Flawed but Faithful Disciple

By Adam Hamilton

Peter’s given name at birth was Simon, or Simeon as it appears twice in the New Testament. Yet the biblical names have usually been anglicized in our English translations. In the Aramaic spoken in Galilee in the first century, he would likely have been called Shimon. Shimon is related to the Hebrew word shema, which means “to hear” or “to listen.” It was a very common name in first-century Judaism, with nine different Simons or Shimons mentioned in the New Testament. Two of the twelve disciples bear this name. A sibling of Jesus, too, is named Simon.

(Hamilton 2018, 19-20)

He asks us to give our time, and sometimes to borrow our stuff, in order to accomplish his work. He likes to use our skills, our abilities, whatever is at our disposal that we can offer. But Jesus doesn’t always ask for our help in the way he called on Peter. Sometimes his call is in the form of a bulletin announcement at church or a sermon in which an invitation is given or maybe we’re reading the Bible or praying, and we feel a nudge from the Spirit. Often it is a person in need who presents the opportunity-we see someone in need and feel Christ tugging on our heart. Our task is to pay attention to what’s happening around us and to tune our hearts to hear his call.

Even though it’s Jesus who asks for our help, and even though we seek to be Christ’s followers, we will often feel reluctant and hesitant. We make excuses. 

We may find ourselves responding, “Jesus, I’m really busy and I have a million other things I need to do. Could you please find someone else?” Peter had a great excuse: “Lord, I’ve been fishing all night and I’m so tired.” But Peter didn’t say that. He simply got in the boat. There’s a lesson in that for us.

(Hamilton 2018, 32-33)

The words “because you say so” reflect Simon Peter’s reluctant obedience. Perhaps you can relate to Simon’s reluctant obedience. There are times when Jesus asks us to do things that we don’t want to do, when we feel tired, or when what were being asked to do seems to make no sense to us. I have, on many occasions, been a very reluctant disciple. For us, the deep water is the place where Jesus calls us to go when we’d rather stay on the shore. We feel Christ calling and we drag our feet, and sometimes we even say no.

(Hamilton 2018, 34)

When we’re walking through the storms that inevitably we will face, we should remember these stories of Jesus coming to the disciples on the sea. We can remember his words to them: “Be encouraged! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.” Those three little words—don’t be afraid—are the most frequently spoken words from God to human beings in Scripture. You’ll find that phrase more than 140 times in your Bible.

(Hamilton 2018, 48)

Please notice an important detail here. Peter didn’t just call to Jesus and step out of the boat. He waited for Jesus to bid him to step out of the boat and come to him. He did not trust in his own ability walk on the water. But he trusted that if Jesus called him to do it, he could.

(Hamilton 2018, 50)

Fear is ubiquitous. It is everywhere. We struggle with fear all the time, often without even realizing it. There’s a biochemical reason for this. Part of our brain is always watching out for danger, pondering at the subconscious level possible dangers and threats. Our survival can depend on a certain level of healthy fear. But fear also has an amazing capacity to keep us trapped and paralyzed. It can keep us from experiencing the life God intends for us.

Fear keeps some people in dead-end jobs and environments so miserable that they dread going to work—and yet they come back day after day because they are afraid to go into another field that would actually excite them. I’ve known people who stayed in abusive marriages because they were more afraid of venturing into the unknown than of staying with their abuser.

(Hamilton 2018, 51)

God’s reply to Moses’ question was, “I Am Who I Am. So say to the Israelites, ‘I Am has sent me to you” (Exodus 2:14).In Hebrew, the word for I Am is YHWH or Yahweh (or as we sometimes render it, Jehovah). We often see Jesus using these words, ego eimi in John’s Gospel, but here in Matthew’s telling of our story, Jesus speaks these same words. When he does, he’s giving a nod to the divine name for God in the Hebrew Bible, as well as a clue to his identity,

(Hamilton 2018, 56)

But Peter wasn’t simply called by Jesus to influence people’s lives; Jesus said he would be the rock upon which Jesus would build his church. The Greek word translated as church is ekklesia—it literally means “called out ones”—and was a word that could be used of any kind of gathering or community But Jesus doesn’t simply say that Peter will build a community for the sake of community. The ekklesia Jesus intended to build upon Peter, using Peter and his faithfulness, service, and sacrifice, would be Jesus’ church: “On this petra I will build my church,” Jesus said (see Matthew 16:18 NRSV, emphasis added).

This verse marks the first time in the Gospels that we find the word church. But this church isn’t just any assembly or community of people gathered together; it is Christ’s people, his community. The church belongs to Jesus.

The church is also not a building, but a people belonging to the Lord. The English word church comes from the German word kirche, which is related to the Greek word kuriakon that means “belonging to the Lord.” So the church is Christ’s church, not ours. Notice, too, that Jesus is the one who will build it, “On this rock I will build my church,” he says (Matthew 16:18 NRSV, emphasis added).

(Hamilton 2018, 70)

Just before leaving Caesarea Philippi, Jesus had said, somewhat cryptically, “I assure you that some standing here won’t die before they see the Human One coming in his kingdom” (Matthew 16:28). Now, on the mountain of transfiguration, Peter, James, and John were catching a glimpse—the Greek word in Matthew conveys the sense of a vision of Jesus, the Human One, “coming in his kingdom.” They saw the glory of God on the face of Christ. Then suddenly they saw Moses and Elijah, Israel’s greatest lawgiver and its greatest prophet, appear with Jesus, speaking to him. Finally, they hear the voice of God affirming that Jesus is in fact more than a lawgiver or prophet.He is God’s dearly loved Son.

John’s Gospel notes of Jesus, “We have seen his glory, glory like that of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14b), while Second Peter notes, “We witnessed his majesty with our own eyes. He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory, saying, This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain” (2 Peter 1:16b-19).

(Hamilton 2018, 84-85)

Yet as the disciples walked in, none of them stopped to wash their feet. I’ve always wondered why. I imagine it was because each was afraid that if he stopped to wash his own feet, he knew Jesus would expect him to take the role of the servant and wash the feet of those who followed him into the room None would want to get stuck in such a demeaning role.

To the disciples’ astonishment and embarrassment, shortly after they were seated, Jesus went and retrieved the pitcher, towel, and basin, and he assumed the role of the servant. He began washing the disciples’ feet. The discomfort in the room was palpable. There was something very wrong with this picture.Jesus was their rabbi, their master, the one they believed was the Messiah. He should not be washing their feet. But no one spoke up.

(Hamilton 2018, 92)

After finishing their Passover meal, the disciples sang, a hymn. Already in the time of Jesus the tradition was to say or sing certain Psalms at the Passover, ending with Psalm 118 you might find it interesting to read the words of that Psalm Jesus and the disciples left the upper room, crossed the Kidron Valley, and went to pray in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asked eight of the disciples to stay and pray near the entrance to the garden. Then he took Peter, James, and John with him a bit farther into the garden, wanting them nearby. Perhaps he was hoping they would watch him, see his agony, and maybe even overhear his prayers which apparently they did, as we have a record of Jesus’ prayer and his state of mind, likely from their memory of what they saw. Then he went a bit farther still and found a place where he prayed and agonized with such intensity that, as the Gospel account tells us, he sweat drops of blood. of He asked of God: “My Father, if it’s possible, take this cup suffering away from me. However-not what I want but what you want” (Matthew 26:39).

(Hamilton 2018, 97)

Jesus came back to check on Peter, James, and John, perhaps needing to know that they were with him, that he could draw strength from them. But he found them asleep. Matthew records, “[Jesus] said to Peter, ‘Couldn’t you stay alert one hour with me? Stay alert and pray so that you won’t give in to temptation. The spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak”” (vv. 40-41).This happened two more times, and each time Jesus had to wake the disciples.

(Hamilton 2018, 98)

What I think Peter and the Gospel writers wanted us to see in this story is that we have all, like Peter, denied Jesus by our thoughts, our words, or our deeds, both by what we have done and by what we should have done but didn’t. We have all lived at times in ways that were inconsistent with our pledge to follow Christ. We’ve mistreated others. We’ve joined in the taunting teasing, or gossip that hurt others. We’ve given in to materialism or idolatry or lust. For all of us, there have been moments when our witness or example was needed, but we remained silent and did nothing.

(Hamilton 2018, 104)

Some interpreters make much of the fact that, in the Greek of John’s Gospel, Jesus has asked, “Simon, do you love me?” using the Greek word, agapao, while Simon responds with, “You know I love you,” using the Greek word, phileo. Agapao and phileo were at times used interchangeably in Greek. At others times there is a nuance to their meaning. I leave it to you, the reader, to research and decide what you think. What is most important and clear in the text is that Jesus was asking Simon to examine himself and to reaffirm his love three times, in light of the three denials Simon made at Caiaphas’s house.

This was a psychological and spiritual examination, a means of penance and reconciliation. It forced Simon Peter to deal with his denial of Jesus, something that does not appear to have happened up to this point in any of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ appearance to the disciples. By asking these questions, Jesus is both confronting Simon and reaffirming his call upon Simon to lead the church. The questions filled Simon with sadness, which is appropriate for repentance and reconciliation.

At the times when I am consciously aware that I have denied the Lord by my actions, it is easy to offer a quick prayer asking for forgiveness, and to assume the Lord has forgiven me and to go on. I recently had a parishioner who confessed their sin, and quickly said, “But I know that Jesus has already forgiven me.” I wanted to say, “Slow down a bit. Yes, he’s ever ready to forgive, but maybe it’s important to spend a little time thinking about what happened and how you got to where you are, and how you ensure this doesn’t happen again.” When we move too quickly to forgiveness, we get what Dietrich Bonhoeffer referred to as “cheap grace.” There is power in the process of confession and penance leading to authentic reconciliation.

Three times Simon denied Jesus. Three times Jesus asked for his love and loyalty, feeling Simon squirm a bit while wrestling with his denial. And three times Jesus reaffirmed his call for Simon to be the Rock upon which he would build his church.

(Hamilton 2018, 123)

Muslims revere Simon Peter as a disciple of Jesus. For Muslims, Jesus is the greatest prophet aside from Muhammad and Jesus’ disciples were steadfast believers. Peter is called Butrus in Islam, after the Arabic word for rock. Shia Muslims consider him the first imam to follow Jesus, and the prince of the apostles.

(Hamilton 2018, 142-143)

Acts 10 narrates a pivotal story for the Christian faith. It was noon, and Peter had gone up to pray on the rooftop of Simon the Tanner. He was hungry and ready to eat. Others were preparing the meal while he was praying, Simon went into something like a trance, and he saw a vision of something like a sheet being lowered by its four corners from heaven. Inside were animals that the Torah, the most authoritative part of Peter’s Scriptures, clearly identified as unclean and not to be eaten. He knew these laws. As a fisherman, Peter had thrown back thousands of fish in his life that had no scales (fish without scales were deemed unclean by the Torah). Among the animals the Torah deemed unclean and not to be eaten were camels, pigs, frogs, hawks, owls, snails, shrimp, and a variety of others. Yet in his vision Peter heard a voice from heaven saying,

“Get up, Peter! Kill and eat!”

But Peter exclaimed, “Absolutely not, Lord! I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

The voice spoke a second time, “Never consider unclean what God has made pure.”(Acts 10:13-15).

This vision and command are repeated three times. One can imagine how bewildering this was to Simon Peter. His Bible, in particular the Law of Moses, gave clear instructions about God’s will regarding food. But now, in his vision, he has heard what seems to have been the voice of God, telling him to kill and eat what was specifically forbidden in the Torah. Had God changed his mind? Was Peter hearing the voice of the tempter? What does this mean?

Just then there was a knock on the door. Men from the port city of Caesarea Maritima, thirty miles to the north, had come looking for a Simon Peter. They were servants of a Roman centurion named Cornelius, who just the day before had a vision of an angel telling him to send messengers to Joppa to find a man named Peter, staying at Simon the Tanner’s house, and to summon him.

As a centurion in the Italian company, Cornelius was a high ranking and respected member of the Roman military. But Luke tells us he and his household were also, “pious, Gentile God-worshippers. He gave generously to those in need among the Jewish people and prayed to God constantly” (Acts 10:2).Cornelius did as the angel in his vision commanded. He sent two of his household servants and a member of his military staff. It was these who were now knocking on Simon the Tanner’s door. They explained about Cornelius’s vision, and Peter put two and two together. His vision of the unclean food that God had declared clean was God’s way of telling him that, despite what he had learned growing up about clean and unclean, Jew and Gentile, God was doing something new.

(Hamilton 2018, 144-145)

But, “step-by-step, Peter explained what had happened” and, as the believers in Jerusalem heard of Peter’s vision and the Holy Spirit’s work among the Gentiles, Luke notes, “they calmed down. They praised God and concluded, ‘So then God has enabled Gentiles to change their hearts and lives so that they might have new life” (Acts 11:5, 18).

Luke devotes two chapters to this story, and for good reason. This is the hinge point not only of the Book of Acts, but of the entire Christian faith. Had this vision and Cornelius’s conversion not occurred, Christianity may have remained a small sect within Judaism. Instead, it fulfilled the promise God had made to Abraham, that “all the families of the earth will be blessed because of you” (Genesis 12:3b). Today nearly a third of the world’s population claim to be followers of Jesus.

(Hamilton 2018, 147-148)

The second-century apocryphal work, “The Acts of Peter,” records an early tradition concerning Peter’s crucifixion, in which Peter says to those preparing to crucify him, “I beseech you the executioners, crucify me thus, with the head downward and not otherwise.” The fourth-century “Acts of Peter and Paul” expands the instruction with Peter’s rationale. 

Peter, having come to the cross, said: “Since my Lord Jesus Christ, who came down from the heaven upon the earth, was raised upon the cross upright, and He has deigned to call to heaven me, who am of the earth, my cross ought to be fixed head down, so as to direct my feet towards heaven; for I am not worthy to be crucified like my Lord.” Then, having reversed the cross, they nailed his feet up.

While as a young man Simon Peter’s faith at times faltered, he now faced death with an indomitable faith. The First Epistle of Peter may give us a clue as to how he faced his own death.There Peter wrote, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings. Instead, rejoice as you share Christ’s suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have overwhelming joy when his glory is revealed” (4:12-13). 

(Hamilton 2018, 157,159)

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References

Hamilton, Adam. 2018. Simon Peter: Flawed But Faithful Disciple. N.p.: Abingdon Press.

ISBN 978-1-5018-4598-7