…He was buried, and he arose on the third day according to the Scriptures. He appeared to Cephas, and then to the twelve. I Corinthians 15.4-5

The Lord really has risen, and has appeared to Simon! Luke 24.34

           If you didn’t know before, let me tell you now that “Simon” (Matthew 10.4) and “Cephas” (John 1.42) are names that refer to Peter. “Peter” (Greek for “rock”) is the nickname Jesus gave to Simon (see Matthew 16.17-18). I never noticed this before filling in for Bink as we concluded the Sunday morning class on the Gospel of Luke, but Luke tells us, as does Paul, that after the women found the tomb empty, and before Jesus appeared to the apostles as a group, he appeared to Peter alone. Amazing.

            We know from Luke 24 and from John 20 that after the report of Mary Magdalene and the other women Peter ran to the tomb, and inspected it. John’s gospel goes into a bit of detail about how he walked in and saw the shroud just lying there, but the face cloth rolled up neatly and set aside by itself (John 20. 6-7). But no one gives us any details about this personal visitation Jesus makes with Peter.

            I really want to know about that meeting. Peter was the one living apostle who had betrayed Jesus. He adamantly betrayed Jesus in a very public way three times in the course of an evening. After betraying Jesus the third time, their eyes met (Luke 22.61-62) and he went out and wept bitterly.

            Thus, they have a lot (and I mean a lot) to talk about. So what was said at that first appearance? All the other appearances are so personal. They are intimate, tactile. Mary Magdalene, after hearing Jesus’ voice clings to him and says Rabboni (“my teacher,” or “my dear teacher”). When Jesus first appears to the apostles behind a locked door, he breathes on them. Jesus offers his wounds to Thomas and suggests that he probe them with his fingers (these accounts are in John 20). What did Jesus say to Peter? How did Peter respond? Did Jesus lay a hand on his shoulder as a friend? Did he place hand of blessing upon his head? Was Peter too ashamed to even raise his eyes?

            We will never know while we inhabit these four dimensions of life on earth. But we do know that unlike the meeting with Mary Magdalene, or Thomas, there was no resolution in the meeting. There was still unfinished business. There was at least one loose end.

            We know this because in John 21, in an account that is an epilogue of sorts – a final scene after the credits have rolled, Jesus and Peter do resolve things. The setting is the Sea of Galilee – home. Peter has gone fishing, and other apostles have accompanied him. After an unsuccessful night, a stranger on the shore tells them to make one more cast. They do, and haul in a miraculous catch. John realizes that the stranger is Jesus. “It is the Lord!” he says to Peter, who puts his tunic back on and “throws himself into the sea” in order to get to Jesus. It is here, at the place where they started, with a repeat of the miracle that led Peter to follow Jesus in the first place (Luke 5.1-11) that the reset button is pushed.

            “Do you love me?” Jesus asks three times. Three times Peter gets to say “I love you” back. I know he doesn’t use the same Greek word as Jesus here (they were speaking Aramaic anyway), but is there any doubt that this is an undoing of the deed? There were three denials Now there are three “I love you’s” followed by three calls to follow Jesus. No, there is no doubt that this is a moment of resolution. If you have any doubts read Acts 2 (or the rest of Acts, and I & II Peter).

            My point is that Jesus’ work of loving us, of shepherding us doesn’t stop with His crucifixion, His resurrection, or His ascension. The example of Peter (and Thomas, and Mary Magdalene) shows that the love Jesus has for us pursues every loose end. His love for us and His offer of another chance is persistent and undeniable.