Mark 16:9  Now 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.
10  And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
11  And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

For some who read these devotionals, the next couple of days may seem like a waste of time. Some of those who read these devotionals insist that the perversions are equally the Word of God, as is the King James Version. In fact some hold the perversions to be more accurate than the King James Version. For those in this position, you will notice that the last verses of Mark’s Gospel account are not in your Bible, or there is a note suggesting they should not be considered Scripture. According to the perversions, the women went away afraid and that is the end of the story. We noted yesterday that God has not given His children the spirit of fear. Of course, those who hold to the perversions do not consider the Bible to be that important anyway so the fact that it seems to contradict itself does not matter to them.
We are going to study the last verses of Mark’s Gospel account, as recorded in the King James Bible, and we are going accept them as God’s Word. The only manuscript that counts has them included and we really do not care about the many corrupt manuscripts that suggest they do not belong there. A true foundation is built on truth, not lies.
In verse 9 we are reminded that Jesus Christ was risen early the first day of the week. Jesus Christ changed the significance of the first day of the week.
In Leviticus 23 God gave Moses further instructions regarding their activities in the promised land. God had promised that He would take the people to a land flowing with milk and honey. It took them forty years of wandering in the wilderness before they would enter that land. That wandering was due to the rebellion of the people. God taught them a hard lesson. An entire generation except for two men, died out in those forty years of wilderness wanderings. They missed out on a great blessing because they refused to trust in the promises of God. They rejected God’s man, Moses, and they rejected the laws that God established for them. Their rejection only hurt them, it did not diminish God’s laws.
In Leviticus 23 verses 9-14 God taught the importance of the “wave sheaf”. When the nation of Israel would begin to take off the harvest, they were to take a sheaf of the grain and wave it before the Lord. This was to be done on the day after the sabbath. It was to be an expression of acknowledgment that it was the Lord that had blessed them and given them the harvest. Together with this waving, there was also to be an offering made before the Lord. Keep in mind, this practice was to be the day after the sabbath.
Jesus Christ rose the day after the weekly sabbath. He is the firstfruits. He is the Saviour and He is “the Lord of the harvest”. Jesus’ resurrection on the first day of the week, changed the events of that day and of every first day of the week from that time forward. The chief priests had to scramble and come up with a denial for what had taken place on that day. They had to convince the soldiers to go along with their lie and to convince Pilate to go along with it as well. This was a frantic day for them.
For those women that were at the sepulchre, it was a highly unusual day. Jesus Christ had disappeared from the tomb and this special man had told them He was alive. When the women reported what they heard and saw to the disciples, they were amazed as well. Jesus showed Himself alive several times on the first day of the week and the early churches met on the first day of the week for special services. In the world, churches, whether true or false, met on the first day of the week. Cults like the Seventh Day Adventists, spent some of their time trying to dismiss the significance of the first day of the week. They preferred to remained mired in the seventh day.
We read in our text that on that first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene. We read as well that He had cast seven devils out of this woman, earlier. This woman was grateful for what Jesus had done for her. Jesus honoured her with this special appearance. He knew she would be ready to receive this good news and she would also be a faithful messenger of this good news.
Mary went and shared this good news with others who had been with Jesus prior to His crucifixion. They were not rejoicing. They were mourning the crucifixion of their beloved Master. They were still puzzled with how that event could ever have taken place.
In verse 11 we read that those who had been with Jesus, did not believe the good news that Mary was giving them. They were stuck in the past. They did not yet allow the truth of Jesus’ prophecies to sink in for them. They did not yet believe in the resurrection of the dead. This was a sad time in their lives.
Good news is always important. Good news can be strange news at times. When a person is truly born again, that is good news. The Bible says there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner that repents more than over the ninety and nine just persons that need no repentance. Heaven takes note of the salvation of a lost sinner. On earth that good news is not always appreciated. Too many people see God’s salvation as an interference in their lives. A married couple, where both are lost and all of a sudden one of them gets saved, may seem a strange thing for the remaining unsaved spouse. It may seem like a threat to their lifestyle.
True salvation is always an earth shattering event for those who know that individual. God makes an amazing change in the heart and life of the saved individual. A person does not secretly slip into salvation. It is a life changing event that will be obvious. It will be obvious because the same Jesus that rose victorious over death also rose victorious over sin. He never sinned, but He demonstrated His power to conquer sin.
These verses are important and God put them here to remind us all that Jesus Christ is the risen Saviour. He is the life-changing Saviour. He had earlier set Mary Magdalene free from devils. He will set any person who will believe on Him, free from the bondage of sin. We will see that those who doubted this good news at the first, would change their mind and be blessed by believing the facts.
Be sure you believe the facts today. Don’t entertain the deceivers. Be blessed in trusting in the true God today.
Pastor Bartel