simon peter a rock moved by god peter: a rock moved by god e arthquakes move rocks— and people....

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Q0731

SIMON PETER:A ROCK MOVED BY GOD

EEarthquakes move rocks—and people. And when the ground under our

feet begins to shake, our view of the world changes.

Something like that happenedto a first-century fishermannamed Simon. When Jesus came into his life, the groundunder his feet began to shake.

In the following pages, RBC Associate Bible Teacher Bill Crowder gives us a fresh look at a series of unexpectedevents in Simon’s life that shookhim to the core but that Jesusused to transform him into Peter, which means “rock.”

There’s a lot that we can learn from Peter’s struggle tobecome “rocklike”—stable andconsistent. And in the strengththat only Jesus can give, we toocan have victory over ourfailures. Mart De Haan

Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo: iStockphotoUnless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.All rights reserved.© 2009 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTS

When The Earth Moves . . . . . . . . . . 2

The Man And The Messiah . . . . . . . . . . 3

Shaken By The Power Of Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Shaken By Distraction . . . . . . . . . . 10

Shaken ByJesus’ Rebuke . . . . . . . . 15

Shaken By The FailureTo Prepare . . . . . . . . . . 25

Life Is A Journey . . . . . . 31

Q0731 Simon Peter pp.qxp 1/29/09 10:10 AM Page 1

WHEN THEEARTH MOVES

IIn the mid-1980s, my wife and I moved ourlittle family to Los

Angeles so that I couldpastor a church there.Within months of our arrival on the West Coast,we found ourselves smack in the middle of the Whittierearthquake of 1987.

Where do you hide when the ground itselfshakes? Where do you run for cover when terrafirma is no longer firm?It was one of the mostunsettling experiences of my life.

Earthquakes comesuddenly and withoutwarning. And they are a picture of the kind ofinstability that can shakeour lives. In addition, theyforce us to admit that we arefrail and inadequate. Theyforce us to see things aboutourselves that we probably

would rather not know. Having experienced

an earthquake and itsresulting emotional impact,I’m reminded of a man inthe Bible whose life wasprofoundly affected by a series of unexpectedmoments and events thatshook him to the core. Hisname was Simon, son ofJonah—who later becameknown as Peter.

Peter’s story can be told around some of theearthquake-like momentsthat shook him out of self-confidence and deep conviction and intoemotional episodes of fearand indecision. As a result,we can view his life bycomparing it to a seismicgraph that shows times ofrelative stability marked by occasional quakes andtremors that helped to definehis life and bring him into adeeper awareness of hisspiritual need.

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© 2009 RBC Ministries

THE MAN AND THE MESSIAH

PPeter’s spiritual journeybegan, or at least

changed dramatically,when he was introduced tothe long-awaited Messiah of Israel.

John the Baptizer hadbeen preaching his messageof repentance and hadgathered a number offollowers. But then he beganto turn their focus awayfrom himself to Jesus ofNazareth. He wanted tomake it clear that Jesus, nothimself, was the promisedMessiah of Israel. One ofJohn’s followers, a Galileanfisherman by the name ofAndrew, turned from Johnthe Baptizer to follow Jesus, and then brought his brother Simon to meetthe teacher he believed to be the Messiah.

One of the two who heardJohn speak, and followedHim, was Andrew, Simon

Peter’s brother. He firstfound his own brotherSimon, and said to him,“We have found theMessiah” (which istranslated, the Christ).And he brought him toJesus. Now when Jesuslooked at him, He said,“You are Simon the son ofJonah. You shall be calledCephas” (Jn. 1:40-42). Cephas is Aramaic for

the Greek name Petros,which literally means“stone” or “rock.” In thatannouncement, Jesus didmore than give Simon anickname. He changed hisname in anticipation of whatHe would do with Peter.

A stone or a rock is apicture of stability. But thename that Jesus gave Simonseems to conflict not onlywith his personality but withsome of the events of Peter’slife over the next 3 years. In comparing Peter tofireworks, one writer saidthat Peter was not like a

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sparkler or a smoke bomb—he was like a rocket with a faulty fuse. He was toorough, too outspoken, andtoo underqualified.

Nevertheless, Jesus called him. Simon was not a man who would be quietlytucked in on the fringes ofJesus’ followers. He washigh maintenance. Thoughunpolished, untrained, and uneducated, he wouldbecome the spokesman of a group that would turn theworld upside down.

Still, Peter may be theeasiest disciple for us torelate to. The Scripturesmake his life an open bookby describing not only his

strengths and successes butalso his unexpected failuresthat rocked him to the core. Let’s look at four of thesedefining moments.

SHAKEN BY THE POWER OF CHRIST

IIn Luke 5 we find Peter soshaken by his encounterwith Jesus that it led to a

seismic shift in his thinking.

A CALL FOR PETER’SINVOLVEMENT

So it was, as the multitudepressed about Him to hearthe word of God, that Hestood by the Lake ofGennesaret, and saw twoboats standing by thelake; but the fishermenhad gone from them andwere washing their nets.Then He got into one of the boats, which wasSimon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the

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Peter was not like a sparkler or a

smoke bomb—hewas like a rocketwith a faulty fuse.



land. And He sat downand taught the multitudesfrom the boat (Lk. 5:1-3).The scene is the “Lake

of Gennesaret” (the Sea ofGalilee). The crowds weregathering to hear Jesus teach, and a small group of fishermen were also there cleaning their netsafter a long night of fishing.

Today people fish forrelaxation and sport, but formany in first-century Galilee,fishing was about survival. It taxed every ounce of theirenergy as they rowed, castnets, and hauled in the nets.On this occasion, the boatsand nets had been empty allnight. In that setting, Jesusfocused on one of the boatsand its owner—Simon.

As we’ve already seen,this was not the Teacher’sfirst contact with Peter (Mt.4:18-20; Mk. 1:16-20; Jn.1:40-42). Prior to this, Peterhad become a nominalfollower of Jesus. But nowthe Messiah was laying

claim on all that Peter was—and He began by using whatlittle Peter had.

Jesus sat down to teach,using Simon’s boat as apulpit—and for Simon, whatwas about to happen wouldso shake his world that Lukewould later record, “WhenSimon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees,saying, ‘Depart from me, forI am a sinful man, O Lord!’ ”(5:8).

What was it that wouldbring Peter to this point?The events leading up tothat moment deserve ourthoughtful attention.

AN INDICATION OF JESUS’ IDENTITY

When He had stoppedspeaking, He said toSimon, “Launch out intothe deep and let downyour nets for a catch.” ButSimon answered and saidto Him, “Master, we havetoiled all night and caughtnothing; nevertheless at

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Your word I will let down the net.” And whenthey had done this, theycaught a great number of fish, and their net wasbreaking. So they signaledto their partners in theother boat to come andhelp them. And they cameand filled both the boats,so that they began to sink(vv.4-7).Jesus finished His

teaching, then turned toSimon—who was a captiveaudience at the time. Hisinstructions to Simon to“launch out into the deepand let down your nets”come across more like anorder than a suggestion. And they ran contrary toeverything Simon knewabout fishing. In the Sea ofGalilee, fishing was done atnight near the shore—not inthe daytime out in the deep.So it’s understandable thatSimon would respond withan argument: “We havetoiled all night and caught

nothing.” Even though he had been unsuccessful,he was certainly an expert.For Jesus to expect such an action after a long,frustrating night must haveseemed unreasonable. ButJesus had his boat, and nowHe wanted Simon’s nets—and his will.

The story is told that the Duke of Wellington, thegreat British commanderwho defeated Napoleon’sforces at the Battle ofWaterloo during theHundred Days War in 1815,once gave a command toone of his generals, whothen responded that it wasan impossible command toexecute. The Duke told him, “You go ahead and do it, because I don’t giveimpossible commands.”Jesus doesn’t give impossiblecommands either—a truthPeter discovered when hefinally obeyed.

This is an important stepin Peter’s growth. It seems

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as though he initiallyquestioned Christ’scommand when he said,“We have toiled all nightand caught nothing.” But then the text says,“Nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” Hedid what he was told, eventhough all his professionalskills told him it was a royalwaste of time. Notice that he called Jesus “Master.” He didn’t call Him “Rabbi” or “Teacher” here. He usedthe Greek word epistates,which in this context can betranslated “Captain of theBoat.” Peter knew who wasin charge, so he responded to the word of Christ andobeyed—even though hecouldn’t comprehend how it would make a difference.

What was the result?Although it seemed utterlyimpossible, a huge numberof fish were caught—at the wrong time and in the wrong way. And Peter foundhimself in the presence of

One who could do theimpossible.

One writer saw in thisevent a clear comparison to the apostle Paul’s greatdoxology in Ephesians 3:20,which reads, “Now to Him who is able to doexceedingly abundantlyabove all that we ask orthink.” Peter found himselfin a boat with One who was doing just that:• Able to do—“caught a

great number of fish”;• Exceedingly

abundantly—“their net was breaking”;

• Above all that we ask orthink—“they came andfilled both the boats, sothat they began to sink.”

AN AWARENESS OFPERSONAL FRAILTY

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’knees, saying, “Departfrom me, for I am a sinfulman, O Lord!” For he andall who were with him

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were astonished at thecatch of fish which theyhad taken (vv.8-9).Simon’s immediate

response was not about allthe fish he had just caught,but about the One who hadaccomplished it. He realizedthat he was in the presenceof the Creator. Certainly the Christ who spoke theuniverse into existence hadno trouble in getting a fewfish together to display His majesty to this poor,overwhelmed fisherman. So Peter recognized that he was in the presence of God, and hewas “astonished” becausewhat had transpired wasbeyond reason, description,or explanation. Only Godcould have done it.

Jesus revealed Himself as supreme in the realm where Simon was mostfamiliar, most skilled, and most adequate. Therealization of who Jesus was elicited from Simon a

most appropriate response: Depart from me, for I ama sinful man, O Lord!

In calling Jesus “Lord,”not just teacher, rabbi, ormaster, Simon was indicatinghis belief that he was face toface with deity. He saw: • The incomprehensible

difference between holyGod and sinful man.

• The overwhelmingburden of sin that weighs down the soul.

• The need for repentanceso that his own sinful

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Peter was“astonished”because what

had transpired wasbeyond reason,description, orexplanation.

Only God couldhave done it.



condition could becorrected.One commentator wrote

that it was as if Simon weresaying, “I’m not worth it,Lord. Give up on me. I failed You when You calledme before, and I will fail Youagain. Call someone worthYour time and trouble. Call someone You can trust.You once said that I’d becalled Rock—but there’s no rock in me. Give me up. I’m a sinful man.”

Bishop J. C. Ryle wrote of this passage:

The words of Peterexactly express the firstfeeling of man when he is brought into anythinglike close contact withGod. The sight of divinegreatness and holinessmakes him feel stronglyhis own littleness andsinfulness. Like Adamafter the fall, his firstthought is to hidehimself. Like Israel [at] Sinai, the

language of his heart is, “Let not God speakwith us, lest we die.” But Christ’s love would

not let him go. He wasprepared to do whatever it took to make Simon into a rock.

AN INVITATION TO A LIFE THAT MATTERS

Jesus said to Simon, “Donot be afraid. From nowon you will catch men.”So when they had broughttheir boats to land, theyforsook all and followedHim (vv.10-11).Jesus invited Simon on

an adventure of faith thatwould radically transformhis life, giving him:

A New Attitude. “Donot be afraid.” G. CampbellMorgan wrote, “Oh, theinfinite music of it. He firstsaid, ‘Fear not.’ He said it to that man, that elementalman, great emotional soul;the man who did not seem

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to have the strength to arrive anywhere; and Hesaid it to him, conscious of his failure.”

A New Day. “Fromnow on . . . .” It breaks with the past and changeseverything. The failure of the past is replaced with a new future.

A New Purpose.“ . . . you will catch men.”In other words, Peter wouldtake men alive. As God hadcalled David and Moses toleave what they were doingto shepherd His people, Henow called Simon to leavehis nets and fish for people.

A New Life. “Theyforsook all and followedHim.” This is an expressionof radical commitment. ForSimon, everything wasbecoming new. Yet theextent of the transformationJesus envisioned for Peterwould not happen overnight.The man He had named“the rock” would be slow in forming.

Peter’s journey hadbegun. He had been shaken by the power of Christ. He had felt hisweakness. And he hadsensed his need for One somuch greater than himself.He had met the One towhom later generationswould sing:

I need Thee every hour;teach me Thy will;

And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;every hour I need Thee;

O bless me now, my Savior,I come to Thee.

SHAKEN BYDISTRACTION

IIreally love playing golf.It’s a simple game, butit’s far from easy. What

makes it so challenging isthat it can’t be approachedcasually. It requires everyounce of concentration andself-discipline you have—ifyou’re going to play well.

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Golf instructors say, “Everytime you swing a golf club,there are a thousand thingsthat can go wrong and onlyone thing that can go right.” Only by seeing andexecuting the correct contactof clubface and ball can youavoid an unwanted push,pull, hook, slice, or dub.Only by undistracted focus on the object of your backswing, contact,and followthrough can you put the ball where you want it to go.

It’s like this in our nextencounter with Simon Peter.As he slowly learned tofollow Christ, he woulddiscover what it meant to be shaken by distraction.

Matthew gave us thedetails in chapter 14. Jesusand His men had beenengaged in a long andwearying day of ministry. As the night drew near,Christ let His disciples know that He needed some time alone.

As Jesus used themoments of solitude tocommune with His Father,His men began making their way across the Sea of Galilee by boat. That’swhen another amazingevent happened.

SEEING JESUSIn the fourth watch of thenight Jesus went to them,walking on the sea. Andwhen the disciples sawHim walking on the sea,they were troubled,saying, “It is a ghost!”And they cried out for fear. But immediatelyJesus spoke to them,saying, “Be of good cheer!It is I; do not be afraid”(Mt. 14:25-27).The disciples were

terrified by the dim, hard-to-see appearance of someoneon the water, so they beganto cry out. At the very least,they were disturbed to seesomething as bizarre as this,and they may have even

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feared for their own safetyand well-being.

We must remember thatthis would have been anextraordinary sight foranyone to witness. But thesearen’t just ordinary guys outfor a boat ride. A number of them were professionalfishermen who had spenttheir entire adult lives on theSea of Galilee. While theymay have been uneducatedmen, they knew water. Andthey knew that people justaren’t capable of walking onwater. It’s not improbable;it’s impossible.

Yet Jesus called to themout of the mist and assuredthem that they didn’t needto be afraid. At this point,Peter acted true to form.Impulsively, he took Jesus’reassuring words not onlyliterally but to the extreme.He let Jesus know that he wanted to experiencewalking on water forhimself!

WALKING BY FAITHPeter answered Him andsaid, “Lord, if it is You,command me to come toYou on the water.” So Hesaid, “Come.” And whenPeter had come down outof the boat, he walked onthe water to go to Jesus(vv.28-29).Here, we see the

quintessential Peter—stepping out in bold, almostaudacious faith in Jesus,abandoning himself to theability of Christ. Althoughwe have read or heard thisstory a thousand times, andwe know that Peter is goingto sink like a rock, wemustn’t allow that fact tohide the amazing reality ofthe moment. “He walked on the water to go to Jesus.”This is Peter at his best—trusting Christ absolutely,and acting on that trust.

Remember, this was aprofessional fisherman whohad spent his entire lifeworking on the Sea of

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Galilee. Yet, with confidencein the ability of the Master,Peter did what no fishermanwould ever be so foolish asto attempt: He climbed outof the boat and steppedacross the watery surface ofthe Galilee toward Christ.

With Moses, God made a way through the Red Sea.With Joshua, God made a way through the JordanRiver. But as remarkable asthose events were, this waseven more. Peter did nottravel through the water—he walked on the water.

I don’t think any of uswould try to make a casethat Peter was somehowespecially gifted in water-walking, or that he wassomehow more spiritualthan the other disciples whostayed in the boat. Far fromit. In this moment of faith,Peter was walking on waterbecause he had absolutelyreleased himself to theCreator and His power.The power of the Creator

over His creation causedPeter, the Bible’s trueeveryman, to do one of themost supernatural things inthe pages of Scripture. Peterwalked on water—until he wondered whether heshould be doing this in themiddle of a storm.

DISTRACTED BYTHE STORM

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous,he was afraid; andbeginning to sink he criedout, saying, “Lord, saveme!” And immediatelyJesus stretched out Hishand and caught him,and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did youdoubt?” (vv.30-31).Peter was suddenly

shaken by the realizationthat he was walking onwater in the midst of a storm. He became distracted and stoppedlooking at his Lord.

I mentioned earlier 13



that I like playing golf. As keeping one’s eye on the ball is a fundamental of the sport, so keeping oureyes on Christ and stayingfocused on Him is a basicfundamental of followingHim. Nothing is moreimportant than using our Bible, our prayers, and even our fears to keep our focus on Him.

Because there arecountless realities in this

world that can distract usfrom our Lord, we need tocontinually make choicesabout whether we will allowthese distractions to seduceus and draw us away fromwhat is most important.

Some of the distractionswe all face are: • Fear—the emotion we

feel when we perceivethat life is suddenlybeyond our controlinstead of trusting thatlife is in God’s control.

• Despair—the internalsense of loss that causesus to lose heart and hopebecause circumstancescloud our view of God’spurposes.

• Disappointment—thewoundedness of soul that results from placingour trust in people whofail us.

• Stress—the pressure that comes into our lives when we try to take on life in our own strength.

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We need to continually make choices about whether we will allowdistractions to seduce us and draw us away from

what is mostimportant.



In the face of suchchallenges, we need to be people of purpose—people who look beyond the distractions thatsurround us, so that we can run the race of life . . .

looking unto Jesus, theauthor and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross,despising the shame, andhas sat down at the righthand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:2).Peter’s brief encounter

with water-walking wasscuttled for a very humanand understandable reason. He failed to focus on the Savior because he was distracted by hiscircumstance. His desperate, sinking cry for help, therefore,becomes a useful warning to us.

SHAKEN BYJESUS’ REBUKE

WWhen I taught forseveral years in

a Bible institute, Ienjoyed giving tests. I knowthat may sound cruel, buttesting allowed me, as theteacher, to see whether ornot all of the students were on track to successfullycomplete the course and,ultimately, to appropriatelyuse in life the material theyhad learned.

Not all tests are taken in classrooms, however. Life often tests us withcircumstances that push or stretch us to our limits.When that happens, do wepass the test? Or do we fallback into old habits anddefeats? The pattern of having setbacks in lifefollowing progress is to beexpected. It’s true in ourlives, and it was true inPeter’s as well.

Matthew 16 gives us an 15



especially dramatic pictureof how Peter experienced alife-shaking defeat on theheels of a great moment ofinsight. One minute Peterwas warmly affirmed byJesus. But then it wasfollowed almost immediatelyby a humiliating rebuke byHim. In the process, Jesus’impulsive disciple helps allof us to see how quickly ouremotional landscape canshift—revealing once againwhy it’s so important for us to keep our focus on our Master.

Let’s look together at theevents leading up to anothermoment that must haveshaken Peter to the core.

PETER’S MOMENTOF INSIGHTIn Matthew 16:13, Jesus had just finished yet anotherconfrontation with Israel’sreligious leaders and thentraveled north with His men to the base of MountHermon in the region of

Caesarea Philippi, a Romanoutpost city that was usedas a retreat for occupyingRoman troops. It was hereat the rocky base of themountain that the Romanshad built temples and altarsto the pantheon of theirRoman gods.

It seems that Jesusbrought His disciples to thisout-of-the-way place filledwith the landmarks of falsereligion for one purpose—to provide the necessarybackdrop for an importantexamination. Here, Jesuswould test their opinion of Him in the presence ofother “options of faith.” And it is here that Peterwould pass the first test with flying colors—only tobe thoroughly shaken by afailure he never saw coming.

A PowerfulQuestion With ManyPossible Answers. Jesusgave His disciples a test thatwas made up of only twoquestions. The first: “Who

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do men say that I, the Sonof Man, am?” (v.13).

It was like hearing the results of an ancientGallup poll. According toHis disciples, people weresaying that Jesus was:• John the Baptist.

Perhaps these peoplerecognized Jesus’ andJohn’s shared themes of repentance and thekingdom.

• Elijah. Some people,having witnessed themiracles of Jesus,remembered the OldTestament stories of thepowerful ministry ofElijah, and assumedJesus to be Elijahreturned to the earth.

• Jeremiah. The peoplewith this opinion mayhave seen a similaritybetween the ministry ofthe “weeping prophet”and the deep compassionof Jesus whose care forpeople was bathed inmany tears.

• One of the prophets.These people didn’t wantto specify but felt thatJesus demonstrated thecharacteristics of thegreat spiritual leaders of days gone by. The disciples’

summary of popularopinions about Jesus’identity was impressive. All were favorable, yet none was adequate. Theyknew the crowds had beenamazed by His miracles. Buteven those who spoke wellof Jesus didn’t fully graspwhat they saw.

The same is still truetoday, 2,000 years later.When the question is asked, “Who is Jesus?” the answers come back: “A great teacher, a goodman, a moral example, areligious leader.” All toooften, the inexpressiblewonder and majesty of the real identity of Jesus is completely missed.

For that reason, it’s17



essential that we don’t misswhat Jesus was doing withHis disciples at the base ofMount Hermon. With theoptions of public opinionfresh in their mouths, andthe garden of the gods of the world surrounding them, Jesus asked a second question.

A Personal Question With OnlyOne Answer. In verse 15,Jesus took the issue of Hisidentity out of the realm ofinformation and made itpersonal. “But who do yousay that I am?” Withoutcommenting on the differentopinions of the publicconcerning Him, Jesus put this question to Hisdisciples, which was Hisintent from the start.

Their own eternal well-being would not lie in their knowledge of publicopinion or a cross-samplingof the marketplace. Theirrelationship with the Fatherin heaven would be tied

directly to their knowledgeof who Jesus was.

The disciples hadbelieved in Jesus and hadbecome His followers, butthey needed to more fullyunderstand and confess whoHe was before His life tooka dramatic turn that wouldshake and confuse them. So Jesus asked His men fortheir own opinion: “Who do you say that I am?”

The question in theGreek is emphatic. It’s as if Jesus said, “Don’t parrotback the multitudes andtheir empty speculations.You, what do you yourselvessay?” Wilbur M. Smithwrote:

Christ’s miracles had two fundamentalobjectives: first, that ofhelping broken, diseased,enslaved, handicappedmen and women toobtain soundness of health again, freedom from demon-enslavement, [loss of]

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hearing, sight, [and] theability to walk; secondly,to glorify God in such a way that men wouldrecognize that the Oneperforming these miracleswas indeed sent by andapproved by God.Had the disciples

understood the majesty to which they had beenexposed? Would their view of Christ be molded by public opinion or by theevidence? It was Peter whoanswered.

The Timely Answer To An EternalQuestion. Peter’s answerwas his confession thatJesus was, in fact, the long-awaited Messiah. So hedeclared, “You are theChrist, the Son of the living God” (v.16).

This is the only completeand perfect answer to thequestion. Every word herewas clear and direct, forminga comprehensive statementof faith.

• The Christ, or Messiah,points out Jesus’ office;

• The Son shows His deity; • Of the living God

distinguishes Him from the dead idols ofpaganism and pointsHim out as the source of all life—present,spiritual, and eternal.Amazingly, what made

the difference betweenPeter’s confession andpublic opinion was not justthe abundance of evidence,but the work of God in theheart to bring a life to faith.Notice Jesus’ response:

Blessed are you, SimonBar-Jonah, for flesh andblood has not revealedthis to you, but My Fatherwho is in heaven (v.17).The investigation, study,

and weighing of evidenceare not enough. It’s beensaid that between God andman is an impenetrablecurtain of unknowing. OnlyGod can draw aside thatcurtain and bring to a

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person a certain, unshakableknowing of who Jesus Christis. Remember, humancategories will always beinsufficient. This is an issueof personal discovery, and ithas eternal implications.

For Peter, this was aremarkable moment. Thinkhow far he had come insuch a short time—frombeing a fisherman who wasuntrained in theology to adisciple who uttered the

greatest theologicalstatement in history. Hisprogress had been slow, but steady. His growth hadbeen the byproduct of hisexposure to Christ. And that exposure bore fruit in a clarity of mind that wasprofound. Everything Jesushad done with Peter up tothis moment had been tobring him to this point ofunderstanding.

Peter’s life, however, was like a roller-coaster ridewith all its ups and downs.His incredible moment of God-given insight wasquickly followed by adisappointing failure. Upon the heels of Peter’sconfession, Jesus began tounfold the eternal plan ofthe Father—but Peter wasn’t ready for it.

PETER’SDISAPPOINTINGFAILURE

From that time Jesusbegan to show to His

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Peter went from being a

fisherman who was untrained in

theology to adisciple who uttered the

greatest theologicalstatement in history.



disciples that He must goto Jerusalem, and suffermany things from theelders and chief priestsand scribes, and be killed,and be raised the thirdday (v.21).The key word in this

verse is must. This is thedivine mandate, the divinemission, and the divinepriority. There will be nolooking back, no avoidanceof the danger. Jesus mustgo to Jerusalem, the placewhere danger awaits. Thisintense focus applies to therest of the verse as well:• He must suffer

many things.• He must be killed.• He must be raised

the third day.Notice that there are

two aspects to Jesus’ senseof passion:

The Human Reality. Jesushad to suffer as the naturaloutcome of all that He hadbeen saying and doing. Thepeople were increasingly

rejecting His message, andthe religious leaders wereplotting to rid themselves ofHim. This was the inevitableconsequence of the radicalmessage He had presentedto a spiritually deaf, dumb,and blind world.

The Divine Reality. Jesuswas not simply devoted toenduring human rejectionheroically. The eternalcounsel of the Godhead wasoperating in Him, leading tosuffering that would befollowed by a dramatic,victorious resurrection from the dead.

Because Peter didn’t understand this, heresponded just as wrongly tothis matter as he had rightlyresponded to Jesus’ question,“Who do you say that I am?”

His PresumptuousResponse

Peter took [Jesus] asideand began to rebuke Him,saying, “Far be it fromYou, Lord; this shall nothappen to You!” (v.22).

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Peter’s attitude revealed a huge personal blind spot.Without realizing it, his heartwas filled with presumption.In first-century Jewishculture, “Far be it from You”was a violent expressionlaced with anger. Simon hadjust confessed Jesus as theMessiah and Son of God. Yetnow he was speaking as if hewere the master and teacherof Jesus! Certainly more thanhe realized, he was speakingas if he understood God’s willbetter than the Son of Godwhom he had just confessed.

Why? Obviously, Peterhad his own plans and ideasabout the future. And whatJesus had just said aboutsuffering and dying soundedabsolutely unthinkable andimpossible to him.

There’s a lesson here for all of us. So much of ourliving and thinking is rootedin our own predefinedexpectations. All too often,we fail to realize that God’sways are not our ways.

When we don’t allow God to be God, and when wedon’t see our dreams orgoals being fulfilled, we are inclined to respond with presumption out of our own bitterness,resentment, and anger.

One commentator wrote that Peter’s reactionessentially said: “This isn’twhat I signed up for, Lord. It was never supposed to bethis way. It was supposed to be a coronation, not acrucifixion. It was supposedto be a crown of gold, not a crown of thorns. It wassupposed to be a gloriousthrone, not an ignominiouscross. This is the wrong plan.And I find it unacceptable.”

Jesus’ ShakingRebuke

[Jesus] turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me,Satan! You are an offenseto Me, for you are notmindful of the things ofGod, but the things ofmen” (v.23).

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In a rebuke that musthave shaken Simon to thecore, Jesus called him“Satan,” which meansadversary. Why? BecausePeter was doing the samething Satan had done inMatthew 4 when he testedChrist in the wilderness.With better intentions, but with terribly wrongpresumption, he, like Satanhimself, was resisting thecross for which Jesus hadcome into the world.

Additionally, Jesusreferred to Peter as “anoffense” (Gk. skandalon),literally, a “stumbling block.”The cross was intended tobe a stumbling block to the world (see 1 Cor. 1:18; Gal. 5:11), but Simon Peter had mindlessly become aroadblock to Christ’s path.

Peter’s reaction showshow far he had drifted fromkeeping his eyes on thethoughts and purposes ofhis Messiah and Master.

Only a short time earlier,

Peter had spoken the truthabout who Christ was. Butnow, he spoke against thetruth—rebuking Christ andbecoming a stumblingblock.

I suppose Peter’s wordscould be seen in a variety of ways, including thepossibility that he wasoutraged at the thought ofJesus having to suffer, andhe just wanted to protectHim. But Jesus’ responsemakes it clear that Peter’swords came from a differentsource—a heart filled withpresumptive thoughts ofself-confidence and self-interest.

Such a heart is fueled by natural affection andinclination rather than by the Spirit of God. The result is that it sees only the momentary interests of “me,” rather than theoverarching purposes of God.

Even though none of us would knowingly

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choose to have such a heart, we, like Peter, canlearn and experience thehard way that . . . • a self-centered person

cannot be a God-centered person.

• a self-deceived personcannot be a God-sensitive person.

• a self-driven personcannot be a God-purposed person.It was the natural

inclination of his own humannature that caused Peter tothoughtlessly assume the roleof rebuking God the Son. Aspreposterous as that sounds,we need to realize that Petershows us what we all arelike, apart from submittingour own hearts to the willand Word of God.

Siding with Satan, asPeter did, isn’t limited to the conscious pursuit ofmystical, occult practice. It is the inevitable result of following personalassumptions rather than

thoughtful attentionto Christ.

Peter’s experience ofbeing shaken by the rebukeof Jesus gives all of usreason to consider thefollowing questions:• Am I submitting to

the will of God in thismoment—whatever itmay mean?

• Am I committed to beinga building block to theleading of the Spirit ofGod, instead of allowingmy natural inclinations tobe a stumbling block?

• What will motivate andcompel my living? Myinterests or God’s? To Peter’s credit, this

humbling and shatteringcorrective from his Lord wastaken in the proper spirit.He got the message. In fact,as they moved closer to theevents of the cross that Peter wanted so desperatelyto prevent, his commitmentto remain true to Christ atall costs only intensified.

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SHAKEN BY THE FAILURE TO PREPARE

TThe Boy Scout mottorings out a timelesstruth: Be prepared.

Preparation can occur invarious ways. For example:• It can be the preparation

of wise decision makingthat characterizedAmerican frontier legendDavy Crockett’s lifemotto: “Be sure you’reright; then go ahead.”

• It can be the kind ofpreparation seen inProverbs 6:6-8 that is illustrated by the ant who works hard toprepare for winter.

• It can be the preparationof an athlete who,through sacrifice and self-discipline, preparesmentally, physically, and emotionally for a big game.In each case, there’s no

substitute for preparation.

That applies to living byfaith as well. We can neveraccomplish it in our ownstrength. And when we try,we fail. It’s only when weare properly prepared for the challenges of life that wecan face them in the grace ofour heavenly Father.

The night before thecross, Jesus twice warnedPeter of coming danger. ButPeter ignored His warnings.The result would be anotherfailure that would profoundlyshake him forever. Let’s lookat the events as they’rerecorded in Luke 22.

JESUS’ CAUTION AND CONCERN Following the events of theUpper Room, the disciplesbegan maneuvering for aposition in what theyexpected to be the rulingadministration of the long-awaited Messiah. After onceagain explaining that theleaders of His kingdomwould be servants of all

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(Lk. 22:24-30), Jesus turnedto Peter and warned:

Simon, Simon! Indeed,Satan has asked for you,that he may sift you aswheat. But I have prayedfor you, that your faithshould not fail; and whenyou have returned to Me,strengthen your brethren(vv.31-32).Difficult moments were

ahead—moments much toobig for Simon. So in this firstwarning, Christ gave both anassurance and a means forfacing those hard times:

The assurance was thatJesus Himself would protectPeter in the testing thatwould follow, so that eventhough his heart andcourage would fail, his faith would endure.

The means for facingthose times of struggle was found in the example of Christ Himself. He hadalready begun His ownpreparation through prayer and had prayed

for Simon’s protection.The second warning

came when they arrived atGethsemane. Jesus Himselfwas again going to preparefor the horrors of Calvary bypraying to the Father (vv.41-42). But first He told Hisdisciples:

Pray that you may notenter into temptation(v.40).The message here is

clear: If Christ Himselfneeded a time of prayer toface the difficulties ahead,how much more did thedisciples need to pray! Itwas so important that Jesuswarned them a second time:

Why do you sleep? Riseand pray, lest you enterinto temptation (v.46). Prayer is not a security

blanket for the weak of mind,nor is it the foolish chatter ofpeople who are unable tocope with life. Time spent inthe presence of the Fatherprepares us for challengesthat will test our faith in

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Him—moments we could nothandle in our own strength.

We see this in Peter’s lifeprimarily by contrast. Even

though Jesus urged Peter to pray in anticipation of thedarkness that was coming,Peter soon fell asleep—at acritical moment. Because he was unprepared, he was shaken by anotherpersonal failure.

PETER’SCOURAGEOUSSTAND AND FALL In 1 Corinthians 10:12, Paulwrote, “Therefore let himwho thinks he stands take

heed lest he fall.” He could have been describingPeter—or any one of us whothinks that we can pass thetests of spiritual temptationby the force of our ownthoughts or will.

In Luke 22:31, we sawthat Jesus warned Peter thathe was about to be tested bySatan. But he responded intypical Simon style:

Lord, I am ready to gowith You, both to prisonand to death (v.33).Jesus then told Peter that

he would deny Him threetimes—abandoning Him inHis darkest hour. Peter musthave assumed that Jesusdidn’t know how loyal hewas determined to be.

Within just a few hours,Peter showed his resolve.When Judas came with agroup of armed guards totake Jesus, Peter pulled out his sword and startedswinging it (vv.47-50; cp. Jn. 18:2-10).

Courageous as he was, 27

Prayer is not asecurity blanket forthe weak of mind,nor is it the foolishchatter of peoplewho are unable to cope with life.



Peter once again found that he needed his Teacherfar more than his Teacherneeded him. Jesus told Peterto put away his sword andthen miraculously healed theservant whose ear Peter hadlopped off with his sword(vv.50-51; Jn. 18:10-11).

Jesus’ calm words andactions showed that Peterwas out of step with theunfolding plan of God. Onthat night of nights, it wasnot physical strength thatwas required, but a heartyielded to God’s ownstrength and purposes. In that regard, Peter was

thoroughly outmatched. Remember, Jesus

had given Peter adequatewarning that a difficult timewas coming—once afterleaving the Upper Room andagain at Gethsemane. Butwhen Peter drew his sword,he showed a self-reliancethat left him completelyunprepared for what washappening.

How did this happen to Peter? Perhaps the sameway it happens to us. Atleast two things contributeto our lack of preparation:• We underestimate the

nature of the situations of life that can overwhelmus in a moment ofdisaster and our own capacity to betrayour Lord in moments of pressure.

• We overestimate our own ability, savvy, andstrength, so that we feelno need for the provisionof God’s resources we sodesperately require.

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Courageous as he was, Peter onceagain found that he needed his

Teacher far morethan his Teacher

needed him.



For Peter, this wouldresult in circumstances andpersonal failure that wouldshake him even more thanwhat he had alreadyexperienced.

But while acknowledgingPeter’s lack of preparation,let’s make sure we don’tmiss something very noblein his resolve. When hepulled out his sword, he wasproving his willingness to goto prison or even to die forhis Master. He was tryingto live up to the name Jesushad given him. I admire hisheart.

And to Peter’s credit,even though the otherdisciples forsook Jesus andfled after His arrest (Mt.26:56; Mk. 14:50), Petertried to be strong. Hefollowed the arresting mobas they took Jesus to thehouse of the high priest (Mt. 26:58; Mk 14:54; Lk.22:54). There, however, anunsuspecting Peter would be rocked even harder by

fulfilling Jesus’ prediction of his denial.

The story of how Petercursed and denied that heeven knew Jesus has oftenbeen told, and the details do not require repeatinghere (see Mt. 26:69-75).

His fall, however, wasgreater than Peter could ever have imagined. Luke’saccount tells us that as thewords of the final denialwere escaping Peter’s lips . . .

The Lord turned andlooked at Peter. ThenPeter remembered theword of the Lord, how Hehad said to him, “Beforethe rooster crows, you willdeny Me three times.” SoPeter went out and weptbitterly (Lk. 22:61-62).Tragic. Yet it’s even

more tragic because it wasso unnecessary. If only hehad prayed. If only he hadprepared. If only he hadpaid attention to thewarnings of the Master.

This was a case in which 29



lack of preparation led todeep regret. And we woulddo well to learn from Peter’smistake. Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan wrote:

There was a time in the younger years of myministry when I wouldhave enjoyed fifteenminutes [flogging] Simon.But not now. I am notexonerating him fromblame; but if I investigatemy own heart, I am notsurprised. Moreover, Ihave ceased criticizinghim because there hasdawned on me the factthat Jesus did not do so.He understood. He nevergave him up.The collapse that Peter

suffered was not unusual. In fact, it is the collapse that faces all of us when we decide that we are rich,strong, and have need ofnothing—like the church at Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22).Self-sufficiency sets us up—and then tears us down. We

need to fully understand:• Paul’s words: “I know

that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing gooddwells” (Rom. 7:18).

• Jeremiah’s words: “Theheart is deceitful aboveall things, and desperatelywicked; who can knowit?” (Jer. 17:9).

• Jesus’ words: “WithoutMe you can do nothing”(Jn. 15:5).If we truly understand

our own inadequacy, we willbe more likely to rememberPaul’s words:

No temptation hasovertaken you except such as is common toman; but God is faithful,who will not allow you tobe tempted beyond whatyou are able, but with thetemptation will also makethe way of escape, thatyou may be able to bear it (1 Cor. 10:13).Peter failed to prepare by

making use of his spiritualresources, choosing rather to

30



depend upon himself. As aresult, he experienced thecollapse of a lifetime. Theseismic shift that shookPeter to his core was afailure that, in human terms,didn’t have to happen—hadPeter trusted in the warningsof Christ more and his ownresources less.

LIFE IS AJOURNEY

PPeter is so much like us.Right up to the final

hours of his 3 yearswith Jesus, he struggled with failure.

Yet as an expression of God’s marvelous grace,the resurrected Christ soughtout Peter and restored Hisdear friend to a lifetime ofprofitable service.

As a result of Peter’srestoration, we see him just10 days after Jesus ascendedinto heaven, preaching thegreat sermon on the Day ofPentecost in which 3,000

people gave their lives to therisen Lord (Acts 2:41). Hethen showed courage bornof the indwelling Holy Spiritby boldly declaring Christ’sresurrection to the verypeople who had conspiredto crucify the Son of God.

Nevertheless, he alsocontinued to do battle withhis own heart. In Galatians2:11, Peter was rebuked byPaul for aligning himselfwith men he knew to be inerror. Peter, however, wouldmove beyond his failingsand would live out his life inservice for the living Christ.

Years later, perhaps reflecting on so manyspiritual battles fought and lost, Peter wrote:

Be sober, be vigilant;because your adversarythe devil walks about likea roaring lion, seekingwhom he may devour.Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings areexperienced by your

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brotherhood in the world (1 Pet. 5:8-9).The lessons of

Gethsemane had finallytaken hold, so that Petercould use his painful life-lessons and provide us withthe wisdom of 1 and 2 Peter,and, in the opinion of manyscholars, the stories of thegospel of Mark from his own experiences with JesusChrist. In 2 Peter 1:1-13, it’sas if Peter was reflecting onhis episodes of failure bymarking out a path forspiritual growth anddependence—lessonslearned through pain and failure. And, in fact, his final words are a pennedreminder of how easy it is tostumble and fall:

You therefore, beloved,since you know thisbeforehand, beware lestyou also fall from yourown steadfastness, beingled away with the error ofthe wicked; but grow inthe grace and knowledge

of our Lord and SaviorJesus Christ. To Him bethe glory both now andforever (2 Pet. 3:17-18).Peter was reminding us

that coming to Christ is anevent, but becoming likeJesus is a journey. Along theway, we will have ups anddowns, like Simon Peter, butwe can trust in the strengthof Christ to enable us to be useful—in spite of our human failings andinadequacies. We can grow in Christ’s grace andknowledge. And we can, inprayer, find His mercy andgrace to help us in our owntimes of need (Heb. 4:16).

Our struggle living theChristian life is a battle thatlasts a lifetime—but it’s abattle worth fighting. It willbe worth it all, as the songsays, when we see Christ.For then we will fully be likeHim, when we see Him asHe is (1 Jn. 3:2)—and thebattle will finally be won in Him.

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