March 23 Too Good to Be True
Mark 16
And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. (Mark 16:13)
“We’ve seen the Lord! He’s alive!”
“Yeah, right, you guys.”
“No, seriously! We talked to him!”
“Shut up. You did not.”
Mark doesn’t tell us how that conversation went. But it’s amazing to think that the men who had witnessed so many of Jesus’ miracles were so skeptical of their fellow disciples’ report. Maybe they didn’t want to open themselves up to getting hurt again. Maybe they just lacked faith.
Sometimes, people who know and trust you will reject news that seems too good to be true. The disciples that Jesus appeared to went straight to the people who they thought would rejoice at this news and were met with unbelief. What did they do? Did they begin to doubt what they had seen? Perhaps they just hoped that Jesus would appear to the others, too.
What do we do when people don’t believe what we tell them about Jesus? We believe. We watch. We pray that the Holy Spirit would grant faith in His own time. That can be hard when the unbeliever is someone dear to us, like watching a sick person refuse medicine.
The disciples that saw Jesus didn’t convince the other disciples that Jesus had risen. Seeing Jesus themselves, did – and He rebuked them for their unbelief! Be grateful that Jesus has revealed Himself to you and continue to share your faith with others.
Prayer: Merciful Jesus, grant me so much faith that I cannot contain it.
Give me the courage I need to proclaim it at all times and in all places. Amen.
Tait, “a sick person refusing medicine” is a perfect analogy. Thanks for a phrase many Christians should remember as they share Christ with others, and it may not be believed.