Word of Salvation – Vol. 31 No. 12 – March 1986

 

Risen Because Seen By Peter

 

Sermon by Rev. P. H. Pellicaan on Luke 24:24-34

Reading: 1Corinthians 15:1-11

Singing: BoW. H. 402, 305, 502, 504, 404.

 

Brothers and Sisters,

It is Easter.  The Lord is risen.  A joyous feast.  Death is swallowed up in victory.  In these words is an element of surprise, of a sudden victory.  Death was not slowly pushed back, inch by inch but was swallowed up by almighty power, crushing all resistance.  That is the mighty fact of the resurrection.

It is surprising that there is no direct report of it.  It was a matter between Father and Son.  There were no onlookers, no reporters.  Every record we have is indirect: via appearances.

Our text speaks about the appearance of Christ to Peter.  There is always the danger that we become more interested in the persons who have something to do with the resurrection than with the risen One, the Prince of Life.  Minor characters may obscure our view of Jesus.  That in itself is quite understandable, for these persons are so much like us.  Some people like to look at themselves.  They collect pictures and pin them on the wall, sometimes even in the lounge.  Mirrors have a fatal attraction to some.  They read about the tears of Mary of Magdala: that’s how WE are, and they enjoy the picture.  The men of Emmaus who have no vision, no hope, no faith show a striking resemblance to ourselves.

But then the Saviour is in the background, a hazy figure…!  Then we would miss out on the Easter joy.  Paul said: that we know HIM, and the power of the resurrection.

The disciples and other people who came to the empty tomb are important ONLY in as far as they tell us about HIM.

Moreover: as witnesses they are disappointing.  You would have expected that on the third day all believers would have been together, praying, singing, joyfully waiting for the thrilling message.

It was a beautiful morning.  On the morning of creation the children of God (the angels) were singing.  The resurrection-day is greater still, but there was no one to sing.  Yet there was evidence of the resurrection: the sepulchre was open, the soldiers had fled and angels had taken their place.  The grave-clothes were neatly wrapped together.  But this evidence was not convincing to the disciples.  Even when the angels asked, “Why did you seek the Living among the dead?” they were.  still silent.  There was, the evangelist tells us, amazement, fear, unbelief.  From different sides reports came in about appearances of the risen One, but they were disbelieving.  Christ’s enemies were worried and were busy trying to contradict a resurrection and to sow doubt, (they are still busy at it).  If Christ had not acted, the resurrection would have passed unnoticed.  Our Lord’s appearance to Peter is a very special act to convince the other disciples.  When the disciples, late at night, finally accepted the glorious news they shouted to the men from Emmaus not only that the Lord had risen, but they add in one breath: and he was seen by Peter.  You cannot divide this text into two phrases: He is risen, and: he was seen by Peter.  No, they accepted the resurrection as a fact BECAUSE he was seen by Peter.  You can even translate this text in this way.  This appearance was to them proof of the resurrection.  This clinched it.  All doubts disappeared because He showed Himself to Peter.  What happened when Christ and Peter met?

We should not let our imagination run wild.  It is a very suggestive setting: the sad Peter and the victorious Lord…!  Peter, spontaneous, excitable, quick-tempered, a man with a big mouth and a warm heart.  It took him only one step to go from confession to denial.  He had wanted to be the hero: If they would all deny You, I will never do that.  If that happened, that would be a great opportunity to show his courage, his affection for the Master: he, the only one who stood fast, refusing to deny, regardless of the consequences…!  Instead Peter became world-famous as a traitor: he was the only disciple who blatantly denied knowing his Master.  He even said it under oath: I do not know that man.  Peter, a man with wonderful AND horrible surprises.  To him the Lord appeared.  We want to know more about that.  What happened?  What did Jesus say, and what did Peter say?  Scripture is silent about that.  Peter never talked about it.  We only know the fact that they met.  That’s all.  That’s sufficient for us.  It does not tell us anything about Peter, but it does tell us a lot about Christ.

The Lord had been worried about Peter.  Simon, Simon, He said, Satan has desired to sift you like wheat, but I prayed for you that your faith fail not.  Peter was to be tested.  The man who had confessed: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God, would become the special aim of the evil one.  Satan allows people to say nice things about Jesus.  But he becomes furious when they say that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  That is to Satan a dangerous thing, and he resents that with great fury.  The Lord knew that and He prayed for Peter.  Shortly afterwards Peter declared on oath that he did not know “that man”.  This must have been for Christ a bitter drop in His cup of suffering.  Was He also rejected as Peter’s intercessor?

But now it is Easter, the day of victory.  All suffering and shame is past.  The heavenly Father has accepted the sacrifice of His Son and raised Him from the dead.  And the Lord is concerned about Peter.  Scripture says that He arose for our justification, to set us free from the burden of sin, to deliver us from the burden of guilt.  He now lives to make intercession, to pray for His people, and He is sure that His prayers are answered.

He was seen by Peter – that’s all we know.  But it’s enough.  What exactly happened in that meeting is not our business.  But the fact that they met tells us great things about Jesus.  The result is that Peter once again made a public profession of his faith: The Lord is risen indeed.

In one of his epistles Peter wrote: we have not followed cunningly devised fables but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.  He met the victorious Lord and straight away he goes back to the other disciples: The Lord is risen, I met Him!

THEN the distrust disappears, the unbelief is shattered, sorrow turns into joy: the Lord lives!

The Lord’s appearance to Peter was to the disciples the most convincing  evidence of His resurrection.  This action, to go and appear to Peter, is so typical for Jesus.  It is the Saviour full length.  He always sought the distressed, the needy, the sinful, the desperate, the dejected.  Harlots and sinners…!  Nobody can do that as Jesus can.

Νo one had expected Him to see Peter, the traitor.  But when the disciples hear the word of Peter, they are convinced: only Jesus would do that!  They recognize Him by His actions.  He is risen indeed for He was seen by Peter.

That is what made Jesus go and appear to Peter: to give clear evidence to Peter AND to the other disciples.

So Peter is not the central figure in this appearance.  IN Peter the Lord wanted to convince the whole church of all ages.  That they all would believe and rejoice.  The Lord is risen – a church with that confession is pillar and ground of the truth and the gates of hell shall not prevail over it.  It is important to understand how the church came to confession.  Not by its own virtue, or by its own initiative; Christ Himself is behind this confession.  He guided His followers to this joy.  To him alone be the glory.

He was alone in His suffering.  He was also alone in His victory.  All human work and glory is excluded.  It is something we can be very thankful for.  If we today confess that we have a living Saviour, then that is not evidence of our affection, our faith or our conviction.  No it is HIS work in us.  If we would have to depend on ourselves, where would we be?  Well, what about our position?

Do we have real joy?  We would have to jump many obstacles before we can rejoice.  Oh, we are willing to listen to an Easter sermon, to enjoy a few holidays.  But that is not the real Easter joy.  How can we rejoice in a world that is digging its own grave?  We see a distressing picture of war and slavery.  Who can rejoice?  The church is divided and struggling.  So often we don’t even recognise fellow-Christians who are Our brothers and sisters.  There are so many difficulties in our home life, in marriage, problems with the children.

Yes, we are very much like the disciples on Easter morning: there is fear, there are worries, we have a feeling of hopelessness.  We complain and feel pity for ourselves.  Christ had to look for His disciples: they were lost in their own misery.  And what about us?

Apart from listening to an Easter sermon – what is our Easter joy?  Is our faith maybe a matter of church attendance, a matter of formalities?  Where are the fruits of our faith?  In the prophet Haggai’s time people said: the time is not come to build the Lord’s house.  They wanted first for themselves security, a house of their own.  Are we different?

We received great promises, sealed and confirmed by the sacraments.  We promised, more than once to live in thankfulness, in a new life.  Do we live out these promises, or are they dead capital, something that will be needed when we reach the end?  Are they only subjects for sermons?  By the resurrection of Christ we are quickened to a new life, but the old life continues day after day.  Easter or no Easter – what difference does it make?  But today it is Easter Sunday.  That means that Christ is standing at the door.  He wants to come in to share his victory, His joy with us.  But then: someone has to open that door…!  Should I do it, or will you?  Do I have to be the bringer of the thrilling news?  Do I have to start the singing?  But what if my heart is not joyful?  Are you prepared to do it?

Let us again carefully listen to the message in our text, and then we can make up our mind.  The Lord is risen indeed, FOR He has appeared to Peter.

We are invited to rejoice because the Lord appeared to Simon, the man who had lost everything: his confidence, his faith, his courage, his hope.  He was desperate, in an impossible position.  He had nothing left…!  Yes, he had one thing left: he had a Saviour who had promised to pray for him.  This man in particular was sought by Jesus.  Through this man the joy would enter the church.  That is the gospel in this text.

We are not interested in what Jesus said to Peter.  The main thing is: that the power of the resurrection starts its work in an unfaithful disciple.  How exactly everything was ironed out between Christ and Peter is none of our business, but it is our business, our urgent business how things are ironed out between Christ and us.  The Saviour does not wait – praise God – till we are in the right mood.

There is a great difference between the Saviour before and after Easter.  But ONE thing is still the same: His heart!  He brings the gospel not the righteous people, but to sinners.  Not to exemplary church members but to fools, to those who are slow of heart.  That means: he brings joy to you and me!

The glory of His office is: to make bitter mouths sing, to make dead hearts alive.  He stands at the door and He knocks.  If He finds sorrow, worry in our hearts, and sins, selfishness and all sort of horrible sins, He is not scared away, but He comes in.  That is what He came for, what He died for: to seek and to save what was lost.

He does not sadly pass by a church because there is so little spontaneous joy.  He only knocks the louder, more urgently: Ι want to be in your house today.  That is His Easter joy: to change hearts, to take away sin, to change us so much that we have to sing and rejoice.  He wants to celebrate His victory with us, despite the darkness in our hearts, our gloom, our sinfulness.

That was the joy of the disciples, and it still is the church’s happiness and glory.

The Lord is risen indeed because He appeared to Peter.

He knocks.  Will someone please open that door…?

AMEN.