Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
An outstanding example of the difference that the Resurrection makes is seen in 7. The angel said 'Go tell His disciples and Peter ...'. It is impossible to overestimate what this must have meant to the desolate disciple. It is not difficult to imagine the state of his heart from the moment the Lord turned and looked upon him in the Judgment Hall until the morning of the Resurrection. The dead weight of shame and horror at what he had done, and the terrible darkness upon his spirit at the realisation that he could have no opportunity to make amends, must have been a continuing agony for him, in addition to the natural sorrow and grief that he shared with the others. It was a time of black despair for Simon Peter. But Oh! the difference this message made' 'Go tell the disciples and Peter ...!' A special message from beyond the grave to the broken-hearted Peter, about a love that reaches deeper than the depths of self-despair, a love that lifts, and restores, and reinstates, that gives a new beginning to those who have failed! That is the meaning of the Resurrection. Is it any wonder that Peter was transformed?