Wednesday: Appearing to Mary and Others
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 25th of September 2024
Read Mark 16:9-20. What do these verses add to the Resurrection story?
Almost all of Mark 16:9-20 has parallels to other passages in the New Testament—Mary Magdalene at the tomb seeing Jesus (Matthew 28:1,9-10; John 20:11-18; compare with Luke 8:2); two disciples see Him in the countryside (Luke 24:13-35); the 11 disciples are commissioned (Matthew 28:16-20, Luke 24:36-49, John 20:19-23).
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The first person to see Jesus alive was Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18). Other women saw Him, as well (Matthew 28:8-10). It is significant that the first people to see the risen Lord were women. Because women in the ancient world did not have high status as witnesses, if the story were fabricated, it would have been much more likely to name men as the first witnesses. But it is not men, not the 11, but a woman. She goes to tell the good news to the disciples, but, not surprisingly, they do not believe her testimony, most likely because it seemed fantastic and also, unfortunately, because Mary was a woman.
Apologists for the resurrection story of Jesus have used this fact, that of women being the first ones to have seen Jesus, as powerful evidence for the veracity of the story.
What happens in Mark 16:14 that makes no sense if this story were a fabrication?
Of course, if they were making the story up, why would they have made themselves look so bad? Jesus had to rebuke them for their “hardness of heart.” The Gospel accounts, from the time of His arrest to His appearances after the Resurrection, depict the followers of Jesus in a very negative light—fleeing, denying, disbelieving, and so forth. This would make no sense if the story were made up.
In contrast, their later bold and unwavering proclamation of the risen Christ, and the hope it offers everyone, presents powerful evidence for the veracity of their claims.
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How can we protect ourselves from falling into the spiritual trap of doubt and unbelief? Why must we daily link ourselves to the risen Christ? |
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Spiritualism today is widely accepted but we as Believers must not be deceived but to put on the whole Armour of God and to be watchful on every hand!
We must be awake spiritually in every aspect of our lives praying often and helping one another in love!
It is interesting that Jesus first appeared to a woman after His resurrection.
There is a lot of talk about the positions that women should or should not hold in Church but this episode in Mark 16 is a powerful testimony to the work and worth of women in salvation's story!!!!!
I agree
To protect ourselves from falling into the spiritual trap of doubt and unbelief, we must continually nurture our faith through a deep, personal relationship with God.
The Bible is the foundation for spiritual truth. And for me personally, I maintain daily communication with God to keep me spiritually connected. We must pray, fellowship with others,remind ourselves of the blessings, and reflect on what God has already done in our lives.
Linking ourselves daily to Christ is essential because He is the source of our spiritual strength, hope, and life. Without this connection, we are vulnerable to the world's influences, including doubt and unbelief.
You don't go from fearful to fearless unless something Supernatural happened to you. No one individually, or group of individuals collectively are going to endure hardship, persecution, and even death for a fabricated story. Even the soldiers testified of the resurrection of Jesus.
I have a question: “Why do we talk so much about that which cannot be proven with physical 'evidence' or by using inference?” Jesus’ resurrection is an entirely faith-based event and the heart of the Gospel message that humanity's life is destined to be everlasting. Why do we become apologists of our faith, explaining events which cannot be empirically proven in order to convince those who want ‘facts’ before they can 'believe'?
The seeking after 'facts' replaces/deminishes the work of faith as being sufficient to believe. Jesus points to His apostle Thomas as an example for unbelieve. Thomas could only ‘believe’ after he was shown Jesus’ wounds, but He was gracious to provide this prove to Thomas – John 20:24-29. But what about us, what 'prove' does He give us who are not present after His resurrection?
The Holy Spirit! Our steadfast, unmovable faith in God’s Word, our humble acknowledgement of our faith through the way we conduct ourselves as a witness to the power of our conviction to live our life by faith in God’s Word - this is the only ‘evidence’ we can share with those around us.
To answer the question at the end of the lesson: Conviction to believe in our resurrection - embracing God’s message of Salvation - comes only by the Holy Spirit; it is God’s Gift to man. Only when accepting His Gift can we believe His Word to become our Truth, living our new life by and through it – John 6:44.
Hello Brigitte!
You ask a good question and yet time and space don't allow a full explanation. In the time of Jesus's resurrection there were plenty of eyewitnesses that saw Him in resurrected form. A mention is made of Him appearing to over 500. (1 Cor. 15:6) That's no small number. Jesus commended those that believe without seeing in John 20:29. Hebrews 11 is known as the faith chapter and lists all the things that were accomplished through and believed upon by faith. One day our faith will be sight. Until then, "the just shall live by faith. Romans 1:17
Shalom!
Brigitte, perhaps I misunderstood you, but it looks to me that you wrote that " Jesus’ resurrection is an entirely faith-based event," as though there were no evidence of Christ's resurrection. Yet the resurrection of Jesus is one of the most well-documented historical events of all time.
Some of the evidence is cited in the blog post to which you are replying, but there is much more that goes beyond the scope of this day's lesson. You can use a search engine to search for "historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus" or "apologetics re resurrection of Jesus." There are some great apologetics books that cover the topic.
Your comment also appears to suggest that "faith" is a belief in something without evidence or proof.
However, God asks us to "reason together." (Isa 1:18) He wants us to have a reasoned faith, based on evidence. That is why the resurrected Jesus took the time to reason with the two disciples on their way to Emmaus. He pointed to all the Scriptures that were fulfilled by Christ as well as the promise of the resurrection - everything fulfilled precisely as prophesied. He wanted them to have a reasoned faith, not merely a belief like a child's belief in Santa Claus. (See Luke 24:13-32)
Faith is not magically uploaded into our brains by the Holy Spirit. Through the enlightenment of the Spirit, We believe things we cannot see, based on the evidence of what we can see and experience, beginning with the record, prophecies and promises of Scripture. In Rom. 10:17 Paul told us that faith rests on the Word of God. However, if that word did not stand the test of time and if its prophecies did not come true, it would be useless to establish faith in God.
Once we have read the Word of God and made it our rule of faith and practice - as we obey the Word - our experience becomes another evidence. For God has promised that those who will do His will shall know the teaching. (John 7:17)
You also wrote that "The seeking after 'facts' replaces/deminishes the work of faith." I believe the contrary: Evidence and facts establish our faith so it cannot be moved. The Holy Spirit enlightens our minds to interpret facts correctly, and the Holy Spirit enlightens our minds to interpret the Scriptures correctly. Facts and Scripture always agree.
On the other hand, if we refuse to believe until we have visible proof of everything (like Thomas, John 24:24-29), we may miss out. There are times we must choose to believe against all current evidence. We make that choice based on the evidence provided in our past experience, resting our faith in the Word of God and the character of the Father.
It seems to me that "faith" without any sort of evidence is much like belief in the cookie monster. It will not stand the test of time or trial. God wants us to have a faith rooted in evidence and reality - a faith that grows through experience and trial and stands firm when severely tested, as was the faith of the apostles when they were thrown in prison and later died as martyrs.
Inge, this is a very excellent and well reasoned response. Indeed we aren't asked to have blind faith, rather an informed faith. Informed how? By life experience, by the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, history, prophecy, etc.. Thanks for fleshing out my earlier comment on the subject.
I like your concise summary. Thanks!
Inge – thank you for addressing this very important aspect of our Christian faith. Yes, we are encouraged to have a “reasoned faith”, though I still hold that pure faith is ‘blind’, as it is spiritually induced into our hearts and minds at the time of God's choosing.
This faith is based on that which cannot be seen, reasoned, or proven. Heb.11:1 - ”Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Yes, we can ‘reason together’, though the believer has to be called by God first before he can truly engage in the dialogue to discover, believe and understand God’s Truth – John 14:25-27.
Please allow me to explain:
The best testimony to prove that one's life requires this true Faith is demonstrated in the lived experiences of Jesus’ apostles. All 12 had been called and were accepted by Him, had been with Him the entire time as He ministered Truth to the people of Israel. They witnessed miracles with their own eyes, and observed Him engage peacefully with all He met, but none were able to truly believe Him to be who He showed them that He was – God’s Son sent to redeem mankind by God’s Grace through Faith.
If not for the Holy Spirit to reveal to Peter the Truth and experience true faith, he still would not know the Truth – Matt.16:15-17. At Pentecost, all who came to the meeting place received the gift of faith and went from there to spread the Word of what had happened to them.
Paul explains to his country men: Heb.11:6 – (Phillips) ”It was because of his faith that Enoch was promoted to the eternal world without experiencing death. He disappeared from this world because God promoted him, and before that happened his reputations was that “he pleased God”. And without faith it is impossible to please Him. The man who approaches God must have faith in two things, first that God exists and secondly that it is worth a man’s while to try to find God.”
I agree that faith rests/is confirmed by the ‘Word of God’, though the conviction to believe is spiritually based. It does not come from the letters of the written words of Scripture and our determination to believe them.
I believe that true faith is the evidence of that which cannot be seen – God’s Truth inherent in all Scripture! Once eyes are opened, man can believe and reason with each other about the Truth inherent in God’s Word. Then the Word of God comes alive in the hearts and minds of all who are called and believe the Spirit which testifies to God’s Glory.
I hold that doing/engaging in God’s Will is evidence that we believe the Word of God and are willing to engage living our life by Faith; though living by faith is not to be used as evidence of that which cannot be proven by actions - consider those who persecute others for their faith.
Some who believe are committed to maintain their faith, some are misguided, others stop walking by faith; some have more faith, others are weaker, but this is not evidence of true faith or the absence of it. We are called to not judge one another’s walk of faith as this judgement is entirely based on observable things.
God works in mysterious ways because it is His Will which prevails in the end, not our efforts. Faith is the most peculiar aspect of God's mystery to redeem man from sin and death. Faith and Love cannot be purchased or demanded, they are His spiritual gifts placed into man’s heart and mind because He calls them to show God’s Glory to the world - 1 Peter 2:9.
True Faith is given to us by God as His testimony to witness to His Mercy and Grace. He loves humanity and wants us to know this to be true. He is Life, and when we believe Him, He will manifest Himself in our life and we will bear His fruit. This spiritually based, awakening Faith is not given to be used for one’s own, personal advancement or standing in the world– John 15:16. It is given to testify that God is our Creator who loves His children.
Hello Brigitte, you stated;
"I still hold that pure faith is ‘blind’, as it is spiritually induced into our hearts and minds at the time of God's choosing".
I honestly don't believe that it's all that mystical.
According to Romans 12:3, God has given every man (everyone)“the measure of faith” (KJV). This implies to me that God has given faith to everyone. He primes the pump, so to speak.
Much like the parable of the talents, yet different, because in that parable, different amounts were given. The real question is what has been done with that "measure" of faith by the recipient? Was it developed or buried? Was it used to further God's Kingdom, or retard it, by being invested in evolution, witchcraft, sorcery, et cetera?
I think that is why Romans 1:20 says "they" are without excuse. It's like someone in the judgment trying to blame God for being lost. Meanwhile, God is saying; "no, I gave you faith to believe. I showed you my invisible qualties, my eternal power, and my divine nature through my creative works. I'm sorry that you chose to not use that measure of faith I gave you, to be saved. That's on you, not Me. You have no excuse. I'm sorry that you have chosen to be lost."
The only sin that anyone will be lost by is the sin of unbelief for it is the foundation of all sin.
It's really not all that mystical or magical. It's totally practical. God doesn't play favorites (Romans 2:11-16), but wants everyone to be saved (2 Peter 3:9). In the end no one will be able to say that God didn't do everything in His power to save them. The only thing He hasn't and won't do, is violate their freedom of choice. We choose to use that "measure of faith" to our damnation, or our salvation. We cannot blame it on God. He did His part.
Tim, I appreciate you sharing your understanding of what we Christians call ‘faith’ using Scripture. My saying that ‘pure Faith is blind’, acknowledges that I do not understand the source of Faith, the mystery of the work of Faith, or why God has made the effect of ‘Faith’ the pivotal aspect in our Salvation. All I know is that it is an aspect of the Glory of God.
Yes, man has the God-given ability to respond to His “invisible attributes clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead …”. Though having the ability to understand does not mean that one engages this understanding in the form of ‘Faith’. Knowing about faith is not the same as deciding to live one’s life by faith.
Yes, God-induced Faith in man is the spiritual aspect of the Glory of God working within man to effect a response to that which is ‘invisible’. This spiritual awakening comes first, but if we do not engage the ‘awakened’ spirit within by faith – allowing fruit to be produced through yielding to His guidance -, we remain an ‘empty’ vessel.
With faith engaged, the Spirit’s guidance and influence prompts us to engage Him to do His Work – Eph.2:8-10; so becoming God’s workmanship to express His Will by His Glory!
James 2:18-21 speaks to the Spirit of God needing to bear fruit as it is a part of God’s Glory. Its fruit is therefore also considered a ‘gift’, as it is the manifestation of the Spirit of God in the believer’s life by faith.
The parable of the talents speaks to that. Our part in the 'investing' of the talent/spirit speaks to our willingness to deny expression of our selfish tendencies, and allowing the gift of God’s Glory - ‘Faith’ - to work out God’s Will in our life.
Eph.2:8-9 - ”For by Grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
I like that,one day our faith will be sight but until then we live by faith..Glory be to God who strengthens our faith day by day .
I believe that we have the choice to doubt. Now, we have also the choice to believe the truth. Choose ye this day whom you will serve and believe Him who died and was risen, and you will be saved, is the ultimate way to dispel doubt. We have learned the evidence, now there is no reason to refuse belief in the One who said, I will die for your sins. I will be gone for 3 days and rise to go back to My Father, who is your Father also if you choose to believe what I have done for you.
John 3:16. John 5:24. John 14:1-3. John 14:12-18.
Matthew 27:62-63 NKJV
[62] On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, [63] saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’
We know without a doubt that He kept His word. There is enough evidence given us. Obviously the Pharisees were trying their best to keep Him in the grave, but the power of God is greater.
There's a verse in Scripture that taught me a lot about faith as I was learning to trust Jesus. I ran into a verse that says, If anyone lacks wisdom let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it shall be given to him. (James 1:5) So I did, and I did, and I did for years and it seemed as though nothing was changing. During this time many opportunities to study the Word with seasoned individuals was presented to me, I was waiting for God to respond. I was praying a prayer of faith, like a bulldog holding on and not letting go. I remember those days and how my Father was calling me to join Him in a journey through His Word, He desired to enter into an experience with me that would teach me about faith, and what it means to ask, pray, by faith. There's a Scripture that says: faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. How could I hear if the Word of God had not first prepared me to hear?
After I had been a church member 10 years or more I began to seriously consider studying the Bible, as I did, that prayer I couldn't let go of began to be answered. It took a long time for me to learn this lesson: Prayer is an exercise of faith, answered prayer is also an exercise of faith, but not blind faith, faith in the One who has promised whatever I ask in faith I will receive in faith. If I ask but don't believe I should not think to receive anything. The only way I can ask knowing I will receive, for me, requires that I know the one whom I'm asking, and I know His will pertaining to what I'm asking. Listening and hearing and knowing then acting according to what I have asked. It may sound over simplified but I assure you experiential knowledge is the best teacher. When I read a Scripture that says "you shall know", I read that as experiential knowledge. In chapter 31 of Jeremiah, there's a verse, this is how I understand this familiar verse: I will place my Word within the core of your being, I will write it within the forefront of your mind, I shall be your God, And you shall be my people... And you shall Know me.
In the darkest hour the faith of Jesus shines as a beacon, it was enough for Him. It is enough for me, and all of His children. I believe, before that hour comes upon us we must learn to listen and hear, and act by faith, live by faith, speak by faith. We should even think, and be motivated by faith. Not blind faith, but faith borne from experience. Even if that experience is but a few short hours spent in the presence of Jesus, as was the experience of the man who died next Him. That experience is enough to bring all who are willing, through everything that is coming upon this earth and those who dwell upon it.
Shalom
Thank you, Joshua, for sharing your personal experience of praying according to James 1:5 but not arriving at the faith you longed for until you began to act on Romans 10:17. Such sharing is worth a hundred dissertations!
Your experience demonstrates that faith is not magically uploaded into our hearts and brains (even when we pray!), but it takes an active choice to spend time with God through His Word and obedience of the Word. That's how we get to know God!
True faith may look "blind" to those who are looking on, but, if we choose the route outlined by the Apostle Paul, we get to the place that we can say with him, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." 2 Tim. 1:12
Yes, "we must learn to listen and hear, and act by faith, live by faith, speak by faith. We should even think, and be motivated by faith. Not blind faith, but faith borne from experience."
Again, thank you for sharing!