DEVOTIONAL: and Peter, even YOU!

Mark 16:7 has always puzzled me.

But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.

Why would the Angel single out Peter like that? He was a disciple too. He could’ve easily been included in the whole ‘tell His disciples’ party.  So why call him out?

Peter was an interesting dude. He and Jesus had a relationship that most of us can relate to. One minute, Peter was following Christ to the death (Matt. 26:31-35), and the next minute, he was pretending as if he didn’t even know Him (Matt. 26:69-75). One second, Jesus is commending Peter for his divine revelation, the next, He’s rebuking him for his evil suggestion (Matt. 16:13-23).

Peter left his relationship with Jesus in a horrible state: betrayal. So I guess, as far as everyone is concerned, Peter is no longer a disciple. Until this happens:

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.  ² Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. ³ And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” ⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. ⁵ And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

⁶ But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. ⁷ But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” – Mark 16:1-7

The Angel of God mentions Peter specifically, including him in Christ’s resurrection. It’s as if God was saying, “Yeah, you screwed up. But it’s okay, I’m going to give you another chance.”

It’s almost as if God couldn’t stand leaving Peter out of Jesus’s triumph, couldn’t let him sit on the sidelines while Christ made His appearance and exit. Couldn’t let him serve all that time, then miss out on what they had all been waiting for. God was saying: you’re worth calling. You’re worth including. I’m not going to let one mistake separate you from Me. God made sure Peter was included in His kingdom and His plan, even though he screwed up BIG TIME.

That’s why the Angel was instructed to mention Peter by name and single him out. Because even though everyone else had dismissed him, benched him, counted him out of the game, God still considered him His.

He still belonged to God, even though he messed up. He was still in God’s heart and mind even though he denied ever knowing Jesus.

So if you’re feeling discouraged, or like God won’t love you anymore after a mistake you made, just remember that God made a point of including Peter, even after he DENIED Him. And if He’ll forgive Peter, He’ll forgive you. He’ll call you, include you, love you, cherish you, and single you out.

You may think because you have a certain past or committed certain sins, that you aren’t allowed to be apart of God’s kingdom, that you aren’t able to sing in church or preach. Maybe you don’t even think you can be saved because of what you’ve done.

But no matter what you do or say, God loves you and will forgive you for your mistakes. He knows YOU by name, too.

EVEN YOU!

 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,  nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39