FRIDAY
Today we are continuing on with the life of Peter and contrasting the person we see in the gospels with the person we see in this first epistle 30 years later.
After denying him three times, Jesus reinstated him to be an apostle. In Mark 16 the angel tells the women who first came to the empty tomb, “…go, tell his disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” In John’s account of Peter’s denial, he mentions that there was a charcoal fire in the courtyard when Peter denies Jesus three times. When Jesus later meets him on the beach, he is cooking fish on a charcoal fire as well. These are the only two occurrences of a charcoal fire in the New Testament. Jesus likely does this to remind Peter of the scene of his betrayal. In their ensuing conversation, Jesus three times asks Peter if he loves him—3 times to counter the 3 denials. Peter says he does and each time Jesus tells him to feed his sheep, thus reinstating him to ministry.
- Peter clearly took the grace of the Lord Jesus to heart, as he is here caring for the sheep by writing a letter to the dispersed believers throughout Asia Minor while he himself is in Rome.
Peter preaches a sermon at Pentecost in which 3,000 people came to believe in Jesus (Acts 2).
- He is living in his new identity in Jesus as the rock on which he will build his church.
A few chapters later, Peter also boldly declares the gospel to the Sanhedrin when he is on trial (Acts 4:1-22). In John 21 after reinstating Peter to ministry, Jesus ends this conversation with Peter by saying, “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” Church history tells us that Peter was martyred in Rome during the reign of Nero in about 64 AD and he suffered many trials in the process.
- This is a different guy from the guy who who denied Jesus 3x for fear of being persecuted along with him. Now he is willing to suffer and even die for the gospel.
In Acts 8 Peter experiences an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Samaritans who received Jesus by faith.
In Acts 10-11 Peter has a dream, followed by an experience with a Roman centurion and his household that confirmed the gospel was for the gentiles and received by faith.
In Acts 15 Peter speaks up at the Jerusalem council gathered to determine the extent to which new converts to Christianity had to follow the law of Moses. “After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.’” (Acts 15:7-11)
- These three taken together reveal Peter’s utter trust in the gospel for his salvation apart from the Law. He still seemed to struggle with some peer pressure as he didn’t eat with the Gentiles when a group of Jews who were known as the circumcision party came to Antioch (Gal. 2:11-14). But Paul rebuked him and he seemed to accept it as there wasn’t any rift between them. This trust in the gospel apart from the Law will be evident throughout his letter as well.
These last two days we have gone through some key events in the life of Peter to see his transformation in Christ throughout his life. It’s truly extraordinary that the man who we meet in the opening pages of the gospel is the man who writes this letter. He has not just been changed, he has been totally transformed, created new in Jesus. The gospel of Christ has become everything to him.
This transformation we see in Peter is available to all of us who are in Christ. He wouldn’t write this letter and say the things he does if it weren’t.
Reflection
How have you experienced a similar transformation in Christ? In what ways is Christ currently transforming you and making you new?