November 29, 2023
Can’t Keep Up
(Some information may be too graphic for small children)
“So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in.”
John 20:3-5 (NASB)
As I age, cardiovascular workouts get harder. I seem to be more out of breath. I can’t go as hard as I used to. I want to, but can’t. I sometimes look to my right or left in the gym and see the younger ones running or walking harder than I do. Oh, for the younger years! It shows. It reminds me of a song. In 1972, Neil Young produced a song called “Old Man.” In the song, a young man is speaking to an older man and he is comparing the life he is living now to the life that the old man once lived. The old man reflects on his younger years as he listens to the younger. In the outro, the young man says; “Old man, look at my life. I'm a lot like you were.”
“The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first;” Imagine the disturbing news from Mary. Something happened. John and Peter thought, “We have to get to the tomb as fast as we can.” “Something happened over there!” Lenski comments: “We see the two on their way but not as yet running. First only ἤρχοντο as if Mary Magdalene had indeed stirred them to action but had not excited them. Now follows another imperfect, ‘and the two were running, together.’ Why did they break into a run, a regular race, in which John left the older Peter behind? Why this sudden excitement, in which John paid no attention to Peter but ran with all the speed he had and left Peter behind? We take it that the two disciples had met the women and had heard from them what they had to tell. What they heard seemed indeed ‘like idle talk’ (ὡσεὶ λῆρος, Luke 24:11) also to all the rest who presently heard it, but it did excite these two. Now they could not get to the tomb rapidly enough; they started to run, first side by side with incredulous but excited exclamations, then John forging ahead. Luke 24:12 is summary, as the aorists ἀναστὰς ἔδραμε plainly show, which report only the fact and nothing more. It is John who helps to fill in the connection and the details. While Luke mentions only Peter in v. 12, in v. 24 we see that Peter was not alone: ‘certain of them (τινές) that were with us went to the tomb,’ namely Peter and John, as John informs us.”[1]
Here is where we see the age difference between Peter and John. John swiftly outran Peter. He was younger, but not necessarily more astute. As John arrived, he saw the burial cloths inside but did not go inside (vs. 5). Peter though, wasn’t about to make a hasty conclusion as Mary. He wanted more facts to determine what happened to Jesus. “Commentators ask why John did not go in. Such haste to reach the place, and now this reluctance about going in! First, such an alarming report and then such an incredible report, both completely upsetting the mind; yet John ventures only as far as the door! It will not do to say that John saw enough with that first glance, for presently he follows Peter in and looks more closely.”[2] John acted out of emotion. Peter is well-seasoned. Peter was older than John, and not so quick to jump to conclusions. He needed to go in and see for himself. Be a Peter and check out the facts about Jesus for yourself.
[1] Lenski, R. C. H. (1961). (pp. 1339–1340). Augsburg Publishing House.
[2] Ibid.