333. The Last Forty Days In A Nutshell

Mark 16:9-20; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

Key Verse:  Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His Word by the signs that accompanied it.

Mark 16:20

The passage in the gospel of Mark may be one of the most difficult and controversial for us to understand.  Many scholars do not even believe that it is a part of the original text, but was added later by a writer of the early church.

Some of the signs Jesus mentions here in Mark, such as tongues and handling snakes bring questions of their own.  Was handling snakes referring to Paul, when he picked up a snake on the Island of Malta and shook it off into the fire, (Acts 28:2-5) or are the snake handlers of today justified in performing such feats as a means of demonstrating their faith? Were tongues and healings only meant for the Apostles, or are they signs for today's followers of Christ as well?

Once again, I choose not to deal with those questions here.  What I like about Mark's passage, if it is indeed authentic, is how it nicely wraps up the last forty days of Jesus’ resurrected life here on earth, from the resurrection to the ascension.  Over and over we read in Mark how hard it was for Christ's followers to really believe that Jesus had risen from the dead.  Too often, we look down on them for their struggle of faith.  We are so used to just accepting Jesus' resurrection as part of our system of belief and statement of faith that many of us have been taught from early childhood.  We need to remember that these disciples were middle aged, at least.  In their world view, when someone died, they were dead.  There was no resurrection until the end of time when the judgment would take place.  They were having to make a huge adjustment in their world view.  The impossible had become possible.  A dead man had come back to life, seemingly on His own!  Everything had changed because of this new reality.

Jesus understood their slowness to accept the new reality.  He took forty days to continue to be with them and convince them of the truth. Paul added further details of how Jesus increased His audience to build confidence and assurance in His followers that His resurrection was not a hoax. If He had not, surely doubt would have begun to creep back in, as it does for so many today.  These first disciples had to be convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christ had risen.  They were being entrusted with the responsibility of convincing others of this same truth so that Christ's body of followers would grow.  Yes, the signs and miracles would help, but it was the Word, the new gospel that needed to be unshakable.  Miracles are momentary, but the mind, when it is transformed through belief, is a powerful thing indeed.

As we now know, Jesus' investment of time paid off.  The disciples went on to do as Christ had commanded.  They did not keep the good news to themselves, but moved out to convince others, "Jesus is risen, and because He has, there is hope for you!"

Hymn: "Forth in Thy Name, O Lord, IGo"