Still Need Jesus

Mark 16:9-13 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. 12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
 
MARY Magdalene was the first resurrection witness. She went directly to Jesus’ chosen 11 disciples to tell the good news. But they did not believe it. Perhaps they did not believe because it was the culture’s custom to nullify a woman’s testimony. But later two of them saw Jesus as they were walking in the country. (This is recorded as the “Road to Emmaus” in Luke 24:13-32) The disciples did not believe their testimony, either. These unbelieving men had watched Jesus raise Lazarus from four days in a tomb (John 11). Three times they had heard his prophetic words, “After three days he will rise.” What kept them from the truth?
   It’s difficult to understand. The men had been so close to Jesus. They had confessed him to be the “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:16) The Living God had created life. They knew this in their heads. But it seems they could not transfer it to their hearts for a personal knowledge of Jesus’ salvation.
   Also in their unbelief, they had not gone to Galilee to meet Jesus as the angel commanded them through Mary. They did not understand Jesus as Son of Man and Son of God had come to establish God’s eternal kingdom. Their minds still remained set on a new king on Jerusalem’s throne. The men needed more than human testimony to believe in the risen Christ.
 
Mark 16:14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
 
Jesus went to the Eleven to move them into their mission. Jesus rebuked their unbelief of his prophecy. He denounced their doubt in Mary’s words and the Emmaus witnesses. You could say they denied Jesus three times as they rejected the Good News.
   How unbelieving we can be when God calls us to faith. Jesus had appointed them to begin his church. Jesus would be returning to heaven soon. How would these unbelieving men become true, powerful and fearless apostles of the gospel? We’ll see the answer in Mark’s final words.