Mark 16: The Work of the Holy Spirit that Transformed People
Mark 16: The Work of the Holy Spirit that Transformed People
8 They fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
11 But when they heard that Jesus was alive and that Mary had seen him, they did not believe it.
13 They returned to tell the others, but they did not believe them either.
14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
Verse 8 describes the reaction of the women who went to anoint Jesus' body when they heard the news of his resurrection. They were so shocked that it wasn't a matter of whether they believed or not; they were completely frozen. Verse 11 shows that even those who had been with Jesus did not believe when Mary Magdalene told them that she had seen the resurrected Jesus. Verse 13 records that the other disciples did not believe the two who said they had met the resurrected Jesus on the way to Emmaus. Finally, in verse 14, the resurrected Jesus himself appears. He promises signs (rewards) that will follow the belief in his resurrection. Verse 20 skips over the intermediate process and suddenly shows the disciples spreading the gospel, the news of Jesus' resurrection, everywhere.
The once unbelieving disciples had changed. Considering how human stubbornness and nature rarely change, this transformation of the disciples can only be described as miraculous. If there is a tipping point for faith, then there must be one for salvation too. However, Christianity does not have a tipping point for salvation through the accumulation of human deeds. What else but the work of the Holy Spirit could explain the sudden change in the disciples? It seems that not only the Acts of the Apostles but also the Gospel of Mark should be included in the Acts of the Holy Spirit.