This last section of Mark's Gospel (Mark 16:9-20) comments on the disciple's astonishing refusal to believe that Jesus was alive.  Most scholars agree that it probably was not written by Mark's pen, as its style and vocabulary are so different from the rest of the gospel, and the earliest copies do not have anything after verse 8 *.  However, it agrees with the details of the other three gospel writers, it is historically accurate and accepted as part of the Scriptures, God’s Word.  Whoever wrote it, underscored a major theme of the book - that even those who were closest to Jesus were blin

The disciples followed Jesus but did they believe Him; what He said and who He was?  The narrative of Jesus' post-resurrection encounter with the disciples in Luke 24:41-43 does not have the stern rebuke that is recorded here.  However, the fact was that the disciples were not believing, nor were their hearts filled with joy.  They were filled with fear and unwilling to believe what they could not see or rationalise.  They stubbornly refused to accept the often-repeated promise of Jesus that He would rise from the dead on the third day.

Signs are not designed to be objects of wonder in their own right: their job is to point out the right way to go.  They are not intended as museum pieces for admiration, but as obvious turning points to enable people to get on track.  As the Gospel message spread, the book of the Acts tells of all sorts of miracles that drew attention to the uniquely powerful Jesus.  In astonishing ways, while some apostles died as martyrs, others were preserved through multiple life-threatening circumstances (2 Corinthians 11:23-28).  Such signs were a part of God's commendation of Jesus (Acts 2:22), and o