Grace, Let me give as I have received

The Bible tells the story of a man named Simon. Simon was a fisherman, the sea his hunting ground. One day, as he was pulling his net in on the beach by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus approached him, looking deep into his eyes. The Bible uses the Greek word emblepo to describe the gaze. Emblepo means to “look upon” with a “close, penetrating ‘look.’”⁶ Jesus, being God himself, looked at Simon and knew all that would happen in his life. He knew that Simon would say that he was committed but turn his back on him at his darkest hour. He knew that Simon’s passion and tendencies to speak his mind would get him in trouble throughout his life. And he knew that Simon would never, could never, live a life without failure.

Yet, even knowing all of these shortcomings, Jesus didn’t condemn or pass Simon by to find someone who could better measure up. Not Jesus. Not him who was grace himself. Instead, at that moment, looking in his eyes, Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, meaning “rock.” At that moment, Jesus said that Peter would be a rock for his ministry, the church. Jesus overlooked the failures of Simon and welcomed the man Peter with open arms, giving him a life of immeasurable purpose, joy, and hope. In a moment, Peter’s life changed forever.

And so it is with me. Like Peter, my life is full of failures and shortcomings. However, when Jesus first gazed into my eyes, he knew that. He knew my life would never measure up. It couldn’t. But, he came to me anyway. Like Peter, I was given grace, and because of his grace, I am compelled to follow.

There is an awesome scene in the Bible that illustrates the grace of Jesus and the love he has for us, despite our shortcomings. As Jesus foreknew, Peter’s final act toward him prior to his death was betrayal. As Jesus was getting brutally beaten and murdered, Peter refused to help. Worse, he pretended that he did not know him.

After the crucifixion of Jesus, when Mary went to the tomb early Sunday morning, the stone has been rolled away and there was an angel greeting her. Mary must have been startled beyond belief. She looked on in amazement. Jesus had risen! Everything he said was true!

Mark 16:7 captures the heart of Jesus. The angel turned to Mary and said, “Go, tell his disciples and Peter” (author’s emphasis). Go and tell Peter. The one who had denied him and refused to acknowledge him. The one who was certainly hurting more than anyone else because he had turned his back on Jesus. The angel said to make sure Peter knew that Jesus had risen. Jesus cared for Peter and wanted him to know that everything was okay. “Forget about the sins, Peter. Just know that I have risen.”

Grace. Arguably, the most beautiful word in the Bible. Let me give grace to others, mirroring the grace that I have been given.