“‘But go, tell his disciples and Peter…’” (Mark 16:7 NIV)
What better way to gain a new perspective and deepen our appreciation
for what the Lord did in giving his life
/as a ransom for us, than by
looking at the events /surrounding his death and resurrection /through the
eyes of the people //who were actually there?
Now, Peter had fled with the rest of the disciples /when Jesus was
arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane;
but he followed /at a distance /when
they were taking Jesus /to the house of the high priest, where Jesus
would be beaten and falsely accused.
That was a mistake. If you try to
follow Jesus /from a distance, you’re going to get in trouble very
quickly.
You have to walk /closely /with the Lord /in order to stay true
to him and to his word.
Peter’s problem actually started much earlier, during Jesus’ three and a
half years of ministry. He thought () he was strong and that he would
never fail. In fact, he had told Jesus /as much /when Jesus told the
disciples that they would all scatter at the end. Oh, but Peter had
been fervent in his insistence that that wouldn’t be the case with him.
Fast forward to that fateful night, when Peter was now warming himself
/by the fire /in the courtyard of the high priest. Someone asked him [if
he had been with Jesus], and he denied it.
Here was another unforced
error: He was hanging out with people that he was not supposed to be
with. So Peter denied Jesus again… and again! How many times are you
going to say you don’t know him, Peter, and even call down curses on
yourself in the process?
* Unforced definition, enforced or compulsory:
That was a weak moment for Peter. He was put
in the pressure cooker, and he just broke down. How bitterly he wept
when he realized that Jesus’ words to him had been fulfilled:
“Before
the rooster crows twice, you will disown me /three times.”
Thankfully for Peter—and for us—God’s love is deeper than our sin. The
Lord can haul us /out of the worse pit.
He can lift us up /out of the
muck and mire. When we’re at our worst, he’s at his best.
* muck ; Farmyard manure, widely used as fertilizer; Dirt, rubbish, or waste matter.
So when Jesus rose again, the angel said to the women //who had arrived at the empty tomb, “Go, tell the disciples and Peter
[that Jesus is risen]!” Why Peter? Oh, Peter needed to be ministered
to /in a special way. After his epic failure, he had thought that the
Lord would never want to see him again.
* epic의 정의: 1. a film, poem, or book that is long and contains a lot of action, 대하소설, 서사시
But the Bible tells us that
Jesus actually made a special appearance to Peter
— not to rebuke him,
but to reassure him of his love. You see, God’s love is unconditional.
So what would Peter tell us today if he could?
He would tell us that even though we fail and are unfaithful, God remains faithful.
Let’s make the words of the great hymn our prayer today: “Great is thy
faithfulness, great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning, new
mercies I see! All I have needed, thy hand hath provided.
Great is thy
faithfulness, Lord, unto me!”
Read Mark 14:53-72.