To the one who feels left out, to the one who feels not good enough, to the one who feels their failure must have outweighed God’s grace by now, you have to know Jesus is specifically looking for you!
While studying the details of Jesus’ resurrection, I noticed the sweetest reassurance tucked away in a familiar story. This is what God has asked me to share with you today.
On Friday, Jesus has been crucified on the cross, then buried in a tomb that was carved out of a rock. On Saturday, 3 women went to the market and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning, they went to the tomb of Jesus. But when they got there, the tomb had been opened and Jesus’ body was gone. Now, this is what happened when the women got to the empty tomb.
Mark 16: 5-8, When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.” The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.
Did you notice a very specific detail spoken by this angel? He said, go tell Jesus’ disciples, INCLUDING PETER, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. The angel made sure to include Peter.
Why? Because it would have been easy to exclude him. And it certainly would have been easy for Peter to exclude himself.
Peter’s last interaction with Jesus before he was taken away and nailed to that cross was Jesus telling him that he would fail and deny him. Peter couldn’t believe he would ever do that … but indeed, he did. Three times that very night, Peter denied he knew Jesus. And that was it … then Jesus died.
So, imagine being Peter, knowing you failed and now Jesus is dead and you have no way to go back and fix that final conversation. Maybe there are final words you never got to say to someone you loved before they died. Maybe you’ve replayed that final conversation a hundred times and you wish with every ounce of you that you could change it. That must have been the way Peter felt.
Peter had promised he would stick right by Jesus no matter what, and instead he denied Jesus, then hid in shame and wasn’t even there when Jesus hung on the cross. But he knew … he knew what had happened. He knew his friend, the one who had professed as the Savior of the world had died … and he had denied him. Peter was filled with shame. He was overwhelmed with guilt. He was so sorry for what he had done.
But now, on Sunday morning, the tomb is empty and an angel instructs these 3 women to go tell his disciples, INCLUDING PETER, to meet Jesus in Galilee. Peter was specifically named because he would have been excluded. He would have dismissed himself. The shame of his failure would have kept him in hiding. But Jesus specifically wanted him to be included.
Peter, don’t hide in shame. Don’t miss this! Jesus still wants you.
And you know what’s really beautiful about this? You can insert your own name there.
Kristen, don’t hide in shame. Don’t miss this. Jesus still wants you.
Leslie, don’t hide in shame. Don’t miss this. Jesus still wants you.
Tracie, Monica, Lisa, YOU, yes you, don’t hide in shame. Don’t miss this. Jesus still wants you.
Jesus had plenty of other disciples to still choose from, it would have been easy to drop Peter because of his failure, but he didn’t. Why? Because those of us who have messed up know the priceless gift of forgiveness. We personally understand the grace of God, so we can tell everyone how he saved us so he can surely save them too. We’re the less than perfect ones, and we’re the ones Jesus still wants!
In John 21, we read of the disciples being in Galilee on a fishing trip. Galilee … that’s where the angel said Jesus would be waiting to meet the disciples, including Peter. This fishing trip had been unsuccessful. They had fished all night and caught nothing. At dawn, the disciples hear a man yelling from shore, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied. Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right side of the boat and you’ll get some!” So they did and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
And that’s when they realized it was their Jesus! It was Jesus standing on the shore helping them catch fish. It was really him! He was back from the dead, alive again!
Now this is my favorite part of the story. John 21: 7-9, “When Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from the shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them – fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.”
Jesus still wanted Peter after his failure. Peter was the only one who literally jumped out of the boat and swam to Jesus. With reckless abandon, the one who had been wrong swam to Jesus because he was still wanted.
That’s me … that’s you. We should we swimming toward Jesus instead of dismissing ourselves thinking we’re not good enough.
Stop playing little, my sister. God knows every detail of your shortcomings and is absolutely adamant that he still wants you. He can use everything you’ve been through, every lie you believed, every wrong turn you made, every sin you committed, every day you wasted.
Who better than Peter to show us how God can still use the one who has been wrong.
Now, who better than the one who has been through Hell to help others get out of Hell?
Who better to tell others the truth than the one who believed a lie, lived a lie, and then realized it was a lie that led them to the truth.
Who better to guide someone in the right way than the one who has personally known the wrong way.
Who could be better? This is why Jesus wants you!
2 Corinthians 12:9, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
This is what Peter learned. He learned where he had failed Jesus, Jesus filled him and sent him on a mission. He was the one who denied Christ, so he would be the one to bring countless others to confess Christ.
Matthew 16: 18, Jesus says, “Peter (which means rock), upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
Jesus said that before Peter’s failure. Jesus fulfilled it through Peter after Peter’s failure. His purpose was not cancelled because of his imperfection. No, it was furthered because of it. God’s power is made perfect in weakness. Covered in God’s grace, Peter went on to teach the gospel of Jesus and impact our lives today.
That’s just what Jesus does. He uses everything, and he still wants YOU. He can use you. He can use what you have been through.
Jump out of the boat and swim to him … he’s waiting to give you your mission!
Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Or Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pamela.crim
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com