mattbraunlin
Member
Peter: My Bumbling Soul-Brother
The four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - tell the story of Jesus’ life on Earth. And they are all about Jesus. The vast majority of these astounding texts deal with Jesus directly, and the rest of the time they deal with him indirectly. He is, at all times, the undisputed star of the show.However, our Savior is consistently surrounded by a fascinating cast of supporting characters, from his blessed mother Mary, to the wicked Pharisees, to the roguish John the Baptist and the traitorous Judas.
However, the figure in the Gospels who gets the most attention other than Jesus is Peter.
Peter was a simple fisherman, whose life was changed forever by a miraculous encounter with Jesus. He became one of his most devoted supporters, and is generally considered the leader of the twelve disciples, or Apostles, Christ’s closest and most prestigious followers.
All the disciples get at least an honourable mention in the Gospels, with a few getting distinct attention, but Peter by far is God's primary focus among these unbelievably blessed men.
So why? What made Peter worthy of such special attention?
Well, I would say that it is not only what made Peter worthy, but also made him unworthy. When it came to serving his Master, Peter was, to put it delicately, inconsistent.
One thing is certain: Peter loved Jesus. He was a relentlessly passionate supporter of his Saviour. He had many successes in the Gospels, including being one of the very first to discern Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. And in one of the most stupendous acts of faith of all time, he walked on stormy water by faith in Christ. (Full disclosure, he did eventually lose faith and sink, but he alone among the terrified disciples had the faith to step out of that boat.)
However, he also had a habit of messing up. Saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, and just coming up short when the chips were down. He tried to reprimand Christ for his mission to give up his life for us. He provoked a terrifying warning from the Almighty when he equated Jesus with lesser prophets during the divine encounter known as the Transfiguration. And let's not forget that Peter committed one of the most notorious sins in the entire Bible, denying any affiliation to Jesus in order to save his own skin.
I go out of my way to elaborate on the story of this profoundly imperfect man to put his ultimate destiny in its strange and paradoxical context:
It was Peter who was chosen and appointed by Christ as the founder and leader of the formidable new force known as the Church.
Catholics believe that this means Peter was the first Pope, while Protestants take it in a looser context as a simple position of authority. To be honest, I no longer care who is right, and anyway this is not my focus. My focus is this strange twist, this mysterious logic of God, in choosing Peter, of all people, as his chief representative, the rock upon which the Church was built.
By any human logic, it seems not just illogical, but downright dangerous. No human insurance angency would promote a man with such a checkered career, and God chose Peter to found the Church?!
But God always throws curve balls. Always. He does not think like we do, and he sees things that we don't. He saw that Peter was exactly the right fit for this most enormous of responsibilities. Read the Book of Acts to see just how right God was.
And should this not give us hope? It sure does me. I cling to Peter's story like a life preserver. I am such a grievous sinner. I have broken God's heart in my wrath and lust and pride. Yet I sit here peacefully, assured of the tasks God has assigned me, every bit the reckless fool that any man of God ever was.
Our sins and failures cannot be undone. But they can become the bad sections of a triumphant success-story, worthy of eternity. And for you, that begins the same way it did for Peter: by surrendering and dedicating your life to the real, True, undeniable Son of God, and following him wherever he would lead you.
Good hunting.