Sometimes in scripture we find something mentioned… seemingly in passing …that does not appear to be very important. Such is the case with our text this morning.
Last week, we studied the account of the two men on their way from Jerusalem to their home in Emmaus. We are told they were downtrodden. Their spirits were broken. They had seen the events of the previous week and had witnessed the arrest, trial and execution of Jesus.. And, with those events, they watched all their hopes and dreams for the future evaporate.
But then, they are joined by a third a man.. One they think to be a stranger and as they walk along, they talk about all they have seen and heard in the past week.. And, that just this morning, they had heard that Jesus had supposedly risen from the grave.
They were bewildered by this news and did not know what to think about it. But, later that day as they sat down for the evening meal, the stranger took bread and broke it and with that their eyes were opened and they realized this was no stranger but was Jesus himself who had spent the day with them.
This changed everything.. They were filled with excitement and instead of continuing on to Emmaus, they return to Jerusalem to seek out the other disciples… to announce the good news.
Luke writes in chapter 24:
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
Notice the statement, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”
Jesus appeared to Simon also known as Peter after His resurrection.. When? Where? Why? …. Do you realize there is no record of this meeting.. We do not know exactly when it took place nor do we have an record of what was said.
And, yet it is important enough that when Paul sought to prove the facts of the resurrection, he mentioned this meeting between Jesus and Peter.
1st Corinthians 15:
3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.
6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
For some reason Paul chooses to omit any record of the appearance of Jesus to the women who discovered the grave to be empty. But he makes it plain that among men, the first appearance was to Peter.
However, scripture makes it plain Jesus wanted especially to see Peter following His resurrection: When the angel appeared to the women, before Jesus appeared to any of them, they were told, Mark 16: 6“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. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
Go tell his disciples…my followers .. and Peter.. It is clear He especially wants Peter know for whatever reason.
In th book of John we read that Mary Magdalene did what she was told even though she may have confused the facts a bit,
John: “2So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Luke 24 tells us: 12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Peter goes away wondering what has happened… It still has not come to him that Jesus is actually alive and has risen from the dead. But sometime between that moment and prior to his appearance in the upper room later that evening, Jesus calls Peter aside for a private meeting… Wouldn’t you have loved to be a fly on the wall for that meeting?
I mean here is the man that took on the appearance of being Jesus’ right hand man. He is the leader that rushes to the front. He is the one that seeks to protect Jesus by impulsively grabbing a sword and slashing the off the High Priest servant’s ear…
Here is the man who with great confidence boasted that He would never leave Jesus’ side.. That He would never abandon Him… even if all the others did…… He would still be there … no matter what… Jesus could depend upon him.
And, here is the man who when the chips are down, ran away like all the others … and he is the man that denied even knowing Jesus within earshot of the Lord. .. Not once but on three different occasions…
Here is the man of whom scripture tells us, 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
There is no doubt that Jesus was broken hearted and that Peter was cut to the quick by what had taken place.. And yet….. And yet… this was man to whom Jesus wanted, above all others, to know about His resurrection.
And, sometime between when a bewildered Peter wandered away from the empty tomb and when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room that evening, they met… Privately… Just the two of them.
We have no authentic record of what was said but it is assumed that Jesus met with Peter to assure him that he still loved him.. It si assumed that Jesus took time to “reinstate” Peter individually as his friend and confidant.
We do know that later Jesus would reinstate Peter publicly as a leader along the disciples.
The gospel of John tells us that three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”… Three time sPeter responded, “Lord you know I love you” and three times Jesus gave Peter the responsibility to “Feed my sheep”
Take care of my flock. Be their overseer… watch after them.. Teach them..protect them…
Peter failed Jesus mightily.. He committed a grievous sin when he lied and claimed not to even know Jesus.. And yet Jesus continued to love him and even placed him back into a position of leadership among the congregation.
I think there is a great message in this for us today. I think the message is no matter what we may do, our sin is not greater that the capacity of Jesus to love us. We cannot out sin his love.
And, even when a church leader falls short, that does not mean they are precluded from ever serving in a leadership position again.
But just as importantly.. we are told that as Christians we are to follow the example of Christ.
Ephesians 5:1-2
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.
Brothers and sisters… we must love one another as Christ loved Peter…. And we must forgive one another as Christ forgave Peter…. Only then will we be th true Church of Christ.
