He sent an Angel to tell me so

“But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ….”

My minister is fond of saying that Mark 16:7 is his favorite verse in the Bible.  It has become one of my favorite verses because it is a story of grace.  

Mark 16:7

The Message

6-7 “He said, ‘Don’t be afraid.  I know you’re looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross.  He’s been raised up; he’s here no longer.  You can see for yourselves that the place is empty.  Now—on your way.  Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee.  You’ll see him there, exactly as he said.’”

When Mark’s resurrection story begins in Chapter 16, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome were astonished to find the stone rolled back from Jesus’s tomb.  As they looked inside, they saw a young man dressed in white, and he spoke to them.  His first words were of comfort, “Don’t’ be afraid.”  He then affirmed that he knew they were looking for Jesus and gave them a mission to tell all the disciples, “and Peter,” that they would find Jesus in Galilee.  

Peter failed Jesus, and Jesus didn’t ignore the pain of Peter’s shame.  By naming Peter, Jesus said that failure could not separate us from His love.  A Bible scholar writes, “God’s love is always greater than our failures.”  Jesus showed such love for Peter by first calling him by name and then showing him that love is based on grace, not human effort.  

In Luke 5, Jesus feeds the disciples breakfast on the bank of the Sea of Galilee.  Once again, Jesus demonstrates a complete, self-sacrificial love – agape.  Shame-filled and struggling, Peter finally humbles himself to Jesus.  The Good Shepherd gives Peter the commission of “feeding His sheep.”  Wow!  Breakfast with Jesus and a job offer.  What a joyful day that must have been for Peter.

I invite you to reread Mark 16:7 and insert your name into the Angel’s message instead of Peter’s.  “Go tell His disciples and ______,…”.  Every time I do this, I sing, “Jesus loves me this I know, for He sent an Angel to tell me so.”  

You are loved.  Jesus knows your name.  

-Sis Dixon