A Temporarily Severed Relationship
In the Gospel of Mark, 16:7, the angel at the tomb of Jesus told Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome that Jesus had risen and was no longer there. The angel also said, “But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’” The angel’s use of the phrase “….His disciples and Peter…” was both intentional and accurate. Peter was no longer a disciple at that moment. He had lost that title when he denied his Rabbi not just once, but three times, during Jesus’ night trial.
The rabbi-disciple relationship in 1st century Israel was a very close one, much like the relationship between a father and son. According to Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg in their book, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus – How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith “…a rabbi and his disciple were expected to form a close, personal bond – hardly surprising given the amount of time they spent together and the important life issues they were constantly discussing. The closeness between rabbi and disciple was considered essential to the learning process. It has been said, just as one candle lights another only if it is brought close, so a rabbi only teaches well when he is close to his disciples.” So it was a very grave matter for a disciple to sever the relationship with his rabbi and it was always permanent. Except when your Rabbi was Jesus.
It wasn’t until Jesus forgave and reinstated Peter, via the process we read about in the Gospel of John 21:15-17, that the Rabbi-disciple relationship between Jesus and Peter was restored. And we know from the Book of Acts that Peter went on to be the effective leader of the early church that Jesus had chosen him to be.
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2 Comments
Brian Conaway on August 31, 2011 at 8:30am
It is even more interesting, Mark, when we consider that the Gospel of Mark was really Peter's Gospel. In John 21:19, after asking Peter three times if he loved Him, Jesus completes the restoration process by issuing to Peter the calling that He issued to all His disciples, 'Follow Me'. Jesus was a very different Rabbi. He chose His disciples where other rabbis waited to be asked by those who wanted to follow them.
Mark Durant on August 30, 2011 at 11:08am
Brian,
I have read this passage so many times and never picked up on that nuanace ("His disciples and Peter"). Thanx for taking the time to do these blogs. I have learned so much and appreciate your extra efforts.
v/r
Mark