Mark 16:1-8 - Hope For All Who Have Failed

One of the best tests of the strength of a relationship is conflict. The people who genuinely love us and have our best interests at heart are those who we can endure conflict and come out on the other side with a stronger relationship. Peter had something of a “falling out” with Jesus. Despite his bold claims that he would rather die than turn away from Jesus, on the night of Jesus’ betrayal, Peter denied His Lord three times. Peter’s failure, however, did not stop Jesus from loving, pursuing, redeeming, and reconciling Peter. Peter’s relationship with Jesus is a picture of the relationship God offers every sinner through faith in His Son's death and resurrection. By looking at Peter’s relationship with Jesus, we will see that our past sins and failures do not disqualify us from receiving Christ’s love and participating in His mission.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

• Why was denying Jesus unfathomable to Peter? Why might it be dangerous for us to think that we are incapable of doing such a thing?
• What emotions might Peter have felt in that moment when he realized Jesus’ prophecy came true?
• When have you felt like Peter? What do we learn about Peter from his response to his denial (Mark 14:72)?

Peter’s denial was definitely out of character. Peter was one of the first men Jesus called to be His disciples (Mark 1). During Jesus’ three years of earthly ministry, Peter was present for some of the most miraculous moments. Peter exhibited great faith, like when he jumped out of the boat to walk on water (Matthew 14), and he was one of Jesus’ best friends. He wouldn’t have been in the courtyard outside Jesus’ trial if he didn’t love Jesus, but fear and self-preservation kicked in, and he allowed those emotions to control him. Peter blatantly denied his friendship with Jesus, and if we’re honest, we know that we’ve done the same thing. Maybe we’ve never come right out and said we don’t know Jesus, but just because we’ve never said it out loud doesn’t mean we haven’t communicated the same thing with the choices we make.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

• List some ways we deny knowing Jesus in our speech, actions, or lack of either.
• How can we combat the temptation to deny Christ with our words and actions?

Denying Jesus takes many forms, and it doesn’t have to be verbal. It’s far too easy to downplay our relationship with God when we allow fear and insecurity to determine our behavior. We should take a cue from Jesus, whose love motivated Him to be completely selfless, which included forgiving Peter for his denial.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

• Given Peter’s bold proclamation that he would die before denying Christ in Mark 14, how would you expect Jesus to confront him?
• How did Jesus interact with Peter in these verses?
• What does this tell us about Jesus?

Three times Peter had denied Jesus (Luke 22:54-62), and at this meeting on the shoreline, Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him three times (John 21:15-17), each canceling out a denial. Their dialogue made it clear that in God’s eyes, love far outweighs failure, and no one is beyond His reconciliation. That kind of love would propel Peter to spend the rest of his life spreading the good news of the gospel.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

• What task did Jesus’ charge Peter with?
• Given Peter’s moral and spiritual failure, did Peter seem like a likely candidate for this charge?
• Based on what you know about Peter, how did he handle this charge?

Though Peter denied Him, Jesus was not finished with him. He again issued His call to Peter to follow Him and to serve Him out of love for Him. Peter’s love for Jesus was to express itself in caring for His people. Jesus’ conversation with Peter shows He viewed love as the key to faithful discipleship and service. Jesus challenged Peter to show His love for Him and follow Him by caring for His people. If we really love Jesus, we will want to serve Him by caring for His people.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

• What did Jesus mean by His prediction in Mark 14:30?
• What sacrifices might be demanded of us if we follow Christ and live out His mission?

Peter had denied the Lord out of fear of possible arrest and suffering. Jesus, however, revealed to Peter following and serving Him would require sacrifice. In fact, Peter would be called on to sacrifice his life. The first time he met Jesus, Peter was fishing. That day, Jesus called him out of the boat and invited Peter to follow Him. He issued the same invitation here, reminding Peter that there’s no going back to the way life was before. He couldn’t be a fisherman because he had more important work to do. He was given the responsibility of shepherding Jesus’ sheep. Jesus was calling Peter to a life of love, called for and inspired by the sacrifice of Jesus.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS:

• How might remembering the resurrection of Jesus and Peter's restoration change your perspective on your past failures? How might remembering these things empower you for ministry in the present?
• In what ways are you encouraged by Jesus’ conversation with Peter? What are some ways you can focus more pointedly on following Jesus by caring for His people?
• What are some tangible ways to express the redeeming, reconciling, and gracious love of Christ to the people around us?