Peter’s Private Restoration (Mark 16:7; John 20:1-10; Luke 24:34)

This sermon was preached on 29/5/2011

Peter had denied his Master three times and had fled from the courtyard of Caiaphas weeping bitterly. Although we are not told where the apostle went, eventually he must have gone to where John was and that the women at the tomb knew about the location, otherwise they would have asked the angels where Peter was. Who were these women that came to the tomb early on the first day of the week? We can work out who some of them were by comparing the Gospel accounts. Mark mentions three women – Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome; Matthew mentions two of them – the two Marys; Luke tells us that Joanna and other women were there; and John focuses on the actions of Mary Magdalene.

Both Mark and John stress a connection to Peter. Mark records the instruction of the angel to the women, that they should go and tell the disciples, including Peter, that Jesus was alive from the dead and that they would see him in Galilee. That two words ‘and Peter’ are some of the loveliest words found in the Bible ( and it is full of beautiful phrases, sentences, and stories). As has been suggested in previous studies, Mark probably wrote his account with the help of Peter, and if that is the case, then we have here another little hint of Peter’s appreciation of the grace of Jesus. Or perhaps we might expect Mark, as he comes to the close of his Gospel, to stress important messages of his message, and one of these important details is that he has written the account of a Saviour who is full of grace and desires the restoration of his fallen disciples.

The promise also that Jesus would go ahead of the disciples into Galilee was a reminder that the risen Saviour was still functioning as the shepherd of his people. All of them had to some degree shown their unreliability and unfaithfulness, nevertheless Jesus still wanted them to be with him. He had desired their company throughout the three years of his public ministry as he taught them to be his disciples. Although they had closed that period with a display of disloyalty, Jesus was remaining loyal to them.

It looks as if the women, in response to the instructions of the angel, decided to split up, with Mary Magdalene having the task of telling Peter (she obviously knew where he was) and the other women taking on the responsibility of passing on the news of the Saviour’s resurrection to the remaining disciples. I am sure that Mary was delighted that she had been given the task of conveying the Saviour’s personal message of grace to his erring disciple.

Repentant Peter

I wonder what state of mind Peter was in between Thursday evening, when he denied Jesus, and Sunday morning when he saw the empty tomb. While we are not given details about his condition, certain aspects would no doubt have been present because these days were days of penitence. Peter must have been sad over his fall, it is inconceivable to think that he was not. In addition, he would have been ashamed of his fall, not only because he had failed to fulfil all his own vain ambitions, but also because he would have realised that these confident words of loyalty were merely expressions of pride. Perhaps he went through the various sins of which he had been guilty: blasphemy, lying, cowardice, self-confidence. The list would get longer the oftener he thought about it.

Yet Peter would have been more than sorrowful and ashamed. Judas also was marked by these features to some extent, even if his awareness of them was radically different from Peter. Judas’ sense of sin came from a guilty conscience and ended in an expression of remorse. Peter was different, because his sense of sin was the result of the work of the Spirit within him.

When we think of the work of the Spirit in restoring a fallen believer, we should anticipate that the Spirit will use suitable words of Scripture to guide, convict and comfort the believer. Perhaps Peter would have found himself in the psalms, experiencing the power of Psalm 51. Whether he did or not, that psalm is a good place for us to go when we desire the guidance, conviction and comfort of the Spirit.

I suspect that it is very likely that Peter would have thought of the comforting words of Jesus that were said by him when he warned Peter of his looming betrayal: ‘Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers’ (Luke 22:31-32). Peter was very aware of the nature of Satan’s sifting, and the after-effects of that sifting would have continued through the period between the arrest and resurrection of Jesus. We can easily imagine that the devil would tell Peter that there was no hope for him, that his sins connected to his denial of Jesus could not be forgiven. Fortunately for Peter, Jesus also was aware of what Satan would attempt to do to the distressed apostle and had provided him with a suitable promise of spiritual recovery that would have encouraged him throughout that dark time.

It may be suggested that Peter would not have realised the importance of that promise when he first heard it from the lips of Jesus. No doubt, that suggestion is true. Yet how often have we, as disciples of Jesus, found a passage comforting us, a passage that we may not have paid much attention to when we first read it. It is good for us that Jesus, through the Holy Spirit’s work of bring Scripture to our minds, knows best when to apply a passage with power to our souls.

So the Spirit, when he convicts us of our sins, intends the work to be deep, but he does not aim to destroy us. If he comes to us with words of conviction, he also has words of comfort for us, taken from the promises of God. Nevertheless I think the important lesson that comes from Peter’s three difficult days is that repentance for some grievous sins must be thorough. Peter discovered that there was not an immediate experience of happiness in his heart, even although his penitence began immediately the Lord looked upon him. There had to be deep searching as Peter considered what he had done when he denied Jesus and of the various wrong attitudes and ambitions that had been revealed.

Running Peter

One of the features of the account of the resurrection morning in John’s Gospel is that everybody is running. Mary runs to tell John and Peter (John 20:2), and John and Peter run to the tomb (John 20:4). Luke also tells us that Peter ran to the tomb (Luke 24:12). It is as if the news of the resurrection of Jesus gave added strength to their physical powers. Of course, it is not surprising that Mary’s information would cause Peter to rush. He is now ready, in a spiritual sense, to meet with Jesus. Here is a picture of a penitent believer pursuing a forgiving Saviour.

Firstly, we should think deeply about the fact that Jesus sent encouraging words to Peter (Mark 16:7; John 20:2). Mary Magdalene immediately set off to find Peter. In doing so, Mary is an example of brotherly love. She did not have all the answers to the situation, but she knew that Peter was in need of comfort. Her words to Peter and John are a confession of her ignorance about where Jesus was, but also a declaration of her love to Jesus (obedience to the direction of the angel) and concern for Peter’s restoration. In addition, Mary showed this attitude to Peter even although she herself had displayed great loyalty to Jesus at the time of his death and burial. She did not make the strength of her devotion a barrier to restoring Peter.

Often we can be reluctant to help another believer because we know that we don’t have all the answers. We may wonder, ‘What if he or she rejects me?’ or ‘What if they ask me about this or that?’ Our message to such can only be the same as Mary’s to Peter, which is that the Lord wants to see them. It is a simple message of encouragement. Yet in order to be used in such a way, we need to be devoted to Jesus, as Mary was.

Secondly, Peter went to the location where Jesus had last been seen, the tomb in the garden of Joseph. He ran there with John, although he was slower because he was older. There are two lessons here for us. The first is that Peter was not discouraged by somebody running better than him. At a spiritual level, this will happen all the time. In the natural world, athletes in a race get deflated when they see one of their number running away from them towards the prize. Not so in the spiritual race. Those who are good runners encourage the others to run as fast as possible. This is the message of Hebrews 11 where the writer mentions how several prominent believers ran their race and encourages us to do the same. Incidentally, Peter the slow runner has now joined the list of examples for us to imitate. So we should not be discouraged if we are in the presence of better runners.

The second lesson is that when we want to find Jesus, we should run in the company of lovers of Jesus. John was known as the disciple who had a particularly close relationship with Jesus, who leaned on his breast in the upper room. I think it is interesting that penitent Peter had located John and was with him (of course, others may have been there although we are not told). Imagine if Peter had tried to find consolation from Thomas during these days of darkness between the arrest of Jesus and his resurrection. Sadly, Thomas would not have given any comfort because he was in a state of inflexible unbelief. John, in contrast to Peter, had also remained loyal to Jesus and had gone to the high priest’s house and to the cross without denying his Master. Love shone through John, and would have encouraged Peter to go to him for help. John would have told Peter what had happened at Calvary, and also the mother of Jesus, who was now with John, would have contributed to Peter’s recovery.

When we are recovering from a period of spiritual lethargy and are wanting to meet with Jesus, we should seek the company of those who love him. Such will not be perfect, and may have faults in other ways. Nevertheless, their love for Jesus stands out, and is usually seen in their loyalty when the going gets tough. I don’t think it is difficult to recognise such people. No doubt, they will be the last to say that their love is strong, but returning backsliders should join their company. The alternative is to join with disciples who are possibly backsliding themselves because their love has decreased.

Thirdly, we do not always get spiritual benefit where others receive it. Peter went to the tomb and saw the various items of clothing that Jesus had left behind. This had been the place where Mary had such a wonderful encounter with the angel, and where she was about to have an even more wonderful encounter with Jesus. It was also the place where John was to have his faith strengthened (John 20:8). Luke does say that Peter marvelled at what he saw at the tomb (Luke 24:12), with the various items neatly left there by Jesus. I wonder was Peter a bit disappointed because he only saw the signs of his Master’s absence, good as it was to see them. Sometimes we can have a similar experience. Others experience a blessing, say at a Sunday service, and we sense very little. Yes, we note the signs of Christ’s presence but we don’t seem to encounter him. Jesus sometimes delays his response in order to write it deep into our outlook the folly of having forsaken him.

Fourthly, Peter learned that he had to move on from always being with others. Probably, he experienced a sense of security from John’s company, but he needed to know the special security that comes from being in Jesus’ company. It is usually beneficial to be with our Christian friends, but not when we have something personal to say to Jesus. So it was very good for Peter that at some stage that day Jesus appeared to him (Luke 24:34). We are not given any details of the meeting, although we can imagine it. (The lack of information about the meeting lets us know that it is appropriate to keep silent about some meetings that we have with Jesus.) No doubt, there were bitter tears, broken words, embarrassed confession on the part of Peter. And on the part of Jesus there would have been expressions of love and forgiveness, as well as the intention to use Peter in his service. Then there would have been joy in the heart of Peter and joy in the heart of Jesus.

Rejoicing Peter

But Peter also learned that he could not remain for ever alone with Jesus. He had to return to where the other disciples were gathered and tell them what he had experienced. Meanwhile Jesus had gone to find the two wandering sheep on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) and bring to them the same joy as he had given to Peter.

Restored Peter brought great joy to the band of disciples. They must have seen a great change in him and what joy they would have as they listened to his story. His confession strengthened their faith for they stated to the two from Emmaus in Luke 24:34 , ‘The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.’ Whatever change had taken place in Peter convinced the other disciples that Jesus was alive from the dead.

This incident in the upper room has an important lesson for us. When we are restored by Jesus, the place to go to is where his disciples gather. This is an important reaction to have. We can understand how failure may cause us not to want to meet with others. That may very well be the case with those who break the rules of earthly organisations. But it should not be so in the church.

When a restored person rejoins our gathering, we should welcome them with open arms, realising that they have something to tell us about Jesus. A returning backslider has a powerful testimony to the grace of God. Restored Peter made a big difference to the meeting of the disciples on the first Lord’s Day. And restored disciples have made a big difference every Lord’s Day since then.