Mark 16.14 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)
In my Bible are the following words:
[The earliest
manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]
As you can see, I have chosen Mark 16.14 as the Scripture
that made its mark on me this morning; it’s included in the Do-Not-Have List. I
don’t know why the earliest manuscripts and other ancient witnesses don’t have
verses 9-20 but I do know this: they make
sense to me. If they were added at some later point after the original
gospel was written (which they obviously were) I really don’t have a problem
with them because they don’t contradict the rest of Mark’s work. And, they don’t contradict the rest of
the Biblical narrative.
Now, Matthew, Luke, and John all say that Jesus appeared
to His men after His resurrection. The other three gospels point out varying
degrees of the Lord’s response to His men in His post-resurrection meetings
with them. Only Mark’s account has, in my opinion, a hint of sternness in it:
Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn
refusal to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. But we must
remember Peter’s influence on the Gospel of Mark and how miserably Peter felt by
denying Jesus. Bad times make for sad feelings.
If there is one thing that marks the life and times of
Jesus on earth, it is this: He took His mission seriously. Although Jesus was
very human, He was also very God. Yes, I think the Lord laughed – I think He
had a great sense of humor. But I also know He tried and tried (often sternly) to
get His men to believe beyond their understanding of Him; He was not just another of the guys.
If we understand – even in small part – what Adam lost in
the fall, then we begin to understand the magnitude of what Jesus came to restore
in His earthly ministry; it wasn’t fun and games. (Those are for later.) Jesus,
throughout the Gospels, repeatedly rebuked His men for thinking stupid human
thoughts. He tried to get them to raise their understanding to a higher level.
And the same is for us. Specifically, the same is for me. I think stupid human
thoughts all the time and Jesus (by His Spirit) tries to get me to live by
faith, not lack thereof; and to lose my stubborn refusal to believe those who’ve
experienced marvelous encounters with Him by faith.
Today, I am to walk by faith in Him and remember His
marvelous majesty as it invades my life in real and tangible ways. Today, I am
to lose my stubborn unbelief. And today, I am to rejoice that though my
mistakes pile up mountain high, He is the One who looks past those things to
what He is truly accomplishing in me.
Jesus, thank You for Your presence in me and for the gift/privilege
of walking by faith in You. Forgive me my unbelief and help me this day, this hour,
this moment, to walk confidently in You – Amen.
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