Mark 16: 9-14 It was early on Sunday morning when Jesus came back to life, and the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene—the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. She found the disciples wet-eyed with grief and exclaimed that she had seen Jesus, and he was alive! But they didn’t believe her! Later that day he appeared to two who were walking from Jerusalem into the country, but they didn’t recognize him at first because he had changed his appearance. When they finally realized who he was, they rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the others, but no one believed them.
Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their unbelief—their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him alive from the dead.
When the women went to the garden tomb that morning, all they wanted to do was to continue preparing Jesus’ body for its burial. But angels met the women, showing them an empty tomb and telling them that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he had promised. Mary Magdalene even met Jesus, who comforted her and ordered her to tell the disciples to go meet him in Galilee. When the women rushed back to tell the disciples, Peter and John raced to the tomb, also finding it empty. But despite all these reports, most of the disciples refused to believe that a resurrection miracle had taken place. Surely, these ladies must have been deluded by grief. The disciples conveniently forgot that John was the only disciple who accompanied the ladies to witness the crucifixion. All the other disciples were hiding, hoping they wouldn’t be arrested and dragged off as well.
Then there were the two believers traveling to Emmaus who met Jesus but failed to recognize him. Had Jesus really changed his appearance or were these men so blinded by grief that they refused to accept the idea that Jesus was alive? Surely, these men must have heard about the 500 men and women who rose out of their graves to walk the streets of Jerusalem as Jesus was dying. Still, until Jesus revealed himself, the travelers to Emmaus were clueless. And then there was the story about Thomas.
John tells the story in John 20:19-29 That evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors, in fear of the Jewish leaders, when suddenly Jesus was standing there among them! After greeting them, he showed them his hands and side. And how wonderful was their joy as they saw their Lord!
He spoke to them again and said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and told them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you refuse to forgive them, they are unforgiven.”
One of the disciples, Thomas, “The Twin,” was not there at the time with the others. When they kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord,” he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands—and put my fingers into them—and place my hand into his side.”
Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them and greeting them.
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger into my hands. Put your hand into my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas said.
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. But blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.”
There are many excellent books about Easter, including the Lee Strobel’s excellent work The Case for Easter. But one of the most telling statements about the truth of Easter comes from Chuck Colson, a trained lawyer and the founder of Prison Fellowship: “I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”
Through the years, many believers have criticized Thomas as “doubting Thomas,” assuming that THEY would certainly have believed in the resurrection immediately. But such sentiments are unfair to Thomas and unrealistic. Face it, most of us would have refused to believe, even when the women rushed back to report that the tomb was empty. Only when the disciples were confronted with a living Jesus did they abandon disbelief. Think about it; the disciples had witnessed Jesus’ torture and eventual crucifixion. Even though Jesus had prophesied his death and resurrection many times, the disciples really didn’t take him seriously. Surely Jesus must have been speaking figuratively, not realistically. But once the disciples did encounter Jesus, they remained faithful for the rest of their lives.
How faithful were the disciples? Here is a list with their eventual fates, as they paid the ultimate price for following Jesus.
- Saint Peter
Crucified upside down in Rome. His remains were buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican. - Saint James the Greater
Beheaded. His remains were buried in St. James Church, Compostela, Spain. - Saint James the Less
Stoned and beaten to death. His remains are buried in the Holy Apostles Basilica, Rome, Italy. - Saint Jude Thaddeus
Beaten to death with clubs and hacked with an axe. His remains were buried in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican. - Saint Philip
Crucified by soldiers. His remains are buried in the Church of the Dodici, Rome, Italy. - Saint Thomas
By blows of spears. His remains were buried in St. Thomas Cathedral, Mylapore, India. - Saint Simon
Stabbed with a sword. His remains are buried at the Altar of Crucifixion, Vatican. - Saint Bartholomew
Crucified. His remains were buried in St. Bartholomew Church, Rome, Italy. - Saint Andrew
Nailed to an “X” shaped Cross. His remains are interred in the Cathedral of Amalfi, Italy. - Saint Matthew
Crucified. His remains were buried in St. Matthew Cathedral, Messina, Sicily. - Saint John
Died of natural causes. His remains were buried in St. John Basilica, Ephesus, Turkey. - Saint Mathias
Crucified. St. Mathias is the replacement of Judas Iscariot who committed suicide after betraying Christ. His remains were buried in St. Mathias Abbey, Trier, Germany.
We shall also include Saint Paul, who was beheaded in Rome. His remains were buried in St. Paul’s Church, Rome, Italy.
As Chuck Colson observed, “Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”
Today, each of us has a choice: will we believe in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, realizing that he has paid the ultimate blood price for our sins, or will we refuse, foolishly believing that our goodness will be sufficient to earn eternal life. The choice is ours. We should choose wisely.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust where we cannot see, and to believe in Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You that because Jesus has paid the blood price for our sins, all who confess their sins and believe in Jesus will one day be with You in heaven. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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