Imperfect People in the Bible 預覽

Peter

We’re introduced to a fisherman named Peter when Jesus calls him to follow him as one of the twelve disciples. He was the first to be called and often the first mentioned when the disciples are listed, which usually tells of the importance of a person. He was a part of the “inner circle,” which also included James and John. His leadership was evident and was usually the most outspoken of the disciples. 

But when it was time to speak up, he didn’t. Jesus predicted that Peter would deny knowing him even though Peter was adamant that he would never do that to his Savior and Friend. Sadly, he did just that. Thankfully, God wasn’t done with Peter and had great plans to use him to further the gospel. From that point forward, Peter was a vessel for God to bring Jesus to all who would hear.

Here are two takeaways from the life of Peter:

We Do the Unthinkable
Peter said he would never desert or betray Jesus. He said that even if he had to die with Jesus, he would stay true to him. Peter did the one thing he never dreamed he’d do. And we are often like that as well. We judge others by their poor choices and say, “I’d never do such a thing!” And then something happens in our life or we forget to protect ourselves from ungodly influences and we do the thing we never said we’d do. It’s wise for us to understand that we have to be on our guard, because our spiritual enemy would love nothing more than to rob us in this way. 

God Never Gives Up On Us
To follow Jesus so closely for three years, to know Him as Savior and Friend, and then to abandon Him in His darkest hour would be considered unforgivable by many. Not Jesus. He is the ultimate giver of grace and extra chances. As bad as Peter’s denial was, Jesus still had a mission for Peter’s life, which was to “feed” the people the message of salvation and hope through Jesus. 

Even with a betrayal in his past, Peter greatly impacted the Church and the spread of the gospel. While he didn’t die when Jesus was arrested, he did die the death of a martyr for His Savior, Lord, and Friend.