THE DISCIPLE PETER - THE CENTRE OF DEVOTION – IN THE FISH OR IN THE LORD? PART 1 OF 4
SERIES - THE CHARACTERS OF JOHN'S GOSPEL
We enter a 4 message study on the Apostle Peter. There is so much rich teaching in all of this. This is the first message.
John 1 v 40 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. John 1:41 He found first his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ). John 1:42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
The next character in John’s Gospel we will study is Simon Peter, who is the best known of the disciples in the band of 12. The passage before us is where the first encounter between the Lord and Peter occurred, and it was through the agency of Andrew. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, but as a good and godly forerunner, John the Baptist pointed the way to Jesus in line with his famous statement in John 3 v 30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” All correct ministry is not for the glory of the individual, or to make a dynasty for any one man or church, but to point to the Lord and to put people on the pathway to Christ. Andrew introduced his brother to the Lord, and there he remained. It says in the text of the NASB in verse 42 that Jesus looked at him. This word look used also in 1 v 36, means a fixed earnest look and what follows shows that Christ’s gaze penetrated to his heart and read his character. This is the all-knowing Lord who can do that. Jesus knew Peter’s name even before they were introduced, as He knew all about Nathaniel when he was under the fig tree before Nathaniel met Jesus.
Because of the silence in this passage, we don’t know if Simon Peter was a disciple of John the Baptist or not, so we don’t speculate. However it is certain that the brothers, like a good number of others, were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah was the promised one in the Old Testament, and was also known as The Prophet, the Son of David, and the King of the Jews. He was long expected, and 400 years had passed since the last book of Malachi had been written. That period is known as the 400 silent years or The Intertestamental Period. The devout Jews were searching for signs that the Messiah had come, but their expectations were not quite correct. They expected the messiah to establish the Kingdom for the Jews, the one we now call The Millennium, but in doing so, He would sweep away the Roman invaders. Many Jews were looking at a political revolution and expected the Jewish Messiah to have led that. However, Jesus came to seek and to save those who were lost.
There is no doubt that Andrew and Simon expected Jesus Christ of Nazareth to set up that kingdom on earth. You will recall that following the 40 days after the Resurrection, and just before Jesus ascended, his disciples asked Him, “Lord, is it at this time You are going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” They were seeking the restoration of David’s kingdom, but the time was not to be then. Do you recall that when John the Baptist was in prison, he sent to Jesus to ask if He was really the promised one or if they should seek another? That may seem a strange question to ask, but I wonder if John the Baptist also expected the Kingdom to have been set up, even though Jesus was the Lamb of God, that John knew very well.
Christ or “Christos” in the Greek is the equivalent of Messiah in Hebrew, also explained by the Apostle John in verse 41. We don’t know what happened at that encounter except for one thing. It says Jesus looked at Simon and then gave him a name change. That is a surprise move when you first meet. Jesus changed his name from Simon to “Cephas”, and the name is Hebrew meaning a small stone, or can mean also, a small piece of a detached rock. What must Peter have thought when the Lord called him a small stone or pebble. (Of course all this would make sense later on as recorded by Matthew and not the Apostle John.) John adds in verse 42, the Greek translation of Cephas, and that is “Petros” or Anglicised to Peter. Petros also means small stone or pebble. That encounter was a powerful one, for Peter remained and never ventured off.
Perhaps we should mention a very important event in Peter’s life that is spoken of only in Matthew, an event which has caused confusion and great error to prevail. Please check this out with me and turn to Matthew’s Gospel, to chapter 16. Matthew 16 v 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Matt 16:14 and they said, “Some say John the Baptist, and others, Elijah, but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” Matt 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Matt 16:16 and Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Matt 16:17 and Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Matt 16:18 I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. Matt 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matt 16:20 Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ. The great misunderstand in this passage is verse 18. The Roman Catholic teaching here is that Christ built the Church on Peter. Out of this they say Peter was the first pope and that the teaching of the church is flawless. Now what is the answer here? Is the Church built on Peter? There are also some who claim the Church is built on Peter’s confession of Christ in verse 16. In fact all that is error.
What the Lord did in this exchange was a play on words with a significant “You are Peter,” said the Lord. Of course he was Peter, because the Lord changed his name, and earlier we saw that Peter meant a small stone like a pebble. Peter you are just a tiny stone that moves around in the elements. The Lord then followed that with this - “and upon this rock I will build My church.” The Church, the Body of Christ is built “upon this rock”. The Greek there for “rock” is “petra” a feminine noun and it means an unmovable rock that withstands all assaults. When you think of Petra (rock) think of the Rock of Gibraltar, or Ayers Rock in Australia. These rocks will never yield, nor will they give way and decay. There is only one Person who is capable of that position and it is Jesus Christ Himself. Paul bears this out in the following passage - Ephesians 2 v 19 Therefore then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, Eph 2:20 having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, Eph 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; Eph 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
That massive cornerstone keeps everything locked in place. It is Jesus who occupies that position, not a frail and fallen man. The majestic Church, the Bride of Christ, the Body of Christ, could not possibly be built on a sinful human being. Peter goes to some effort to point that out - 1Peter 2 v 4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, 1Pet 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1Pet 2:6 This is contained in Scripture: “Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, and he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed.” 1Pet 2:7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe, but for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very corner stone,” 1Pet 2:8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offence,” for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.” In verse 4 Peter points out that Christ is the living stone, the Rock, and not Peter himself. In the rest of the passage he promotes the cornerstone and the Rock.
Before we leave the passage in Matthew we were looking at, there is one more matter to be mentioned. It is this verse - Matthew 16 v 19 “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” The Lord promised to Peter the keys of the kingdom and that he would have the power to bind on earth and heaven, and to loose in earth and heaven. There are two parts here. The first is “the keys of the kingdom”. What does this mean? Well, firstly, what it does NOT mean is that Peter stands at the gate of heaven to determine who gets in or who is refused. That is nonsense coming from the Roman Catholic promotion of Peter. Peter used the keys to open the gospel to the world – first to the Jews in Acts chapter 2, then to the Gentiles in Acts chapter 10. The Roman Catholic church puts a great deal on emphasis on the matter of binding and loosing from that verse 16, to elevate Peter, but it must be noted that later on the Lord used that same expression to all the disciples, not just Peter - Matthew 18 v 18 “Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
There is an incident recorded in Mark that no other Gospel mentions, and it is found in chapter 1. Mark 1 v 14 After John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of God Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea for they were fishermen,
Mark 1:17 and Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men,” Mark 1:18 and they immediately left the nets and followed Him. Mark 1:19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets Mark 1:20 and immediately He called them and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went away to follow Him. Remember Mark obtained his information from Peter for his gospel. This is right at the start of Jesus’s ministry. It seems Jesus began preaching after John the Baptist was thrown in prison, and He was preaching before the call of His disciples. In our passage He is calling His chosen men into full time discipleship, and goes down to the shore of the lake (Sea of Galilee). Here now He invites these men to follow Him. After Peter’s initial encounter with Jesus, he and his brother continued fishing with their team members James and John. This would be the last of their commercial fishing. I wonder what Zebedee was thinking. The four men left their nets and their boats and followed Jesus, leaving Zebedee and the hired servants by themselves. You note Mark’s favourite word is here - “immediately” or in the KJV “straightway” meaning they went right there and then with the Lord into ministry. The nets were left behind and thereafter they were to catch men. There was to be a final scene with the disciples and nets and we do that later in another message.
THE SECOND CHAPTER IN PETER’S RECORD
John 6 v 66 “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew, and were not walking with Him anymore. John 6:67 Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” John 6:68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life, John 6:69 and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
The question that needed a decision! Jesus asked a defining question at a critical time. What had happened before verse 66 to cause Jesus to question His disciples? Let us read that - John 6 v 51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he shall live forever, and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh.” (The Lord expands even more). John 6:52 The Jews therefore began to argue with one another saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” John 6:53 Jesus therefore said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. John 6:54 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day, John 6:55 for My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. John 6:56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. John 6:57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. John 6:58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven, not (in the way that) the fathers ate, and died, (but) he who eats this bread shall live forever.” John 6:59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
John 6:60 Many of His disciples, therefore, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement. Who can listen to it?” John 6:61 but Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? John 6:62 What then if you should behold the Son of Man ascending where He was before? John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life, John 6:64 but there are some of you who do not believe,” for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. John 6:65 He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
What is happening in this passage is a shaking away of the hangers-on. Many followed Jesus, captivated by the miracles and possibly by free bread from heaven. They were intrigued and curious and wondered, and saw Jesus as a miracle worker, but they were uncommitted. They had a fascination with religion, but no belief in the Son of God. In spite of all they saw and knew, their stubborn hearts would not accept Him, and preferred to stay in their unbelief. They were content to remain in their sins with no belief in the consequences of remaining unsaved. Nothing has changed. As a result many turned away and no longer had any contact with the Lord. In verse 66 these unbelievers are termed disciples, but the word literally means follower or learner. They followed and they learned but they did not commit to following, or believe what they were learning.
When the departure of the unbelievers happened, Jesus then confronted His disciples with the most challenging question - John 6 v 67 Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Questions about our personal commitment to the Lord, and the state of our walk can be very confronting. I remember as young people, we used to avoid people who asked us about our Christian walk. Maybe we were not fully committed or felt inadequate, but whatever the reason these probings seemed too confronting to us. Well Jesus looked at them, I am sure, and asked them. This was the time to nail their colours to the wall. It was Peter who answered for the others, well for all but one, but he did not know “the one”, so clever is the false among the true. This is again how John records it - John 6 v 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life, John 6:69 and we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”
What a wonderful answer. It shows the disciples’ growth and understanding. It was a magnificent confession of faith. Only Jesus has the words of eternal life, for only in Him is everlasting life. Then Peter confirmed the disciples’ belief in the Saviour. Their eyes and ears confirmed that He alone was the Holy One of God. That must have cheered the heart of Jesus. No wonder Peter could say, “Lord, to whom shall we go? There is no other; no other path to salvation; no other Friend like Jesus; and no other who speaks the words of God for salvation.
We all agree with Peter. This simple, honest and faithful statement could well be our own personal motto.
PART 2 WILL FOLLOW IN THE NEXT MESSAGE
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