Peter: A Transformed Life and Leader

 Lately I've been reading in 1 & 2 Peter (since I'm preaching through 1 Peter at Forest Community Church), and I am struck with the dramatic change in his life after the resurrection of Jesus. His growth as both a Christian and a leader is pretty amazing, so I wanted to share a few thoughts. First, let me give credit where credit is due, I hold no illusions that all the material below came from my own mind, but I will do my best to give proper credit to those who taught me. That said, let me offer a quote from Eugene Peterson on the issue of Peter (this quote comes from his notes at the beginning of 1 Peter in The Message):

Peter's concise confession--"You are the Messiah, the Christ"--focused the faith of the disciples on Jesus as God among us, in person, carrying out the eternal works of salvation. Peter seems to have been a natural leader, commanding the respect of his peers by sheer force of personality. In every listing of Jesus' disciples, Peter's name is invariably first. In the early church, Peter's influence was enormous and acknowledged by all. By virtue of his position, he was easily the most powerful figure in the Christian community. And his energetic preaching, ardent prayer, bold healing, and wise direction confirmed the trust placed in him.

The way Peter handled himself in that position of power is even more impressive than the power itself. He stayed out of the center, didn't "wield" power, maintained a scrupulous subordination to Jesus. Given his charismatic personality and well-deserved position at the head, he could easily have taken over, using the prominence of his association with Jesus to promote himself. That he didn't do it, given the frequency with which spiritual leaders do exactly that, is impressive. Peter is a breath of fresh air.

The two letters Peter wrote exhibit the qualities of Jesus that the Holy Spirit shaped in him; a readiness to embrace suffering rather than prestige, a wisdom developed from experience and not imposed from a book, a humility that lacked nothing in vigor or imagination. From what we know of the early stories of Peter, he had in him all the makings of a bully. That he didn't become a bully (and religious bullies are the worst kind) but rather the boldly confident and humbly self-effacing servant of Jesus Christ that we discern in these letters, is a compelling witness to what he himself describes as "a brand-new life, with everything to live for." 

Peter has long been one of my favorite disciples but not for the reason that many will offer. For me, Peter is the disciple whose life was perhaps the most dramatically changed (besides Paul, perhaps). We know that Peter was married, we know that his family included him in a business that seemed successful and what we would today deem (at least) middle class. Peter left the comfort of a family business, the comfort of a marriage situation, even the comfort of immediate and extended family to follow an itinerant preacher from Nazareth. It seems to me that he had what many of us seek--success, safety, and a sense of satisfaction in life. He was willing to leave that behind to chase the dream of Messiah.

In many ways Peter had what we would call today "the American dream"--a family, a career, and a future. There was something, however, in that itinerant carpenter that commanded Peter's attention. So much so that Peter became the de facto spokesman for the disciples and a kind of "public relations" man for Jesus. Remember Caesarea Philippi? There Peter made his amazing confession, and there Jesus turned the tables on him by saying (essentially), "I am not a militant Messiah, I will die. You will witness it and be heartbroken." 

Peter's response is telling: "God forbid, Lord!  This will never happen to you!" In other words: "Jesus, you are speaking negatively when your popularity is at an all time high! You need to strike now or you will lose momentum. Our movement is going strong, and your negative language threaten to end it!" 

Jesus said in response: "Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are not setting your mind on God's business but man's business."

Peter even tried to make it up later by swearing he would die for Jesus, and shortly after Jesus predicted that Peter would deny him three times. What's my point? Peter is in some sense every one of us. We think we have God figured out, we even begin to tell him how his Word ought to work, then God turns the tables on us by reminding us that we are not God. He jolts us to awareness of our own inherent selfishness by reminding us that we are NOT in charge. 

Peter led that life right up until the resurrection. But, oh, after that day, what a different man we find in this Rock, this Pebble called by God to lead his sometimes all-too-human church in the first century!

Peter's arrogance seems to have been bludgeoned out of him by the events of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. He didn't lose  a position of power, but rather Peter began to act in an almost unnatural way. As Peterson says, Peter "could easily have taken over, using the prominence of his association to Jesus to promote himself." By God's grace, Peter did not "lord it over" the church. He embraced suffering, he embraced a life of humility, he even became a servant!

This successful man, who became a leader of the disciples, later would learn to lead truly by serving others. He learned humility in what he suffered, and he learned to put the needs of others first. He became a well suited vessel to remind the early suffering church that suffering leads to an opportunity to serve others while proclaiming the great kindness of God. He learned a new definition of success--humble service to others in spite of how they treat you. The sharp tongued and quick witted leader of the Twelve became a man who spoke softly, compassionately, and who served humbly. He followed Jesus' example even in death. 

Oh that we could all come to live as Peter lived! May his tribe increase! May we all learn to live and to think like Peter, or more importantly, like Peter's Lord!

Lord, teach us to be like your servant Peter; train us to be true disciples.

Thanks for reading!