Peter: What Can We Learn From Peter's Life?નમૂનો

"You are Simon."

Peter (or Simon, as he is first called) is the most prominently spoken-of disciple in the Gospels. In every Gospel, his words are recorded more than those of any other disciple. Of particular note are the significant number of times his conversations with Jesus are recorded. His story carries over into the book of Acts and the New Testament letters. Who was this man? What can we learn from his story?

One of the first things we learn about him in our reading in John 1 is that he was the son of John and had a brother named Andrew. Andrew was the one who first introduced his brother to Jesus. At this first meeting, Jesus called Simon by name, but then immediately gave him a new name – Cephas, or Peter. While Cephas is Aramaic, and Peter is Greek, both names have the same meaning: rock. The exact reason for the new name is not recorded, but we can imagine that Jesus saw something in Peter that perhaps no one else saw, and knew that this name would form who Peter would become.

From the reading in Matthew, we can see that Peter had a mother-in-law. Thus, we can know he was married. No other disciple is recorded in the Gospels as having a wife. The apostle Paul later refers to Peter’s wife travelling with him during his ministry (1 Corinthians 9:5). Peter was a family man, but this did not stop him from following God’s call on his life, both during Jesus’ ministry and later after Jesus returned to heaven.

During Peter’s time as a disciple of Jesus, he truly was a student. He sat under revolutionary teaching that, in many ways, was counter-cultural to his Jewish upbringing. He witnessed Jesus perform countless miracles and had close conversations with Him. While very often not understanding Jesus’s full purpose as the Messiah, Peter had a front-row seat to all Jesus did to introduce the Kingdom of God on earth. After Jesus’s return to heaven, Peter took all that he saw and learned and, filled with the Holy Spirit, spent the rest of his life carrying on the messages of Jesus. Eventually, he was killed for it.

Reflection:

Jesus both knew Simon as he was, and saw who he could become. How does this encourage you in your relationship with God?