He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they
laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter...
Mark 16:6b-7a
Early on Sunday morning, while the city was still sleeping, the faithful women followers of Jesus made their way to His tomb. The four gospels give the names of: Mary Magdalene, the "other Mary," Mary the mother of James, Salome, Joanna, and "the others." As they pondered who would roll away the huge stone door for them, they came upon the grave and discovered the stone already rolled away. Angels were there to give them the startling news that Jesus had risen! In Mark's account, the angel directed the women to, "...go tell His disciples and Peter..."
I think it is a safe guess that by this time, everyone in the tightly-knit group of Christ's followers knew of Peter's denial - that is just the way of human nature. The angel made it clear to the women that heaven was not shutting Peter out, and neither should they. Luke recorded that when the women found the disciples, gathered together in one place, that the men "...did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran..."
Can't you just see Peter sprinting down the deserted streets - running in disbelief, running in hope: dogging disbelief that Jesus could possibly be alive, dawning hope that somehow he was going to get a second chance to make it right with his Master. Luke recorded Peter running alone; John included himself in that dash to the tomb, with Peter actually arriving second. But Peter was the first of the men to step inside the sepulcher, see the folded grave cloths, and discover with his own eyes that Jesus was no longer there. John closed this portion of the story with the words:
"Then the disciples went back to their homes..."
John 20:10a
[to be continued]
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