Mark 16:7 KJV
[7] But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
https://bible.com/bible/1/mrk.16.7.KJV
This aspect at the Tomb, which Jesus did command Mary to tell the disciples AND Peter shows us how Jesus brought Peter to his Calling as leader of the Early Church.
When you consider Peter just before the Resurrection he was in no state to contemplate any role with the Ecclesia Jesus was about to reveal. Yet Jesus makes an emphasis of a personal invitation to Peter. This emphasis gives us an indication that God deals with failure totally different that humanity. It is certain that Peter committed a grave failure and one that someone does not come back from.
However John 21 tells us how Jesus deals with Peter. He does not refer to the denials but He asks the SAME question 3 TIMES corresponding to the 3 denials. He goes in to provoke a confrontation that only Peter and Jesus understand. Peter’s vocation comes as he understands that the qualification is his commitment to love on 2 levels; phileo; friendship agape; divine kind of love enabled to us in His Grace.
Peter acts with guilt as he approaches Galilee with the others. He over compensates knowing that he has failed but he knows no other place he would rather be than with Jesus.
What Peter has to understand that recognising his failure and his dependence on Jesus to bring him through. In between every level of forgiveness that Jesus extends He also calls him into ministry. This is to show that His Ministry is given to those who have failed but learned that by depending upon Him they can walk in a place of grace where they are not conditioned by their failure or imperfection. Dependence on Jesus on a intimate level is the key.
In the light of current scandals and moral failures in ministry in financial, relational, power, abuses, is a pattern of behaviour and moral failure. We know after Jesus restored Peter, that Peter did not fail in the same way again but allowed Jesus’ restoration to change him.
However, today there are those who live out a pattern of these 3 areas of failure for years getting more and more corrupt in character. This is a disqualifier when lives have been wounded in the process. This cannot be restored in the way Jesus did with Peter. Where distrust of ministry comes in that person must be removed from ministry. In our treatment of Peter in this message we cannot regard it on par with the scandals of today.
Jesus’ invitation PERSONALLY to Peter was because Jesus gave the utmost priority to Peter’s restoration. Jesus was looking to where Peter was to walk, and the signs and wonders Peter walked in were fruit of his walk with Jesus.
When Jesus addresses us personally in our failure know this that He is setting us on the path of works that spring from intimacy.
Maranatha!!!
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