When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.
Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
Mark 16:1-7
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I used to wonder how the rest of the disciples felt when the angel first mentioned Peter after the resurrection on Easter Morning. It was one of the very first statements by God that day:
“Go, tell his disciples AND Peter.”
Peter, of course, had just denied ever even knowing Christ.
“I don’t know the man!” is exactly what Peter said to the crowd.
When Jesus needed his friends the most, Peter deserted him to suffer alone.
Jesus had loved him, taught him, provided for him, invested into him, raised him to be a leader. And yet, Peter denied ever even knowing the man— and during Jesus’s darkest hour.
But at the first light on Easter morning, God called for Peter. “Go, tell his disciples. And make sure you find Peter too.”
I wonder how the remaining ten felt when they heard what the angel said. There is, after all, no record of them denying Jesus that weekend—they had been faithful, some we know were even present at the foot of the cross comforting Jesus that they would care for his mother.
But Peter was the one singled out by the angel on Easter morning.
The older I get, and the more life I live, the more comfort and peace I find in the angel’s words to go get Peter.
It is easy when you are young, just like the older son, to find pride in your faithfulness. To believe your heart and soul have kept you close to God—to even allow a spiritual arrogance to emerge. To count yourself among the ten.
But the more I live and understand how prone our hearts are to leave the God we love, the more I find comfort in the angel’s words.
I have had friends walk away from Christ and deny ever knowing Him. I have had family members walk away from Christ and deny ever knowing Him. And rather than assuming I am somehow ever above that happening in my own heart… I have learned that it is God who holds me.
If a day of weakness ever comes where I do deny ever knowing Him, I know He will continue loving me and searching for me. And when tomorrow comes, and I sin against God (yet again) in thought, word, or deed, I know He will continue loving me and searching for me.
I do not think the ten were jealous or surprised to hear God ask about Peter first.
I am not jealous or frustrated that the angel would single out Peter among the disciples. Nor am I jealous that Jesus would leave the sheep in the pen while he searched for the one who went wandering.
For I am that sheep more often than I realize.
And I am Peter more often than I admit.
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Prayer
Thank you for the amazing promise of Easter—that you defeated death and sin on the cross through the death of Jesus and proved victory through your resurrection. May I place my faith for eternity in your hands and find comfort, boldness, and motivation in your faithfulness and love. Amen.