Second chances

credit:  V. Gilbert and Arlisle F. Beers

"Don't be alarmed, the angel said. 
You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. 
He is risen! 
He is not here. 
See the place where they laid him. 

But go, tell his disciples . . and PETER, 

He is going ahead of you into Galilee. 
There you will see him, just as he told you. " 

Mark 16:6-7 

Did you catch those two words?

those 2 'hope-filled' words? 

. . . . "and PETER."  

Why were the women at the tomb told to "go tell his disciples . . AND PETER?"

He WAS one of the disciples, 
so . . .  why did the angel single-out Peter?

I think Jesus knew that Peter was really hating himself right then. 

I think Jesus knew Peter would wonder if he was really included in the invitation to meet Jesus.

Peter probably couldn't even sleep without hearing that rooster crowing over 
and over in his mind

Couldn't sleep without hearing himself saying "I do not know this man"

  

After all, he HAD denied that he knew Jesus . .  three times to be exact.

He even cursed the third time he denied Jesus.
  

Remember that other passage?

The passage where Peter repeated told Jesus that he would NEVER deny Him?

But [Peter] said more vehemently and repeatedly, [Even] if it should be necessary for me to die with You, I will not deny or disown You!   Mark 14:31 (AMP)

Wow!  Did you see that? 

Peter had even said he would die for Jesus before he would deny Jesus.  

Can you imagine how Peter felt?  

How would WE have felt if we had promised and then fell flat on our faces?

I don't know about you

But we all have a Peter within us from time to time.  

We all have said the wrong things

Laid awake at night with our own words running circles around in our minds

Here's the exciting thing about the passage.

Here's the HOPE in this passage and in this story.
Here's my hope from this verse 

Jesus wanted Peter to know that he wanted to see him.
Jesus wanted to make sure that Peter received the message.

Jesus knew that Peter was dust.
Peter had denied Jesus three times, but Jesus was not turning His back on Peter.

Jesus knows that all of us are 'but dust' and so prone to mistakes, saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing.  

Our God is a God of second chances.

a God of third and fourth chances. 

The next time you are feeling ‘down’ over something

The next time you don't like yourself very much

or maybe even despise yourself

Just take this scripture and

Insert your own name on the line.  

 But go, tell his disciples . . . AND                  

God wants us to know that He wants to see us.
He doesn't care what we've done or where we've been.  

He is just waiting for us to reach out and put our trembling tear-covered hands into his almighty right hand. 

He wants us to get up again and keep going

He wants us to keep getting up when we fall down.

His hand is ALWAYS reaching out to us.

He wants to see us !
He wants to hear us !
He wants us !