Too Hard To Believe?

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. So she went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. —Mark 16:9-14 NKJV (emphasis mine)

When my husband and I first moved to the country, he was quite skeptical of my encounters with various wildlife living among us. It wasn’t that he didn’t really believe me, but to him it just didn’t seem plausible. Finally, he began to see and hear for himself the deer and foxes and moose and coyotes and large piliated woodpeckers, among other smaller critters. Only then did he begin to believe me. Nowadays, he tends to spot one just as quickly, if not more quickly, than I do, but it took seeing for himself before he believed.

That’s exactly what happened with the disciples. The Scriptures, the prophets, and Jesus Himself all clearly told them that Jesus would rise up from the grave. Yet, that seemed too good to be true, too implausible, too unbelievable. They weren’t falling for that! Impossible!

The women told the disciples they’d seen Jesus alive, and they responded with disbelief. The word of a woman meant little in those days, and these women seem to be speaking absolute nonsense, these must be idle tales. And then two trusted friends, followers of Jesus, who had themselves rejected the idea that Jesus could be alive again, were now claiming they’d seen Him on the road to Emmaus alive and well, had talked and walked with Him, had eaten with Him. Jesus’ disciples remained unconvinced. Impossible!

The disciples even went to the grave to see for themselves. They found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was indeed empty. Yet, they still refused to believe. Oh, they believed in Jesus, they’d lived with Him. They believed that tomb was empty. Clearly that was true, but alive? They’d watched Him die. Absolutely could not happen. Impossible!

When Jesus suddenly showed up right among them, they were scared out of their minds. They hadn’t believed the women or the men, and now they could not even believe their own eyes. It has to be a ghost. Why couldn’t they believe? Because it defied all human logic and explanation. Impossible!

But then … they saw the nail scars in His hands. They touched Him. They talked with Him. They heard Him with their own ears. They ate with Him. They walked on the beach with Him. He cooked them breakfast. He forgave them. He breathed on them and gave them His Holy Spirit. He sent them on a mission. He promised to return. Then He left them—and they were never the same again.

They had experienced the Risen Living Savior for themselves. Their own personal experience with Christ made all the difference. Their believing became more than just something they knew in their heads. It was a heart-changing, life-transforming event, a total change of direction.

That Jesus Christ isn’t real, didn’t rise from the dead, isn’t alive, can’t forgive sins, can’t restore our broken relationship with God … these are the biggest lies Satan will ever try to persuade us to believe. This is the worst kind of April Fool’s trick, that leaves all who fall for it eternally stuck in sin—unforgiven, forever trying to pay their own unpayable debt, and forever separated from the God who has loved them enough to willingly lay Himself down on the cross to pay a debt not His own.

Oh, but Jesus has the last word on Satan, because Jesus is real, He did rise bodily from the dead, He is alive, and He forgives, He saves, and He restores! Impossible? Yes! If it weren’t, it wouldn’t be the work of God.

Are you in that place today? Finding that it’s just too hard to believe? That it’s impossible? Maybe it’s possible for others, but it’s not for you—because of what you’ve done, where you’ve been, and how far away from God you’ve traveled. No matter how many steps you’ve taken or how many miles away from God you are, it always takes only one step back. That’s called repentance, agreeing with God that you’ve sinned, fallen short of His expectations, and admitting that you need Him. When you do, you will find that He’s right there waiting, right where He has always been, because He loves you to the uttermost.

Father, thank You for Your too-good-to-be-true-and-too-impossible-to-be-possible gift of new life. Thank You for forgiveness, restoration, and eternal life in Christ Jesus. Help me to live that new life out every day. Help me to recognize the enemy’s lies and protect me from falling for them. I ask that You would reach down and do a miraculous work in the hearts of those I care about who don’t yet know You, or do but have wandered away. Help them to believe the truth about You, that they may have the assurance that they truly can be forgiven and restored and live a changed and fruitful life in You. I love You, Lord!

Safe in His care,
Donna Perkins

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

 Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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