“If you would get ahead, be a bridge.”
WELCH PROVERB

Very early the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.
Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, “Do not be amazed, you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold here is the place where they laid Him. But go tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of your to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’”
MARK 16:2-7 NASB

“They came to the tomb, they were saying to one another, they saw, they were amazed.” The “they” that Mark is referring to is Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome the mother of James and John. These three women had gone to the tomb where they had laid the body of Jesus to anoint the body with sweet spices. Of course the tomb had been opened, not to let the resurrected body of Jesus out, but to allow them to look in. They had no idea that the tomb would be open because they had asked one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us.” They looked in the tomb, saw an angel and were amazed. I guess so, who wouldn’t be amazed? What I have found amazing about these scripture verses this morning is what the angel had to say to them. He told them, “Go tell His disciples and Peter.” Why did the angel single out Peter and mention him separately? The New American Standard has this verse in quotes within quotes, which means that the angel was quoting Jesus. Why the disciples and Peter? Wasn’t Peter a disciple also? I went to the Dake Reference Bible and came up with this commentary. Share this with me.
“Peter, it is most likely, would not consider himself worthy of the name disciple, seeing he had done what none of the rest (not even Judas) had done; denied positively, then denied contemptuously, and then denied blasphemously his Master. He was therefore specially mentioned by Jesus, to assure him of the Lord’s compassion, forgiveness, and restoration to the apostolic office he had rashly forfeited by his instability. All this was predicted, so now his re-conversion must also be fulfilled so that he could ‘strengthen the brethren,’ (Lk 22:31-32) in the trying days ahead”

If Peter could be re-converted and restored to a useful position within the Church, then there is room for all who have stumbled and stubbed their toes. Today I think of Peter who got ahead and then became a bridge for us all to cross. The Welch Proverb that is found above sticks in my spiritual gullet today. “If you would get ahead, be a bridge.” This is not about getting ahead but about laying ourselves down so that others may use us to get to a better position. Whether it is material or spiritual matters not, being of service is what matters. Thanks for letting me share, God continues to do for me what I could not do for myself……………………….JRE