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Peter, An Apostle of Jesus Christ
What can be said about the apostle Peter that has not already been written, or sermons that have used him as a study in character? He is regarded by many scholars as the leader of the apostles, a part of Jesus’ inner circle. There is no doubt that Peter was a significant character in the New Testament, and this article is by no means a scholarly dissertation of the apostle Peter. The intent of this article is to show a few examples of Peter in the Scriptures that contrasts his personality while Jesus was with His disciples during His ministry, and after the apostles received the Holy Spirit and began to fulfill Jesus’ great commission to go out and make disciples of all nations.
When we are first introduced to Peter in the gospels, you can ascertain that Peter was a common, hardworking, and ordinary man. His personality traits could be described as impulsive, outspoken, somewhat selfish, and someone who wore his heart on his sleeve. Many have said they can relate to Peter, because in a lot of ways his personality traits are a lot like most of us. He was a flawed individual just like the rest of us, but Jesus chose Peter to follow Him.
In Matthew 16: 13-20, Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. This was a powerful acknowledgment of who Jesus was, and a demonstration of Peter’s faith in Jesus. However, shortly after this account, Jesus told his disciples that he would have to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and scribes, and then be killed. Peter, not understanding what Jesus was talking about, then impulsively responded from a selfish motive and rebuked Jesus by saying this would never happen. Jesus then rebuked Peter by saying, “get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Another account in John 13:1-10, just prior to Jesus being betrayed, He washed the disciples’ feet, and Peter again responded impulsively by saying, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus then answered Peter, “if I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Shortly after this account in verses 36-38 of the same chapter, Jesus explained to His disciples that He was going away, but that they would follow afterward. Peter again spoke out impulsively stated that He would lay down His life for Jesus, which Jesus then told Peter that he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed.
After Jesus ascended into Heaven, and after the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles in Acts 2:1-4, we begin to see a change in Peter. He began to speak with boldness that was God-centered and not self-centered. In Peter’s sermon at Pentecost in Acts 2:14-41, we see this boldness on full display when Peter showed no fear in preaching to them Jesus. Later in Acts 4:1-22 when Peter and John were arrested and brought before the council, the same men who crucified Jesus, Peter being filled with the Holy Spirit spoke with boldness about whose power they were able to heal the lame beggar. Afterward the council threatened Peter and John not to preach Jesus, but Peter and John answered, “whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” What a wonderful transformation that Peter had gone through, no longer focused on himself, but his focus was living for Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
This man Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ continued to preach and teach the gospel the rest of his life when he eventually was martyred. I cannot help but think as he was being martyred that he felt joy in suffering for the cause of Jesus Christ, considering the fact that he denied Jesus Christ when he was being unjustly accused and then crucified. This flawed individual gives all Christians hope that even though we may make many mistakes on our journey through life as a Christian, we do not give up hope and fall into despair. If we endure as Peter did and humble ourselves and put Jesus Christ first in our lives then we too will become bold, confident, and have no fear in standing for the truth just like Peter.
