Author: Bill Hall

Mark 16:13 “And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.”

   Sometimes our unbelief can be quite comical. These two guys went all the way back to the rest of the disciples. They changed their plans to make this report. And, yet, still unbelief was the result.
   It was difficult for the disciples to accept the idea of the resurrection. And, this is still hard for people to understand. But, to dismiss things out of hand is not the right course. If we have a hard time believing, we can always think it over, or pray about it. Just letting unbelief take root immediately is not good.

Heavenly Father, we know You are the Omnipresent, Omniscient, and Omnipotent. May Your Name be praised! We will believe You. And when we are tempted to doubt, we will remember Your mighty hand. We trust You forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:12 “After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.”

   This is most likely the two on the Emmaus road. Imagine having an intimate meeting with the risen Son of God. He taught them about Himself as they walked along. I’ve wondered why He chose to meet these two. Maybe He wanted them to return to the other disciples, which they did. Or, maybe He was testing the others once again by sending them witnesses without appearing to all of them at once yet.

Heavenly Father, so often our unbelief causes us to miss the significance of the opportunities that You give us. We fail to avail ourselves to Your power and Your provision because we think we need to survive without them. But You are ready to use us in the ministry if we will trust Your leading and wisdom. Thank You for stretching out faith! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:11 “And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.”

   It is easy to be hard on the disciples here. They should have believed. In fact, it is this kind of testimony that must be believed for salvation to occur now. We cannot be at the cross ourselves. We have to rely on those who tell us what they have seen. Like the disciples in this instance, we have to believe the testimony of one who has experienced the facts rather than witnessing them ourselves.

Heavenly Father, You know all of the things we want to know. But, then, even though we know that, we fall to believe and act upon the things You choose to reveal to us. Because You don’t give us everything all at once, we tend to fail to accept the little bit You give us along the way. You are the big picture. To trust You is the best way to move forward. Your greatness is ever before us. That is what we need, dependence upon the information You give us. You love us. And we will love You. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:10 “She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.”

   Though their belief took time, their grief was real. Grief is easier for us to muster in our own power. It is to be a passing thing that takes its time on the stage and then moves on. But like other short-term feelings, it can lead to dangerous sins. Worry, doubt, fear, and depression are always just around the corner. Grief is fine for a time. There is a time for it to play it’s part. But then it must pass, or else these other actors may slip in and steal the show.

Heavenly Father, give us victory over the sins that grief may lead to if not kept in check. Remorse can do the same. We must remember You are at the center of all we are as Christians. We will give You the praise by living in the victory You provide. You are able, we are weak. But in You we may be strong. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:9 “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.”

   We do not know much about Mary Magdalene. However it seems obvious that Jesus knew she would be the first to believe in the resurrection because of her past. Her initial meeting with Christ had changed everything in her life.
  Mary apparently decided to hang around in the area of the tomb though the other women had already left. It is then that Jesus meets her.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your personal interest in us. You are not unfeeling and distant. Your work in our lives is personal and vital. You care for each of us and know us by name. Thank You! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:8 “So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

   The passing along of the message to the disciples had to wait until Jesus actually appeared to Mary. At first the women were all very afraid, as we see here.

Heavenly Father, You know how easily we become afraid. The circumstances of life are enough to keep us nervous most of the time. We need courage from You. Only You can help us face life as it is. Thank You for Your patience with our weakness. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:7 “But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

   Jesus did not make His reappearance in Jerusalem. Why? There are a lot of answers to that question. One reason, however, was that not all would believe even if He did. So, in His infinite wisdom, the Lord chose to let His followers share the good news.
   Notice the reference to Peter. This makes it sound as if he was not considered a disciple at this point. But that assumption is unfounded. Remember, all of the disciples forsook Christ, not just Peter. It is doubtful that Peter’s denial put him in a different category. But, the way it is stated may have been meant to include Peter in case he thought he would be left out because of the denial.

Heavenly Father, thank You for using us! It is a mystery to us, yet we know Your way is best. We have been given a great task, and only You can give us strength to carry it out. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:6 “But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.”

   Notice how specific the angel is. Jesus of Nazareth. This is, by the way, a very human way of speaking of Him. It is how even a passing aquantance might refer to him. It doesn’t use any of His Messianic titles. Why does the angel do this? He is intentionally emphasizing the miracle of the resurrection. He is saying, in essence, you came to find a man, a dead man to be precise. But, Jesus is the Lord of glory, not just a man, so He is alive!

Heavenly Father, give us the wisdom to understand Christ and present Him as He truly is. Make us witnesses for Him. He is worthy of our best effort. And You can take that effort and make it what it should be. May Your Name be praised! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:5 “And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.”

   This was all very unexpected to these ladies. It’s strange, but we tend to easily forget the power of the Lord. In spite of all the amazing things they had seen Jesus do, they were very surprised.

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your patience with us. You understand how we think, even if we don’t. We will praise You forever for Your amazing power! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 16:4 “But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large.”

   Picking this stone up was not an option. To roll it aside was the only way to deal with it. As we know from Matthew, an angel had been sent to do this. We don’t know the exact timing of these things, but it seems they happened rather quickly. Jesus may have exited the tomb earlier, but likely he had just done so at the first hint of daybreak.

Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your Son! Jesus is our wonderful Savior. Thank You for Him! May we proclaim His Name forever! In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.