March 29, 2024
As we prepare to celebrate our Savior’s death and resurrection in earnest this weekend, I encourage you to remember two of the very best words in the Bible: “and Peter” (Mark 16:7). You know the story. When the ladies came early in the morning on the first day of the week to anoint Jesus’ body in the tomb, they found the stone rolled away already. They entered into the tomb, only to find an angel dressed in a white robe, who spoke to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has 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 to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
And Peter! Imagine what Peter must have felt to hear his name specifically mentioned by the angel – Peter, who had bragged that he would never deny Jesus, had just denied his Lord three times days earlier. Did he think that he had sinned too badly to be forgiven? That he was a lost cause? Yet Jesus had not cast him off, or abandoned him, or given up on him. Instead, He singled Peter out – Jesus wanted Peter in particular to know that He wanted to meet with him again.
In the resurrection of Jesus, we find hope for the fallen, hope for the failures, hope for the foolish and prideful and fearful – and if we’re honest, that’s each one of us. Because Jesus died, and didn’t stay dead, but rose again on the first day of the week, your faith is not worthless, you are not still in your sins (I Corinthians 15:17). Because Jesus is alive, the truth is that no matter what you have done, no matter how you’ve sinned against the Lord of glory, there is hope for you. The empty tomb proclaims your forgiveness and your freedom from guilt and shame and despair. So never forget those two little words, “and Peter.” Our risen Lord calls you by name to come to Him in faith and repentance, and find healing, restoration, and a commission to go and share His grace with the world around you.