Now
when He rose early on the first day of the week, He
appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. She
went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when
they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. Mark 16:9-11
NKJV
“Persistent unbelief
in light of contrary evidence is willful ignorance!”
After
that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into
the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe
them either Mark 16:12-13 NKJV
Sooner
or later the time comes where we do or say something that tends to date
ourselves, and today will be my day.
Back when I was very little I can remember watching television with my
parents as they enjoyed their favorite shows.
One of these was a program called “Perry Mason”. It was centered around a criminal lawyer and
the cases he took on to defend, and all the twists and turns you would expect
from a criminal trial. I never recall
seeing him lose a case, yet what I remember the most is how hard he worked to
build his case by seeking out and presenting the evidence which always led to
the inescapable conclusion of his clients’ innocence.
I
would find it hard to believe that there are many believers today who have read
the account of what transpired after Jesus death and resurrection and not wondered
about the disciples’ response and their lack of understanding as well as their stubborn
refusal to believe. I use the term
stubborn simply because the disciples chose to ignore an established principle
in play since Old Testament times concerning the weight of evidence to be given
to two or three witnesses.
“Whoever
is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three
witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness. Deuteronomy 17:6 NKJV
“One
witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he
commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. Deuteronomy 19:15 NKJV
Jesus
also taught this very principle during His ministry when He discussed the
subject of discipline within the Church.
“But if
he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established Matthew 18:16
NKJV
In the above passage from Mark we
find that the disciples were presented with the testimony of at least three
witnesses to the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead in Mary, and then two
of their own. Yet for some reason they
still chose not to believe what was being told to them. Now maybe, just maybe I could understand how
difficult the fact of the resurrection might be to believe if it were not for
the fact that Jesus Himself had told them that this was exactly what was going
to occur before it ever happened!
He said
to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “The Christ
of God.” And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,
saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders
and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third
day.” Luke 9:20-22 NKJV
So
what would your reaction be to someone who refused to believe even though the
evidence presented to support a position met all the criteria necessary by
established legal principles? I daresay
your thoughts would be less than kind, and truthfully mine would refer back to
all of the passages in Proverbs which describe fools. Does that seem harsh? Maybe it would help to look at Jesus’
reaction to the disciples and their stubborn refusal to believe the evidence.
Later
He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their
unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen
Him after He had risen. Mark 16:14 NKJV
So
let us start with the word translated rebuke.
In the Greek it is the word oneidizō
which means to reproach, upbraid, revile. Now
I don’t think you have to be an English scholar to understand exactly what is
being described here. I believe what we
see here are the disciples being taken to the proverbial woodshed for some
serious correctional instruction. Jesus
is less than pleased at their actions and He lets them know it. The phrase “hardness of heart” is the one I
tend to focus on because to me, that describes perfectly someone who chooses
not to believe even though the evidence proves them wrong.
Have
you ever wondered about those alive today who choose to willfully ignore the
evidence of Jesus’ resurrection? Have
you ever tried to share your faith with someone only to find they totally reject
the entire idea of Jesus dying for their sins and rising from the dead? This is “hardness of heart” and it has never
been more prevalent than it is in the world today. Although we who believe find it difficult to
understand why someone would choose to ignore the evidence the Bible presents
for us, it is a fact of life that many will simply choose not to believe.
Jesus
said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet have believed.” And truly Jesus did many
other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this
book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:29-31
NKJV
The
disciples had to see Jesus’ face in order to accept the reality of the
resurrection, and they received the rebuke they deserved from Jesus
Himself. Yet look at the words of Jesus
to Thomas which are a promise to those of us who choose to believe. We are blessed, and will continue to be
blessed, because we choose to believe the evidence of the resurrection of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Keep
watching.
