The Easter story gives us insight into the people who followed Jesus. The size of the crowds varied, but there was a nucleus of followers, many of them women. Here is an account of Jesus’ appearance to one of the women after the resurrection. Mark tells us that he first appeared to Mary Magdalene. She went to his disciples with the news and testified of her meeting with the Lord. Was she believed?
Mark 16: 9Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
Being believed by others takes constant work and should be a concern to us as Christians. Jesus met Mary that morning. He has appeared to each of us who are saved. We have seen and experienced him with our heart and soul. She went from being broken hearted and forlorn to joyous. Mary saw Jesus die. She saw him buried. She knew the tomb was sealed. A guard was set so nothing erroneous could happen. The Sanhedrin tried to cover up the resurrection, but there is no covering up the truth. Salvation in a heart and life can’t be hidden. Jesus transformed Mary when he spoke her name. It’s the same way we were transformed.
Mark is graphic and to the point in his writing. He has a one- two punch. The truth is straight and clear. He tells us that Jesus appeared to Mary first. The other women were next. He made an appearance to Peter. He didn’t choose to appear to the group of disciples first. We consider them the primary circle. Why weren’t they the first he went to see? They were in hiding together except for Thomas. They may have even thought within themselves that if Jesus was alive, he would have told them first and not Mary. Does it seem to you sometimes that God blesses others more than you sometimes (even when you think you deserve it more)?
Mary was demon possessed when she met Jesus. She was of questionable character before Jesus delivered her, but she became a prominent name in the gospels. She was not in the inner circle in the eyes of the men, but she had a place in the heart of Jesus. He has a place for us all. It wasn’t his beloved disciple John or his mother that he went to first. It was Mary Magdalene. I’m not going to question why. We shouldn’t be envious of another’s blessings. Thank the Lord for it. Each of our brothers and sisters can be a help to us. She didn’t keep it to herself and let the others continue to suffer. She shared the good news. Verse 10 says and she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. Don’t use your blessings to elevate yourself. The devil will use this kind of thing against us if we let him.
Jesus had told them he would suffer and die. He also told them he would rise again. They saw his surrender to the cross, the dying, and the burial. Why in the world did they forget about his coming back? He showed them the doctrine of salvation time after time in his teachings. For every time he told them of his death, he told them he’d return. They grieved and forgot to the point that when Mary told them she had talked with him, they didn’t believe her.
In verse 14 Jesus scolded the disciples. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. They should have been willing to believe Mary, but they didn’t. Our testimony will be under fire now and then. The church is under fire. The Bible is. The very name of Jesus is under fire and put down every day. Lots of times we react the way the disciples did. We’re afraid to get excited at the testimony of others. We don’t want to believe. Jesus promised he be back; he just didn’t go to the disciples first. Are we willing to believe those younger in the faith, less up on the word, or as close to the Lord as we think we are? It was a lesson in trust. Trust each other. Later on we find Thomas wouldn’t believe the rest of the men. He treated them the way they treated Mary.
Your brother and sister may be your best lift if you let it happen. The men should have been at the tomb that first Easter morning instead of hiding. Mary gave them her testimony. Jesus didn’t show up to the group until late that evening. Life is hard enough on us without our making it worse. The disciples could have been blessed earlier that day if they had just believed Mary. We need encouragement and uplift from others. If the Lord sends someone your way, accept it. It will help you.
On the other hand, let your relationship with Jesus be such that your testimony is believable. Don’t let your relationship with the Lord “go plastic.” Keep it real. Jesus chooses to bless us through our brothers and sisters sometimes. This should be an encouragement for us to work hard to be a person of trust in our testimony. Believe the Lord. Believe his Word. Let us believe in one another as followers of the Lord.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 