According to
the Gospel of Mark, after his resurrection, Jesus appeared first to Mary
Magdalene, who went and told his companions that she had seen the Lord.
However, “When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not
believe.” After this, “He appeared in another form to two of them walking along
their way to the country. They returned and told the others; but they did not
believe them either.” Finally, Jesus appeared to the eleven “and rebuked them
for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those
who saw him after he had been raised.”
It is interesting
that the resurrected Jesus chose to appear first to a woman and to two country
folk, who were not held to be of much account in their culture, rather than to his
inner circle of disciples. Did he appear to them first because he wanted to
affirm the worth of those who are often overlooked? Did Jesus know that Mary
Magdalene and the two on their way to Emmaus had more open hearts that made it
possible for them to recognize him in an altered form? Did he know they had the
courage to tell their story to others, even though it was likely they wouldn’t
be believed?
Although we may
never know the answers to these questions, we can nonetheless glean several
lessons from Jesus’ postresurrection appearances. First, do not discount
unlikely messengers; second, trust your heart rather than your expectations;
and third, have the courage to do what Jesus asks: “Go into the whole world and
proclaim the gospel to every creature.”
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