Knocked Down but not Out

The book of Mark is the shortest and possibly the oldest of the gospel records. In fact, most of what Mark records can be found in Matthew, Luke or John. However, Mark does include a few unique details and phrases. One of the most beautiful of which can be found in his account of the resurrection.

On that Sunday morning, when the women reached Jesus’ empty tomb, they met a young man dressed in a white robe (presumably an angel) and he said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him”.

Then comes one of the nicest, two word phrases in all of scripture: “But go, tell his disciples AND PETER” (Mark 16:6-7).

You may remember that Peter’s failure had been the most obvious and the most blatant. Sure, everyone else deserted Jesus at the cross, but it was Peter who denied even knowing him – three times! Worse than that, Jesus told Peter ahead of time that this was going to happen to which Peter vowed, “Even if all fall away, I will not” (Mark 14:29)… but he did.

Maybe that is why God’s messenger makes it clear that Peter is to be told the good news of the resurrection personally. Maybe God wanted to make sure that Peter knew that his failure had not disqualified him from the kingdom.

I like that little phrase, “and Peter”, because it reminds me that I serve a gracious and compassionate God. God certainly demands that I live a life worthy of the calling I have received (Ephesians 4:1), but he also provides his grace for the times that I don’t.

From this point on, Peter is a different man. He goes from fearful to bold and from denying to proclaiming. He preaches the first gospel sermon (Acts 2) and he is the leader in the early church.

Now, I do not know what you have been through in your life, or what you think you have failed at or could have done better. I do know this though; you have not disqualified yourself from the kingdom of God or from God’s love. Like the Prodigal Son we can all come back. We can turn around. We can repent and start again.

Who knows? Maybe God has great plans for you too.

Comments

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly. https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s

Consider This: Twenty-three Descriptions of God (Psalm 145)

Let’s play a quick game. Take 10 seconds and list 5 or 6 words to describe God. Got your words? Good! Here comes the game part. I will list twenty-three ways that David describes God in Psalm 145, and we will see how many of his words match yours. David says that God is, the king, great, majestic, wonderful, powerful, awesome, abundant in goodness, righteous, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, good to all, glorious, mighty, trustworthy, faithful, supporting, generous, providing, near, saving and watching. How did you do? This is not a useless exercise. The words we use to describe God not only indicate something about how we see him, but they also influence how we interact with him. For example, if I know that God is “Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (verse 8), I will not fear him, and I will not assume that he is against me. When I remember that...

Consider This: What is so Great About Grace?

If you were to drive by our house, you would see that Sara loves plants. Our yard is full of flowers, and Sara lovingly tends every one of them. Which is why I was so afraid when she left town and put me in charge of keeping things alive. She must have been a little concerned, too, because she sent me two videos with specific instructions on how to water, when to water, and what to do. Honestly, those first two videos helped, but the third one she sent was the one I liked most. In that one, she said, “Please do your best. I want the yard to look good for the family reunion in two weeks. However, if something dies, we will dig it out and pretend that it never existed!” That is what grace looks like! Try your best, do what you can, but if it goes wrong, it will be ok. Sometimes we talk as though grace and effort are opposites. That is not true. They are partners. In one place, scripture asks, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone c...

Consider this

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:

Search This Blog