Jesus is risen! Tell his disciples and especially Peter!
Peter in the «cross-fire» of Jesus» resurrection. A rupture that ends in departure.
«Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for in his great mercy he has given us new birth. Now we have a living hope, because Jesus Christ has risen from the dead» (1 Peter 1:3 NL).
Easter morning – that was a turbulent morning! Two women want to embalm the body of Jesus, but he is no longer there. The tomb is empty. An angel frightens them, but then enlightens them: «Jesus is risen! Arise! Tell his disciples and especially Peter». (Mark 16:7). The women jog to the disciples with the good news. Afterwards Peter and John race to the empty tomb. Likewise the two Emmaus disciples: after their encounter with the Risen Christ, they race back to Jerusalem as fast as they can to tell them their experience.
«Tell his disciples and especially Peter!» the angel said to the women. I don’t know how Peter took this remark. But it was balm for his soul! It was a coded message: «You Peter, I am still counting on you! You are still on my team!» Peter must have been embarrassed after all he had done two days ago. Jesus wanted to wash his feet like all the others! Only he vehemently resisted: «When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him: Lord, why do you want to wash my feet? Jesus answered: You do not understand now why I am doing this; one day you will understand. No, Peter protested. You shall never wash my feet!» (John 13:6–8a NL)
Letting Jesus help and serve us is not that easy! We see this even with the youngest children: «No, Mum, you don’t have to help me, I can do it myself!» Covid19 held a mirror up to us young seniors in particular: «Nobody has to do the shopping for us, we can do it ourselves!» What must happen to you before you accept help? How long do you toil before you let yourself be served? Isn’t this the pride of people that is stirring, especially behind the confession «I don’t need Jesus to die for my failures, I’ll eat that up myself.» The answer Jesus gives Peter makes him sit up and take notice: «Jesus replied: If I do not wash you, you do not belong to me.» In other words, Jesus says: If I do not wash you, you will not understand what I will do for you through my suffering; then you will understand the Gospel; the good news of being washed clean from sin. With this act of love, Jesus makes it clear to his Jewish disciples that they can forget all the ritual washing once and for all. This could be compared to a car wash. You can go through it every week, but if you do nothing at car, it quickly becomes a mess.
The disciple John understood this, for he later writes in one of his letters: «If we live like Christ in the light of God, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all guilt. If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all evil.» (1 John 1:7,9 NL). Jesus is a model for the disciples with the foot washing. Be there for others; intercede for others; what Jesus does for you, pass on to others. This is the logical consequence of Jesus» service to us. Jesus rose from the dead so that he could live on in us and through us! We as the church are his body. As his disciples, we are Jesus incarnate (literally, Jesus clings to our bodies…). I have the impression that the closer Jesus came to his suffering on the cross that evening, the more important his words to the disciples became. The more he spoke plainly, as he did when they went out to the Mount of Olives: «Tonight you will all leave me, Jesus said to them. But when I have risen from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there. Peter claimed: «Even if everyone leaves you, I will stay with you. Peter, Jesus replied, I assure you that this very night you will deny me three times before the cock crows. No!, Peter insisted. Not even if I had to die with you! I will never deny you! And all the other disciples affirmed the same» (Matthew 26:33–35 NL).
All the disciples had this high opinion of themselves. It was a team oath! But they did all failed. You have all slept in the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus wrestled with his Father in prayer. And soon his team goes into hiding. Judas commits suicide, John still meets Jesus briefly at the cross. Peter cautiously sneaks back into the scene, but when he is recognised, what Jesus had foretold him comes true: Three times he denies in the strongest terms that he knows Jesus. Then the cock crows! Luke mentions a noteworthy detail about this moment in his Gospel: «At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter» (Luke 22:61a NL). Then Peter immediately remembered what Jesus had foretold him! That look! Those eyes! Peter goes away and weeps «bitterly». The Greek word «pikros» means more than sad: pained, suffering. Weeping until it hurts you. Peter has been brought to a total breaking point. Maybe this sounds familiar to you. Perhaps you have also wept pitifully over yourself. About your failure!
And now on the resurrection morning, everyone is still there, except one. Even Peter is back in the team. We find the reason for this in Jesus. He prayed for Peter and told him: «I have prayed for you that your faith may not cease. Therefore, if later you have turned back and come back to me, strengthen your brothers» (Luke 22:32 NL). Jesus cares for us, for each and every one of us, and I am convinced that he also prays for you from time to time. What the disciples experienced there shows us that our metamorphosis can sometimes hurt and even lead to breakage. But through this ordeal you are changed; Jesus shapes you.
The Resurrection of Jesus
Jesus dies and rises again on Easter morning. Jesus lives! The risen Jesus showed himself to his disciples several times. Not an easy reunion for the 11 disciples, but Jesus greets them with a reconciling Shalom: «Peace be with you!» Jesus already promised this peace to his disciples in his farewell speeches: «What I leave you is peace: I give you my peace – a peace such as the world cannot give. Let nothing shake your faith, and do not be discouraged!» (John 14:27 NGÜ)
That is a bit of future perspective for us! I can imagine that when we suddenly stand before Jesus, we will feel as unworthy as Peter did back then. But Jesus will greet us in the same way: «Peace be with you!» For Peter, the encounter with the Risen Lord at the Sea of Galilee was very moving. The disciples were fishing and had once again caught nothing. There is a man on the shore whom they do not know and who asks them if they have caught anything that they could eat together for bread. The disciples answer in the negative and at the stranger’s behest they once again cast the net. When they notice that they have a great catch in the net, John says to Peter: «It is the Lord!» Peter jumps out of the boat into the water and wants to reach the shore as quickly as possible. Jesus already has a fire ready for the freshly caught fish. At breakfast it is remarkably quiet, because no one dares, not even Peter, to ask Jesus if he is really their Lord and Master. But actually everyone is convinced that he is. Just the miracle and how he serves us again.
After breakfast, Jesus has the opportunity to ask Peter a few personal questions: «Simon, son of John (Jesus addresses him by his original name, leaving aside Peter, the rock), do you love me more than the others? Yes, Lord, you know that I love you! Jesus says to him, «Feed my lambs.» Then he asks again, «Simon, son of John, do you love me? He answers again, Yes, Lord, you know that I love you! Feed my sheep; For the third time: Simon, son of John, do you love me? Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you. Feed my sheep.» Jesus has changed Peter. He no longer sounds as arrogant as he so often does. He no longer has to exalt himself above the others and set himself apart from them. A new, humble trust in Jesus, who knows everything, shines forth. Jesus closes the conversation with the call: Follow me! Peter experiences a second calling. Jesus leads his team out of the wholesome brokenness and back into his discipleship.
We all have much reason to rejoice on this day! Our joy of life and faith rests on a firm foundation! After all that happened then on that meaningful Easter morning, we can say with all our heart: «We do not put our trust in human effort, but are proud of what Christ Jesus has done for us. My desire is to know Christ and to experience in my own body the mighty power that raised him from the dead.» (Philippians 3:3b and 10a NL)
Amen!
Possible questions for the small groups
Read the Bible text: John 21:3–14
- Why did God tell Peter in particular that Jesus was alive?
- What does it take for you to seek outside help?
- We are together the body of Christ in this world. Why do we forget this so quickly and have to keep drumming it into our heads?
- Have you ever experienced breakage? Have you ever cried over yourself?
- Peace be with you – Jesus said to the disciples. What does this peace contain?
- Can you relate to that awkwardly silent breakfast by the Sea of Galilee?
- Using Peter’s example of metamorphosis, what can you basically say about metamorphosis?
