Encouragement

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Don’t you just love Peter? He is one of my all-time favorite people in the Bible. Probably because he so relatable. He starts out as a regular old fisherman and ends up being the “rock” of the church. Talk about a success story!

Peter was just an ordinary fisherman when Jesus called him to service. Within a short time, he became a part of Jesus’ inner circle. Peter was a bit rough around the edges. He was known to have a temper and to curse a bit. He had little patience and didn’t tolerate fools. And he was very impulsive, guided more by his passions than his good sense. Who can’t relate to him? We are all a bit rag tag, if the truth were known. We probably all tend to get ticked off and lose what little patience we have. And we have most certainly been guided by our emotions when good sense should have prevailed. Yet Peter alone was chosen by Christ Himself, as the “rock” upon which He would build His church. Besides Jesus, Peter was the only man who has ever lived who walked on water. He was a man who spent most of his life spreading the Good News and building the early church. Not bad for a man who started out making his living in fish bait!

The story of Peter is chronicled in the Gospels and in the book of Acts. We also see his work in 1 and 2 Peter. From the Gospels, we learn how Peter came to be a part of the Twelve Disciples and how he grew to be closely acquainted with Jesus. Peter was there when the 5,000 were fed and when Jesus healed the blind and made the lame to walk. He witnessed the dead brought to life, even seeing his own mother-in-law healed. It was Peter who originally refused to allow Christ to wash his feet, and later swore his undying allegiance to Jesus. Peter was among those who watched Jesus calm the storm and who went with Him to Gethsemane. Peter was among those who fell asleep after they had been asked to keep watch, and he was one of those chastised by Christ for not “tarrying an hour.”

It was Peter, who, in a rage, cut off the ear of one of the soldiers who came to arrest Jesus and, yes, it was Peter who vehemently denied knowing Christ three times before the cock crowed. It was Peter who cried bitterly when he realized what he had done, and it was he who shamefully hid during the Crucifixion. It was Peter who ran to the tomb on the Resurrection morning and he was among those who found it empty. It was Peter who bore great guilt and felt great failure. It was Peter who fell back on the old ways, taking out the boat he was supposed to have sold, going back to his first occupation—fishing. It was Peter who leapt from that same boat, ripping off his own clothes, when he realized his Lord was on the shore. And it was Peter who could barely look into the eyes of Jesus, who could barely answer the Lord’s question: “Do you love me?” It was Peter who was told to “feed” the sheep. And feed them he did.

After that moment there on the shore, Peter was a new man. He became the “rock” Jesus had christened. His failures behind him, Peter went forward in confidence, preaching on the day of Pentecost, where the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and 3,000 converts were baptized and added to the new church. Peter later healed a man in the name of Jesus, saying “Silver and gold have I none, but such a I have, I give unto thee.” He defended the inclusion of the Gentiles in the church and was later called by Paul a “pillar” of the church. He went on to write two epistles and was eventually crucified (upside down) for his faith.

What a journey! From an ordinary fisherman, with nothing special to offer to a pillar of the Christian faith. Peter’s journey is an encouragement to us. It is the portrait of an imperfect person who was chosen by Christ for a most important job. Just as Peter failed over and over, we will often find ourselves failing in our Christian walk. Just as he let Jesus down time and again, so do we. We will find ourselves one-minute praising God and on top of our Christian game. The next minute, when we have had a trying day or when the boss is on our case or when we are just in a grumpy, ornery mood, then our Christian light fades a bit. In fact, in those times, we might not even look like Christians. In our zeal to make up for our faults and in our overwhelming love for Christ, we sometimes make mistakes. We “cut off the ears” of those who oppose our Christ. We “walk on water” only to be distracted by the very real problems of our lives. We sometimes even “deny” our Christ when we are challenged or when we are afraid of being persecuted by those who don’t believe. And always, we feel a bit ashamed in the presence of Christ, especially when we carry the memory of how often we have failed Him. We are Peter. And this is good news for us.

When Jesus came to Peter there on the shore, there was no condemnation. Jesus wasn’t surprised by any of Peter’s actions. In fact, Jesus had prophesied Peter’s betrayal. Jesus knew exactly what He was getting when He plucked Peter out of that fishing boat and said, “Follow me.” He knew exactly what He was doing when He said to Peter, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18 NIV). Peter was chosen specifically by Jesus, faults and all, for the purpose of building His church. On the beach that night, Jesus gives Peter His final order: “Feed my sheep.” There was no “I told you so, Peter” or “I knew you’d fail, Peter” or “Rock, my foot!” There was simply, “Do you love Me?... Then feed my sheep.” Christ’s confidence in Peter and His lack of condemnation were all that was needed to propel Peter into his rightful position. He became everything that Jesus said he was. And he never went back to fishing.

If you are struggling today because you think you’ve failed Jesus. If you feel that you will never measure up to what people think you are or what you think you should be, read Peter’s story and take heart. Jesus knew exactly what He was getting when He found you. He is not surprised by your flaws or your failures. In fact, He picked you because you are so uniquely you. He has chosen you for a special and divine purpose—a purpose that only you can fulfill. He is asking simply, “Do you love me?” He is saying simply, “Feed my sheep.” With these words, He gives you His stamp of approval.

What more do you need?




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