Skip to main content

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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark and Light

            When you look out at the world, what do you see?             Some see nothing but trouble and pain.   They point to things like poverty, crime, problems with drugs and alcohol and marriage break-ups and say that the world is full of sadness and sorrow.   Watch the news for even a half hour and you will get the idea that the world is a dark place.             Others see nothing but good.   They appreciate generous people in their community.   They think about their friends and neighbours and smile.   They marvel at the beauty of sunrises and stars at night.   To them, the world is a bright and wonderful place.             You may be surprised that the Bible supports both of these world views.   On one hand it says things like, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the
1 comment
Read more

New Article: Five Words to Improve Your Relationships

                 In the late 1800s, it was common for railway companies to plant formal gardens beside their stations.   These gardens were filled with trees, shrubs, flowers, and fruit trees.   Sometimes they also featured a kitchen garden growing lettuce, carrots, corn, and potatoes.   Estevan’s Canadian Pacific Railway Garden was once located where Mid-City Plumbing and Heating is today.                The purpose of these gardens was to show what the land could produce.   After hours and sometimes days of riding across the featureless prairies, the railways wanted to show settlers the potential of their new home.   The gardens showed what was possible and they encouraged the settlers to transform their own land and discover its potential too.                Today’s verse acts similarly, in that it challenges us to find the potential in
Post a Comment
Read more

Forgetting What Is Behind

                   Generalizations are helpful because they show a pattern that is normally true. However, they are also dangerous because they ignore the exceptions to the rule.                  Here is my generalization:   It is a quality of the strong to be able to forget the past and move on.   The apostle Paul summarizes this idea when he states, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God had called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too often, we trip over things that are behind us.   We remember and nurse old hurts.   We rehearse mistakes that no one else recalls.   In doing so, we pull the past into the present and allow it to dictate how we feel right now.   In these cases, we would be better off “forgett
Post a Comment
Read more