Jump Start # 87

Mark 16:10-11 “She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.”

  The women had been to the tomb of Jesus. They found the stone rolled away. Angels were there announcing that Christ had been raised. They were told to go and tell the disciples. The Gospel of Mark follows Mary. She reports. They don’t believe.

  Mark follows with another claim of the resurrected Jesus. He appeared to the two men on the road to Emmaus. They went and reported it to the disciples, “but they did not believe them either” (16:12-13).

  Two reports, from two different occasions. Yet the disciples would not believe.  Jesus had told them in advance that He would be killed and raised on the third day. We sometimes get on Thomas for not believing, even calling him, “doubting Thomas,” but the truth is, all of the disciples were doubters.

  Understand, they had seen the dead raised. Jesus raised the widow’s son who was on the way to the cemetery to be buried. There was Jarius’ daughter and of course, Lazarus. These disciples had witnessed the incredible miracle to bring someone back from the dead. In all of these resurrections, it was Jesus who was the instrument and the power. It was Jesus’ voice who called for Lazarus to come forth out of the grave. Who would raise Jesus? Who would call Him forth? They didn’t understand that Jesus would raise Himself. He had said, “I lay down my life, I take it up again.” All of this was just too incredible for the disciples. They struggled with this until they actually saw the resurrected Jesus.

  Doubting disciples—being able to believe beyond the visible, being able to believe what you have heard. We find ourselves standing with the disciples. The Bible teaches that Jesus is coming again. All who are in the graves will come forth (Jn 5:28-29), and this world will be destroyed (2 Pet 3:9-10).  Incredible. Hard to believe.  Do we trust what God has said in His word or do we find ourselves standing with the doubting disciples?

  The Bible says that God works through us. Places like Eph 3:20 and Heb 13:21 teach this. God is not doing all the work for us. God is not on the sidelines watching us. But through us, with us, God works. Amazing. Incredible.

  Believing the word of credible witnesses…believing the written word of God—we find ourselves where the disciples were.

  Belief moves us. Belief changes us. Belief draws us closer to Him.  Do you believe?

Roger