Blessed are they who believe.

Mark 16 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

The Resurrection

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him.² Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. ³ They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” ⁴ Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. ⁵ Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.⁶ And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. ⁷ But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” ⁸ They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

⁹  Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. ¹¹ When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

¹² After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. ¹³ They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.

¹⁴ Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed 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 all creation. ¹⁶ He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. ¹⁷ These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

¹⁹ So then, when the Lord Jesus 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, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.

And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.

In today’s text it says:  Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 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.  After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.  Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.   In John 20:24-29 John tells the account with a slightly different detail:  Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace bewith you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”  Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” 

First and foremost the question these texts ask of each of us is: Do we believe?   Do we truly believe that Jesus, after dying for our sins was resurrected in body before He ascended to heaven? We are blessed if we believe and we are reproached if we fail to believe.   If we only believe that Jesus lived, even if we believe the great things that He said and did; and if we believe that He died, yet fail to believe that He was resurrected to live again, then we believe that Jesus was a man. If we fail to believe in the resurrection of Christ, then we place no more value on what He said than on what others say or have said. That, I believe, is why so much of the church has lost its true faith. It is why so many teachings and doctrines that are opposed to what Jesus said have entered the church. If Jesus died and went to heaven, then perhaps believing what He said is a way to heaven. But, if Jesus was resurrected to live again after He died on the cross for the sins of the world, then what He said is true:  “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6) The resurrection confirms that all that Jesus said is true. Failing to believe fully in the resurrection, leaves us with a limited faith. Believing in Christ leads to the unlimited blessings of Christ. 

This leads us to the second question today’s text asks: If we believe in Christ and the resurrection, will we be obedient to Him, will we do what He commanded, not only when He spoke as a man, but also when He spoke as the risen Lord?   In today’s text Jesus says:   “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”   There are many today who seek the power of God in and for their lives. They seek His blessings, protection and provision, but do they believe? If they believe, do they obey Jesus, going into all the world to preach the gospel? The blessing is to those who believe. The power, to live victoriously is for those who share the gospel. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says:  “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  The power of God is not to do great things, but rather to testify of the one who does great things. It is to be a witness that Jesus was born of God, lived for God, died to reconcile man to God and was resurrected to again be fully one with God. If we want the power of God in our lives we first must believe and then we must also obey the risen Lord and tell others, that they may believe and be saved; that they may be blessed and receive the power of God and the Holy Spirit for their lives. 

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit; thank You that You reveal the risen Christ to all who seek You. Thank You that by believing we are blessed and by obedience we receive the power of the Holy Spirit to testify to all creation that the living Christ is God and King; that Jesus is not a way, but the way, the truth and life.   Amen.