Mark Chapter 16
The greatest proof of all that Jesus is the Son of God is the resurrection account. If anyone wants to seek out the truth for themselves, it is all there for them to read and see that Jesus is who He said He was.
If there had been only testimony of one or two people seeing the resurrected Jesus, there may be room for doubt. But in reading Mark and the other gospels we learn that there were many who saw Jesus in His resurrected body, walking and talking with them. Jesus is alive.
Let's Reflect
1. There were two women both named Mary who approached the tomb early Sunday morning to anoint the body with spices so to keep down the bad odor of a body decomposing. As they talked amongst themselves, did they question if it might be true that Jesus had risen? What question was on their mind?
2. When they arrived, the big stone was already rolled back, and they looked into the tomb. What did they see?
3. There is special naming of Peter, the one who denied knowing Jesus three times. Jesus wanted to be sure to give attention to him as he was most likely guilt ridden, and Jesus had big plans for him. The women were instructed to go and tell Peter and who else?
4. The Bible says that these two women left the tomb trembling and in astonishment. They were in shock. So they really did not discuss what they had just seen and heard, they just walked quickly to go tell the disciples. Verse 10 tells us that when she (Mary Magdalene) arrived to where some of His disciples were, to tell them the news, they were mourning and weeping. Did they believe Mary?
Your Bible may contain a statement that some of the earliest manuscripts do not include verses 9-20. I am not a Bible scholar to argue whether these verses were in the original manuscripts, but I lean towards – if it is in our Bible, God wanted it there. And the language of these verses is consistent with the other gospels.
5. Verse 12 is another account of Jesus appearing to two people and when they told the other disciples they were not believed. This account is also described in Luke 24:13-27. From Luke we learn that this was two men that Jesus appeared to while on their way to Emmaus. When these two went back to tell others, were they believed?
6. Jesus appeared to the eleven apostles, and it says He did what, because of their unbelief in hearing the reports of His resurrection appearances to others?
7. Jesus then gave them the great commission telling them that the gospel was now to be taken to the whole world. The disciples would be empowered with special power that would help them proclaim the gospel as truth. We know that they were emboldened to speak by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus was taken up to heaven. The Bible clearly states that who continued working with the apostles to proclaim the gospel?
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