Bible Character Spotlight: Peter

                                   

The format and tone of the Bible shift pretty substantially going from the Old to the New Testament. The Old Testament covers thousands of years of history and introduces us to hundreds of different people playing a variety of roles in the story God tells us. The New Testament is the culmination of the story namely — the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While the New Testament is all about Jesus, He didn’t write a single word in it. Other people were tasked with telling His story, delivering His message, and executing His will in the building of His church.

Peter was one of the most important figures in the New Testament. So much so that he is recognized as the first Pope of the Catholic church. With such an important impact on our faith, you might think Peter was the paragon of a believer in Christ. Maybe he was, but that doesn’t mean he was perfect. In fact, Peter was a very flawed individual, and we see that clearly throughout the narrative of the New Testament.

Peter had humble beginnings as far as his walk with Jesus is considered. He wasn't a priest or prophet like many of the key figures in the Old Testament. He was a fisherman, a typical man living a typical life in his day. The difference between him and others at the time was that Jesus gave him a choice. Peter could have gone on living his life in the same mundane way as he had been doing or he could drop everything and follow Jesus. He chose the latter, and we shouldn’t ignore the significance of that decision. Imagine abandoning everything in your life: your family, your job, your routine, and your comforts just to follow a man that might be the Messiah. We have to remember that Peter wasn’t exactly sure that Jesus was the Messiah at that point. He might have suspected it, but the truth isn’t confirmed until sometime later (Matthew 16:13-16) after he had already chosen to follow Jesus. It was then that Jesus let Peter know how important he would be to the Faith.

Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. - Matthew 16:17-18

Given those facts, you might think that Peter’s faith was unwavering. You’d be incorrect. We see Peter falter multiple times. Jesus empowered him to walk on the water, but even after seeing it was possible, his faith wavered and caused him to sink.

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” - Matthew 14:28-30

Perhaps his most egregious act was when he denied his connection to Jesus. Even after declaring that his support was concrete, when put to the test, he didn’t stand up for the Messiah.

Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same. - Matthew 26:31-35

Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said. But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.” He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!” After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.” Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. - Matthew 25:69-75

Peter messed up, and Jesus knew he would. Jesus was aware of Peter’s weaknesses and faults even when he first selected Peter to be a disciple. Yet, He chose Peter anyway and put him in a position to lead after He was gone. Peter went on to do big things. On the Day of Pentecost, it was Peter that stepped up and addressed the people following the advent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:14-41). While Paul was the primary figure spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles, it was Peter that opened the door for it to happen (Acts 10:23-48). Throughout the New Testament’s story, we get to see Peter playing an important part of the early Christian movement. He even wrote two of the books of the New Testament.

He didn’t suddenly become perfect. In one of his letters, Paul mentions having to confront Peter about his hypocrisy (Galatians 2:11-14). Still, Peter’s cosign of Paul’s work both in their meeting (Galatians 1:18-20) and in Peter’s own writing (2 Peter 3:14-16) helped legitimize Paul as a true apostle.

It would be easy to look at Peter’s faults and question why Jesus chose him. That would be missing the point, though. Maybe, those faults are the reason Jesus chose him. We should be able to see ourselves in Peter because we are imperfect beings. We also have lapses in faith. We too fall short of the standard Jesus set. However, just like Peter, we can move past all of that and still serve God to the best of our abilities. We can have an impact not in spite of our weaknesses, but sometimes because of our weaknesses.

Peter wasn’t alone in his weakness. Every important figure in the Bible but Jesus was a sinner. They all made mistakes. They all fell short. We do ourselves a disservice when we place Biblical figures on pedestals. Sure, they were very important in the grand scheme of things, but they were still just people. It wasn’t some unique quality or attribute that made them great. They stood apart because when God called on them, they heard Him and obeyed. We can do the same thing. We can be great just like them.

Chris Lawyer