Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” – Mark 16:14–18
This last week was a blessing to ponder all that Jesus did for us, His passion, His sacrifice, and His resurrection. It is powerful and I am so grateful and in awe of His goodness. So now what comes next in His story and what are we to do in response to what He has done for us?
Jesus appeared to many and gave instructions of what they are to do. Jesus proved He was God, the Messiah, and our Savior when He rose from the dead. He rebuked the unbelief the disciples had after they were told He was risen. Next, He gave the great commision. His disciples are to proclaim the gospel. They are to tell all creation. As a disciple it is not our job to decide who might listen and who won’t or who will believe and who won’t. In fact, I have learned that most of the time who listens and believes will surprise you. Our job is to proclaim to everyone. A proclamation is a public announcement with importance and urgency. We are not to keep what we know about Jesus private or a secret. People need to understand that when they believe in Jesus, they will be saved.
The last thing He says in these verses is what I find interesting. Signs will accompany those who believe. Not they “may”, but they “will”! The more I ponder this the sadder my heart becomes. I am saddened because I begin to wonder of all those I know who profess to believe that many of them don’t see any signs in their life. Even sadder are the ones who don’t believe in signs or miracles for today. Jesus does not say only in the near future signs will follow. He does not say signs will only follow these men. No, He says they will follow those who believe. So if we are not seeing signs, do we really believe? Do we really believe Jesus is who He says He is? Do we have to see to believe? Thomas was rebuked for this (John 20:27).
We are told “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1). We need to believe what Jesus said is true. We can lay hands on the sick and they will recover. We can cast out demons. In Him, we can do all that Jesus said we can do. John 14:12 says “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” Don’t be afraid to pray and trust God that He is able. He will not make us ashamed (Is 54:4). Believe in the Lord and watch Him work. Nothing is impossible for Him (Luke 1:37).
Lord, I pray that we would all believe in You and that You are glorified as we see others coming to You and they see your mighty working power.
Written by Rebecca Murzin
