Peter and Jesus

14 April 2020

Dear Phyllis,

“And Peter” I don't know if there are any two words that carry a deeper meaning and expose deeper emotion than those two words. The other morning I was looking at the Scripture related to the Resurrection. It wasn't new revelation, but when I read those words, “AND PETER”, I burst into tears and in agony of wonder and astonishment, I cried, “That's IT! That's IT! That's the Gospel”. Oh it seemed so tremendously real to me. I was inside Jesus and inside Peter when the exchange was made between them. It was indescribable. It was astonishing.

Peter had no idea what Jesus was talking about when He warmed him, “Satan has desired you that he might sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith fail not” (Lk. 22:31,32). Countless thousands of messages have been preached on Peter's denial of Christ. It is one thing to look at that from the outside but it is a different matter to view it from Peter's inside. To do that a person must have gone through the same experience themselves. No one can fully appreciate what it feels like to drown than to have been in 30 feet of water and fall off a ship. The terror if you didn't know how to swim and nobody saw you go over. The desperation as you thrash in the water with your nose and lungs half full of water. This is it, folks. You've had the course. It's all over. What a feeling! You have got to have a little of Peter inside you if you want to know how he felt.

I know a little what Peter felt like when Jesus told him, “The cock won't crow twice before you deny Me three times” (Mk. 14:30,72). Peter was absolutely honest when he said, “No way! I'll die for you”. And he proved it. When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus - and Peter saw what they were up against - he did what any brave man should do. Jesus had just talked to them about buying a sword. Peter said “We have two” (Lk. 22:36,38). Peter grabbed one of the swords and dove into the crowd swinging. He knew the odds and he wanted to go down swinging. No one else did that' Let's give Peter credit for keeping his word and proving he would die for Jesus. He said it, he meant it, and he proved it. We all know the story.

The first stage of Peter's sifting was when Jesus told him to quit and put up his sword. That would have been tough to take. That would have been difficult to be rebuked for doing the right thing. The humiliation would have been a little harder when Jesus bent over to pick up Malcus' ear that Peter had just chopped off. He must have felt silly when Jesus put that ear back on.

But the scene by the fire was worse. That was a brave thing that Peter did when he went in with John following Jesus inside the gate of the priests house. Peter was sitting there in the midst of some of the men who had just brought Jesus in. Malcus was probably sitting there near Peter. It would not be unreasonable to say, Malkus might have had some thoughts about getting even with the guy that just cut off his ear. That is a pretty intimidating crowd. And then when the girl made an issue of it and said, “I know you a one of those guys. I can tell by your accent”. Words that Peter never dreamed could come out of his mouth poured out, Jesus was standing there probably no more than 50 feet away; He looked at Peter and the cock bugled the second time. Crash! Oh the weight of that would have been terrible. Peter's world dissolved in a thousand pieces. Staggering out the gate wailing in disbelief. How could he sleep? The next day would have been like being in hell. Saturday night would have been no better. A Very dear friend of mine had a moral failure with a young girl. It cost him his job. He left the mission field and went home. Years later he told me, “My wife and friends have forgiven me, but I can never forgive myself”. How in the world can you live with something like that? Peter had such plans. He didn't care if he got killed. His whole life was to be faithful and serve Jesus. All that went up in smoke in 30 seconds by words that he could never recover. The worse possible scenario. After that horrible night, Jesus was executed in the worst possible way. His future was an endless hell of regret.

And then the next morning Jesus met Mary at the tomb. He told her, “Go tell my brethren (that is the first time He used that word) that I made it. I'm alive.” Then He added two more words that possibly were the most expressive that ever came out of His mouth. “AND PETER”. Oh what a message! In that He implied, “By the way. I have a special message that I want you to give to Peter. Tell him all is well. Brother, you're okay. No problem. What happened is all gone. Forget it”. Jesus not only sent that message to Peter that morning but later that day He did something special; Peter was the first disciple that Jesus showed Himself to. He would talk to the rest of the boys later that evening when they were locked in that room. The two fellows from Emmaus had just gotten back and told them about their experience talking with Jesus for an hour on the way home (Lk 24). When the Emmaus disciples spoke to the ten (Judas and Thomas weren't there), the disciples said, “Yes, we know. Mary told us and Jesus spoke to Peter today” (Lk. 24:34).

Those two words in that initial message “and Peter”. When Mary told the disciples she might have expressed it this way. “By the way, Jesus made a special point of my errand when He told me, 'Tell my brethren AND PETER'. Brother, you are something special. Jesus emphasized that I was supposed to give this message to you”.

You talk about a good feeling. It doesn't get much better than that. When I read that in Mark the other day it struck me like a cannon of hot air. It was so personal. I burst into tears and cried, “THAT'S IT! That is the Gospel”. I can't describe it. That is what it's all about. But it is so personal. It is like being on the bottom side of a load of guilt and unworthiness, and knowing that Jesus has spoken to you personally saying, “All is well. No problem. You are mine and you are special to Me.”

Gomen, Phyllis. I know that you know all this. There is nothing new here But, man howdy, it sure was new to me! It was and it wasn't. I've known all this for many years. But it sure was fresh when I met with Jesus last week. It may be trite. What a pity that it is. But Jesus sure enough is back from the dead and we too have an unspeakable future with Him.

Hallelujah, bill