a race for the ages

"The stories in the Bible are not fairy tales like the the Velveteen Rabbit or Alice in Wonderland...they are real stories about real people in real places at real times."

That, while maybe not verbatim, is a quote from Mark's teaching yesterday.

Whenever I am reminded of the fact that the people in the Bible, and the people who penned the Bible, were real people...I always think of one of my favorite sections of Scripture that, I think, displays this perfectly.

It is the apostle John's account of the discovery Christ's empty tomb. Its found in John 20...I'll start in verse 3.

3) So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4) Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5) He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6) Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7) as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8) Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9) (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

Now, I want you to read that again. But before you do...keep a couple of things in mind: The "other disciple" mentioned is John (he never refers to himself by name in his gospel, he always uses vague, third person phrases like this). John and Peter were friends...and given Peter's big mouth and bigger personality, I'm sure his buddies loved whenever they got a chance to upstage him.

So read it again...and I'll emphasized a few a phrases:

3) So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4) Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5) He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6) Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7) as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8) Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9) (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

I just imagine that for years, John and Peter would be at parties or at dinner with friends and would tell this story and I just wonder if it would always end up going something like this:

John: "So I got there and saw the linens..."

Peter: (interrupting) "Well, I got there first. But, sorry, go ahead."

John: "Hold on. No you did not. I got there first, remember?"

Peter: "Yes, I do remember...I remember that I got there first.

John: "No, remember?..we heard the news and raced each other there...and I won. Remember?..I said it was because I loved Jesus more."

Peter: "Well, you were always saying that. But I won that race. I was always faster than you.?"

John: "Are you kidding me?! You could not out run me. I won that race. I can't believe you, you know that I got there before you did."

Peter: "You are always doing this, John. What...next are you going to say that you were the one who got out of the boat and walked on the water with Jesus?"

John: "Whatever. You know I got there first."

Peter: "Oh yeah, I remember now. Yeah...and you were the one who stood up for Jesus at Gethsemane and cut off that soldier's ear too, weren't you? Oh, okay...I remember now."

John: "You're a jerk. I will race you right now and prove that I can still out run you."

Peter: "Bring it on, fool."

On and on, the competition between the two friends grew over the years, but would only surface occasionally when the story came up. Then one day, John calls up Peter (I think Biblical scholars are pretty much in agreement that telephones did not exist in the first century...but just go with me):

John: "Peter. Hey this is John."

Peter: "Hello, old friend, how are you?"

John: "Pretty good. Pretty good. So, um...did you see the Gospel I just put out?"

Peter: "Yeah, I've thumbed through it a little, haven't had a chance to sit and read through it all yet. But its really good, John."

John: "Yeah? Thanks. Um...have you had a chance to thumb through the part where we discovered the empty tomb?"

Peter: (getting suspicious) "No...why?"

John: "Oh...you should. Skip to end the real quick and take a look. I think you are really going to like how I remember it."

Peter: (reading) "...okay...okay...what?...wait...what?...oh, come on..."

John: "Ha ha. How do you like that? I don't know, man...I think this book has got legs. I think its going to be around for a while."

Peter: "I can't believe you."

John: "You know what they say, Peter...history is written by the winners."

Peter: "Whatever. I won that race."