Shock and Awe and Unbelief

Mark 16:9–20

[Two of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9–20. The manuscript evidence favors inclusion of these verses. Other objections, such as the difference in style and vocabulary, pointed to by critics can for the most part be accounted for by the change in subject matter. Hence there is really not much doubt that verses 9 to 20 were actually written by Mark.]

⁹ [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. ¹¹ But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. ¹² After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. ¹³ And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. ¹⁴ Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” ¹⁹ So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken 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 message by accompanying signs.]]

Mark (and I’m just going to roll with the idea that Mark was indeed the author of these last few verses) now condenses the events following Jesus resurrection into just a few words. He goes from Jesus’ appearance to Mary Magdalene near the empty tomb to His ascension, 40 days later, very quickly. Jesus is forced to deal with a shocking amount of unbelief on the part of His disciples and that is disappointing but forgivable, as we see Jesus do. While He does rebuke them for that unbelief, He moves forward with the mission of spreading the Gospel.

Today we are faced with raging unbelief in our culture and (this is where it gets personal) within ourselves. We can point out into the world and shake a judgmental finger, but instead perhaps we do better to look inside and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where we have unbelief or doubt. The Old Testament prophets dealt with man’s unbelief as well, with grave warnings about doubting God’s love and mercy for us, seeking instead our own paths or plans.

Jonah 2:8

Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.

Jeremiah 2:12–13

¹²Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord,

¹³for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

So instead of casting shade on the disciples for not believing eye-witness accounts of Jesus’ return from death, we can look instead at our own hearts and ask the Lord to reveal where we have forsaken God’s love or dug our own cisterns. I’m finding more and more that whenever I find myself looking at others in judgment, that is a clear sign that it’s time to look inward instead. What I know I will find there is indeed sin, but also the love of Jesus who forgives me just as He did those disciples.