FORGIVEN

                ""But after I (Jesus) have been raised I will go before you to Galilee." Peter answered
                and said to Him, 'Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made
                to stumble.' Jesus said to him, "Assuredly I say to you that this night beforer the rooster
                crows, you will deny Me three times." Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with you,
                I will not deny You." And so said all the disciples." Matt. 26:32 (Between brackets inserted
                by me.)

The most amazing thing happens here. Jesus not only tells the disciples that He will die, but that He will be raised again, that Peter will deny Him three times and He goes on to tell them where He will meet them again.

It almost seems to me as if the disciples were in a state of negation, because all they heard were that they would stumble, deny and forsake Him. Did they not hear that He would be raised; that He would meet with them again in Galilee?

We always hear about Peter forsaking the Lord, running away after having denied Him, but we often fail to understand that all the disciples made the same promises as Peter!

                  "Peter said to Him, 'Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!' And so
                   said all the disciples."

Yet, look at the following:

                    "Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled." Matt. 26:56

Knowing all things, knowing as He did that they would all forsake Him; knowing that He would stand alone, knowing that Peter would deny Him, He still makes arrangements beforehand to meet them again. Of course, they did not understand the implication of His words at this time, not believing it possible that they are all going to forsake Him!

They do not yet understand the great love that prompts Him to make this appointment with them. They do not understand that He had forgiven them, including Peter, before they even forsook Him! He never held it against them for one minute! Now that is what forgiveness is all about.

Just think what the world would be like if we could forgive one another before the damaging word or act has been done or uttered one against the other! That would in fact mean that we would never hold grudges, never have any bad feelings, never be angry, never hate one another, never put one another on parole: "I'll forgive you this time, but if you ever do it again ...!" Ever uttered those words?

Do you realise that Jesus did exactly the same for each and every one of us?

              "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
               Christ died for us." Rom. 5:8

Whilst He knew that we would sin - He knew all about each and every sin we would commit. Still He was willing to die for our salvation.

How can we attain this spirit of forgiveness? The only way would be to make a decision of one's will to always forgive everybody beforehand - to love as Jesus loved - to act out the Spirit of Christ. If Christ were in us, and we in Christ, this should in fact not only be possible, but the norm rather than the exception.

Hear the love, the forgiveness:

               "Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James,
               and Salome bought spices, that they might come and annoint Him. Very early in
               the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun
               had risen. And they said among themselves: "Who will roll away the stone from
               the door of the tomb for us?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone
               had been rolled away - for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a
               young man clothed in a long white robe siting on the right side and they were
              alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth,
              who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.
              But go, tell His disciples - and Peter - that He is going before you into Galilee;
              there you will see Him, as He said to you." " 

              "As He said to you."

Notice that Peter gets a special mention: Peter who denied Him not once, but three times. "as He said to you". He gets told "I will meet you in Galilee" - included, justified, "just as if nothing had happened" - totally forgiven!

                "Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table and He rebuked their
                unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen
                Him after He had risen." Mark 16:14

Nothing mentioned about denying Him, Peter; nothing at all about forsaking Him and running away Thomas, James - forgiven, never to be thought of again - rebuked only because of their refusal to believe what He had told them before He died!

Thank You, Lord, for your grace and forgiveness; thank You, that You are ever prepared to forgive us and love us and meet with us... as You have said to us:

                  "...and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." Matt. 28:20