Simon Peter: An Example of God’s Power        

There have been over ten thousand Saints in our church’s history. Each of them devoted their lives to serving our Lord, and are an icon for Catholics to strive toward. When I first embraced the Catholic faith, I knew little of the Saints, but over time there was one nobleman who for me, stood out among the others.

I think it was his imperfections and human flaws that intrigued me. A simple man, perhaps more adept at mending a fishing net than standing before unbelievers preaching the word of God. Faithful. Passionate. Impetuous. These all describe Simon Peter, the person to who Jesus entrusted the keys to the kingdom of heaven but why was ‘this’ man picked among all the others to lead the first Christian church?

Throughout Biblical history, God has chosen unlikely characters to play leading roles in the evolution of Christianity. He did so when he deemed a murderer named Moses, to lead the Israelites from the bondage of the Pharoah and in the Book of Samuel, he placed a rock in the sling of a small boy, enabling him to defeat the powerful Philistine and become king over all of Israel.

Peter’s evolution into the leader of our faith was far more subtle. The Lord’s work to mature and grow the Apostle was masterful and genius as you would expect of the One who created us. It is a powerful demonstration of God’s power to mold and shape him, much as he has done with each of us. He used Peter’s words and actions to teach us much about faith, forgiveness, and service.

He initially stepped to the forefront when he and his brother Andrew were working along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus walked past the two and spoke. “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.” Perhaps it was a gentle flicker in his mahogany eyes that entranced them, or maybe the hand of God himself that drew them toward him. But they immediately dropped their nets, leaving the lives they knew behind them. His power soon attracted other disciples who similarly abandoned their lives and families so they might follow.

Peter: The First to Speak and Act

After the twelve were selected, Peter began to emerge as the one to often speak and act ahead of the others. In Matthew’s gospel, Peter naively asked, “Master, if my brother sins against me how often must I forgive him. As many as seven times?” In Jesus’ response, we learn there are, indeed, no limits to God’s mercy.

In the epic ‘Bread of Life’ discourse in John chapter six, many of Jesus’ followers had left him. He asked the remaining 12 if they too wished to leave, but it was Peter’s simple and poignant words that imparted a powerful message to the remaining Apostles. “Master. To whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.” The Apostle’s comprehension of Jesus’ power was most evident in Mark’s gospel when Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”

 Peter responded in a moment of pure innocence and clarity. ‘You are the Messiah, the son of the living God.’  Those simple words marked a turning point, an acknowledgment that he was truly the one spoken of by the prophets.

Devoted Servant and Follower

Peter was a loyal and often protective follower. In Luke chapter five, he had been fishing all night at the Lake of Gennesaret and caught nothing. Jesus told him to go to the deep water and again drop his nets. The nets became heavily laden with fish and the Apostle’s eyes were suddenly opened to Jesus’ power. The faithful servant dropped to his knees. “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

His protective instincts emerged when Jesus was taken by the Roman soldiers the evening before his death. Peter drew his sword in defense of his teacher striking the ear of one of his captors. Jesus admonished him, and by doing so, conveyed yet another key tenet of his ministry. “All who live by the sword shall perish by the sword.” 

Peter’s Emergence as the Chosen One

Early in Scripture, Jesus began to subtlety show his partiality toward the Apostle. When the disciples saw the Messiah walking across the water, they initially became frightened. But Jesus beckoned to Peter, among all the others, to step from the safety of the boat. Though the disciple’s courage waned, and he began to sink, His followers were taught a powerful lesson about faith.

Jesus further demonstrated his plan for the Apostle by drawing him into key events in Biblical history. It was Peter, along with John and James, who was selected to go with Jesus to the top of Mount Hermon to pray. There they got a glimpse of God’s power as Jesus was immersed in brilliant light from heaven during the Transfiguration. The same three were picked to accompany Jesus to the garden at Gethsemane as he prayed for direction and strength in his final moments on earth.

Perhaps the other eleven could sense the writing on the wall as they followed their Savior through the various stages of his ministry. But it is in Matthew’s gospel where the Apostles could clearly see the brash, outspoken fisherman was destined to become the successor to the Messiah. “And so I say to you, you are Peter (meaning rock), and upon this rock, I will build my church.” With these words, their Master left little doubt that the dubious Apostle would be the one to inherit his ministry.

Imperfectly Human

In the end, Peter fell victim to one of the most basic human flaws when he ‘denied’ Jesus after his arrest. His faith in his Master was displaced by fear, and upon realizing he had betrayed the one he loved, he wept bitterly. It was this flawed, human side of the man that drew me toward him, and it was in the last chapter of John that I truly understood the miracles that God worked through this noble servant.

In the final scene, Christ had risen and reappeared to his disciples on two occasions. Days had passed and the restless Apostles decided to go fishing. After dragging their nets all night, they rested in their boat, weary from their labors. As the sun inched above the horizon, a figure suddenly appeared walking along the shore. One of the disciples saw it was Jesus and cried out, “It is the Lord!”

In a moment of pure, unadulterated joy, Peter leaped into the sea fully clothed and swam to his master. There, he and the others shared a final meal with Jesus as memories of the miracles they had witnessed filled their minds. Later, Jesus took Peter aside and forgave him for denying him prior to his passion. Then he blessed him with the power of the holy spirit and empowered him to go forward and lead, speaking the epic words, “Tend my sheep.”

I think about that moment on the boat when Peter leaped into the sea, his heart bursting with joy as he swam toward his Savior. Perhaps it was the same joy that we feel when we taste the Host for the first time. That moment when we become a part of Him.

Saint Peter would of course go on to lead Jesus’ ministry, preaching the word of God and demonstrating the leadership instilled in him by his Master. But it was John’s description of that scene on the beach that opened my eyes to the depth of God’s love when he forgave Peter. I knew then, whatever sins we commit, we will always be worthy of His mercy.

Peter is one of the countless examples in Scripture and in the everyday life, of God shaping ordinary people into disciples. When Jesus first beckoned him and Andrew on the beach, they ‘at once’ abandoned their lives to follow him. Those words tell us something of Jesus’ desire for us to cast away our earthly distractions and embrace Him, with the same reckless abandon that Peter displayed when he dove into the sea to swim to Master.

We may never achieve sainthood, but we all share something with those who have. We are His children, capable of being molded into the servants He intended us to be. All we need to do is listen for His call.