The Life of the Apostle Peter

A biblical figure we can all identify with is Simon, bar Jonah (son of Jonah), known to us as the apostle Peter. Through the gospels we get to know him as a person in all his wondrous complexity and contradictions: Peter, the self-appointed defender and champion of Jesus to the bitter end. Peter the one who dared to correct the master. Peter, who slowly understands, but quickly puts himself at the head of the group. Impulsive and devoted, irrational and insightful, unpredictable and stubborn, zealous and tyrannical, open yet too often silent when it mattered—Peter was a man like most of us. Oh yes, we can all identify with Peter. May his restoration and rehabilitation by his Lord and Master inspire us all.

honor and adventure

Peter was a Galilean from northern Israel. A Jewish writer said these outdoorsmen were quick-tempered but naturally generous. The Jewish Talmud said of these hardy people: They always cared more for honor than for gain. The theologian William Barclay described Peter thus: "Short-tempered, impulsive, emotional, easily excited by a call to adventure, loyal to the end--Peter was a typical Galilean." In the first 12 chapters of the fast-moving Acts of the Apostles, Peter's pre-eminence among the early Christians is outlined. It is Peter who prompts the election of a new apostle to replace Judas (Acts 1,15-22). Peter was the spokesman for the small company in the first sermon on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Guided by faith in their Lord, Peter and John healed a known sick man in the temple, drew a large crowd, and defied the Jewish leaders in their arrest (Acts 4,1-22). 5000 people came to Christ because of these impressive events.

It was Peter who went to Samaria to secure the gospel cause in that challenging mission field. It was he who confronted the cunning magician Simon Magus (Acts 8,12-25). Peter's rebuke caused two deceivers to drop dead (Acts 5,1-11). Peter raised a dead disciple to life (Acts 9,32-43). But perhaps his greatest contribution to church history was when he baptized a Roman officer into the church - a bold move that drew criticism in the early Jewish-dominated church. God used it to open the door of faith to the Gentile world (Acts 10, Acts 15,7-11).

Peter. Peter. Peter. He dominated the early church like a converted colossus. Unbelievable that the sick were healed in the streets of Jerusalem, when his shadow alone covered them (Acts 5,15).

But as we've seen, he didn't always behave like this. On that dark night in Gethsemane, when the crowd came to arrest Jesus, Peter impulsively cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest with a misplaced sword blow. He later realized that this act of violence marked him as a man. It could cost him his life. So he followed Jesus from afar. In Luke 22,54-62 Peter is clearly shown denying his Lord - three times as Jesus had foretold. After his third denial of ever knowing Jesus, Luke reports simply: "And the Lord turned and looked at Peter" (Luke 2 Cor2,61). It was then that Peter finally realized how uncertain and unprepared he really was. Luke continues: «And Peter went out and wept bitterly». In this very moral defeat lay both the brokenness and the phenomenal development of Peter.

The pride of the ego

Peter had a big ego problem. It's something we all have in one degree or another. Peter suffered from excessive pride, self-confidence, overconfidence in his own human abilities and judgment. The 1. John chapter 2 verse 16 warns us how much pride determines our actions. Other texts show that this silent killer can sneak up on us and ruin our best intentions (1. Corinthians 13,1-3). That happened to Peter. It can happen to us too.

As we approach the season of Passover and Easter and prepare to share the bread and wine of the sacrament, we are called to examine ourselves for this ingrained quality (1. Corinthians 11,27-29). Our silent killer is best recognized by analyzing its hideously different aspects. There are at least four of them that we can point out today.

First, pride in one's physical strength. Peter was a burly fisherman who probably led the partnership of two pairs of brothers on the shores of Galilee. I grew up around fishermen - they can be very tough and outspoken and don't use silk handkerchiefs. Peter was the man people preferred to follow. He liked the rough and turbulent life. We see that in Luke 5,1-11 when Jesus asked him to cast out their nets to catch a catch. Peter was the one who protested: "Master we worked all night and caught nothing". But as usual, he gave in to Jesus' prompting, and the sudden big catch left him stunned and emotionally unbalanced. This ebb and flow stayed with him and was probably due to his overconfidence—a trait that Jesus would help him replace with divine faith.

Those in the know know

This second aspect is called intellectual pride (elitist knowledge). he will in 1. Corinthians 8,1 mentioned where we are told that knowledge puffs up. It does. Peter, like many of the Jewish people who followed Jesus, thought they knew everything. Jesus was clearly the expected Messiah, so it was only natural that He would fulfill the prophecies of national greatness and the appointment of the Jews as supreme leaders in the kingdom foretold by the prophets.

There was always this tension among them about who would be greatest in the kingdom of God. Jesus had whetted their appetite by promising them twelve future thrones. What they didn't know was that this was in the distant future. Now in her time, Jesus came to prove himself to be the Messiah and to fulfill the role of the suffering servant of God (Isaiah 53). But Peter, like the other disciples, missed this subtlety. He thought he knew everything. He rejected the announcements (of the passions and resurrection) of Jesus because they contradicted his knowledge (Mark 8,31-33), and opposed Jesus. This earned him the rebuke, "Get behind me, you Satan!"
Peter was wrong. He was wrong about the information he had. He put 2 and 2 together and got 22, like so many of us.

The night Jesus was arrested, the so-called faithful disciples were still arguing about who would be greatest in the kingdom of God. Little did they know what a terrible three days awaited them. Peter was one of the blinded disciples and initially refused to let Jesus wash his feet as an example of humility (John 13). The pride of knowledge can do that. It shows up when we think we know everything when we hear a sermon or perform an act of worship. It is important to recognize this, for it is part of the deadly pride we carry within.

Proud of your position

Peter and the early disciples faced their arrogance when they resented the mother of James and John for asking for their sons the best places next to Jesus in the kingdom of God (Matthew 20,20:24-2). They got angry because they were convinced that these places should be theirs. Peter was the acknowledged leader of the group and was concerned that Jesus seemed to have a special affection for John (John Cor1,20-22). This type of politics among Christians is widespread in the Church. She is responsible for some of the worst missteps committed by the Christian Church throughout history. Popes and kings fought for supremacy in the Middle Ages, Anglicans and Presbyterians killed each other in the 16th century, and some extreme Protestants still harbor deep suspicions about Catholics to this day.

It has something to do with religion, which is primarily about getting close to the infinite, about getting in touch with the ultimate things, in our minds to "I love God more than you, so I'm closer to him than everyone else» can perish. Thus pride in one's own position often gives way to pride number four, pride in the liturgy. The Western and Eastern Churches have had many divisions over the years, and one of these was over the question of whether leavened or unleavened bread should be used in the sacrament. These divisions have tarnished the reputation of the Church throughout history, for the average citizen sees this dispute as a controversy about the question, "My host is better than yours." Even today, some Protestant groups celebrate the Lord's Supper once a week, others once a month, and still others refuse to celebrate it at all because it symbolizes a unified body, which they say is not true.

In 1. Timothy 3,6 Churches are warned not to ordain someone new to the faith lest they puff themselves up and fall under the devil's judgment. This reference to the devil seems to make pride an "original sin" because it caused the devil to inflate his self-esteem to the point of opposing God's plan. He just couldn't resist being his own boss.

Pride is immaturity

Pride is serious business. He makes us overestimate our abilities. Or it feeds deep within us a desire to feel good about ourselves by elevating ourselves above others. God hates pride because he knows it can affect our relationship with him and with others (Proverbs 6). Peter had a big dose of it, as do we all. Pride can lure us into the ultimate spiritual trap of doing the right things for the wrong reasons. We are warned that we may burn even our bodies out of secret pride just to show others how righteous we are. This is spiritual immaturity and pathetic blindness for an important reason. Every experienced Christian knows that it doesn't matter how we look in the eyes of the people to justify ourselves before the Last Judgment. No. What matters is what God thinks of us, not what other people around us think. When we recognize this, we can make real progress in the Christian life.

That was the secret of Peter's amazing ministry in Acts. He understood. The incident on the night of Jesus' arrest finally led to the collapse of old Peter. He went out and cried bitterly because he could finally vomit that poisonous concoction called the pride of the ego. Old Peter had suffered a near-fatal collapse. He still had a long way to go, but he had reached the turning point in his life.

It may also be said of us. As we approach the commemoration of Jesus' sacrificial death, let us remember that, like Peter, we can become new through our brokenness. Let us thank God for Peter's example and the love of our patient, far-sighted Master.

by Neil Earle