John 20:4

It was not John only who went out at the news from Mary. Love, stirred by words that sounded strange to their ears, led Peter to run along with John, with no less desire, even if not so fast. He had slept when he ought to have watched and prayed. When the crisis came, he had denied his Master. The Lord's solemn warning beforehand made that denial far worse. But he was not a Judas: very far from it. He loved the Lord, and the Lord Himself knew that he loved Him. So, despite his deep and shameful sin, his heart was moved by news he could not explain: the body had gone from the tomb. The two disciples then raced to see which of them would reach the spot first. No hope of what had really happened had yet crossed their minds. Yet they were anything but indifferent to any small detail that concerned even His body.

They ran with eager haste and John outran Peter. The natural explanation was no doubt that he was the younger man; but there was also a spiritual explanation. John was more deeply impressed by the Lord's love for him, as he showed by the way he spoke of himself. Peter was under a cloud. He had trusted in his own love for the Lord, and that love broke down in a scandalous and public way when it was tested. The one who is most drawn by the love of Christ runs the fastest. It was a case of, "Draw me after you; let us run" (Song of Solomon 1:4).

It is very striking the way the Spirit gives us all these details… Now, if I had been asked which of these two was the strongest, I think I would have said Peter. I would have expected him to be the faster of the two. Surely he would outrun John. No, he is outpaced this time. Do you know why? Peter carried an awful load that day. There is nothing that puts such a drag on the feet as a bad conscience. Peter was not happy, and if you are not happy, you are not going very fast, dear fellow Christian. Are you rejoicing in the Lord's love? If not, you may be sure your pace is not very rapid.

The two disciples run to the tomb at once. But the Spirit of God has taken special care to record this: though Peter appears to take the lead, the disciple who on five occasions describes himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved outruns the disciple who had boasted in his love to Jesus. This apparently small incident is surely recorded for our instruction. May it not remind us that the one who rests in Christ's love will outstrip in Christian progress those who are making too much of their love to Christ? This is all the more striking in a passage that highlights Mary's devoted love to Christ. We may well covet Mary's love to Christ, but let us always rest on Christ's love to us.

John uses the very strongest word to express Christ's love for him: the disciple whom Jesus "dearly loved." And it was John who outran Peter and reached the tomb first, where their beloved Lord had lain. Does this not show that a sense of Christ's love in our hearts will make us run well in the ways that please God?

But he did not enter first. There was a need in Peter's heart which at that moment carried him farther than even the affection of John. John came first to the tomb. He stooped down, looked in, and saw the linen cloths lying there. But he did not go in.