Of all the people in the Bible, I probably relate to Peter more than others. He’s easily excitable. He’s the first one to speak… at times without thinking first. He thinks he’s further along in his faith than he really is. And sometimes his failures are bad, and shock even him. But he loves the Lord. He really does. I like him.
If you notice, we have more recorded about into Peter than any other disciple. Probably because he was the one who ran his mouth the most! That revealed his heart. Sometimes pretty… sometimes not so much. But with all of Peter’s faults, you’ve got to hand it to him for having the courage to speak up. Maybe it wasn’t so much courage, as impetuosity. And no doubt, that was just the way he was wired. For those of you who are more quiet-natured, please understand that Peter doesn’t mean to do it. That really is his internal makeup. He has to fight that tendency as much as you might have to fight the tendency to speak up. As my sweet, quiet husband tells me, “It’s a good thing we are all different, or it would be boring.” Thanks darlin’.
Anyway, let’s think back to the first time Peter met Jesus. Remember? The book of Matthew chapter 4 records that Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee and he said, “Come, follow me and I will send you out to fish for people.” Well, I don’t think Jesus just happened to be walking by the Sea, and just happened to see these two men. They didn’t just “happen” to put down their nets and follow Jesus. Nothing with God is coincidence. The Bible says God knows the end from the beginning!
That actually wasn’t the first time they had met Jesus.
Think back farther. John the Baptist had some disciples…. students: John and Andrew, along with many others. John the Baptist taught them to prepare their hearts for the Savior by turning away from sin, so they would recognize him when they saw him. They did exactly as they were instructed. As a symbol of their commitment to having a clean heart before God inwardly, they were baptized outwardly. One day, John the Baptist pointed to Jesus, telling John and Andrew, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” So John and Andrew went to Jesus and he talked with them. They knew immediately Jesus was the Messiah, and they spent the whole day together. From that time on, John and Andrew were Jesus’ disciples.
Guess who Andrew’s brother was? You guessed it! Peter! (Peter had been called Simon before.) Andrew went to Simon (Peter) and told him the exciting news, “We have found the Messiah!” I wonder if Andrew grabbed his brother by the shoulders, looked him square in his eyes, and said something like, “Listen! Stop what you’re doing. I have something very important to tell you. Remember, John the Baptist told us that the Messiah was coming in our time? Well, John and I met him! We got to talk with him all day long! He really is the one! His name is Jesus! You’ve got to come and see!”
By the way, did you catch how the word about Jesus traveled? There’s always a genealogy. The news spreads from person to person to person. From John the Baptist to Andrew to Simon (Peter). Let’s jump in that wonderful life-giving chain!
Simon (Peter) knew Andrew was not going to let up until he went to meet Jesus. So he put down his net, and off they went. When he walked up to Jesus, Jesus said something strange. (By the way, Jesus typically says something a-typical.) Jesus said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas (which is translated Peter)”. In other words, Jesus said, Simon, I know who you are. I know your dad. I know your family. I know you… personally. Not only do I know you. I’m going to change your name to Peter. Hmmm. I wonder what Peter thought. He was likely taken back a bit. How did this guy know my name? And my dad? How could this guy act like he knows me personally? My name is Simon. Why does he want to change my name to Peter? But Simon (Peter) stuck around. Jesus did seem like someone he had known for a long time. And he had been asking God to help him stop all his sinning, especially his temper! He felt like he had a harder time with sinning than the rest, and he had really hoped the Messiah could help him. He had to listen more for himself.
Have you noticed how Jesus doesn’t meet people like we meet people? Simon (Peter) didn’t say, “Hi, my name is Simon. I’m glad to meet you.” And Jesus didn’t say, “Hi, my name is Jesus, I’m glad to meet you too.” Nope. Jesus already knows each one. He doesn’t pretend not to know them. It might be a bit unsettling, but each one who meets him realizes that Jesus knows them. He knows their inward thoughts and motives too. Yikes! Watch for that as you read the Gospel accounts. It happens again and again and again.
Cephas means rock. Why in the world would Jesus change Simon’s name to “Rock”? Well, let’s get to know Peter a little better and we’ll see.
You see, Peter saw all the same things that all the other disciples saw. Jesus healing people right and left. Jesus blessing the fish and the loaves to make a spread for 5000 people! Jesus turning a ferocious storm into complete calm. Jesus ordering demons around. And of course Peter’s favorite miracle – bringing in the biggest catch of fish ever! Peter heard all the same things the others heard. Like the famous “Sermon on the Mount” that could have only come from the heart of God. And the how Jesus backed the religious leaders up on their heels. Plus all the private talks Jesus had with his disciples.
Plus they all saw Jesus day in and day out. You can’t fake perfection. Jesus was walking, breathing, holiness, selflessness, genuine love. Jesus didn’t just talk it. He walked it. He loved the Lord His God with all of his heart, all of his soul, all of his mind, and all of his strength, and he loved his neighbor as himself… 24/7.
Just imagine living side-by-side with God each and every day. Wouldn’t it be awesome?! Ask him anything you want. Listen to his wonderful words of love and wisdom. Sense his love and protection for you constantly. As great as it would be, there would be one little problem. You know it would have to reveal your short-comings. Jesus is just so ever-lovin’ perfect! At one point, Peter had a melt-down. His sinful self reared its ugly head in a big way. Here’s what happened.
Peter and the guys had been fishing all night and hadn’t caught one fish. Then they had been helping Jesus all morning. Peter was tired. He was aggravated. He just wanted to go to bed and be mad. Anybody been there? But Jesus told him to go back and put his nets in the water. Now Peter was even madder – he certainly didn’t need Jesus to give him a lesson on how to fish! You don’t catch fish in the daytime! Everybody knows that! The Bible doesn’t show us a picture of the look on Peter’s face, but I’m guessing he was not happy about that idea to put the nets back in the water. I think Peter copped an attitude with Jesus. We’ve all done it. “Ok. Ok. I’ll do it. But I’m telling you right now that this is not going to work. Bleep. You are the preacher. I am the fisherman. Bleep! This is my turf. But I’ll show you! Bleep Bleep Bleepity Bleep!”
In Peter’s defense, he did go back and put in the nets. And, we all know what happened. The nets FILLED with fish immediately. Fish practically jumped into the boat! I know Peter was shaking his head in disbelief and amazement. But more than that, Jesus was right! And Peter had made a huge fool of himself. He had acted very badly. He had spoken to Jesus so rudely, not at all with the respect Jesus certainly deserved. The other guys were laughing and enjoying the miracle, but not Peter. He felt awful. When Peter got back to shore, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying. “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” Peter figured Jesus would gladly leave. Peter just wasn’t up to the task, and they both knew it. He was sinful. Jesus was holy. Like oil and water, they just did not mix. But Jesus was so kind. Jesus didn’t even go there. He didn’t say one word about what Peter had done. He knew Peter was so sorry. Jesus reassured him, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” In other words, don’t feel bad, Peter. I’m not mad. I’m not ashamed of you. Just stay close to me, and I will help you. I want you on my team. We’ve got a big job to do! So, let’s go! And off they went, arm in arm.
As the Bible says, “he who is forgiven much, loves much.” It’s not so much that Peter was a bigger sinner than the rest. But Peter recognized his sin more. So he recognized his need of forgiveness more. Which meant he loved Jesus all the more.
A long time later, after seeing and hearing Jesus, after living with Him day in and day out, Jesus asked them all these two very important questions. “Who do men say that I am?” The disciples answered that question pretty easily. They didn’t have to stick their necks out. They shouted out various answers they had heard – “John the Baptist”, “Elijah”, “Jeremiah”, or another prophet.
But then Jesus asked them the second question, which required them to make a commitment. “But who do YOU say that I am?” You, who have been with me every day, day in and day out. I imagine they all just looked at each other, too timid to take a stand. But not our buddy Peter! He piped up… “You are the Christ! You are the Son of the Living God!” It was obvious to Peter. Jesus did all the signs of the Messiah – he made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, and the mute to speak. And he brought the Good News! Jesus wasn’t just Jesus, son of Joseph. He was Jesus, Son of the Living God! Peter saw the truth and he spoke it! And that’s why Jesus had renamed Simon to Peter – the ROCK! Peter was as solid as a rock on who Jesus is.
Jesus immediately responded with this positive affirmation, “Blessed are you Simon, son of John, you are blessed for this one reason… because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” Your dad did not reveal this to you. Your friends did not convince you of this. It’s not because you’re a smarter than the rest. My Father alone revealed this to you. He impressed this truth upon your heart based on everything you had seen and heard. And you, my brash, feisty, impetuous, spontaneous friend, THAT is why I all you the ROCK. My church will be just like you. My church will stand firmly on this rock of truth. That I am the Christ, the Son of the Living God. They will mess up sometimes. They will be brash and feisty and impetuous and spontaneous, sometimes, just like you. But nothing will move them from this foundational truth. No matter what others say, they will be rock solid as they stand on this rock of truth.
So Simon was called “Rock”. He wasn’t called Perfect. Or Judge. Or Love. Peter was called Rock. He knew what he knew. He was immovable when is came to what he believed. He believed Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And he spoke it when nobody else did.
The things I love about Peter are also the things that get him tangled up. Again, why I relate. As days turn into months and the time drew closer for Jesus to take the battle to Jerusalem, Jesus began to talk more frequently and more openly about the religious leaders putting him to death. Again, Peter just had to open his mouth. Peter took Jesus aside to straighten him out. “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” You know Peter was saying this out of love for Jesus, and love for his kingdom, which he expected to be setup on earth very soon. Poor Peter had no idea he was being a mouthpiece for the enemy!
But Jesus knew. And again he responded immediately to Peter’s words, this time with a stinging rebuke. “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Ouch! The Bible doesn’t say how Peter felt, but we can imagine. I’m Jesus’ right hand man! I’m the Rock! How could he say that to me? Can’t you just see Peter, with a bewildered look on his face, his hands on his forehead, shaking his head, completely thrown off? He was likely thinking, “This doesn’t make sense to me at all. I thought Jesus was going to be the King of Israel. How can that happen if he is killed? For the life of me, I just can’t figure it out! But I do trust Jesus. I have learned that he does know what he’s talking about. Obviously there are some things I just don’t understand. I certainly don’t want to be a stumbling block to Jesus!” So Peter got back on track. We know he did because on the night when Jesus was betrayed, Peter was all in. He told Jesus he was willing to die for him. I know. I know. He failed miserably. But Peter was willing, at least in his mind. He just didn’t realize how weak his flesh was. Note to self: take a lesson from Peter.
Oh, that night of all nights. The last supper… the last time Jesus and his disciples were together before he went to the cross. As usual, we don’t have much recorded from what anyone else said, but we do have some of Peter’s words. His first words came when Jesus began to wash the disciples’ feet. At first, Peter was just watching in disbelief. What was going on?! Jesus wasn’t a common house servant! Peter expected the leader to be served, and the servants to do the serving… not the other way around! But when Jesus came to wash his feet, it was just too much for Peter to take! Peter said, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Translation: Are you outta your ever-lovin’ mind? What do you think you’re doing?!!” Jesus answered and said to him, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” We know now, that Jesus was showing them how to humble themselves to serve one another in love. Peter didn’t get that point at all! As usual, good ole Peter spoke first, and asked questions later, “No, you shall never wash my feet.” Don’t you want look Peter in the eyes and ask him when will he ever learn that Jesus knows what he’s doing? (A mirror will work for me.) Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” Well, just as quickly as Peter had refused Jesus washing his feet, now he wanted Jesus to give him a whole bath! “Then, Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” You know that made Jesus laugh out loud! Peter was a lot of fun to have around. And he didn’t mind displaying his love for Jesus for everyone to see.
Later during the dinner, Jesus said one of them would betray Him. Peter feared he was the one. He felt like he was always the one messing up. Especially when Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” But Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” But Jesus knew what would happen, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
I’m sure Peter’s mind raced in a blur. ‘There’s just no way Jesus is right this time! I would never deny him! He’s my best friend! He knows how much I love him. Is it because I am the one who is going to betray him? Am I no longer “Rock”? Am I out, like I have always feared? And how is it that the enemy DEMANDED to test me? I don’t want to be sifted like wheat.’ I wonder if Peter even heard the rest about how Jesus had prayed for him that his faith wouldn’t fail, and that he was to strengthen his brothers. All of this sounded so scary and ominous. But Jesus knew, and as usual, was trying to prepare Peter.
Peter just didn’t understand the power of the enemy and his own weakness, apart from God’s grace. He hadn’t learned to watch and pray so he wouldn’t fall to temptation. But he was going to learn that night… the hard way. And he would need that lesson learned for later, when Jesus handed him the keys to the kingdom. He would have to make sure not to drive the kingdom off the cliff!
A bit cocky. Self-reliant. Unprepared. Peter had become so comfortable with the daily routine, he probably never even thought about the next steps ahead. They followed Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus had told them he was going to be betrayed and killed. He warned them to watch out and to pray fervently, so they wouldn’t fall under the temptation that was coming. But their tummies were full and their eyes were heavy. And as clear as it looks to us in hindsight, they just didn’t get it. They hadn’t learned from Jesus’ example, how important prayer was. How vital a vital relationship with the Father was. I think that was one reason why Jesus said it was good that he go away. Then they would learn to watch and pray, as he did.
Each time Jesus returned from praying, he would find them sleeping! Peter literally could not explain himself. And Jesus did not ask for an explanation. He always relied on His Father’s strength, not theirs. As always, Jesus was so understanding. Never condemning, of course. He gently taught yet another powerful lesson: “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
By then the guards were approaching to arrest Jesus. Of course, now Peter was wide awake! Every time I read this story I just want to scream, “Peter! Stop! Don’t do it!” But he does it every time! Peter drew his sword and struck a slave named Malchus. Don’t worry. He didn’t kill him. He just cut off his ear! Peter was a fisherman, not a warrior. Jesus told him to stop, and just as always, even in the middle of a terrible moment, Jesus was thoughtful and kind. Jesus touched Malchus’ ear and healed him. Amazing. By the way, Jesus likely kept Peter from being killed or arrested too! (Jesus gets us out of scrapes all the time.)
Jesus could have scolded Peter by saying, “Dumbie, do you think one sword is going to fight off this huge battalion of soldiers? And do you really think I’m such a poor commander that if this was a sword fight, I wouldn’t have been better prepared? Don’t you remember anything I’ve told you about my kingdom? Now look what you’ve done! You’ve just caused me more trouble. Now I have to heal Malchus’ ear and keep you out of jail!“ But of course, Jesus didn’t say any of that.
What he did say was, “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” Jesus never loses His cool. He always speaks faith. And he always speaks truth in love. Always looking out for the good of others. Not only for their physical well-being, but also to help each one walk closely with God.
As Peter stood there with his mouth hanging open, the soldiers arrested Jesus and lead Him away. Peter ran for his life.
In his panic, Peter didn’t know what in the world to do. He ended up doubling back and followed Jesus at a safe distance to Caiaphas’ residence. Peter wasn’t sleepy now, for sure! He warmed himself by the fire in Caiaphas’ courtyard, in such a position that he could see Jesus and Jesus could see him. Peter, a man who always had something to say, didn’t want to talk now. He just wanted to be left alone, but the enemy was going to use a few ordinary people to “sift” Peter. They weren’t going to allow him some quiet time to think… or to pray.
Peter kept remembering what he had just told Jesus only an hour before…. that he was ready to die for him. But he wasn’t. He just couldn’t do it. He was beside himself with fear. We all know what Peter did. He did exactly what Jesus said he would do. It pains me too much to retell it. As soon as Peter denied Jesus the third time, the Bible says the rooster crowed, and Jesus turned and looked at him. I’m sure they locked eyes. I’m sure Jesus didn’t have a condemning or angry look. They both just knew.
Now Peter was beside himself with shame. My heart goes out to Peter. He was sick to his stomach over what he had done. He had denied even knowing his best friend. The best friend of all friends! With expletives, to boot! But he just couldn’t muster the courage to do anything else. All he could think of was getting out of there. And he did. He ran as fast as he could. The Bible says Peter wept bitterly.
Jesus prayed for Peter.