A Gem from the Book of Mark

You know by now how I love mining little gems from the Word of God. Here’s the one I came across yesterday in the book of Mark.

To set the scene: Jesus has been crucified and risen from the dead, but only a few have seen Him yet. Finally, He appears to His disciples, those that had been chosen from His faithful followers to walk alongside Him during His earthly ministry. Here’s how it happened:

Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. Mark 16:14

Ouch! Have you ever felt that kind of rebuke? I know I have. So often it beats me down. I think, I’m such a horrible person. I can’t do anything right. I’m sure the Lord can’t use me now.

But the gem comes in the very next verse. In Mark 16:15 Jesus says to these same people He reproached for their lack of faith and their stubbornness, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”

Don’t you love it? In spite of their failure to remain faithful and believe what others told them, what Jesus Himself had said would happen, Jesus wasn’t ready to toss them aside. He pointed out their sin, then gave them another job to do. They had been unfaithful, but He remained faithful to the call He had put on their lives.

I don’t know about you, but I found that quite encouraging, for while my faith continues to grow, it still sometimes fails. And I still wonder if God will choose this time to wash His hands of me. Instead, He finds me, acknowledges my failure, my sin, and gives me a choice: I can sit and mope or I can stand up and move forward. I’m so glad His faithfulness endures forever!

Has the Lord showed you His faithfulness in spite of your faithlessness lately? Tell us the story!