40 DAYS in the GOSPEL Sample

WORK WITH GOD—NOT FOR GOD

I (Shawn) can’t forget the feeling of assuming the lead pastor role after the former pastor retired. I was excited but also unsure. All the great ideas I had before when I was just a member of the team, now seemed not so great. The weight of knowing I was the leader-in-charge now felt heavy.

When Jesus was raised from the dead and nearing the time for His ascension to the Father, no doubt the disciples felt a heavier responsibility for what was ahead. “Wait a minute...you’re leaving us? I know You told us the Holy Spirit would be with us, but can’t You stay a bit longer until we get the hang of this?”

No, Mark’s gospel doesn’t say these things. And some scholars have questioned the validity of these final twelve verses. We might debate that at another time and place. But for now, here is what we can say: the content of these verses does not contradict anything that Matthew, Luke, and John wrote elsewhere. We do know from John that following the crucifixion, the disciples were quite anxious about the future (see John 20:19). We know that Jesus commissioned them and promised that He would never leave them (Matthew 28:19-20). We also know that the signs promised in Mark 16:17-18 continued in various measure in the ministry of the apostles and the church. (Read the book of Acts!)

And behind it all was not some bravado that the disciples mustered after Jesus left. No, Jesus kept His Word. He did not leave them alone. The gospel advance that continued during the book of Acts? It wasn’t because of a few super-apostles. It was because “the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs” (v.20). As the Holy Spirit came upon the small group of followers a few days after this, Luke confirms that Jesus was still working: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing” (Acts 2:33). They were not just working for the Lord. But in reality, they were “working WITH the LORD!"

So, the Resurrection is not the end of the story. The days following would be like a movie trailer—giving a preview of what would certainly continue in flawed and imperfect believers like you and me!

Jesus is saying to us, “Let’s do this! Go and tell the good news! And know that I will work with you to confirm that it’s true: I am alive forevermore!”

PRAY ABOUT IT: Do you sometimes feel inadequate for what is ahead? Tell Jesus about it. Place your faith completely in Him, and look for His activity beside you. Pray until your faith rises with expectation.