Reflecting on Mark 16:9-20
"He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe." (Mark 16:14)The women were afraid, stunned speechless, but they did believe.
Two times the disciples hear the news, but they do not believe it.
They didn’t believe it when Mary Magdalene told them.
And they didn’t believe it when two others told them (see Luke 24).
Those who add this longer ending borrow from Matthew, Luke and John.
It is not Mark’s ending, but it is still how it happened.
“They did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.” (Luke 23:11)
“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” (Matthew 28:17).
On the one hand, who can blame them for doubting.
If someone claimed to be back from the dead today, would you believe it?
Yet one thing stands out, that does not make sense to me.
Did Jesus really rebuke them as these words say?
The Greek word for ‘rebuke’ occurs 9 times in the NT.
In all the other instances, it means to revile or to insult.
Looking it up, this is what the word normally meant:
‘To disgrace (insult), reproach; mock (curse); insult, cast blame (create shame) – viewing someone (something) as culpably guilty and therefore deserving punishment.’
There is no other time when Jesus insults struggling believers.
Jesus does not mock or shame us for doubting.
The use of this word may reflect the later times when it was added.
Some christians did mock others for not believing.
Doubters and deniers were disgraced, blamed and punished.
They were treated as hard-hearted enemies of Jesus.
The editor also adds “hard-hearted” to Jesus’s mouth.
This is the meaning of “their stubborn refusal to believe.”
The word is literally hard-hearted, a heart of stone not flesh.
Only once does Jesus use this word (in Matthew 19:8/Mark 10:5).
This is about how God allows divorce because of people’s hard hearts.
In that instance God does not mock, insult or punish.
Moses makes an allowance for human weakness.
God and Jesus are much more gracious that we are.
We are quick to rebuke, shame, demean and punish those who fall short.
We are NOT as gracious as God and Jesus are.
Sure, there are times when Jesus looks at us with concern.
Jesus does correct us, Jesus does warn us… but never in a mocking way.
To the very end, Jesus knows we are weak, and don’t know what we’re doing.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
If we are not gracious with others’ weakness, we have not understood Jesus.
I am not talking about tolerating abuse or cruelty.
But to be gracious with those who sincerely struggle to believe.
To be gracious to those who sincerely believe differently from us.
To those who love Jesus, but interpret the bible differently than us.
There are strong believers and weak believers – they’re all believers.
The way of Jesus is not to mock, shame, insult and condemn them.
“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.” (Romans 14:1-4)
Those who are cruel, who mock and abuse others should be rebuked.
But not those who struggle with faith, or believe differently.
Too often the church gets this backwards.
They mock those who struggle, and honour those who are cruel.
Those with judgmental attitudes are seen as strong.
Much of modern churchianity and apologetics is seen this way.
Like Mark’s editors, they put mockery in Jesus’s mouth.
They replace grace with insults and judgment… in Jesus’s Name.
We need to read these added words with caution.
They sound good, yet they also seem a little off.
We need to compare them to Jesus, to filter them through His words and ways.
Jesus did gently challenge His followers, but He did not shame or mock them.
I need to make sure I am not twisting Jesus’s words to shame or mock others.
I am a Jesus follower; I want to be like Him!
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, warn me by Your Spirit when I lean towards demeaning of belittling others in Your Name. Help me not to put words in Your mouth. Rather, may Your words and ways be in my mouth, that I may bless and serve others, not mock and shame them.