Unbelief
Sometimes, we’re really hard on Thomas. I mean his nickname is “Doubting Thomas,” so it’s kind of warranted. But it’s interesting that it wasn’t just Thomas who doubted. The disciples also doubted.
After his resurrection, Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene.
After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.
Mark 16:9-11 NLT
Mary Magdalene told the disciples that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, but they didn’t believe her. Next, Jesus appears to two of his followers as they travel. He walks with them and talks with them. They hurry to tell the others, but they don’t believe them.
Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.
Mark 16:12,13 NLT
Stubborn Unbelief
Jesus told them exactly what would happen, and they had eye witness accounts of his resurrection. Yet, they chose not to believe. When Jesus finally shows himself to the disciples, he rebukes them for their unbelief. Not only does He call it unbelief, He calls it stubborn unbelief.
Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.
Mark 16:14 NLT
Failing to Believe
How did the people who got to actually see Jesus and hear his teaching and know Him personally doubt in the end? If their faith wasn’t strong enough; there’s no hope for my faith.
So much in the Gospels comes back to belief. Jesus healed or didn’t heal based on people’s belief. All of his healing and his teaching kept coming back to belief.
It’s not so different in our lives all these years later. God wants to work in our lives, but He still does that work according to our belief or unbelief. I wonder if far too often, God doesn’t do something in our lives simply because we fail in this area of believing.
Choose to Believe
As we celebrate Good Friday today and Easter on Sunday, it’s a good time to reflect on what Jesus did for us. But let’s take it further than that. Let’s choose not to be like the disciples who missed what was in front of them. Let’s not let the struggles and difficulties of life make us doubt God’s goodness and love. The same Jesus who died on the cross and rose for us is the same Jesus who is still walking beside us today. Let’s believe in his goodness and trust that the same God who rose from the dead is the same God who will take care of me today.
More Encouragement
For more encouragement, check out my post, When Everything Changed for Mary, and She Could Hope Again or check out Matt’s book, Six Days to Sunday, an Easter devotional.
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