Simon was the brother of Andrew. He was a fisherman from Galilee. He had a family and a home in Capernaum. Andrew first encountered Jesus, but he quickly went to tell his brother, “We have found the Messiah and he brought him to Jesus.” (John 1:41-42) Simon would quickly become a follower of Jesus and soon would be amongst Jesus’ closest disciples.
Jesus undoubtedly recognized Simon’s great passion. Simon, also called Peter, was often the first disciple to speak out in difficult situations. He was the one who stepped out on the water with Jesus. It was Peter’s passion that helped him to boldly proclaim that Jesus is, “The Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) Simon’s passion led Jesus to say, “I tell you, you are Peter, on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:17) Peter was passionate, he was steadfast, he was the leader of the disciples, as they followed Jesus.
Peter’s passion failed on the night that Jesus was arrested. Peter followed Jesus to the house of the High Priest. He sat with the people gathered there, trying to stay close to Jesus. However, when the people began to question Peter, Peter’s passion for Jesus began to shrink. His worry for himself led Peter to deny his relationship with Jesus not once, but three times. In one night, Simon Peter went from being the zealous leader to the one who disowned his Lord.
In three short years, Peter became a leader of the disciples, and in one night he ran from Jesus and his faith. It was a terrible night for Peter. Everything Peter knew, he denied. Thankfully, Jesus demonstrated that our faith was about forgiveness and restoration, not punishment and condemnation. Shortly after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter and Jesus meet on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus restores Peter and calls him to, “Feed my sheep.” (John 12:17)
Simon Peter will go on to boldly lead the early church into brave new frontiers. He, along with the Apostle Paul, help to take the good news of Jesus to Gentiles. He helps to take the faith beyond a Jewish faith from Galilee to a worldwide faith for all. Peter boldly preaches the faith as the book of Acts opens with Pentecost and his work would eventually take him to Rome, where he would passionately preach the love and hope of Jesus until he is arrested and becomes a martyr for the sake of Christ.
We learn so much from Peter’s life. His faith is encouraging to us all. His failures lead to a testimony about the love and grace of God. We often wrestle with our successes and failures. After reading the story of Peter, how do you believe God deals with our failures? Do you see God as a God of grace and mercy? How does your life and faith reflect God’s grace? Are you slow to anger and judgement, or do you lead with mercy and grace? As God extends grace to us, let us start today to extend the same to others.
This Week:
Practice giving others the benefit of the doubt as to their intentions; believe they want to be the best they can be and offer them grace.
Questions to Consider:
- Would the people who know you best describe you as more likely to show judgment or offer grace?
- What are the occasions you remember being forgiven by someone?
- What does God’s grace mean to you?
Focus for the Week:
Be conscious of times where you are likely to hold a grudge against someone and focus on forgiving others (whether or not they request it). Forgiving someone is not the same as allowing someone to continue to harm you; forgiveness is what releases you from the prison of bitterness.
