Context No. 2954 of 4322 · Mark

Mark 16:8-13: in context

8They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid. 9Now when he had risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they disbelieved. 12After these things he was revealed in another form to two of them as they walked, on their way into the country. 13They went away and told it to the rest. They didn’t believe them, either.

The women flee the empty tomb trembling and afraid, saying nothing at first. Then the risen Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven demons, and she goes and tells the mourning disciples. But when they hear he is alive and has been seen by her, they do not believe. He appears again, to two of them on the road, and they tell the rest, who do not believe them either.

The humbling, repeated note here is unbelief. The risen Jesus appears, credible witnesses report it, and again and again the disciples refuse to believe. These are not hostile skeptics but Jesus' own closest followers, and even they struggled to accept the resurrection against their grief. There is something oddly reassuring in this. The first Christians did not leap lightly or naively to faith in a risen Christ; they had to be convinced, over their doubt, by the Lord himself. Resurrection faith was hard-won.

When resurrection hope feels too good to believe, do I take comfort that even the first disciples doubted, and let the risen Christ convince me as he did them?

Sources

Mark 16:11: "When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they disbelieved."
Luke 24:11: "These words seemed to them to be nonsense, and they didn't believe them."
John 20:27: "Don't be unbelieving, but believing."