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.” 8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

– Mark 16:1-8 (NKJV)

What a shock and surprise it must have been for the women to come to the tomb that day and find it as it was! What an even greater shock when the entered in and found a messenger inside. Could it be true that Jesus had risen from the dead? What would this mean for the disciples? What did this mean for Peter?

Did you catch that? Peter is called out by name. The message was clear from the lips of this heaven sent messenger. Jesus would be looking to see the disciples AND Peter in Galilee. Peter didn’t have to guess if he was still invited or welcome. Peter was specifically told to look for Jesus there.

There are times in life that we have blown it. We may feel like a Peter. We’ve let others down in general or we feel like we’ve let Jesus down particularly. You may wonder if God could still love you? Look how Jesus dealt with Peter after Peter denied him… He invited him back into fellowship (we see this even more keenly in John 21). Keep that in mind. If you find yourself far from Jesus today, as long as you are breathing, there is a way back to him. What Jesus accomplished on the cross and in the tomb was to bring Peter back into fellowship, not drive him further away. If you find yourself wandering, come home today!

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful that Jesus beat death! We are grateful for the resurrection! We are grateful you called Peter by name to assure him that he was welcome. We thank you have authored such a great faith in us that includes being forgiven and being able to forgive others. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.