The Apostle Peter (martyred for the Lord 65 AD)
READ: John 6:66-69; John 21:15-19; 1 Peter 4:12-19; 2 Peter 1:3-11
It was to Peter and his brother,
Andrew, who Jesus said, “Come, and I will make you fishers of men.” This
appealed to Peter, who loved action and adventure. Peter was a firecracker. He
spoke and acted quickly, often at the expense of common sense and wisdom. At
least this is the Peter we see throughout most of the gospels. His immaturity
got him into some trouble, but he also had a wonderful childlike faith. Peter
was the first to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God, but also the first to defend
Jesus as if He were just an ordinary man in need of defense! Yet it was this
young man whom Jesus chose to be in His inner circle – to disciple most closely
– and though we don’t see much maturity in Peter within the four gospels, a
changed man is evident in the book of Acts. Peter’s encounter with the
resurrected Jesus as described by John was a key point in the discipleship
process. Over fish and a fire, Jesus revealed the unchanging nature of His love
and mercy to Peter, reinstating him to ministry while also alluding to the
reality of the suffering that would come in Peter’s life.
In the book of Acts, we see an
emboldened Peter preaching and healing in the name of Jesus, and thousands
coming to Christ as a result. The rest of Acts, and Peter’s own letters, reveal
the deep maturing work that God did in his heart over the years. His two
letters describe a man of unwavering commitment to Jesus who preaches obedience
and the reality of suffering and the reward that is to be found in heaven.
Having experience firsthand the kindness and compassion of Jesus, Peter was
willing to follow Him to the death. After years of serving the new Christian
church, Peter journeyed to Rome where Emperor Nero sought to have him killed.
Urged by the Roman believers to flee, Peter escaped the city, but on the road
out, he had a vision of Jesus walking the other way, back into the city. Upon
asking Jesus where He was going, the Lord responded “I’ve come to be crucified
again.” Peter knew this was Jesus telling him to return and face Nero. Peter
was crucified in Rome. History tells us that he felt unworthy to be hung in the
same position as the Lord, and so requested to be crucified upside-down. Peter
knew where his hope lay. In this he could, in his own words, “greatly rejoice, though now for a little
while [he would] suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These [had] come so that [his]
faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire
– [could] be proved genuine and [could] result in praise, glory and honour when
Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)
JOURNALING AND PRAYER
1. Where do you feel weak in your faith?
2. Ask God how He wants to grow your faith this summer. What does He want to do in your heart?
3. Thank God for what He has shown you, and pray that it would become a reality in your life.
