Disciples of Jesus – Peter – 8th January 2016

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16).

Simon Peter, son of Jonas, was a fisherman who lived in Bethsaida and Capernaum. As we can learn after the death of Jesus, Peter did evangelistic and missionary work among the Jews, going as far as Babylon. He was a member of the Inner Circle and authored the two New Testament epistles which bear his name. Tradition says he was crucified, head downward, in Rome. In every apostolic list, the name Peter is mentioned first. However, Peter had other names. At the time of Christ, the common language was Greek and the family language was Hebrew. So his Greek name was Simon (Mark 1:16; John 1:40, 41). Simon Peter’s Hebrew name was Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:22; 9:5 and Galatians 2:9). The Greek meaning of Simon is rock. The Arabic meaning of Cephas is also rock.

By trade, Peter was a fisherman. He was a married man as we can learn from 1 Corinthians 9:5, “Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? His home was Capernaum. Jesus probably made His headquarters there when He visited Capernaum. Peter was also a Galilean as was typical of many of the other disciples. Josephus described the Galileans this way, "They were ever fond of innovation and by nature disposed to change and delighted in sedition. They were ever ready to follow the leader and to begin an insurrection. They were quick in temper and given to quarreling and they were very chivalrous men." The Talmud says this of the Galileans, "They were more anxious for honor than for gain, quick-tempered, impulsive, emotional, easily aroused by an appeal to adventure, loyal to the end." When we read this we can observe that Simon Peter’s attitude and actions were quite similar to that description.

Peter was a typical Galilean. Among the twelve, Peter was the leader. He stands out as a spokesman for all the twelve Apostles. It is he who asked the meaning of the difficult saying in Matthew 15:13-15, “ He replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. 14 Leave them; they are blind guides.[d] If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”15 Peter said, “Explain the parable to us.” From the gospels we can also learn that it is he who asked how often he must forgive as we can read from Matthew 18:21, “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

It is he who was called a stumbling block by Jesus as we learn from Matthew 16:22-23, “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “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.” It is he who first confessed Jesus and declared Him as the Son of the Living God as we can learn from Matthew 16:16, “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” It is he who was at the Mount of Transfiguration. It is he who saw Jairus' daughter raised to life. Yet, it is he who denied Christ before a maiden. He was an Apostle and a missionary who lay down his life for his Lord. It is true, Peter had many faults, but he had always the saving grace of the loving heart. No matter how many times he had fallen and failed, he always recovered his courage and integrity.

Peter was martyred on a cross. Peter requested that he might be crucified head downward for he was not worthy to die as his Lord had died. His apostolic symbol is a cross upside down with crossed keys. Peter the apostle is one of the most prominent characters in the Gospels, a rough and tumble man

whose emotions often got him into trouble, and yet he was clearly one of the favorites of Jesus Christ, who loved him for his big heart. With his brother Andrew, Simon Peter was a follower of John the Baptist. When Andrew introduced Simon to Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus renamed Simon Cephas, an Aramaic word meaning "rock." The Greek word for rock, "petros," became this apostle's new name, Peter. He is the only Peter mentioned in the New Testament. His aggressiveness made Peter a natural spokesman for the twelve. Often, however, he spoke before he thought, and his words led to embarrassment. We can learn Jesus included Peter in his inner circle when he took Peter, James, and John disciples whom Jesus chose to witness the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9).

From the Gospel we can learn that same three, Peter, James, and John saw Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33-42).Most of us remember Peter for denying Christ three times during the night of Jesus' trial. Following his resurrection, Jesus took special care to rehabilitate Peter and assure him he was forgiven. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the apostles. Peter was so overcome that he began to preach to the crowd. Acts 2:41 tells us 3,000 people were converted that day. Through the remainder of that book, we can also learn that Peter and John were persecuted for their stand for Christ. Early in his ministry, Simon Peter preached only to Jews, but God gave him a vision in Joppa of a huge sheet containing all types of animals, warning him not to call anything made by God impure. Peter then baptized the Roman centurion Cornelius and his household and understood that the gospel is for all people.

Tradition says that persecution of the first Christians in Jerusalem led Peter to Rome, where he spread the gospel to the fledgling church there. Legend has it that the Romans were going to crucify Peter, but he told them he was not worthy to be executed in the same manner as Jesus, so he was crucified upside down. The Roman Catholic Church claims Peter as its first pope.

Accomplishments of Peter the Apostle: After being invited by Jesus to come, Peter got out of his boat and walked on water (Matthew 14:28-33). Peter correctly identified Jesus as the Messiah: Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16). He was chosen by Jesus to witness the transfiguration. After Pentecost, Peter boldly proclaimed the gospel in Jerusalem, unafraid of arrest and persecution. Most scholars consider Peter the eyewitness source for the Gospel of Mark. He also penned the books 1 Peter and 2 Peter.Peter the Apostle's Strengths: Peter was a fiercely loyal man. Like the other 11 apostles, he left his occupation to follow Jesus for three years, learning from him about the kingdom of heaven. Once he was filled with the Holy Spirit after Pentecost, Peter was a fearless missionary for Christ.Peter the Apostle's Weaknesses: Simon Peter knew great fear and doubt. He let his passions rule him instead of faith in God. During Jesus' final hours, Peter not only abandoned Jesus but denied three times that he even knew him.Life Lessons from Peter the Apostle: When we forget that God is in control, we overstep our limited authority. God works through us in spite of our human frailties. No offense is too great to be forgiven by God. As Christians we need to bear in mind that we can accomplish great things when we put our faith in God instead of ourselves.