He Reproached Them for Their Unbelief
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He Reproached Them for Their Unbelief
God wants us to believe Him — even when things seem impossible. We are not to go around being gullible and believing mere people for everything they say. People are known for not knowing the truth about things. But, Jesus had told His followers in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
Jesus had repeatedly taught His followers that He was to suffer, die, and rise again. That was the truth. But, words are words. Sometimes words don’t make a whole lot of sense to us, so we just tuck them back in our memory and don’t really consider their significance. They seem unimportant because we don’t understand them.
When Jesus did rise from the dead ( just as He said He would ), and appeared to a number of His followers, no one believed their message of truth. Neither did anyone recall that Jesus had repeatedly promised that He would rise. Their unbelief caused a lot of confusion and troubled feelings. And then, Jesus appeared to eleven of the disciples at one time. Mark 16:14-16 records,
He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
What a command to get off our hardened hearts and believe. We are to look at all the evidence presented over thousands of years in prophecy and see how it was all fulfilled in the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are not to be so lazy or so self-centered on our troubles that we refuse to see the love of God Almighty right before us.
It’s important to note that even though Jesus “reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart,” He still loved them all and still wanted them to be His ambassadors of truth. Even though we all have times of “unbelief and hardness of heart”, Jesus wants us to serve Him when we do come to a realization of the truth. Our times of doubt and skepticism do not disqualify us as God’s children.
As Paul notes in Romans 8:18,
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
It does not matter what we are going through on this earth. Jesus has asked us to believe the truth about the free salvation His sacrifice has earned for us — and He wants us to share that truth everywhere possible. Yes, we will meet up with various sufferings to refine our faith. But that is nothing “compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
What will we do with “the way, and the truth, and the life“?
Seeing what the risen Christ does for us, we say, “Hallelujah! Lord, thank You for loving us so tenderly and mercifully that You willingly suffered and died to wash away all of our sins.”
Love,
Margaret
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A Christian devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and God of gods
This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
The word of the LORD is tried;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 18:30
Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright.
Psalm 33:1
How blessed are those who dwell in Thy house!
They are ever praising Thee.
Psalm 84:4
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:13
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalm 107:1
Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
Psalm 105:3
Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that
I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12
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