Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard John’s witness and followed Jesus. The first thing he did after finding where Jesus lived was find his own brother, Simon, telling him, “We’ve found the Messiah” (that is, “Christ”). He immediately led him to Jesus. Jesus took one look up and said, “You’re John’s son, Simon? From now on your name is Cephas” (or Peter, which means “Rock”). John 1:40-42(MSG)
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.” But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” Luke 22:31-34
If ever
there was a portrait of a conflicted man it is Simon Peter. The fact that we know this man by two names
owes to Jesus renaming the Apostle. But
the struggle was Peter’s, not the name.
From the Gospel accounts, and even the epistles we find Peter’s epic war
with his own nature. He had an intense desire
to follow and serve Jesus, but, like all of us, he had his baser instincts that
caused him to shrink-back from the very Lord he loved.
Peter
could boast one evening that, if need be, he’d die for and with Jesus; before
the rooster crowed in the morning, we hear him cursing that he doesn’t even
know the carpenter. Peter would embrace
serving one day and fall to cowardice the next day. He was impetuous and often wrong. But when he was right, people just had to
step out of the way, because the power of God worked in his life like the
crashing of waters over the Niagara Falls.
His parents
named him Simon…a good Jewish name.
Jesus nicknamed him Cephas, or Rocky, in connection with how Simon
would answer Jesus’ direct question to the disciples; Jesus asked them who
do YOU say I am? Simon
Peter is the one who got an A+ on this test; he said: You’re Messiah, the son of the living
God. You’re the One we’ve all been
waiting for.
Here we
have a man who could be so spiritually-connected and holy, living in the same
body with a fearful, survival-minded weasel shamefully avoiding the possibility
of being known as a disciple of Jesus…will the real Peter…or Simon please stand
up? The fact is BOTH are Simon
Peter, the conflicted, but consecrated servant of God. And when Peter stands up, we stand with him…because
we ARE
him. Each of us has Peter inside…a human
nature, willing to rebel and deny Christ…and a spiritual image of the Living
God, stamped on our souls, calling us to look and live higher. We ARE Simon-Peter!
In Luke’s
Gospel text for this morning there are just six sentences. In that is the germ of Peter’s ordination,
his call and sending into the ministry. At
first Jesus calls him by the human name his parents gave him, Simon. Jesus tells him his human nature will be
under assault by the evil one, Satan. Then
Jesus gives him assurance that he’s being prayed for in heaven, and Simon’s
call is to repent of his own sins, and then strengthen all the other conflicted
servants. He is called to be the leader
of the band.
But then,
by the sixth sentence Jesus reminds him that even Peter – the rock –
will be subject to abject failure. Peter
is not going to be the infallible “pope” – he’s going to continue the struggle
with that old man inside who is fearful sometimes, and wonderfully-powerful at
other times. He will be Simon-Peter.
For You Today
All who
have called upon the glorious name of Jesus Christ in humble faith have a new
nature birthed in them by the presence of God’s Holy Spirit living within; they’re
just like, and no-different from, Simon Peter.
It never means the old nature has been taken away; it does
mean we’ve been given the tools to fight the good fight and win over that old
nature.
Today’s
simple question is…are you still fighting the good fight?
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