Have you ever felt like you’ve failed the Lord so badly that He’s done with you? That you’re less than worthless? I have.

The disciples felt that way too. They had fled in fear at Jesus’ arrest. Then Peter, who had boasted that he would go with Jesus even to death, denied that he even knew the Lord (see Mark 14:71). The disciples, especially Peter, had totally flopped.

While the disciples gathered in a locked room, several women who loved Jesus went to put spices on His body. They couldn’t let go of Him. Boy, that’s devotion. We don’t find any of the disciples saying, “We fled the scene; we denied Him, and now we feel broken about that. Let’s at least go to the tomb and pay respects.”

When the ladies saw the large stone in front of the grave rolled away and a young man in white, they were afraid. “Don’t be alarmed,” the angel said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!” (Mark 16:6, NIV).

Jesus is risen. Christianity hangs on that fact. The final proof of Jesus’ divinity was that the grave could not hold Him. He had paid the ransom price for our sins, and thus He could rise from the dead. All is well with you and me because Jesus is risen.

But the angel had more to say: “Go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you’” (Mark 16:7, NIV).

The first wonderful nugget in this verse is “Tell the disciples and Peter.” Why did Jesus mention Peter? Why didn’t He say, “Tell the disciples and James and John and Bartholomew”? Because Jesus wanted to tell Peter, “I’m not done with you.”

Praise Jesus that no matter how badly we fail, His love doesn’t go away. His faithfulness and mercy endure. Oh, what tears of joy Peter must have shed when the ladies relayed Jesus’ message.

God’s mercy is what draws us to love Him, not a command, like “You’d better love Me.” Praise God! Who is like our Savior?

The angel went on: “He’s going ahead of you into Galilee.”

In the south of Israel was Judea, where the temple was. In the middle was Samaria, which the Jews avoided. And in the north was Galilee. Galilee wasn’t super religious like Judea—it had more fishermen than people studying to be rabbis.

When the ladies told the disciples, “He’s going ahead of you,” it was like Jesus was inviting them to reset. He was saying, “Let’s start over. Galilee is where I called you. That’s where I walked on water. That’s where I multiplied the loaves and fishes. That’s where you heard My earliest teachings, when everything was fresh and new. Let’s go back to that spot.”

Isn’t that beautiful? God loves to have resets with us.

The perseverance of the saints—what keeps Christians going all the way to the end—is ten thousand new beginnings. That means saying, over and over, “Lord, I failed You. I did something I never should have been a part of. I feel soiled. Have mercy on me.”

Maybe you grew up around legalistic churches that taught that God would zap you if you didn’t walk the line. No, no, we love Jesus because He first loved us. What breaks us and draws us close to God is His tender kindness; His mercy; His not throwing us away but instead saying, “Come on, get up. I’ll brush you off. Hold My hand a little tighter now, and we’re going to walk on.”

We’re all like Peter. We’ve failed the Lord. Flopped. Made mistakes. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us (see 1 John 1:9).

Be encouraged today. Satan might be acting like the Holy Spirit to you, saying, “Listen, God is holy. But you messed up so badly that He’s done with you.” That’s not the Holy Spirit. That’s the devil—the accuser, the liar. The Lord is full of mercy.

Come on, let’s get up and go on. Let’s throw our hands up, praise the Lord, and start doing what He called us to do! We need to stop our pity parties. Jesus is alive, and He loves you and me. Let’s serve Him today.

Prayer

Jesus, we love You. You’re here with us, and we say to You, “Oh, what a Savior!” Jesus, we praise You. We thank You. Your loving-kindness has drawn us to You. There’s no one like You. Help us to serve You and be more like You today, in Christ’s name. Amen.

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