"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Matthew 16:18-19

His name was Simon. So what a strange and presumptuous "how do you do?" to be told your new name would be Peter. (I'm sorry--what?) His brother, Andrew, was all in already. He'd been a disciple of John the Baptist, and when John identified Jesus as the messiah, it was all the proof Andrew needed. He became one of Jesus' first disciples, and he was good at all. By all accounts, Andrew was steady, studied, good-natured, and easy to have around. As for Simon? Not so much.


Simon Peter was emotional. When Jesus tried to wash his feet, Peter refused to allow the Master's humbling act of service: "[But] Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.' [So] Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" (John 13:8-9). As it often did, the feelings pendulum swung.


Simon Peter was impulsive. When soldiers came to arrest Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off a guy's ear (18:10). It was perhaps the most effective countermeasure possible to take on the entire temple guard by way of one man's ear. Not sure what the plan was there.


Sometimes Simon Peter was afraid of stuff. After Jesus' arrest, all of Peter's ear-cutting bravado vanished. To avoid being arrested, he denied even knowing Jesus--not once but three times, just as Christ predicted he would (vv. 17, 25-27).


All of his instability begs the question, Why did Jesus call him Peter? Especially considering the name Peter means "rock".


Notice some correlations between pre-Jesus Peter and post-Jesus Peter

  • Pre-Jesus Peter was directed by emotion. Post-Jesus Peter was directed by his intense love for Jesus
  • Pre-Jesus Peter was impulsive. Post-Jesus Peter was stable, but the culture was not. Christianity was changing everything, and leading that charge required the ability to adjust, pivot, and respond to the Holy Spirit on the fly.
  • Pre-Jesus Peter was afraid Post-Jesus Peter was afraid of ever turning his back on Jesus again, therefore becoming fearless regarding everything else.

And the same power that transformed the unruly fisherman is at work in all who believe. Jesus accepts us as we are, but He knows who we'll become by His power, and He's making us what we're not yet.





PRAYER FOCUS

Ask God to reveal a sinful part of you that you think is "just the way I am," and ask Him to make you something you're not.


MOVING FORWARD

  • What are your primary weaknesses?
  • In what ways have you seen God transform your heart and mind?
  • Write down a weakness you want to turn into a strength and commit to praying for help and working on it.

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