The Eye-Witness Was Not Enough

In the Gospel of Mark we find three version of the Easter story.  The one used in the Common Lectionary, assigned for the Saturday of Easter, is Mark 16: 9-29.  

Mark, being the most historical of the four Gospels, bring us the account of Jesus resurrection by combining the other three Gospels. 

In a very short - concise - way Mark give us a clear truth.   The truth that an eye-witness account of an event does not necessarily hold weigh; especially  when it comes to the most extraordinary event in history.

It is just too challenging for the logical mind to grasp -- to believe. 

When you have witnessed, for yourself, that Jesus hung nailed to a cross.  And you watched as he took his last breath.  You may have even witness them taking him to this grave.

How can life — breathing, walking, talking life — be possible?

So when the women came and said:  “He Lives.”  What is one to believe?   Sight, seeing and hearing, is not necessarily good enough.

So   ¹⁴Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.

This appearance of the Risen Christ was most surely the harshest, reported in the New Testament.  Jesus a is clearly not at all pleased with this friends.    

Very little, if any, grace offered. 

And then he sends them out into the unbelieving world to do the very same thing Mary and the two walking to Emmaus had tried to do.  

He told them: 

“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. ¹⁶The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷And these signs will accompany those who believe:

It was now their turn to tell the unbelievable story to others who will refuse to listen — refuse to believe.

Witnessing, to the doubting world about the most precious truth in history; is no easy trick.   And those who attempt it will certainly to be humiliated by the experience.

The disciples will now have to stand in the shoes of folks like Marys  — and the ones who were walking on the road, away from Jerusalem, towards Emmaus.

We are all called to bring the truth of God, born in Jesus, to those who do not know.  To those who have known but have lost their faith.

It is a most humbling of calls.

It the most difficult of calls; but oh so worth it.

And we, like those who have gone before us,  do not have the privilege of speaking the truth with harsh judgment.   Yes, Jesus did speak a harsh word when he appeared to the eleven.  However Jesus had the authority to do so.

We don’t.

We -- you and I --  are now asked to walk in the disciple’s shoes; not so much telling — speaking — what we believe.  But instead living our lives as ones who are blessed with the privilege of being Gods’ grace and forgiveness in the world.

Regardless of the out come.

⁹Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. ¹⁰She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. ¹¹But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

¹²After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. ¹³And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

¹⁴Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. ¹⁵And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. ¹⁶The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

¹⁹So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. ²⁰And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it(Mk. 16:9 - 20)