“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).
The Living Hope for Peter
When Peter was with Jesus, he had hope. He had hope for his nation. He had hope for himself. He had hope for a better world. The long-awaited Messiah had come.
Then, Jesus was put on a mock trial, suffered, died, and was buried. During this time, Peter experienced the biggest failure of his life. He turned his back on Jesus. When people asked Peter if he was Jesus’ follower, he said that he didn’t even know him. In the midst of his suffering, Jesus looked right at Peter that night, and Peter knew how much he had hurt Jesus. He went out and wept bitterly.
Jesus was then crucified, died, and was buried. The disciples lost hope. So the hopeless disciples got together, and they waited, for what they knew not.
Then, some of the women came to them. They had gone to the tomb. They had not seen Jesus. They said that a messenger from heaven had told them that Jesus had risen from the dead. They had a hard time believing them.
But Peter and John didn’t hesitate. They ran to the tomb, and it was empty just as the women had told them. But they still could not believe that Jesus had risen.
Finally, Jesus appeared to the disciples, and they knew Jesus was alive.
But what would that mean for Peter? Peter had denied he even knew Jesus. He had failed Jesus in his darkest hour and greatest need. Would their relationship be over? Would that be the end of his work with Jesus? Continue reading “Born Again to a Living Hope”
