Rev. Richard Smith
Eastertide: Celebrating The Impact Of The Resurrection
| Mark 16:6-7 The angel said, ‘Jesus the Nazarene has been raised up; he’s no longer here. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You’ll see him there, exactly as he said.’ |
You know about Simon Peter of course. He’s the one who so boldly declared in one breath (Matthew 16) that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and who then just a few days later denied three time that he knew Jesus. How would you like to be the person whose last words about Jesus prior to his death were, “I don’t know the man? I’m not one of his followers. Now leave me alone!” How would you like to be the person who looked into the eyes of Jesus as he hung on the cross knowing as he gazed back at you that your last act was to deny him.
Oh, the guilt, the shame, the embarrassment! Matthew and Luke both record that “Peter went out and wept bitterly” as the significance of his denial sunk into his heart and spirit.
Then there comes this remarkable moment in the resurrection account in Mark’s Gospel. The angel tells Mary, “Go and tell his disciples AND PETER” that Jesus is going before them and will meet them in Galilee. Did you get that? Be sure and tell Peter. It is Jesus’ way of making sure that Peter gets the message that he is forgiven. The angels tells the women gathered at the tomb that Jesus wants Peter to know what he can’t wait to see him again; to embrace him in love; to grant him forgiveness.
Jesus’ message to Peter and to us is that no matter what we’ve done there is a loving and gracious God eager to give us the forgiveness we need in our lives.
Do you know the name John Newton? You do, of course, know the hymn, Amazing Grace. Newton wrote that hymn in 1779 as he celebrated God’s forgiveness for the many, many years he had spent in involvement in the slave trade in England. Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me; I was once was lost but now I’m found; was blind but now I see. These words were Newton’s words of gratitude for God’s forgiveness for his unconscionable participation as a slave trader. Sometime before his death Newton summed up his life and God’s grace made known in Jesus in these words: ‘My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.’
The Resurrection proclaims…Tell the Peters of the world, tell the John Newtons of the world, tell you and me that…
Our God is a God of second chances.
Our God is a God of new beginnings.
Our God is a God ever eager to offer us His grace and forgiveness.
