THE PATRIARCHS OF FAITH (PART 2): THE BECOMING OF PETER

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This past week has been a very busy one with a lot of things to do professionally speaking. Not only that but also other satellite 🛰️ projects I’ve been working on. I have a confession to make, can I? I have to admit that with all the running 🏃🏽‍♂️ about, I haven’t had as much time to dedicate to my prayer life 🙏🏽 and I have been beating myself up about it over the past week. But then, I remembered a devotion I once read entitled: Bolder: A Look At The Audacious Faith of Imperfect People, on the YouVersion Bible app – which I cannot recommend enough for any growing Christian – about the life of Peter the apostle. This devotion not only inspired me to write today’s blog but also comforted me in the fact that none of us are perfect 🤩, we all do our best and though we may fall short by trying to do things with our strength, we are made whole and perfect and can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, which just about sums up the life of Saint Peter.

From the accounts in the Bible, we can make ourselves an idea of Peter’s character. We know that he was a leader by the way he spearheaded the early church. We also know he was a devoted follower of Jesus and is counted among the inner circle ⭕️ of the apostles who were closest to Jesus. We know as well that he was loyal, loving, and determined. But Peter also was unsure and occasionally rash. At times he was fearful and showed flashes of considerable anger.

We do not know much about Peter’s life before Jesus came along, all we know from the Bible is that his original name was Simon or Simeon. We know that he was the son of Jona, also known as Jonah or John, and that he was born in Bethsaida, a little Galilean village that straddled the border of Jewish and Gentile territory but this was the very reason for which the Roman Empire had built this village into a thriving imperial outpost where Roman, Hellenist and Jewish Israelites were forced to coexist. We know he was living and working as a fisherman in Capernaum with his brother 👦🏽 Andrew and his father 👨🏽. Also, we know Simon was married and his mother-in-law sometimes lived with them.

The Becoming of Peter: Pre-Ascension

Next, we learn in John 1:35-40, after the accounts of Jesus’ baptism, that Andrew, Simon’s brother, was one of John the Baptist’s disciples who followed Jesus the day after he was baptized. We learn in verse 41, that Andrew comes to announce to his brother that they had found the Messiah. After which he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). ‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭42‬ ‭NIV‬‬. Peter is a common English masculine name that is derived directly from Greek Πέτρος, spelled Petros in the English alphabet. Petros is an invented, masculine form of Greek petra, the word for “rock” or “stone”, which itself was a translation of Aramaic Kefa (“stone, rock”). This was the new name Jesus gave to the apostle Simon Bar-Jona. With this dive into the etymology of the name that Jesus gave to Simon, we come to understand that Jesus was already prophesying into the life of Peter, as early as their very first meeting, about him becoming the rock on which the early church would be founded.

Peter is the only man apart from Jesus Himself, who is known to have walked on water. In Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, and John 6:16-21 there was a storm during which Jesus came walking on the water towards His disciples. In the book of Matthew, Jesus gives direct instructions to his disciples to get into the boat and when they see Him walking on the water and think He is a ghost, Jesus says: It is I, do not be afraid. But then who’s idea is it to get out of the boat? It’s Peter’s idea. Jesus agrees to it but He did not initially ask. What faith Peter must have had already in Jesus to make such a request of Him. As “fearo” 😨 as I am, I know even after having spent some time with Jesus already, and seeing him perform miracles like changing water 💧 into the choicest wine 🍷, I would still have had some doubts about stepping out of the boat. I think I would have chosen to remain in the questionable safety of the boat amidst a raging storm and allowed Jesus, whom I knew had some supernatural powers, to walk His way over the waters towards me. That being said, Peter must have been like the rest of us at that point since looking at the storm and the winds that were blowing, he took fright, started sinking, and cried for Jesus to save him. That was when Jesus reached out his hand and caught him and said “You of little faith”, “why did you doubt?” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬.

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 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. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭13‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬. This interaction cements Peter as the first among the Apostles. The Catholic Church also understands this narrative as the foundation of apostolic succession, or the idea that the bishops and popes of the Church have spiritual authority that is traced back to Peter.

Even after this great act of faith and subsequent validation from Jesus, Peter still denied Jesus three times in one night. Peter must have felt guilt beyond belief after Jesus looked up at him and the cock crowed, even beyond that, when Jesus was crucified because he had claimed shortly before that, that he was prepared to go to the grave with Jesus. But all this goes to show how very human he was, lest we forget that Peter was an ordinary fisherman before Jesus met him. But Jesus appeared to Peter post-resurrection in an account in John 21 where He reinstates Peter, and I believe, personally, that this is the interaction that fortifies Peter and sets him on the path of redemption. Let me know whether you agree, or not, with this assumption in the comments section.

The Becoming of Peter: Post-Ascension

Then commences the second phase of the becoming of Peter. After being reinstated and finding new zeal, he takes on his role as leader after Jesus’ ascension when he oversees the appointment of Matthias to replace Judas. For the kingdom of God to come, the twelve apostles needed to be united so Peter declared that another needed to take the place of the betrayer and Matthias was appointed. This is the first key that unlocks 🔐 a door in the Heavenly realm, because, some days later Pentecost happens. Peter is emboldened by the Holy Spirit to speak at Pentecost after which three thousand people gave their lives to Christ. I don’t know which church you attend today, but I doubt if any of the priests, reverends, or pastors at your church have been able to achieve such a feat as having an altar call that wins three thousand souls in one night alone. Especially considering that those times were different and that, you could suffer persecution for following Christ back then. Peter is given the keys to bringing people into the kingdom of heaven by preaching the Gospel to them, an authority which was later given to all who were called to proclaim the Gospel. We begin to see Peter and later the church as Christ’s divine image to the world. As I said earlier, this is the first of three keys that Peter will use to unlock the kingdom of heaven. This is the Jewish Pentecost. 

The second key unlocks what can be called the Samaritan Pentecost. These events transpire in Acts 8:4-25 starting from when Philip goes down to a city in Samaria and starts proclaiming the Messiah, up until when Peter and John return to Jerusalem after further proclaiming the word of the Lord and testifying about Jesus in Samaria. 

The third of the three keys unlocks the “Gentile Pentecost”, accounted for in Acts 10 from when Cornelius the centurion calls for Peter, through Peter’s vision about a sheet with clean and unclean animals 🦔 🦓 🦒 descending from heaven, to the gift of the Holy Spirit being poured out on all who listened to Peter’s preaching in Cornelius’ house, including the Gentiles. He then commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Surely, by now you are beginning to notice the great transformation of Peter from an ordinary, brash fisherman who was just a regular John Doe, to the great leader he was still becoming. All this was because of the faith he had in the Messiah.

Some texts account that Peter was martyred in Rome around 64-68 AD by being crucified upside down because he did not count himself worthy of being crucified the same way Jesus was. By this time, Peter had already written the words in his epistles: “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬, “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬. He must have been thinking these words at his crucifixion, free from any fear and full of faith in his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Conclusion

This brings us towards the end of our blog. However, certain facts need to be pointed out before we conclude. The first is that the Catholic Church believes Peter is the first Pope since Jesus said he was the rock on which he would build His church. The Eastern Orthodox Church also believes Peter to be the first Bishop of Antioch. Something big and reality-altering must have happened to this man to make him give up everything he had known to follow a God that had saved him literally from himself and through whom he, Peter, had become the rock 🪨 on which the church was built. This is what makes Peter our second patriarch of faith on the Mustard Seed Diaries.

Jesus corrected Peter often while He was with him, but picked him to begin to build His Church. Why? Peter was weak in a lot of ways, and he failed often but Jesus saw something in Peter that he could use. Peter needed to grow, but the ingredients were there already. Peter was willing to offer them up, to be corrected and redirected by Jesus when necessary, and to keep his eyes on, and faith in Jesus.

The Basilica of Saint Peter in Rome stands as a monument to a man who grew up in a small Galilean village some two thousand years ago. A man who deserved absolutely nothing, and yet by the sheer grace of God’s will, was grafted into the story of redemption. Indeed, Peter’s life is told as a story that represents all of us. In our imperfection, we are made perfect by God’s grace, Peter’s life stands as a testimony to the audacious faith of an imperfect race. 

And so once again, I don’t know who today’s blog is for but know that not me, not you, not even Abraham or Peter was perfect. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But that great man, that man Jesus, has ransomed us with His precious life and though we may still stumble and fall occasionally and start sinking into the depths of the oceans 🌊 of this life, He is always ready to reach out His hand to save us. The question though is, Will you step out of the boat? Have a blessed 😇 Sunday and see you next week 🙏🏽.