Would you open your Bibles and read Luke 9, verses 18 - 20?

There is nothing like turning the pages in Scripture to inspire you. . . Today's inspiration: "But who do you say that I am?"

Good Morning.

This changes everything. After spending time in prayer with His Father, Jesus poses a question to the disciples: "Who do the crowds say that I am?" [It was a question to establish the pace for the rolling out of the rest of Jesus' ministry.] They informed Him that the crowds weren't sure, though they were echoing the same thoughts that Herod had--'John the Baptist? Elijah, or one of the other prophets raised from the dead?' Jesus looks at each of His men and says, "But who do you say that I am?" Without hesitation, Peter serves as spokesman for the crew, "You are the Christ of God." This is huge! Peter's statement identifies Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, the divine deliverer of Israel. This was Peter? I've got glimpses of Peter etched in my mind--flashes of brilliance and conviction, like this one; moments of cowardice, denials, regret; steps of faith, followed by sinking doubt--so, who was this Peter?

As we have looked at the life and ministry of Jesus this far, I've often considered how incredible it would have been to be an eyewitness, and even better, to have been one of Jesus' men--who not only ministered alongside Him, but also just lived life with Him. (I wonder how Jesus brushed His teeth?! Did His feet smell? Did He like to tell jokes with the guys?) From another perspective, though, what would it have been like to peer through Jesus' eyes, and see what He saw? Like, what did He see when He was looking at Peter, first catching fish and then men? And what was the expression on Jesus' face as Peter made his confident claim about who Jesus was? Peter intrigues me, so I just had to know more about him, and I wanted to share with you what I learned.

Peter's name appears in the gospels 96 times; only Jesus is mentioned more often. 1 Corinthians 9.5 tells us that Peter was married and that his wife accompanied him on his journeys. Clement of Alexandria reports her name was Perpetua, that they had children, and that she was crucified at the same time as her husband. Peter was a successful businessman and like most people in his day, he probably knew Greek in addition to the Aramaic he spoke, and he had been taught to read the Scriptures in Hebrew. So, although he was not as educated as Paul, Peter was not just an ignorant fisherman. He quickly became the leader of the Twelve, and their spokesman. Scripture records that the home in Capernaum that Peter, Perpetua, and Andrew, (Simon Peter's brother) shared a home that served as Jesus' headquarters when He was in the area. In the Bible, no disciple spoke more often than Peter did. . . and Jesus spoke to him more than any of the others. No other disciple so boldly confessed and outspokenly encouraged Jesus as Peter repeatedly did. And, no one interfered with the things Jesus was doing as often as Peter. Jesus spoke words of approval, praise, and even blessing to Peter more than to the rest of His first followers. And He also said harsher things to Peter than to any of the others.

Clearly, one of Peter's biggest flaws was his mouth; like many of us, he was always opening it when he shouldn't, partly because he was an impetuous man with quickly changing moods. Jesus said that He would call Peter "the Rock". . . the stable, unchanging one. That might have drawn a laugh from those who knew Simon Peter at the time, but in the end, he lived up to that name. Impulsive. . . ever-changing. . . but he eventually became stable, and solid as a rock.

God sees us not just as we are, but as we can BECOME. . . just like Jesus saw Peter. Jesus knew Peter had a great future. Now we know that Peter denied Jesus three times at the end of Jesus' ministry time, but after witnessing the trial, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Peter was irrevocably changed. Peter was chosen to preach at Pentecost, and after he preached the gospel, 3000 turned to faith in Christ that day! He became the leader of the infant church, and wrote the two letters in the New Testament that bear his name. It is the unanimous tradition of the early church that Peter went to Rome, probably about A.D. 61 and that he was martyred there. He was crucified as Jesus predicted in John's gospel (John 21.18-19) But Peter requested that he be nailed to the cross upside down, saying he was not worthy to die in the same way Jesus had died.

Wow! I guess I take heart knowing that Jesus saw Peter's potential, and loved him so. He took Peter as he found him, but certainly didn't leave him that way. I enjoy thinking about the relationship that Peter and Jesus had--honest, authentic, encouraging, loving. I want some of that.

So that you may know,

Christine

Something to think about: 1) What did Peter mean when he said, "You are the Christ of God"? 2) What can you learn from Peter's life, and apply it to your own? 3) Can you think of a person or event that you would have like to witness from Jesus' eyeglasses? 4) How does it make you feel that God sees us not just as we are, but what we can become?