Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going
to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple
outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping
down and looking in, saw the linen cloths he did not
go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him,
lying there; yet and went into the tomb.
(John 20:3-6)
Thoughts… You’ve got to give Peter credit—he was never one to hold back. John outran him to the tomb, but nervously stopped at the entrance to peek in. Not Peter! When he finally arrived, huffing and puffing, Peter pushed past John right into the place where great respect was to be given and strict protocol was demanded.
Of course, the greatest part of this story is that Jesus wasn’t there! He was alive forevermore, the victor over death and sin. If the body of Jesus had still been sealed behind the stone entrance to that tomb when they arrived, nothing else about this story would matter. As the brilliant historian Jaroslav Pelikan put it, “If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen—nothing else matters.”
But Jesus did rise, and that is why the other details of this story matter. Even small, seemingly insignificant details become both interesting and instructive—like Peter pressing in past John to witness the reality of the resurrection first hand.
There was a spiritual pushiness about Peter that endeared him to Jesus. His personal deficiencies are well documented; the entire world knows of them thanks to the Gospel writers. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John pulled no punches in their accounts of this braggadocios, foot-in-mouth, leap-before-you-look, think-before you speak disciple.
Yet is was Peter’s reckless abandon when it came to spiritual expectancy that led Jesus to declare, “Peter, on your kind of faith, I am going to build this small team of disciples into a world-wide force called ‘the church’ that will take back Planet Earth from Satan and return it to its Rightful Owner.” (Matthew 16:18)
Sure, Peter got into trouble more than his fair share, but he was the only disciple to actually get out of the boat to walk on water—albeit a walk that was short-lived and ultimately very wet. He was the first to go into the tomb—Ground Zero of the Christian faith. And he was the one who was called upon to give the first sermon of the Christian era—where two thousand people responded to his altar call.
Jesus loved Peter’s brassy boldness. That was the kind of raw material the Lord could work with. It was certainly raw, but it was ready. It didn’t take much to light a fire with Peter; he was a tinderbox waiting for combustion.
I think we could learn something from Peter’s example. Peter didn’t have it all together in his life, but he was always willing to offer all that he had, raw as it was, and press into Jesus with full expectancy of what could happen when raw readiness met with resurrection reality.
Be Peter-like today in your journey with Jesus: a bit bold, daring to go so far as to be a little spiritually pushy. Chances are, you will encounter some resurrection power. Word has it that it’s still floating around out there.
Prayer… Lord, help me to cast off my natural reserve for a little Peter-like raw readiness today. Enable me to see those opportunities where walking on water is calling me to get out of my boat. Pour some fresh resurrection power into this ready heart.
One More Thing… “Faith takes God without any ‘if’s.’” —D.L. Moody
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.