Word@Work 214 - Mark 16:14
Published: Mon, 09/22/08
Word@Work from BeaconLight
Read 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.* (NIV)
The story in Luke 24:41-43 does not have the stern rebuke that is indicated here. However the fact was that the disciples were not believing, nor were their hearts filled with joy. The concept of 'refusal to believe' is a perhaps hard for us to deal with. "Maybe they were uninformed, confused or possibly too simple minded to grasp all that Jesus had said", we may think. Yet Jesus had often drawn their attention to their faithlessness.
Unbelief is a form of inner blindness. But it is more than just 'not getting it'; it involves an active decision not to trust the evidence that is available. They should have trusted Jesus' words and taken them at face value, but the disciples insisted on putting the spoken truth through the grid of their experience, and eliminating everything that was unfamiliar to them. Even when Jesus appeared after the resurrection, He chided Thomas's obstinacy (cf John 20:24-29) on the grounds that he ought to have believed the words Jesus had previously spoken. Indeed the Saviour pointed forwards to the time (these days) when the gospel would be a straightforward story - to be told and believed.
21st Century sceptics still demand the evidence while they refuse to believe the Word of God. But many 21st Century Christians have a similar problem: not that they do not believe (they must do or they would not be Christians), but they don't believe that others will believe the Gospel simply explained straight from the Bible. Somehow they think that the Word of God is an inadequate witness to Jesus, and needs to be bulked out with miracles or at least something physical, so that their eyes can see it. But the Gospel is designed for the eyes of the heart, and it is powerful, because the Holy Spirit gets behind the words and makes them power-filled. There is no problem with the ability of the Gospel to change lives; the problem lies with Christians who lack the confidence that it can and will!
Prayer: Father God. Help me to believe that Your Word is still Your powerful tool to save people, and then to get on and tell them. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
*The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20 (more info at www.gotquestions.org/Mark-16-9-20.html)
You can read more of this Bible passage online - in English and other languages - share the Bible with your friends!
The story in Luke 24:41-43 does not have the stern rebuke that is indicated here. However the fact was that the disciples were not believing, nor were their hearts filled with joy. The concept of 'refusal to believe' is a perhaps hard for us to deal with. "Maybe they were uninformed, confused or possibly too simple minded to grasp all that Jesus had said", we may think. Yet Jesus had often drawn their attention to their faithlessness.
Unbelief is a form of inner blindness. But it is more than just 'not getting it'; it involves an active decision not to trust the evidence that is available. They should have trusted Jesus' words and taken them at face value, but the disciples insisted on putting the spoken truth through the grid of their experience, and eliminating everything that was unfamiliar to them. Even when Jesus appeared after the resurrection, He chided Thomas's obstinacy (cf John 20:24-29) on the grounds that he ought to have believed the words Jesus had previously spoken. Indeed the Saviour pointed forwards to the time (these days) when the gospel would be a straightforward story - to be told and believed.
21st Century sceptics still demand the evidence while they refuse to believe the Word of God. But many 21st Century Christians have a similar problem: not that they do not believe (they must do or they would not be Christians), but they don't believe that others will believe the Gospel simply explained straight from the Bible. Somehow they think that the Word of God is an inadequate witness to Jesus, and needs to be bulked out with miracles or at least something physical, so that their eyes can see it. But the Gospel is designed for the eyes of the heart, and it is powerful, because the Holy Spirit gets behind the words and makes them power-filled. There is no problem with the ability of the Gospel to change lives; the problem lies with Christians who lack the confidence that it can and will!
Prayer: Father God. Help me to believe that Your Word is still Your powerful tool to save people, and then to get on and tell them. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
*The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20 (more info at www.gotquestions.org/Mark-16-9-20.html)
You can read more of this Bible passage online - in English and other languages - share the Bible with your friends!
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