The Breath of Life - 3/16/2024

After Mary Magdalene's encounter with Jesus, she returned to the city to report to the disciples that she had seen the Risen Savior. The last time she reported to them, she told them that someone had stolen His body. It's hard to imagine what conversations were happening in that upper room as the disciples continued to hide in fear, but Mark 16:10-11 gives us a clue, "She (Mary) went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it." There must have been a division starting amongst the group- those who believed in the Resurrected Jesus and those who believed He was dead. Jesus answered the unbelief of those in the room by showing up with the scars of His pierced body for our redemption. He answered their fear, grief, and unbelief with His presence, and then He breathed the Holy Spirit into them, giving them peace and the power to defeat fear.