I want to be more like Peter

Reading through the Bible for the first time is such a strange feeling. It can be so easy to glaze through sections quickly and forget to digest the reality of what the text is saying. I find myself reading and rereading parables in Matthew and prophecies in Exodus with a sense of bewilderment. The same God that created me, created the most beautiful things I have ever seen: The Cascade Mountains, sunsets over the Pacific Ocean, and the Narrows in Zion NP. That same God filled thousands of words onto hundreds of pages of the most monumental book ever bound together.

One of my favorite parts about getting to know who God is has been getting to know who Jesus came in contact with while he walked on Earth. There is one particular character that has recently been resonating HEAVY with me. A man who so confidently thought he knew all the tips and tricks to life, only to quickly deny the Truth when it mattered the most. But his story (of course) doesn’t end there.

The first time Peter caught my eye was when I was reading through the Gospel of Luke. Luke 22:31 kicks off the story of Peter denying Jesus. Jesus says to Peter, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me” (Luke 22:34).

Moments before that, we recall Peter telling Jesus that he was willing to go to jail or die for Him. I can imagine Peter in this moment: Doubting God. He was so confident that he was equip to follow Jesus into the fire, he thought he knew better than the Almighty. Imagine standing face to face with a King and Him telling you, “You aren’t going to follow me” and you are so sure that he is wrong.

This piece of Peters story reminds me of my story before knowing Christ. I had spent nearly my entire life more than an arms length away from God. I was so confident in my own knowledge that I didn’t want to consider the fact that maybe I was wrong. How confident do we have to be in our own ability to think that we have control over creation? Peter was this way. Standing before God and still believing that he knew better. But we will never know better than our Creator- and frankly, I’m glad we don’t.

Luke 22:54-62 is the moment Jesus’ prophecy of Peter came true. The final verse says, “And he (Peter) went out and wept bitterly.”

I’ve had a lot of “Peter-weeping” moments. But this is a pivotal part of his testimony. He thought he knew better than the Lord, and there he was denying Jesus to a child. Not a Roman soldier, not an angry mob, but a servant girl. So he wept. Peter broke down, he had just denied our one true God. He probably felt hopeless.

Even the most solid Christian has denied God, or wavered in their faith, at one point or another. We are no better than Peter. But the best part is coming!

Peter gets a redemption ark. John 21:15-19 is one of my favorite parts of the Bible (so far). I will let you look it up, but here is a summary:

Jesus is resurrected. He reappears to his disciples, including Peter. He then asks Peter three times if Peter loves Him. Peter responds all three times with, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” The same man who denied Jesus three times only a few days prior was now proclaiming his love for Christ unashamedly.

This is the perfect representation of how redeemable we all are. When Jesus is talking about one of his disciples betraying Him before his crucifixion, he isn’t talking about Peter. Denial and betrayal are not the same. The Lord knows we are not perfect and that our belief may waver from time to time. But like Peter, we are always able to return home. Jesus is always accessible.

Peter wrote his first letter in 62-63 AD. He was martyred in Rome for his public proclamation of the Good News just a few years later because he knew eternal salvation was worth far more than anything the world could offer him. He encourages his readers to endure suffering and persecution. Once in denial of God’s capabilities, now a voice of Truth among scoffers. I want to be more like Peter.

“ 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.” - 1 Peter 3:13-17