By Kimberly Pinkney
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. 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” (Mark 16:6-7 NKJV).
In the above passage of Scripture, the angel that greeted the ladies at the tomb made a point of including Peter in the sharing of the good news of his resurrection. This must have come as a shock to Peter, especially given his denial and abandonment of Jesus in His greatest hour of need, only days earlier! To illustrate, let’s consider Matthew 26:20-21 NKJV.
When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.”
Peter and the other apostles had just sat down to eat the Passover supper with Jesus when He announced, with a tone of certainty, that someone seated in His midst would betray Him. Understandably, Peter, who loved Jesus, was shook by this statement and wanted Jesus to identify the potential culprit. In fact, all the disciples asked Jesus the inevitable question: Lord, is it I? As they wondered aloud who would do such a terrible thing, Jesus answered them, but the answer seemed hidden to them. As it turned out, Judas—not Peter—was the traitor. However, Jesus made another prediction in Matthew 26:31-35 about an atrocity that involved Peter this time.
Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.
As the story continues, Peter denies Jesus not once but three times. He succumbed to the pressure exerted by people and fear to deny his Savior. He subsequently walked away weeping with the convicting and painful knowledge that he had denied his Master and Best Friend after he had sworn in the presence of his colleagues that he would never do such a thing.
Oh how Peter must have felt! Shame and guilt doubtlessly dominated his emotions, especially given his self-righteous assertion that though the others might, he would never stoop so low as to deny his Master. He was woefully humbled and perhaps thought that he had lost, beyond restoration, his position of apostleship. He might have even wondered if the other disciples would ever speak to him again. How could he have ever betrayed His Friend, the One who once called him a rock? And reflecting on the fact that Jesus—to Peter’s much protestation—had predicted this very act did little, if anything, to relieve the agony that pervaded his soul!
We can all relate to Peter, having on occasion been assaulted by guilt and shame behind doing something we thought we would never do. Perhaps, because of peer pressure, you too betrayed a close friend. Or maybe, you boldly declared your faith in Church on Sunday only to have it tested on Monday. So the despair that assailed Peter on that fateful day is not lost on us.
And yet, there is good news for us as there was good news for Peter, captured in the words of the angel in our opening scripture: “But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee…”
Jesus clearly communicated forgiveness to Peter through the words of the angel! Jesus wanted Peter to know that he had not lost his position. He had not lost Jesus’ Love, and he was not himself irrecoverably lost! He was reminding Peter, in so many words, that you are still my boy, my bestie, my friend, the one I called three years ago, which has not changed! In truest form of forgiveness, Jesus acted as though Peter had not denied Him. This is good news for anyone who ever felt like a failure. Jesus has not taken away your salvation and call. All you have to do is repent, and he will forgive you and treat you as if nothing ever happened. That’s the Grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for anyone who will come to him. Why don’t you come to The Table and take some!
God bless you as you continue to hear His Voice!
