The last few lessons we’ve looked at how a wise person doesn’t give words very much power because there’s so much risk for misunderstandings between the speaker not finding the best words to share, the listener not hearing things properly, and our memories messing it up. When listening, it’s wise to consider what’s behind the words; what is the overall point, which we’re going to consider now.
How frivolous are words? Even God’s not overly worried about them. It’s written that He cares more about our hearts. In the story of David and Goliath, the prophet and judge at the time had this moment: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’ (1 Sam 16:7) Maybe we should do the same – focus on the heart. This means looking at what’s behind the words because sometimes all that’s behind them is “I’m hungry!” “I’m tired,” or “I’m stressed out and exploding with emotion that has nothing to do with you!”
What’s great about knowing this is even if we do something that upsets others, if it’s done with the right intention it’s not sin because God knows our hearts. He knows if we were acting out of love and not selfishness. On the other end, this also means even if we give incredible gifts out of selfish intent, as Shania Twain sang, “That don’t impress me much.” I doubt God’s a country fan (I assume He has better taste than that), but this moment falls in line with what the Bible says: “If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;[a] but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.” (1 Cor 13:3)
Arguably the best evidence that God’s not overly concerned with words and more about the overall point is how the most important story in the Bible has inconsistencies. That’s a big oops. The resurrection of Jesus is the most important story in the Bible since it’s the foundation of Christianity. It’s so important, it’s directly in four Books, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and discussed in many others. Even the birth of Jesus is only in two of them, Matthew and Luke. The resurrection story is so important, yet all four books have surprisingly very different details. My wife claims the stories are different because men wrote them and we’re terrible with something. It might have been details or listening. I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s one of them.
What’s interesting about these differences is since the overall point is the same, Jesus rose from the dead, the story actually has more credibility. If detectives were investigating this event and the stories were identical, they’d assume it was faked. Even if two of the stories were the same, it would suggest they were made in collaboration and the truth would be in question. So how different are they? Let’s take a quick look at them.
Matthew (Chapter 28): “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.” There was an earthquake that moved the stone in front of the tomb and an angel sat on it freaking out the guards who “fell into a dead faint.” The angel told the women Jesus had risen and gave them a message to tell the disciples and after they left, Jesus met with them. This is a very scandalous tale since women were the first messengers while making the disciples look terrible, especially because it’s added that even when the disciples saw him “some of them doubted!” while the women believed. Women showing better faith is the one consistent detail in all four books. This is, however, the only book to mention the Roman guards who had been at the tomb and how they were paid a bribe to say the disciples stole the body. This is a laughable concept because how did some fishermen beat a group of battle hardened soldiers, and why would the soldiers admit that unless there was a good reason when they would have been at risk of being put to death for not doing their job.
Mark (Chapter 16; includes a shorter and longer ending): In this version, “Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome” (I have no idea who she is) bought burial spices and then went to the tomb to find the stone already rolled away and “they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side.” Again, there’s message to share with the disciples, but it’s a little different. Unlike the other stories, “The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.” They, however, told: “Peter and his companions,” but the men didn’t believe them. Later, when two male followers told Peter and his companions they met Jesus on the road, they didn’t believe their message either. Jesus soon appeared to Peter and his companions and He “rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief.” After that, Jesus went up to heaven and the disciples started telling others about him while performing miraculous signs.
Luke (Chapter 24): This time, “women” went to the tomb “taking the spices they had prepared.” The stone was already rolled away and when they checked, the body was gone. “As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.” They give a slightly different message, but the result was the same – the women rushed off to tell the disciples, but it’s also added they told everyone along the way. It then lists it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women: “But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it.” Peter, however, ran to the tomb, saw it was empty and then, “went home again, wondering what had happened.” He was not the sharpest tool.
Jesus is then written to have met with two of his followers, “But God kept them from recognizing him.” Jesus ends up scolding them, “You foolish people! [why don’t you believe]?” Despite this rebuke, they weren’t offended. In fact they asked this stranger to be their friend. Apparently calling people foolish was acceptable in that culture – very different than today. The story ends with Jesus being taken up to heaven.
John (Chapter 20): This time it was so early in the morning it was still dark when Mary Magdalene found the tomb empty. She then runs to tell Peter and “the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved,” and she exclaimed, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” That’s a very different experience. Peter and the other disciple then run to the tomb, saw the linen wrappings, believed, and went home. For some reason, they ignored Mary who was left crying outside the tomb, which doesn’t make them look great. Suddenly, two angels inside the tomb asked her why she was crying and unfazed there’s suddenly two male in the tomb she replied because her “Lord” was taken away.” After she’s done crying there, she turns to leave and was asked the same question by someone she thought was the gardener, but was Jesus. After she gives the same answer, He said her name, “Mary!” and realizing who it was, she called out “Teacher!” That’s a strange title to use when He just rose from the dead. I haven’t met any teachers who have done that. He then told her to “go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” In the next passage it mentions that even when everyone else had seen Jesus, the disciple, Thomas, denies that Jesus is alive, which leads to the more modern term “Doubting Thomas.” The book continues to another chapter, but this resurrection story ends with: “these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.”
The overall message is the same, Jesus rose from the dead. It was also consistent that the disciples failed to prove their faith and devotion while the women showed them up. For the disciples to promote this story means they were being humble and honest or they were such manipulators, they’d risk looking like failures to promote a story that later had them all killed, which doesn’t make a lot of sense.
This week may we consider that if God isn’t so worried about what’s actually said as He is about the intention behind it, maybe we should follow His example.
Rev. Chad David, ChadDavid.ca, learning to love dumb people (like me)