Chapter One
PETER THE MANOf the many individuals portrayed in the pages of the Holy
Scriptures, the apostle Peter is outstanding. We are drawn to
him because he was so typically human, and we can identify
with his successes and failures. Peter was the kind of person
who had an opinion on every subject and expressed it on every
occasion. His forcefulness caused him to appear forward-and
even rash.
On the positive side, Peter was eager, energetic, self-confident,
daring, aggressive, hopeful, bold, and courageous. But,
like most of us, Peter had a negative side to his character. At
times before Christ's ascension, Peter was also fickle, weak,
impulsive, cowardly, inconsistent, and sometimes unstable.
Who was this man whom the Lord called to be an apostle?
Why did he change? What experiences influenced him?
HIS BACKGROUND
Name and Family
Although this apostle is known primarily by the name Peter,
his given name was Simon, or more properly, Simeon (John
1:40-42). "Simeon" is a Hebrew name, but there is no proof
that Peter was a descendant of the tribe of Simeon. Concerning
his family, we know only that he was the son of John (John
21:15) and that he had a brother named Andrew (John 1:40).
The Bible does not say whether Peter was older or younger than
Andrew.
Places of Residence
The first mention of Peter's residence appears in John 1:44,
where we read: "Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of
Andrew and Peter." Bethsaida is located on the northern shore
of the Sea of Galilee. Later, after the Lord called Peter into His
service, Peter was residing in Capernaum with Andrew (Mark
1:21, 29).
Education
The New Testament does not give specific details regarding
Peter's formal education. However, we read in Acts 4:13 that
the religious leaders were amazed at the confidence of Peter and
John because they were "uneducated and untrained men."
From this, some have concluded that Peter had not received any
kind of formal schooling. Such a conclusion misrepresents the
statement of the religious leaders and discredits Peter. The real
implication of this statement is that Peter and John were
unschooled in rabbinical lore, and the religious leaders marveled
that Peter and John, being laymen, understood the meaning
of the Scriptures they quoted. Peter undoubtedly had received
the elementary education given Jewish boys of that day.
Occupation
Like many others reared in a fishing village on the Sea of
Galilee, Peter and his brother Andrew were fishermen by trade.
Since a boy usually learned the trade of his father, it is reasonable
to conclude that Peter's father was also a fisherman. Peter and
Andrew were partners in their business enterprise with a man
named Zebedee and his sons, James and John. The fact that Peter's
father is not mentioned in connection with the business may imply
that he was deceased (see Luke 5:7; cf. Mark 1:20). Apparently the
business was very lucrative since Peter's home in Capernaum was
large, accommodating at one time not only his immediate family,
but also the Lord and the other disciples (Mark 1:29-34).
Marital Status
Although very little is known concerning the marital status
of the rest of the disciples, there are several references to Peter
being married. One of the early miracles of Jesus was the healing
of Peter's mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31). We know that his
wife traveled with him in his ministry (1 Cor. 9:5; note that
Cephas is the Aramaic form of the name "Peter"). It is possible
that she was with Peter in "Babylon" when he wrote 1 Peter.
The Greek text simply says, "she at Babylon" (1 Peter 5:13)
and probably refers to Peter's wife, who was also sending her
greeting.
His Call to Service
In Bethany
When John the Baptist pointed his disciples to Jesus, the one
named Andrew immediately went to find his brother Simon.
When Jesus met Simon, He said, "You are Simon the son of
John; you shall be called Cephas" (John 1:42). The writer of the
fourth gospel added the explanatory note that Cephas is translated
Peter, which means in Greek a stone (from petros). Jesus,
no doubt, was giving Simon a descriptive title, but the title of
"stone" became his personal name. He is the only individual in
the New Testament called by this name.
In Capernaum
While John 1 records the first meeting of the Lord Jesus Christ
and Peter, it is doubtful that Peter and the others mentioned
there became His constant companions immediately. They apparently
went back to their fishing for a period of time. Later, when
the Lord began His ministry in Capernaum, He enlisted His disciples
on a permanent basis. We read: "When they had brought
their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him" (Luke
5:11; see also Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20).
HIS SERVICE UNDER JESUS CHRIST
The Ranking of the Disciples
Whenever the disciples are listed in the New Testament,
Simon Peter's name always appears first (Matt. 10:2-4; Mark
3:16-19; Luke 6:13-16; Acts 1:13). Some reason that this is
because Peter was one of the first chosen to follow the Lord.
Others believe Peter's natural aggressiveness marked him out as
the leader of the disciples. Peter often spoke on behalf of the disciples,
and the Lord occasionally addressed Peter as representing
the entire body of disciples. The disciples, however, never
conceded the place of leadership to Peter, as evidenced by their
continual arguments about greatness (Matt. 20:20-28; Mark
9:33-34; Luke 22:24-27). While Peter's name appears first in
every list, it is clear that the Lord Jesus was the leader of the disciples,
each of whom had equally important responsibilities to
fulfill.
The Inner Circle
Among Jesus' disciples, Peter, James, and John enjoyed a
unique position, which has resulted in their being referred to as
"the inner circle." The New Testament does not explain why
the Lord permitted only these disciples to share three special
experiences. Perhaps it was related to their future ministries.
The first special experience that these three disciples witnessed
was the restoration of the daughter of Jairus back to
life (Mark 5:37-43; Luke 8:51-56). Only her mother, her
father, Peter, James, and John were permitted to view the actual
miracle.
The second event took place on the Mount of Transfiguration
when Jesus talked with Moses and Elijah concerning His
coming death (Matt. 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 9:28-36). Peter
was correct in understanding that this event foreshadowed the
kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth, and he wanted to enter it
immediately. Peter was wrong, however, in his expectation that
the kingdom would be established at once.
The third event witnessed by these three took place in the
Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:37-46; Mark 14:33-42).
There they saw the agony of our Lord as He talked with His
heavenly Father concerning the trials before Him. These events
undoubtedly made indelible impressions on Peter's mind and
affected his later ministry.
The Great Testimony
Peter made a key statement in response to a question from
Jesus: "Who do people say that the Son of man is?" (Matt.
16:13). Various disciples answered, "John the Baptist . Elijah
. Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." The Lord's next question
was, "But who do you say that I am?" It was Peter who
answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (vv.
14-16), thereby demonstrating divinely given insight. Most
people believed that the Messiah would be a man elevated to the
office of Messiah, but Peter's answer revealed that he believed
Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God.
The Lord's response to Peter's confession has been the subject
of great debate throughout church history. It is the author's
opinion that Peter is not the rock on which the church was to be
built. Peter, as well as the other apostles, was one of the foundation
stones (Eph. 2:20), but the Christ, as professed by Peter in
Matthew 16, is the rock (the petra in the Greek) on which the
church has been built. That Peter (petros in the Greek) never
considered himself to be the rock, is clear from 1 Peter 2:4-8.
The nature of the "keys" that were given to Peter (Matt.
16:19) has also been the subject of much debate. The "keys"
were probably symbols of authority that the apostles possessed
relating to the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Peter
did not have exclusive possession of this authority (see Matt.
18:18 and John 20:23); rather it was possessed by the entire
apostolic band. Peter clearly used his authority in opening the
Gospel to the Jews on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), to the people
of Samaria (Acts 8), and to Gentile believers (Acts 10-11).
The Great Stumbling Block
Shortly after Peter had made the greatest statement in his
life, he clearly revealed his fallibility. Matthew 16:21 relates
that Jesus began to tell the disciples that He must go to
Jerusalem, be killed, and then be raised on the third day. It
seems that Peter heard only that Jesus must be killed. Mathew
tells us that Peter took the Lord aside and began to rebuke Him
saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You"
(v. 22). Peter tried to persuade Jesus from His announced path
of suffering and death. The Lord, however, saw in Peter's action
Satan working to keep Him from the cross. He rebuked Peter
with the sharp retort, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling
block to Me" (v. 23).
HIS ACTIVITIES DURING PASSION WEEK
Opening Events
The Scriptures do not record that Peter was involved in the
early events of Passion Week, but it is quite probable he and
other disciples were present when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on
the colt, when many of them recognized His entry to be the fulfillment
of Messianic prophecies in Zechariah 9:9 and Psalm
118:26 (see Luke 19:37-38). They probably saw Him cleanse
the temple and listened to Him debate with the Jewish leaders.
The Passover Feast
The Lord visited Jerusalem in order to celebrate the Passover
feast. According to Luke 22:8, He sent Peter and John to
make preparations for the observances of the Passover. This
meant finding the Upper Room where the meal would take
place, securing the proper sacrifice, offering the sacrifice in the
temple, and preparing the meal for the evening. At dinner, Jesus
began to wash the feet of the disciples (John 13:2-20), which
was the task of the host. Peter objected, for he felt it was not fitting
for him to be served in this way by his Lord. Jesus performed
this symbolic act to show the necessity for daily cleansing
from sin for the child of God. The Lord told Peter that
unless He washed his feet, Peter could not share His blessing.
Peter then asked the Lord to wash his hands and head also. But
the Lord patiently reminded Peter that he had already bathed
and therefore he needed only to wash his feet. The child of God
receives a complete "bath" when he comes to know Christ as
his Savior. Therefore, he does not need another "bath" when he
sins. He needs only to "wash his feet," that is, to confess his sin
and receive forgiveness (cf. 1 John 1:9).
During the Passover feast, it was Peter who prompted John
to ask the Lord who would betray Him (John 13:24), and the
Lord predicted that Peter would deny Him three times before
the cock would crow (John 13:38).
The Garden and Trials
From the Upper Room, the disciples (including Peter) went
with Jesus to Gethsemane, where they were privileged to see
Him in prayer. When the Roman soldiers, accompanied by
Judas, came to arrest the Lord, Peter stepped forward and drew
his sword in Christ's defense (John 18:10). He cut off the ear of
Malchus, a servant of the high priest, but the Lord stopped him,
touched the ear, and healed the man (Luke 22:51).
When the other disciples fled into the night, Peter and
"another disciple" (probably John; [John 18:15]) followed his
Master from a distance. Later, as he sat around a campfire,
Peter was identified as an associate of the Lord. As had been
predicted, Peter then denied Jesus three times. As He was being
led from one trial to another, Jesus turned and looked at Peter
(Luke 22:61). When Peter met his Master's gaze, he was filled
with remorse and went out and wept bitterly in deep repentance
over his sin.
The Morning of the Resurrection
We do not know whether Peter witnessed the crucifixion of
the Lord, for the Scripture is silent on that fact. But we do know
he was in Jerusalem on the morning of the Resurrection, since
the angel that appeared to the women instructed them to tell
Peter that Jesus had arisen (Mark 16:7). When Peter heard the
news, he ran with John to the tomb. Peter was the first disciple
to enter the tomb and see the grave clothes (John 20:2-8). It has
been assumed by many that the Lord appeared to Peter on the
day of His resurrection. According to Paul, He appeared to
Peter after the Resurrection, before He appeared to the Twelve
(1 Cor. 15:5).
HIS MOVEMENT FROM CHRIST'S RESURRECTION
TO THE ASCENSION
Fishing in Galilee
Some time after the Resurrection, Peter said, "I am going
fishing" (John 21:3). In Galilee he was met by the Lord, who
gave him a threefold commission to serve Him (John 21:15-23).
Following this meeting, Peter returned to Jerusalem.
Waiting in Jerusalem
At His last appearance to the disciples, Jesus commanded
them to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism of the Holy Spirit
(Acts 1:4-5). Peter and the others were privileged to see Him
ascend into heaven and heard the promise from the angel that
the Lord would return to earth just as He had gone into heaven
(Acts 1:11).
While the disciples were waiting, as they had been commanded,
Peter urged his brethren to select someone to fill the
position vacated by Judas. He pointed out that Judas' denial of
the Lord was a fulfillment of prophecy (Acts 1:15-22). Some
expositors have criticized Peter's actions, saying that Paul, not
Matthias, was the twelfth apostle. Yet, the term "the Twelve"
had become a common designation for the disciples, and it must
have been a source of great embarrassment that the Twelve had
become eleven. Possibly their opponents made fun of the disciples,
emphasizing that there had been a traitor within their
ranks. Perhaps Peter wanted to squelch such criticism and make
"the Twelve" really twelve again.
HIS MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH
On the Day of Pentecost
When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples on the Day of
Pentecost, the disciples began to speak in the languages of the
Jews who were gathered from all over the Roman Empire to celebrate
the feast (Acts 2:4-11). It was Peter, however, who stood
up to deliver what could be called the main address of the day.
Continues.
