They did not believe them

It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marvelling to himself at what had happened. – Luke 24.10-12

The disciples took the women’s mistake a step further. Even if they did remember what Jesus had said they did not believe it.

Imagine the setting. They are all gathered together in fear, locked away privately. The women

had gone to the tomb to properly prepare the body. When they came rushing back with the news of the resurrection the disciples could not handle it.

Their stories ‘seemed like idle tales and they did not believe them.’ It wasn’t so much a matter of not believing the women – Jesus had told Him He would do this over and over again. And they just couldn’t accept is.

Even when Peter ran to the tomb to check things out for himself and saw the grave clothes lying aside by themselves he left the grave and wondered what had happened.

They didn’t believe it.

While that may be a sad comment on their faith I wonder how often we really have room to be critical. We too can be guilty of not believing what God does. Sometimes we can be so blind to what God is doing that we can just plug stubbornly away with our own agenda.

‘O ye of little faith’ suited the disciples that day. Let’s just be sure we learn from their mistakes and trust God enough to believe what He says.