Daily Devotional for Thursday, November 23

The Second Appearance

“After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them,” Mark 16:12, 13.

There are a lot of things you may hear about but never witness. Yet, it is hard to believe things on hearsay. If it were not for the media, film or books which give proof, how often would you believe something happened? Would you believe man landed on the moon? How about the devastation of the holocaust? Even in the life of Jesus, He amazed and astonished people not only with His miracles but also His speech. Still many had a hard time believing He is the Son of God, though His actions and speech are proof.

After the resurrection, it was the same thing. Nobody believed Jesus was alive just on hearsay. They wanted proof. They did not believe Mary Magdalene, who was the first to see Christ, and they did not believe the witness of the two disciples who saw Him in this passage. The full account of these two verses can be found in Luke 24:13-35.

He appeared in another form but this does not specifically tell what form. At first the two did not know it was Jesus until their eyes were opened (Luke 24:31). In their excitement, they went and told the other disciples that they had seen and had spoken to Jesus, but the disciples did not believe them. Again, this was hearsay, and in their thinking, it was preposterous! Jesus had died! They had seen it! If you were to tell them Jesus had not died, they would not believe you.

Man certainly lives by sight more than He does by faith. Jesus told Thomas in John chapter 20 the only reason he believed was because he had seen Him.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: God is not visible. It takes faith to believe in Him and His Word. Do you have this faith, or do you question as the disciples did?

Karry Irizarry