Now when [He] rose early on the first [day] of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. 12 After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13 And they went and told [it] to the rest, [but] they did not believe them either. 14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 “they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” 19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with [them] and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

– Mark 16:9-20 (NKJV)

When Jesus rose from the dead, to those who heard first, it seemed beyond belief. Even though trusted friends and people they knew told them what they had seen, the disciples were slow to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. It wasn’t until they saw him for themselves that they believed. This isn’t a fairytale ending. The frustration of the disciples seeming inability to believe points to authenticity of the message. It was a hard pill to swallow, but one they were able to accept when they saw Jesus themselves.

I wonder if those first witnesses of the resurrected Jesus were discouraged when the others didn’t believe them? Regardless of how their message was received, it didn’t change the truth of what had happened. All those days or hours the disciples didn’t believe Jesus had risen didn’t change the fact that he had.

Those first witnesses had a job to do; tell people that Jesus was alive after his crucifixion. The response of those who heard wasn’t up to the witnesses, it was in part up to those they were witnesses to. It’s the same in the world today. Christians are called to be faithful witnesses of the Lord. We can’t control people’s heart or even demand a response. We can plead with folks and point to Jesus, but at some point folks have to trust Jesus for themselves.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for the gift of salvation that comes through trusting in you. Give us grace to encourage folks around us to put their trust in you alone for salvation. Give us boldness to be a witness to you. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

PS – I’ve enjoyed this challenge of writing something every day in response to the reading of the gospel of Mark. I’m taking a small break for December and hope to be back writing something on a regular basis in January. I’m not sure what format that will take quite yet. See you then!

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary [the mother] of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first [day] of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away–for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 “But go, tell His disciples–and Peter–that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” 8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

– Mark 16:1-8 (NKJV)

What a shock and surprise it must have been for the women to come to the tomb that day and find it as it was! What an even greater shock when the entered in and found a messenger inside. Could it be true that Jesus had risen from the dead? What would this mean for the disciples? What did this mean for Peter?

Did you catch that? Peter is called out by name. The message was clear from the lips of this heaven sent messenger. Jesus would be looking to see the disciples AND Peter in Galilee. Peter didn’t have to guess if he was still invited or welcome. Peter was specifically told to look for Jesus there.

There are times in life that we have blown it. We may feel like a Peter. We’ve let others down in general or we feel like we’ve let Jesus down particularly. You may wonder if God could still love you? Look how Jesus dealt with Peter after Peter denied him… He invited him back into fellowship (we see this even more keenly in John 21). Keep that in mind. If you find yourself far from Jesus today, as long as you are breathing, there is a way back to him. What Jesus accomplished on the cross and in the tomb was to bring Peter back into fellowship, not drive him further away. If you find yourself wandering, come home today!

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful that Jesus beat death! We are grateful for the resurrection! We are grateful you called Peter by name to assure him that he was welcome. We thank you have authored such a great faith in us that includes being forgiven and being able to forgive others. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.