All the posts from the Easter at a Distance series

Easter at a Distance: Peter, revisited

“Don’t worry about him. You follow me” (v. 22). No more following at a distance, Peter.

We’re finishing up our series on Easter at a distance. Our first entry was Peter, following at distance to the home on the high priest and eventually denying Jesus. Today we’ll revisit Peter sometime after the resurrection. Meeting up with the disciples back in Galilee was part of the plan. Jesus had instructed them in Matthew 26: 32. The angels at the empty tomb told the women that was the plan (Matthew 28:7) and Jesus Himself told the women to pass that on to the guys (Matthew 28:10).

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:6-7 that the risen Christ was seen by 500 people and particularly by His brother, James. It is likely those appearances happened in Galilee. But here, John records a particular conversation Jesus had with Peter. It is one of my favorites in the Gospels, so my own challenge will be to keep this post to a reasonable length.

John tells us seven of the disciples were there with no comment on where the others were or why they weren’t there. That presents us with a bonus takeaway before we even get to the discussion of Peter. When we disregard the instructions of Christ, we miss out. We miss out on His presence. We miss out on Him revealing Himself. We miss out on the amazing work He is doing. Notice Thomas is included in this group (John 21:2). He missed the Resurrection Day appearance of Jesus. He learned his lesson. He wasn’t about to miss out again.

While waiting for Jesus, Peter goes back to fishing. It was familiar and comfortable. After all he’d been through in the last couple of weeks, it was probably a welcome distraction. Something simple, physical. Something connected to his family, his heritage. They spent a long night and had exactly zero fish to show for it. Jesus is on the shore but they don’t recognize Him. He calls out to them to throw the nets on the right side of the boat and they pull in a miraculous haul of fish.

Here’s another important takeaway. When we are following Jesus, the results are His responsibility, not ours. It is easy for us to get caught up in metrics and thereby get discouraged. We are called to faithfulness not production quotas.

After cooking a breakfast of fish, Jesus engages Peter in a grace-filled, but very frank conversation about love and feeding sheep. Commentators and perhaps the notes in your study Bible will explain that Jesus and Peter use two different Greek words for love. Jesus used the word agape. That’s way Jesus loves, with a committed, self-sacrificing love. Peter responds with phileo. It’s committed, but not all in. Perhaps after his denials, Peter is not willing to agree to something he can’t follow through with.

Jesus, however, keeps on him. Not only will the job of feeding and tending the sheep, other believers, require a full commitment, but Jesus very frankly says that Peter’s ministry will cost him his life. He has to be all in.

Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” John 21:22

Then Peter asks Jesus what will happen to John. Jesus recognizes the stall tactic, and responds. “Don’t worry about him. You follow me” (v. 22). No more following at a distance, Peter.

John leaves the ending out. We know from Acts and from Peter’s letters that he embraced that mission Jesus gave him. He was bold. He was obedient and he and the other guys turned the first century world upside down.

Just like Peter, we can no longer follow at a distance. We must be all in when it comes to our love and commitment to Christ. We need to follow His instructions and go where He leads. What will happen when we do? I don’t know. But Jesus says, “You follow me.”

Easter at a Distance: Two from Emmaus

By Paula

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. Luke 24:13

We’re continuing our series on Easter at a distance. Some are at a distance by choice. Others because of circumstances. On Resurrection Sunday afternoon two of Jesus’s followers, who were outside the group of twelve, were making their way to the village of Emmaus, presumably heading back home after the Passover and the crucifixion of Jesus.

We have one name, Cleopas or Clopas or Cleophas. Later in the chapter they arrive at the home they shared, so they were at least close family, and more likely than not, a married couple. Stretching the speculation a little further, John 19:25 tells us Mary, the wife of Clopas was at the crucifixion. So it’s possible that this was Mary and Clopas.

The two were discouraged, maybe even disillusioned, and as they made the two-hour walk, they tried to process what had just happened. Jesus joins them as they walk, but they don’t recognize Him. They discuss what transpired over the last three days. Jesus then explains all the Old Testament prophecies that foretold the sacrifice of the savior before the reign. The couple arrives home and invites Jesus to stay the night. The moment He blessed and broke the bread for them, they recognized Him and He disappeared. They hightailed it back to Jerusalem and discovered the others had seen Jesus too.

Here are some takeaways from these two Emmaus disciples.

Even the specific promises Jesus made and the truth about Him can be hard to grasp when they move from the abstract to the concrete. He told the Twelve He would rise from the dead on the third day. These two from Emmaus were close enough to the disciples that they knew the women had found an empty tomb and had seen the angels. But they couldn’t believe it.

Sometimes, the promises Jesus made can be difficult for us to believe. We even believe the testimony of others regarding those promises but when viewed through the lens of our experience and preconceptions … they are just too much. When that happens, keep walking. Even though it doesn’t make sense right now, keep going. Just like these two from Emmaus, the lightbulb moment is coming.

Jesus can be walking right beside us and we don’t realize it. Verse 16 says they were prevented from recognizing Jesus. Why? Because there were some things He wanted them to learn first. The two from Emmaus needed to understand that Jesus’s death wasn’t a horrible tragedy. No, it was according to the plan God had crafted from the foundation of the world. God is sovereign. That had not changed.

Sometimes, in the depths of our discouragement, when we feel confused and alone, Jesus is there with us, but we don’t realize it. Why? Because there is something He wants us to learn about Him before He reveals Himself. His promise to never leave us nor forsake us still holds. (Remember the previous takeaway.)

The sadness is nothing compared to the joy. The joy of the resurrection reverberates through eternity. It is that joy that energized these two for a quick seven-mile run back to Jerusalem to the disciples. It is that joy that empowered the early church to preach boldly. It is that joy that engaged the rest of Roman world head on.

We have that same joy. Right? The joy that energizes and empowers us, that engages the world? If not, why not?

No question, these are uncertain, even scary times. But so was the first century. And the fifth. And the tenth. And the thirteenth. We can’t allow the culture to determine if and how much joy we have.

Do we find it hard to grasp the promises Jesus made? Or that He is walking beside us? Ask Him to reveal Himself.

Has the resurrection lost its wonder? If so, I pray that He gives us that same burning in our hearts that compels us to tell everyone we know – He is risen!

He is risen, indeed!

Easter at a Distance: The Women

By Paula

And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things. Luke 23:49

We’re continuing our series on Easter at a distance. Some are at a distance by choice. Others because of circumstances. Today, we’ll consider a group of women. Chasing down some cross references in Luke 8:2-3 and John 19:25-26, we can get a few of their names– Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Clopas, Joanna, Susanna. There may have been more. These women believed Jesus early in His ministry. They supported Him financially and they even traveled with Him. In first century Palestine, this was scandalous. Jesus wasn’t scandalized. He welcomed them.

Now, here they are, openly, even boldly, identifying with Jesus. Earlier in the day they stood at the foot of the cross with John. By the end of the day they have withdrawn some distance. Perhaps the unnatural darkness was frightening. Perhaps the mocking of the crowd was too hard to listen to. Perhaps the intense suffering of Jesus, whom they loved, was too much to witness. But they couldn’t leave.

In verse 55, these same women follow Joseph of Arimathea and note where Jesus’s body is buried. They make all the preparations and plan to return as soon as possible after the Sabbath to properly anoint His body. Because of that commitment to serve Jesus however they could, they were the first witnesses to the resurrection.

What can we take away from their example?

Piecing together the identities of the women, John MacArthur points out that the unmarried, the married, are the mothers are included. Women at all stages, from all backgrounds and experiences were bound together by their devotion to Christ. We must ensure that those of different backgrounds, with different life experiences are all welcome in the Body of Christ. We too, are bound together by our devotion to Him.

Among the hateful, bloodthirsty mob and the callous Roman soldiers, this group of women were the only ones there loyal to Jesus. No matter how difficult, how painful, or even how dangerous it got, they didn’t leave.
We live in a world that is hateful toward Jesus Christ and His followers. For some the best case scenario is callousness. It seems the fears and pressures of the pandemic have sharpened those feelings. We cannot allow the attitudes of others to weaken our loyalty to Christ, no matter how ugly it gets.

Finally, these women weren’t done. The seized the next opportunity to show honor and respect to Jesus in properly preparing His body for burial. Likewise, we need to be aware and sensitive so we don’t miss our chances. Sometimes honoring Christ is accomplished serving others. Sometimes, it means spending quiet time in worship. Sometimes, it is taking a stand. Sometimes it is a testimony of how Jesus changed your life. Make all the preparations you can now, then walk on through when the door opens.

The women at the cross are beautiful examples of Jesus followers. Let’s learn from them.

Easter at a Distance: Peter

By Paula

Then they seized [Jesus] and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house. But Peter was following at a distance. Luke 22:54

Today we’re starting a new series to turn our hearts and minds toward Easter. But it’s Easter at a distance. Some are at a distance by choice. Others because of circumstances. (Incidentally, this was in the queue well before Covid-19 required everything be at a distance.)

Temple police had just caught up with Jesus and his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matthew tells us there was a brief scuffle, an ear was sliced off, and miraculously restored. Jesus then challenged their cowardice. “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me? Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there teaching every day.” But even Zechariah in 13:7 foretold what happened next. Jesus’s disciples forsook Him and fled.

But Peter followed at a distance.

He ended up in the courtyard at the high priest’s house. He was close enough that he could still keep tabs on what happened to Jesus but far enough away that he wouldn’t get dragged into the mess.

He was close enough to satisfy his conscience without endangering his reputation (or himself).

He tried to blend in with the servants of the high priest while denying that the last three years of his life had even happened.

It was dark. It was cold. And he was alone in the crowd.

It is here the story gets uncomfortable. We don’t have to read all the way through the denials and the rooster and the look that passes between Jesus and Peter before things start to feel a little too familiar.

You see, Peter wanted to control how closely he identified with Jesus. Moments earlier, he brandished a sword and pledged to die at Jesus’s side. But then, when it looked like surrender was, in fact, the plan, he bailed. He wanted the glory. He wanted it on his terms.

We can’t follow at a distance.

We cannot dictate the terms of our discipleship to the Savior who bought us. We can’t simply coddle our conscience without causing any distress or discomfort. Jesus loved Peter deeply, but He didn’t hesitate to expose Peter’s heart. He can also expose ours.

As we consider the cross and the empty tomb, let’s resolve NOT to follow at a distance. Let’s go all in. The world needs Jesus. And the world needs His followers to genuinely follow.

Read the rest of the Easter at a Distance series