of sarcastic ridicule and unbelief
from his family
.
What had happened between the sarcastic ridicule Jesus received
from his brothers at home and their gathering with his apostles in Jerusalem
waiting for him to pour out the Holy Spirit? What changed James and the
half-brothers of Jesus from skeptics to followers? Jesus chose to come to his
half-brother, the former unbelieving brother, and reveal himself after his
resurrection. James was blessed to see Jesus after his resurrection, and from
that point forward, we know that he and Jesus' other half-siblings believed.
James went on to be THE great Christian leader in Jerusalem until its
destruction around A.D. 70. Early believers were willing to endure sarcastic
ridicule and far worse because of their conviction that Jesus was alive!
by Phil Ware
Resurrection 2.5
The Jesus Window
Sarcastic ridicule! All too often we enjoy it at the expense of
others.
However, when we are in the crosshairs of its vicious bite, we can
find ourselves torn apart emotionally and our confidence shattered.
As difficult as painful ridicule feels, we can take comfort that
we are not alone in facing this emotionally dismantling tool of Satan.
As believers, many of us know how faith feels when you are on the
wrong end of an increasingly unbelieving world.
Some people today believe their job is to sarcastically ridicule
people of faith. For them, this is a great sport.
Sometimes, unfortunately, this sarcastic ridicule comes from
people we love and people we long to bring to Jesus. This kind of ridicule
hurts worst!
Thankfully for us, however, Jesus knew the sting of sarcastic
ridicule from his family:
“After
this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea
because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. But when
the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, Jesus' brothers said to him, ‘Leave
Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do.
No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing
these things, show yourself to the world.’ For even his own brothers did not
believe in him" (John 7:1-5).
Because Jesus knows the pain of family rejection and lack of
faith, he understands our hurt, too.
After all, unless Jesus had given them some heavenly revelation
about his identity, how would they knew who he was.
He was their brother. They ate together, played together, and did
the things that brothers do.
No one around Jesus, except for Joseph and Mary, had any inkling
that he was someone special.
To his brothers, Jesus was the guy in their family who would take
over their father's carpentry business (Mark 6:1-6).
If we pay careful attention to the Jesus story, however, these
doubting brothers provide us with a reason for us to believe in the
resurrection.
James the half-brother of Jesus, became the key leader of
Christians in Jerusalem as the apostles dispersed throughout the world carrying
out Jesus' mission for them (Acts 12:17; 21:18).
James helped ensure that the Gentiles would be included in the
family of God without having to become Jews through circumcision (Acts
15:6-21).
However, our first clue that Jesus' brothers had moved from
sarcastic derision of their brother to faith in his identity as the Christ, the
Son of God, was very soon after Jesus' resurrection.
As the early followers were gathered in Jerusalem after Jesus' ascension and while they were waiting for the Holy Spirit to bring them power, Luke tells us:
“Then the
apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives [after
Jesus' ascension], a Sabbath day's walk from the city. When they arrived, they
went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter,
John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son
of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined
together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of
Jesus, and with his brothers” (Acts 1:12-14 Bold text
added for emphasis.).
What changed James and the half-brothers of Jesus from skeptics to
followers?
Paul helps us understand:
“For what
I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the
third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then
to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the
brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though
some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born” (1
Corinthians 15:3-7 Bold text added for emphasis.).
Jesus chose to come to his half-brother, the former unbelieving
brother, and reveal himself after his resurrection.
James was blessed to see Jesus after his resurrection, and from
that point forward, we know that he and Jesus' other half-siblings believed.
Remarkably, James went on to be THE great Christian leader in
Jerusalem until its destruction around A.D. 70.
I am thankful that the New Testament is honest about the
skepticism, unbelief, doubt, and sarcastic ridicule of Jesus' brothers before
his death, burial, and resurrection.
I am thankful the resurrection accounts remind us of those who
doubted, even those like Thomas who disbelieved until he had proof.
Their skepticism, and then their later faith-borne passion to give
their lives proclaiming Jesus' resurrection point to a remarkable conviction
built upon their experiences with the resurrected Jesus.
In the early decades of the church, Christians could point to
people who had known Jesus before his death, been devastated by his crucifixion,
and who were ignited with passion proclaiming his resurrection.
They shared their testimony even if it cost them their lives. In
response to threats of bodily injury and death, they answered:
“Then
they, [the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council that sentenced Jesus to death,
called Peter and John] in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all
in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God's
eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help
speaking about what we have seen and heard.’" (Acts
4:17-20; cf. Acts 22:15).
The apostles, the brothers of Jesus, and others were eye-witnesses
whose stories could be checked and challenged.
The power of the early church was not just because of the Holy
Spirit's coming at Pentecost, but also this deep conviction and verifiable
testimony from people like James and the other brothers of Jesus who knew that
he was alive.
They were willing to endure sarcastic ridicule and far worse
because of their conviction.
Now, because of the testimony of their changed lives, so can we!
Phil Ware has authored 11 years of daily devotionals, including VerseoftheDay.com, read by 500,000 people a day. He works with churches in transition with Interim Ministry Partners and for the past 21+ years, he has been editor and president of HEARTLIGHT Magazine, author of VerseoftheDay.com, God's Holy Fire (on the Holy Spirit), and aYearwithJesus.com. Phil has also authored four books, daily devotionals on each of the four gospels. (Visit the Author's Website)
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