Mark 16:9-11
“When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.“
Mark 16:9-11 NIV
It's interesting here that Christ's disciples didn't believe that He was alive. On one hand they had seen Him die, they were grief-stricken, and they didn't have a lot of experience with resurrection.
But on the other hand, Mary Magdalene saw Him, and they just blew her off instead of considering that after all the miracles, hope, and happy endings that Jesus enabled, there could be another.
I think we're a lot like the disciples sometimes. Something bad happens and it breaks us, and we can't see past it, even when it means a partial or full undoing of the bad thing.
For some reason we believe that good is fleeting and it is bad that stays and stays. But in our lives too, Christ is alive and well, and is still a God of miracles and hope and happy endings.
Christ died to take the punishment for our sins and to pay the price on our account and the wages of sin is death. Christ died in our place. But the gospel does not end at the Cross, for Christ rose from the dead so that all who have faith in His sacrificial death and glorious resurrection will also rise from the dead into newness of life.
It is through faith in His redemptive work that we are given a new life, a deathless life, an eternal life, which begins the moment we are saved by grace through faith in Christ and that life reaches into the eternal ages that are to come.
Christ rose from the dead for which we should be eternally thankful, for if He had not risen from the dead we could not rise from the dead either but because He lives, we too can live.
Although Christ had taught many times that on the third day He would rise from the dead, His disciples seemed oblivious to this truth, for sadness filled their hearts and many grieving women prepared spices to embalm the dead body of their dead Messiah.
It appears that Mary Magdalene was one of the women who prepared spices to anoint Christ's body that first Resurrection morn. And drawing all the gospel narratives together, it appears that she lingered at the graveside, weeping for she was heart-sick, grieving, and deeply distressed that His body was not there.
These verses make me think of the way that we learn the gospel, always initially from other people and how hard it is sometimes to trust what they say, no matter how well we know them or how much we trust them, because it is just hard to believe or understand things without some first hand experience.
Mary was able to prepare the other disciples to learn, and was able to tell them the truth, but until they had that personal experience with the risen Lord, they didn't believe. And nor typically do we, and nor do our children or the people around us.
God's comes into our lives to redeem and to teach us and help us to stand on our own, to be able to be self-reliant, not just in physical ways but in spiritual ways. He wants us to understand and learn things for ourselves.
That's the only way to true conversion, and to being strong enough to stand up for our convictions because they really are ours, not someone else's.
From the point of His resurrection, Jesus related directly to His disciples. He will not overwhelm the world with His glory and power, but has chosen to build His kingdom through the testimony of those whose lives have been changed.
This requires faith on the part of the hearer. When Mary told the disciples, they did not believe her. We will see this pattern repeat again.
Today, if we have doubts, let's go to the source and figure it out with God. That's the only way to get a testimony and that is the only way to overcome doubt.
The goal in all of this is to empower each individual to know the truth for themselves and to move forward with it. As we learn, let's make sure that we are building up our ability to get answers from God and understand the whys behind the rules. Like Mary, let's tell others what we know, but give them the time and the space to find out for themselves!!!
Father thank You for this day and Your Word and the beautiful examples of faith and love in the life of Mary Magdalene. Lord let Your abundant blessings fall upon my friend and family today from Your storehouses. Lord thank You that so many other disciples that trusted You for the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting. Lord thank You that You died to pay the price for our sin and rose from the dead so that we too may rise into life eternal. Lord use my friend to be someone’s blessing today. Daddy we love You amen. Be a blessing love ya
But on the other hand, Mary Magdalene saw Him, and they just blew her off instead of considering that after all the miracles, hope, and happy endings that Jesus performed, there could be another.
Father, we love You. Amen !
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