But
Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping and looking in, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he departed to his home, wondering what had happened.
Luke 24:12
Luke 24 [1.] But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they and some others came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. They entered in, and didn’t find the Lord Jesus’ body. While they were greatly perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling clothing. Becoming terrified, they bowed their faces down to the earth. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He isn’t here, but is risen. Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered up into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again?”
Luke 24 [8.] They remembered his words, returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them told these things to the apostles. These words seemed to them to be nonsense, and they didn’t believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Stooping and looking in, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he departed to his home, wondering what had happened.
Luke 24 [13.] Behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem. They talked with each other about all of these things which had happened. While they talked and questioned together, Jesus himself came near, and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk, and are sad?”
Meaning:
When the women told the apostles that the tomb was empty and that angels had said Jesus was alive, the apostles thought it was nonsense and did not believe them (Luke 24:11). But one of them could not dismiss the report. Peter, who only three days earlier had denied Jesus three times, got up and ran to see for himself. This single verse records the first visit of an apostle to the empty tomb.
- “But Peter got up and ran to the tomb”
The word “But” sets Peter apart from the others. He may have doubted, but he had to know. Peter carried a heavy burden. On the night of the arrest he had denied knowing Jesus, and when the Lord turned and looked at him, “he went out, and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:61-62). Jesus had told him beforehand, “I prayed for you, that your faith wouldn’t fail. You, when once you have turned again, establish your brothers” (Luke 22:32). Running to the tomb was perhaps the first step of that turning back.
- “He saw the strips of linen lying by themselves”
Peter stooped to look into the low entrance of the rock tomb. What he saw was strange. If someone had stolen the body, they would hardly have unwrapped it first and left the expensive linen behind. The grave clothes were lying there, but the body was gone. Grave robbers do not leave things neatly behind them. The orderly grave clothes were silent evidence that something extraordinary had happened.
- “He departed to his home, wondering what had happened”
Peter did not yet fully understand. He had evidence, but not yet an encounter. Luke describes him as “wondering,” amazed and puzzled at the same time. Later that same day the risen Lord appeared to him personally, for the disciples in Jerusalem said, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” (Luke 24:34). Paul also lists this appearance first among the witnesses of the resurrection: “he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:5).
The Significance of Luke 24:12
- Faith that investigates
Christianity does not ask people to believe without evidence. Peter went to look, and the facts he found pointed to the resurrection. Honest questions are welcome. The empty tomb can still be examined, and the testimony of the witnesses still stands.
- Grace for those who failed
Peter had failed Jesus badly, yet he was the one who ran to the tomb, and the risen Lord met him personally. Jesus later restored him and gave him the task of caring for his sheep (John 21:15-17). No failure is final for someone who turns back to Jesus.
Cross-References:
Luke 22:61-62: Peter’s denial and bitter tears on the night of the arrest.
Luke 22:32: “I prayed for you, that your faith wouldn’t fail.” Jesus’ promise to Peter.
1 Corinthians 15:5: “he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.” The risen Lord appeared to Peter.
Conclusion: In Luke 24:12 Peter, unlike the other apostles, runs to the tomb after hearing the women’s report. He sees the linen grave clothes lying by themselves and goes home wondering what has happened. The verse shows a disciple who had failed seeking the truth, and prepares for the moment when the risen Lord would meet him and restore him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible