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Getting to know the Apostle Peter
The ‘book’ of First Peter was written to encourage believers to ‘live right’ during a time of difficulty and persecution.
The western churches of North America have enjoyed a number of years of relative ease. And because of that, a topic like this might not hold a lot of appeal. But, as a result of a world-wide pandemic, much of our expected safe and easy lifestyles seem to have evaporated. It is not so much that we are being persecuted - that may come later, but life has become more difficult as we follow protocols designed to safeguard the public.
Obviously Christians are not the only ones experiencing difficult times, but knowing that does not make it any easier. The question is, are we ‘living right’ during this time?
Christians have always had an ongoing struggle with bringing unbelievers to Christ for salvation. And in those times when we are not bold enough to speak out the good news, we have hoped that others will ‘see’ that we have something real and be curious enough to ask us about it.
I don’t want to minimize or negate this method of evangelism. Peter mentions it. He said, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” 1Pe 3:15
Doubtless many have come to Christ by just that method, but clearly many others have only come to faith because a believer was obedient to the prompting of God, approached a person and opened the topic of eternal life.
However, openness with our faith towards outsiders is much more difficult when we are ‘locked’ into our homes.
Peter is going to give us a number of instructions and reminders that will greatly assist us in ‘living right’ in the face of difficult times.
But first, who is Peter? I think we will appreciate his letters much more once we ‘know him better’.
We know him to be one of ‘the twelve’ apostles. He was a fisherman and the son of a fisherman. As such he would have had a less formal ‘learning’ than many others might have had. Fishing was a simple trade, much like tending sheep.
But he was not only one of ‘the twelve’, he was one of an inner circle of three. For some reason Jesus chose him to be a part of this smaller group. Next time you read through the gospels (Matthew through John) take note of the instances in which Jesus stops, and leaving His disciples to remain where they are, takes Peter, James and John with Him to a private place to receive some specific instruction or vision.
Peter was not only a part of the inner circle, but he was addressed singularly by Jesus on occasion. In particular, when Jesus asked the whole group if they knew who He really was, it was Peter who spoke up and said, “You are the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of the Living God”. Jesus commended him on this marvelous confession of faith, telling him that flesh and blood had not given him this revelation, but that it had come to him directly from the Father in heaven.
Conversely, at the last supper, as Jesus was giving His final instructions to the disciples, and knowing the future, turned to Peter and said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." (Luke 22:31-32)
So Jesus was predicting two things. One, that Peter was going to be in Satan’s cross-hairs, and that ultimately he would be taken down. And it happened at Jesus' arrest and trial. Peter, as Jesus predicted, denies knowing Christ … not one time, but three times.
But the other thing that Jesus was predicting … was that Peter was going to make a comeback, and when he did … he would be a leader among the brethren (the Church) The way Jesus put it …”when you come back, strengthen the brethren.”
And in these two letters of his, he is, in fact, doing just that. He is strengthening the brethren.
But before we go any further, allow me to expand on his ‘comeback’.
As I pointed out at the outset, Peter’s livelihood came by way of fishing commercially. When Jesus called him to be a follower, a disciple and an apostle, He made this statement; from now on you will catch men."
A statement like that from the mouth of Jesus was not merely a passing statement. It was Jesus' assignment for Peter. From this point onward Peter was to be a Fisher of Men. This was to be his life’s work.
So on that dark night, as the rooster announced the break of dawn, exactly as Jesus had predicted, Peter realizes that he has cursed and swore that he had no knowledge of Jesus at all.
Judging by what followed, Peter understood that his new life-work of being a Fisher of Men … was ruined. How could he ever fill that position after having so publicly denied Him?
As we understand the history of events, Jesus died on the cross, but three days later rose to life … as He had predicted He would.
Several times Jesus appeared, showed Himself as the resurrected One, appearing to and talking with his disciples.
But Peter was hearing nothing from Jesus regarding his tragic denial just three days earlier. Surely Jesus was going to point the finger. Surely there was unfinished business between Peter and his Lord.
But each time Peter saw Jesus after His resurrection, he heard only silence. There was no reprimand. And there were no consoling words of forgiveness and re-affirmation. And whether Peter, in his mind, was carefully going over every single thing Jesus had ever said to him regarding discipleship and apostleship, we have no way of knowing. We can only imagine. Was he rehearsing the words, when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.?
… returned to Me
Peter had certainly stumbled, fallen, strayed far the course. Was he wondering .... How do I return? Am I supposed to bring it up, or will He?
Days went by. A couple of weeks went by and neither Jesus nor Peter were addressing the ‘elephant in the room’.
And then this happened. Peter makes an announcement to the rest of the disciples. “I’m going fishing”. The ‘others’ responded that they were going with him. It is very easy to miss what was really going on here. Two things: One, Peter is only going fishing for one reason, and it is not because he is running short of cash … no, he feels that he is no longer qualified to be a fisher of men. He feels he has dis-qualified himself.
And two - for the ‘others’ to say “We are going with you” is equally important to know what was going on.
The ‘others’, besides James, John and Andrew, were not former fishermen. They had been in other trades. For them to quickly agree to go with Peter is unusual to say the least. They don’t even know how to fish commercially.
So why did they join him? They were stating by this action, “Peter, if you are disqualified from your position of apostle … so are we. We ALL deserted Him. So, if you are going back to your old life … you are no worse than the rest of us, we are with you on this.”
So they fished all night and never caught a thing.
What happens next is very much like a similar event some three years earlier. A miracle fishing episode happened on the occasion when Jesus originally assigned Peter, James and John to the task of fishing for men. And here they are, caught red-handed doing what they were told they should no longer do.
They had fished all night and caught nothing. Morning was not quite there. The men heard a voice calling to them from the shore. This person had a campfire burning brightly on the beach. He was asking, “Have you caught anything?” The answer …”Not a single fish!” The person says, “Try casting your net on the right side of the boat”. They did. They caught a record number of fish. John says, “It’s the Lord!”
Skipping ahead on the story … Peter does not help the others to bring this ‘miracle’ catch of fish to land. He jumps out of the boat and swims to shore. The others finally arrive and join Jesus and Peter.
So, how much time has passed since Jesus called out to them from the shore, asking if they had caught anything? We can’t know exactly, but we would have to say, quite a bit.
While waiting for the others, how much conversion has taken place between Peter and Jesus? None. Nothing. Just an awkward silence as Peter sat there staring into the fire, watching some fish cook … maybe wondering where the fish came from, since there was no rod or hook in sight.
The others finally arrive at the beach. Peter goes over and pulls the net of fish up onto the land.
When the others approach the campfire, Jesus says,
“Bring some of your fish. I will add them to what I have here.”
Jesus adds them to the meal. When the fish are done frying He says, “Come, have breakfast.”
Jesus offers them bread and fish. The meal takes place. But it is very quiet. No one is talking.
When the meal was over, Jesus spoke. “Simon, son of Jonah …”
“Oh oh,” Peter thinks, “Here .. it .. comes. And why is He using my old name? I am really in trouble. ”
Jesus is still talking. He is now asking a question. “Simon, do you love me? Do you love me more than you love catching a boat-load of fish?”
Is Peter's answer “Of course!”? Well, not really.
Without offering some kind of a ‘Greek lesson’ here, I will point out that when Jesus asks, “Do you love me…” He is using that familiar Greek word, Agápe. This is a fairly strong form of the word love. Generally it includes the idea of a willingness to give and sacrifice.
So to repeat Jesus’ question in terms that match our English language, I would paraphrase it like this: “Simon, are you committed to me in a giving and sacrificial sense?”
Peter does not answer, “Of course! Absolutely!” But here is what we read in our version of scripture: He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
So now allow me to paraphrase Peter’s response. “Surely you know that I like You”. Peter is being a bit self-protective. If he had answered using the same word that Jesus used, for instance, if he had said, “Lord you surely know that I am totally committed to You and willing to give and sacrifice everything for You!” he could just imagine what would come next from Jesus, …”Then HOW COULD YOU HAVE STOOD THERE CURSING AND SWEARING THAT YOU DID NOT EVEN KNOW ME!? I TOLD YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN. WHY DID YOU NOT GET READY FOR IT?”
So poor Peter … does not dare use the same word for love that Jesus used in His question. No, he uses the word ‘Phileo’. Friend. Like. He wanted to be totally honest and up front.
It appears that Jesus accepts Peter's use of a weaker word for love, because Jesus now says, “Feed my lambs.” Who are Jesus’ lambs? New believers. Believers who are not very mature. So now what is Peter supposed to think? “I started out by Jesus making me an Apostle. Jesus clearly showed us that we twelve would carry a lot of responsibility and authority. I lost that … but now He is giving me, what, a job working with new believers?”
And then Jesus does it again, “Simon … “
(“Oh oh, there’s more? What now?”)
“Simon, are you committed to me in a giving and sacrificial sense?”
Does Peter think, ‘He already asked me that. Why is He asking me the same thing? I admitted to Him that I like Him as a good friend. Does he expect me to change my answer? I can’t do that!’ So he says, “Lord, You know that I like You … I am your friend”
This time Jesus says, “Feed my sheep”.
I am sure that Peter is thinking … ‘this is more than just tending to new believers. This is more involved.’ And as I think of this event, what comes to my mind is what Peter writes in his first epistle (letter)
¶ NOW may I who am myself an elder say a word to you my fellow-elders? I speak as one who actually saw Christ suffer, and as one who will share with you the glories that are to be unfolded.
2 Shepherd your flock of God, looking after them not because you feel compelled to, but willingly, as God would wish. Never do this work thinking of your personal gain but with true compassion. I Peter 4:17
I want to continue with the account of Peter’s coming back to Jesus.
As I was saying, Jesus has just asked for a second time … Do you love me, are you committed to me? Peter has just answered in the only way he feels is honest … You are my friend, Lord.
Then the unimaginable happens. Here it is from the Philips translation:
John 21:17 Then for the third time, Jesus spoke to him and said, "Simon, son of John, are you my friend?" Peter was deeply hurt because Jesus’ third question to him was "Are you my friend?" and he said, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I am your friend!" "Then feed my sheep," Jesus said to him.
Although Peter was hurt to think that Jesus would even doubt his friendship, the bottom line for all this was: “Even though my unselfish love and devotion is in question … and even though my He questions my friendship … He is not holding that against me. He is forgiving me. He is reinstating me!”
Peter would never forget this. This is huge! As the disciples are taking in this whole encounter with Jesus, as Peter was allowing all of this to sink in, Jesus said something else to Peter. This is also huge.
18 "I tell you truly, that when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you liked, but when you are an old man, you are going to stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and take you where you do not want to go."
19 (He said this to show the kind of death by which Peter was going to honour God.)
Jesus just made a prediction regarding the rest of Peter’s life. He said “You are not going to die young. You are going to grow old”.
Would this statement stick with Peter? Is it something he would share with others?
I remember reading in the book of Acts that King Herod, willing to please the Jews, put the Christian leader, James into prison, and then had him executed. When he saw how pleased the Jews were, he decided to do it again. This time he picked Peter. He arrested him with plans to execute him the following day. The whole church was in prayer. An angel shows up in the middle of the night, unlocks the shackles from his legs, leads him to the exit … the doors open automatically … and leaves Peter standing in the street.
But nowhere in the book of Acts do we read that the church was not overly concerned. They were not saying, ‘Not to worry … Jesus said Peter will reach old age … he is still young’. So either they never heard about Jesus’ prediction regarding Peter’s growing old … or they forgot it, or they could not put faith in it or something, because they were having an all-night prayer meeting.
But had Peter forgotten it? It seems like it. But later in our study we will see that he is well aware of it. He makes mention of it in his second letter:
1:13 I consider it my duty, as long as I live in the temporary dwelling of this body, to stimulate you by these reminders.
14 I know that I shall have to leave this body at very short notice, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.
15 Consequently I shall make the most of every opportunity, so that after I am gone you will remember these things.
So here we are, about to launch into a study of two letters written by Peter. Peter, formerly a rather impulsive individual … who learned at the feet of Jesus, learned some things the hard way, but he grew from it. He learned some things about the wonderful grace of the Lord Jesus. He writes these words to us, for our strengthening … He writes to show us how to live in difficult times.
Some very powerful, helpful and wonderful words are about to be given to us by Peter … by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Now we know a little more about the man. In the next section we will look Peter’s opening remarks:
1 ¶ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
The western churches of North America have enjoyed a number of years of relative ease. And because of that, a topic like this might not hold a lot of appeal. But, as a result of a world-wide pandemic, much of our expected safe and easy lifestyles seem to have evaporated. It is not so much that we are being persecuted - that may come later, but life has become more difficult as we follow protocols designed to safeguard the public.
Obviously Christians are not the only ones experiencing difficult times, but knowing that does not make it any easier. The question is, are we ‘living right’ during this time?
Christians have always had an ongoing struggle with bringing unbelievers to Christ for salvation. And in those times when we are not bold enough to speak out the good news, we have hoped that others will ‘see’ that we have something real and be curious enough to ask us about it.
I don’t want to minimize or negate this method of evangelism. Peter mentions it. He said, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” 1Pe 3:15
Doubtless many have come to Christ by just that method, but clearly many others have only come to faith because a believer was obedient to the prompting of God, approached a person and opened the topic of eternal life.
However, openness with our faith towards outsiders is much more difficult when we are ‘locked’ into our homes.
Peter is going to give us a number of instructions and reminders that will greatly assist us in ‘living right’ in the face of difficult times.
But first, who is Peter? I think we will appreciate his letters much more once we ‘know him better’.
We know him to be one of ‘the twelve’ apostles. He was a fisherman and the son of a fisherman. As such he would have had a less formal ‘learning’ than many others might have had. Fishing was a simple trade, much like tending sheep.
But he was not only one of ‘the twelve’, he was one of an inner circle of three. For some reason Jesus chose him to be a part of this smaller group. Next time you read through the gospels (Matthew through John) take note of the instances in which Jesus stops, and leaving His disciples to remain where they are, takes Peter, James and John with Him to a private place to receive some specific instruction or vision.
Peter was not only a part of the inner circle, but he was addressed singularly by Jesus on occasion. In particular, when Jesus asked the whole group if they knew who He really was, it was Peter who spoke up and said, “You are the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of the Living God”. Jesus commended him on this marvelous confession of faith, telling him that flesh and blood had not given him this revelation, but that it had come to him directly from the Father in heaven.
Conversely, at the last supper, as Jesus was giving His final instructions to the disciples, and knowing the future, turned to Peter and said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." (Luke 22:31-32)
So Jesus was predicting two things. One, that Peter was going to be in Satan’s cross-hairs, and that ultimately he would be taken down. And it happened at Jesus' arrest and trial. Peter, as Jesus predicted, denies knowing Christ … not one time, but three times.
But the other thing that Jesus was predicting … was that Peter was going to make a comeback, and when he did … he would be a leader among the brethren (the Church) The way Jesus put it …”when you come back, strengthen the brethren.”
And in these two letters of his, he is, in fact, doing just that. He is strengthening the brethren.
But before we go any further, allow me to expand on his ‘comeback’.
As I pointed out at the outset, Peter’s livelihood came by way of fishing commercially. When Jesus called him to be a follower, a disciple and an apostle, He made this statement; from now on you will catch men."
A statement like that from the mouth of Jesus was not merely a passing statement. It was Jesus' assignment for Peter. From this point onward Peter was to be a Fisher of Men. This was to be his life’s work.
So on that dark night, as the rooster announced the break of dawn, exactly as Jesus had predicted, Peter realizes that he has cursed and swore that he had no knowledge of Jesus at all.
Judging by what followed, Peter understood that his new life-work of being a Fisher of Men … was ruined. How could he ever fill that position after having so publicly denied Him?
As we understand the history of events, Jesus died on the cross, but three days later rose to life … as He had predicted He would.
Several times Jesus appeared, showed Himself as the resurrected One, appearing to and talking with his disciples.
But Peter was hearing nothing from Jesus regarding his tragic denial just three days earlier. Surely Jesus was going to point the finger. Surely there was unfinished business between Peter and his Lord.
But each time Peter saw Jesus after His resurrection, he heard only silence. There was no reprimand. And there were no consoling words of forgiveness and re-affirmation. And whether Peter, in his mind, was carefully going over every single thing Jesus had ever said to him regarding discipleship and apostleship, we have no way of knowing. We can only imagine. Was he rehearsing the words, when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.?
… returned to Me
Peter had certainly stumbled, fallen, strayed far the course. Was he wondering .... How do I return? Am I supposed to bring it up, or will He?
Days went by. A couple of weeks went by and neither Jesus nor Peter were addressing the ‘elephant in the room’.
And then this happened. Peter makes an announcement to the rest of the disciples. “I’m going fishing”. The ‘others’ responded that they were going with him. It is very easy to miss what was really going on here. Two things: One, Peter is only going fishing for one reason, and it is not because he is running short of cash … no, he feels that he is no longer qualified to be a fisher of men. He feels he has dis-qualified himself.
And two - for the ‘others’ to say “We are going with you” is equally important to know what was going on.
The ‘others’, besides James, John and Andrew, were not former fishermen. They had been in other trades. For them to quickly agree to go with Peter is unusual to say the least. They don’t even know how to fish commercially.
So why did they join him? They were stating by this action, “Peter, if you are disqualified from your position of apostle … so are we. We ALL deserted Him. So, if you are going back to your old life … you are no worse than the rest of us, we are with you on this.”
So they fished all night and never caught a thing.
What happens next is very much like a similar event some three years earlier. A miracle fishing episode happened on the occasion when Jesus originally assigned Peter, James and John to the task of fishing for men. And here they are, caught red-handed doing what they were told they should no longer do.
They had fished all night and caught nothing. Morning was not quite there. The men heard a voice calling to them from the shore. This person had a campfire burning brightly on the beach. He was asking, “Have you caught anything?” The answer …”Not a single fish!” The person says, “Try casting your net on the right side of the boat”. They did. They caught a record number of fish. John says, “It’s the Lord!”
Skipping ahead on the story … Peter does not help the others to bring this ‘miracle’ catch of fish to land. He jumps out of the boat and swims to shore. The others finally arrive and join Jesus and Peter.
So, how much time has passed since Jesus called out to them from the shore, asking if they had caught anything? We can’t know exactly, but we would have to say, quite a bit.
While waiting for the others, how much conversion has taken place between Peter and Jesus? None. Nothing. Just an awkward silence as Peter sat there staring into the fire, watching some fish cook … maybe wondering where the fish came from, since there was no rod or hook in sight.
The others finally arrive at the beach. Peter goes over and pulls the net of fish up onto the land.
When the others approach the campfire, Jesus says,
“Bring some of your fish. I will add them to what I have here.”
Jesus adds them to the meal. When the fish are done frying He says, “Come, have breakfast.”
Jesus offers them bread and fish. The meal takes place. But it is very quiet. No one is talking.
When the meal was over, Jesus spoke. “Simon, son of Jonah …”
“Oh oh,” Peter thinks, “Here .. it .. comes. And why is He using my old name? I am really in trouble. ”
Jesus is still talking. He is now asking a question. “Simon, do you love me? Do you love me more than you love catching a boat-load of fish?”
Is Peter's answer “Of course!”? Well, not really.
Without offering some kind of a ‘Greek lesson’ here, I will point out that when Jesus asks, “Do you love me…” He is using that familiar Greek word, Agápe. This is a fairly strong form of the word love. Generally it includes the idea of a willingness to give and sacrifice.
So to repeat Jesus’ question in terms that match our English language, I would paraphrase it like this: “Simon, are you committed to me in a giving and sacrificial sense?”
Peter does not answer, “Of course! Absolutely!” But here is what we read in our version of scripture: He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”
So now allow me to paraphrase Peter’s response. “Surely you know that I like You”. Peter is being a bit self-protective. If he had answered using the same word that Jesus used, for instance, if he had said, “Lord you surely know that I am totally committed to You and willing to give and sacrifice everything for You!” he could just imagine what would come next from Jesus, …”Then HOW COULD YOU HAVE STOOD THERE CURSING AND SWEARING THAT YOU DID NOT EVEN KNOW ME!? I TOLD YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN. WHY DID YOU NOT GET READY FOR IT?”
So poor Peter … does not dare use the same word for love that Jesus used in His question. No, he uses the word ‘Phileo’. Friend. Like. He wanted to be totally honest and up front.
It appears that Jesus accepts Peter's use of a weaker word for love, because Jesus now says, “Feed my lambs.” Who are Jesus’ lambs? New believers. Believers who are not very mature. So now what is Peter supposed to think? “I started out by Jesus making me an Apostle. Jesus clearly showed us that we twelve would carry a lot of responsibility and authority. I lost that … but now He is giving me, what, a job working with new believers?”
And then Jesus does it again, “Simon … “
(“Oh oh, there’s more? What now?”)
“Simon, are you committed to me in a giving and sacrificial sense?”
Does Peter think, ‘He already asked me that. Why is He asking me the same thing? I admitted to Him that I like Him as a good friend. Does he expect me to change my answer? I can’t do that!’ So he says, “Lord, You know that I like You … I am your friend”
This time Jesus says, “Feed my sheep”.
I am sure that Peter is thinking … ‘this is more than just tending to new believers. This is more involved.’ And as I think of this event, what comes to my mind is what Peter writes in his first epistle (letter)
¶ NOW may I who am myself an elder say a word to you my fellow-elders? I speak as one who actually saw Christ suffer, and as one who will share with you the glories that are to be unfolded.
2 Shepherd your flock of God, looking after them not because you feel compelled to, but willingly, as God would wish. Never do this work thinking of your personal gain but with true compassion. I Peter 4:17
I want to continue with the account of Peter’s coming back to Jesus.
As I was saying, Jesus has just asked for a second time … Do you love me, are you committed to me? Peter has just answered in the only way he feels is honest … You are my friend, Lord.
Then the unimaginable happens. Here it is from the Philips translation:
John 21:17 Then for the third time, Jesus spoke to him and said, "Simon, son of John, are you my friend?" Peter was deeply hurt because Jesus’ third question to him was "Are you my friend?" and he said, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I am your friend!" "Then feed my sheep," Jesus said to him.
Although Peter was hurt to think that Jesus would even doubt his friendship, the bottom line for all this was: “Even though my unselfish love and devotion is in question … and even though my He questions my friendship … He is not holding that against me. He is forgiving me. He is reinstating me!”
Peter would never forget this. This is huge! As the disciples are taking in this whole encounter with Jesus, as Peter was allowing all of this to sink in, Jesus said something else to Peter. This is also huge.
18 "I tell you truly, that when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you liked, but when you are an old man, you are going to stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and take you where you do not want to go."
19 (He said this to show the kind of death by which Peter was going to honour God.)
Jesus just made a prediction regarding the rest of Peter’s life. He said “You are not going to die young. You are going to grow old”.
Would this statement stick with Peter? Is it something he would share with others?
I remember reading in the book of Acts that King Herod, willing to please the Jews, put the Christian leader, James into prison, and then had him executed. When he saw how pleased the Jews were, he decided to do it again. This time he picked Peter. He arrested him with plans to execute him the following day. The whole church was in prayer. An angel shows up in the middle of the night, unlocks the shackles from his legs, leads him to the exit … the doors open automatically … and leaves Peter standing in the street.
But nowhere in the book of Acts do we read that the church was not overly concerned. They were not saying, ‘Not to worry … Jesus said Peter will reach old age … he is still young’. So either they never heard about Jesus’ prediction regarding Peter’s growing old … or they forgot it, or they could not put faith in it or something, because they were having an all-night prayer meeting.
But had Peter forgotten it? It seems like it. But later in our study we will see that he is well aware of it. He makes mention of it in his second letter:
1:13 I consider it my duty, as long as I live in the temporary dwelling of this body, to stimulate you by these reminders.
14 I know that I shall have to leave this body at very short notice, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.
15 Consequently I shall make the most of every opportunity, so that after I am gone you will remember these things.
So here we are, about to launch into a study of two letters written by Peter. Peter, formerly a rather impulsive individual … who learned at the feet of Jesus, learned some things the hard way, but he grew from it. He learned some things about the wonderful grace of the Lord Jesus. He writes these words to us, for our strengthening … He writes to show us how to live in difficult times.
Some very powerful, helpful and wonderful words are about to be given to us by Peter … by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Now we know a little more about the man. In the next section we will look Peter’s opening remarks:
1 ¶ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2 elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.