Peter had witnessed the abuse Jesus received in the high priest’s house, getting close enough for Jesus to look at him (Luke 22:61). John had come near enough to the cross to have Jesus speak to him (John 19:27) – he also witnessed a Roman soldier jabbing a spear into Jesus side, to make sure He had really died (John 19:34-35). Some of the women who were with them had followed Jesus’ body, watching Joseph of Arimathea place it in his own tomb (Matthew 27:57-61). No, there could be no doubt that Jesus was really dead.

So, what did those same women do when they came to the tomb on Easter morning and saw the stone removed from its opening? What was their initial reaction when an angel told them that Jesus had risen from the dead? They didn’t believe it either. They ran away in fear (Mark 16:8).

And the rest of Jesus’ disciples had the same reaction when Mary Magdalene eventually came to them, insisting not only that the tomb was empty but that she had seen Jesus and spoken to Him. They didn’t believe her (Mark 16:11), probably thinking she was just hysterical in her grief. So, if you find it hard to believe that Jesus really did walk out of His tomb on the third day, don’t worry – even His closest friends agreed with you – at first.

Okay, so why did Mary Magdalene change her tune? Why did Jesus’ disciples, all of whom had abandoned Him in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:50), suddenly become passionate preachers of the Gospel (Mark 16:20), willing to die rather than to deny the reality of His resurrection? There’s only one way to explain their transformation – Jesus really rose from the dead and revealed Himself to them, either individually (Mark 16:9) or in groups (Mark 16:14).

Yes, that’s the good news for us today – Christ really did rise from the dead. And He continues to send out even those who are initially skeptical to tell that good news to others (Mark 16:15). Will we believe Him? Will we tell His story? And will we demonstrate the truth of the gospel through our own transformed lives?

Mark 16:1-15 (NASB)

And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.
2 And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed.
6 And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.
7 “But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.'”
8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
9 Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.
10 She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping.
11 And when they heard that He was alive, and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.
12 And after that, He appeared in a different form to two of them, while they were walking along on their way to the country.
13 And they went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.
14 And afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.