Go Tell My Disciples…..And Peter
Mark 16:6-7 (NKJV) 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples–and Peter–that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”
In last week's The Wright Stuff, I talked about the importance of the resurrection in terms of the existence of Christianity. Simply put, if there is no resurrection, Christianity is a fraud: it cannot exist. Paul said as much in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. In verse 20 he makes this statement, “Christ has risen from the dead. After more than two thousand years and all of the scientific and cultural change we have seen, a great deal of the world still deeply and honestly believes Paul’s words to be true. Jesus rose from the dead and that changes everything.
As important as this aspect of the resurrection is, there is another side that I want to look at today. The resurrection is a personal thing to each of us who has received the sacrifice of Jesus as the payment for our sin. Properly understood, the new birth that Paul said takes place in the life of every believer is a personal resurrection. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 tells us that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. When I celebrate the resurrection on what has come to be called Easter Sunday, I am celebrating the fact that I was raised from my spiritual death. Every sin was forgiven. Everything has become new. My past is gone, and I am alive in a whole new way.
There is a person of the time of the resurrection in whose life we can see this graphically played out. His name is Peter. If the story of Jesus ended with the cross, Peter’s life would have been an abject failure. However, it did not end with the cross. It went on to include the resurrection. Although this event was important to the whole world, it affected Peter in a very personal way. When I read today’s scripture, I was struck with one thing the angel said to the women who came to the tomb. He said, “Go tell my disciples, and Peter…..” Why did he single Peter out in this way? Was it because Peter was no longer a disciple? That could not be true. Peter was to be the leader of the group. There was another reason the angel wanted to make sure that Peter was included.
Who was Peter? He was an ordinary working man like many of us. He was no one special. Let us compare him with Paul, for instance. Paul was highly educated while Peter had little education. Paul was well connected. He had many friends in high places. Peter was from a place far from Jerusalem and removed from where “things were happening.” Paul was from a wealthy and influential family. Peter was a fisherman who worked hard everyday to feed his family. God needed Paul and he needs those kinds of people today. I suspect that more people who read this will identify with Peter.
Which of the disciples who were with Jesus during his earthly ministry might we consider the most qualified to lead? Matthew was a tax collector and probably would have been good at administration. John, not Peter, was the disciple that Jesus loved. Andrew was a wonderful gatherer of people. He is the one who brought Peter to Jesus. He also showed himself to be a faithful man. Nathaniel was a man who according to Jesus had no guile. That meant he was honest and transparent. Any one of these would seem to have made a good leader but what about Peter.
During his time with Jesus, Peter might have been considered something of a “wanna be.” He wanted to lead, and he tried to lead, but he often fell quite short. He was given the revelation that Jesus was the messiah, the son of God. Before the chapter was over, he had to be rebuked by Jesus. Jesus told the disciples that he was going to Jerusalem to die. Peter said that was not going to happen. Jesus said, “Get behind me devil!” That is pretty harsh, but he was not really talking to Peter but to Satan who was using Peter. To Peter he says, “You are thinking like man not like God.”
One of Peter’s greatest victories was the day he walked on water. I always like to point out that he did walk, yet before it was over, Peter once again fell short. He got his eyes off Jesus and began to sink. Jesus asks him, “Why did you doubt.” He just never seemed to quite be able to get all the way to the end of things. He was brash, outspoken, probably braggadocios but not quite what he needed to be. Not the qualities one would look for in a leader who was going to spearhead a movement that would change the world. How often have each of us felt like Peter. We have good intentions, but we do not quite follow through as we should. We just do not feel we measure up to what God expects of us and often with good reason.
What about Peter at the end. He has made it clear that he will go with Jesus no matter what. He will die with him if necessary. That is a wonderful sentiment, but how did Peter do? In John 13 when Jesus was preparing them for what was coming by washing their feet, Peter wanted no part of it. He said he did not want Jesus to stoop so low for him, but could it have been his own pride that was in the way?
At the communion table, it was not Peter who rested his head on Jesus’ breast. When they went out to the garden to pray, Peter fell asleep. When the soldiers came to get Jesus, Peter turned to violence, cut off the ear of a servant and, once again, had to be rebuked. In the end he followed Jesus but from far away. His worst hour came when he actually denied knowing Jesus. He denied that he was a disciple even reverting to his old fisherman’s ways and including profanity in his denial. Jesus had predicted this would happen saying, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will have denied me three times.” What must have Peter felt when he heard that rooster crow the second time? I think most of us can relate.
I do not know about you, but I have felt as Peter must have felt. I love the Lord. I have given him my life in the service of the ministry. Yet there are days when I have failed. I know I have often fallen short of my best and not followed through with my commitments to him. I am sure I am not the only one. From where Peter must have been in Mark 16, I can understand why the Angel had to mention him specifically.
The calling of God on his life had not changed. He was going to have to lead the disciples. I am sure he felt totally unqualified. He had tried to do it his whole time with Jesus and had failed. In the end his failure was so complete that I am sure he must have felt he was useless to Jesus. I have felt that way. I expect you have as well. Then, with the words of the angel, there came a glimmer of hope. “Go tell my disciples…..and Peter.”
Because of the resurrection, all of Peter’s past failures were wiped away. Peter was a failure, but the resurrection gave him a second chance to succeed. His failure did not change his calling. His failure did not change the love that Jesus, God, had for him. Jesus wanted Peter to know that his story was not over. That did not mean Peter was perfect. It meant that what God did in Jesus was far greater than his failure. He still had to do his part, and it would never be easy for him. Nevertheless, he made it to the end. Like Paul, he finished his course and ran his race making it all the way to the finish line (2 Timothy 4:7.)
Do any of you feel like Peter must have felt at the time of the resurrection? I believe the angel would say to us, “Tell my disciples…..and Bill (put in your name) that I am still with them. Their story is not over. I can and will still use them in spite of their failure.” That is the personal power of the resurrection. That is what Jesus wants you to know today.
So, as you celebrate this most important of Christian holidays, remember that the resurrection defines Christianity and the world as it is today. Also remember that the resurrection is personal to you. It represents your second chance. Whatever you may feel is lacking in your life, Jesus is saying, “Tell my disciples…..and you!”
