Long before the Apostle Peter preached his first sermon as a leader in the early Church (Acts 2:14-40), he was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He was a bold and loyal follower of Christ to the end.
Well, mostly.
Peter’s story is an interesting one. It’s a story about a flawed man with a great ending.
Peter was a career fisherman when Jesus first asked him to follow Him (Matthew 4:18-20). Like other disciples, Peter had his own unique background and temperament. He came to be known as a man with loads of passion but with a mouth that got him into trouble sometimes.
Peter was a guy who could be impulsive and overly outspoken, but he also allowed Jesus to correct him. In Peter, we see the grace and patience of our Lord, and how He works with flawed followers (like all of us).
We can learn a lot from Peter’s story.
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. Matthew 16:13–18
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 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.” Matthew 16:21-23
What a reversal of favour Peter seemed to have had in the space of just a few verses!
- First, Peter grasps and boldly declares exactly who Jesus is – and Jesus commends him.
- A short while later, Peter makes a serious error in judgement – and Jesus corrects him.
If Peter titled this chapter of his memoirs, it might have read something like this, “My leadership track was going great until Jesus called me Satan!” Peter received a severe reprimand from Jesus after he dared to rebuke Jesus regarding His plan of redemption.
Jesus commended Peter as well as corrected him—all for his own good. Jesus will do the same with us if we follow Him closely. If we truly trust Him, we can’t be offended when He corrects our errors in judgment. Jesus is helping us, even if it bruises our egos at the time.
Peter recovered just fine and remained a faithful disciple. He didn’t run away in self-pity and tell the other disciples how mean Jesus was. He kept learning and adapting to what Jesus expected of him.
Contrast that with another disciple, the one named Judas. He went a different route and had a very bad ending (John 12:1-8, Matthew 27:3-5).
During Jesus’ arrest and trial, Peter failed hard again by denying Christ three times (Luke 22:54-62). Afterwards, he wept tears of regret but was still seen running to the tomb after news of Jesus’ resurrection (John 20:1-10). Later, when Jesus appeared to the disciples, He restored Peter to fellowship (John 21:1-20), and the rest is Church history.
Jesus never gave up on a flawed Peter, and He won’t give up on you, either.
There was a key to Peter’s recovery:
After each failure, Peter made a habit of running to Jesus, rather than running from Him.
If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding. Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor. Proverbs 15:32–33
How do you handle correction? How do you handle failure? When was the last time you allowed God to correct you through His Word, His Spirit, or a pastor or mentor or brother in Christ?
The severe reprimand from Jesus was actually a huge blessing for Peter. It prepared him to honour God in the role he would soon have in the Church.
Jesus still calls and leads flawed followers. If we comply with His corrections along the way, we can get our great ending as well.
About
