“He Rebuked Their Unbelief and Hardness of Heart” #2180

14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:14–16, NKJV)

Eyewitnesses told the apostles they had seen the Lord; Jesus was alive from the dead. He appeared to Mary Magdalene, but they did not believe (Mk. 16:9-11; Matt. 28:9-10). Peter and John saw the empty tomb but did not understand (Jno. 20:1-10). Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, but the apostles also refused their report (Mk. 16:12-13). Jesus did appear to His apostles, but He scolded them for their unbelief and hard hearts that prevented their faith (v. 14). Jesus commissioned the apostles to preach this good news to the world (v. 15). Jesus saved those who believed the gospel and were baptized (v. 16). He still does. But unbelievers remained lost in their sin, even to this day. No one living now has seen the resurrected Christ. We are dependent on the eyewitness reports of those who saw Him and interacted with Him after His resurrection to form the basis of our belief and obedience. Will you believe the apostles’ testimony that Jesus died, was buried and rose the third day (1 Cor. 15:1-5)? Or will you languish in unbelief? Will you soften your heart and be baptized to be saved? Or harden yourself against the Lord’s command to be baptized to be saved? Will the Lord rebuke your unbelief or bless you with salvation because you believe the apostles’ testimony and obey the Lord’s will (Jno. 20:29; 1 Pet. 1:8-9; 2 Thess. 1:10)?

Pounding a Fool #1361

“Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his foolishness will not depart from him.” (Proverbs 27:22, NKJV)

The proverb depicts a process of separating the husk from the kernel of grain in a manner that is more intricate and careful than the usual threshing process. (The word “grind” means “to pound or beat small.”) Pulpit Commentary notes in this proverb “is expressed the idea that the most elaborate pains are wasted on the incorrigible fool…an obstinate, self-willed, unprincipled man cannot be reformed by any means; his folly has become his second nature, and is not to be eliminated by any teaching, discipline, or severity” (Proverbs, 519). Although pounding and grinding grain yields its intended results, you cannot beat foolishness out of a fool. You cannot pound the truth of God into a heart that is hardened by sin against it. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why it is said to be “impossible…to renew them again to repentance” who have tasted heaven’s sweet goodness and then fallen away from the Lord (Hebrews 6:4-6). Unless and until the obstinate heart softens toward God and toward His truth, the sinner will go on, unaffected by efforts to separate him (or her) from the foolishness of his sin. “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your heart” (Hebrews 3:7-8)!

The Wayside Soil #927

14 “The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:14–15, NKJV)

Satan wastes no time snatching away the word of God from hardened hearts. Like birds eating seeds off a well-traveled path, Satan plucks away God’s word from hearts that are closed against the truth. Closed minds refuses to give the word of God a fair hearing, therefore, they are not penetrated by the word of God. The gospel remains powerful to save, but it will not save the person who refuses to listen to and heed God’s message of salvation (Heb. 4:12). God does not force His word down people’s throats. The deceitfulness of sin darkens many hearts, calcifying their sensitivity toward the gospel of Christ. So, be very careful never to let sin deceive you into hardening your heart against the word of God (Heb. 3:13). Heart condition matters when it comes to hearing and receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ.