Sermonstudio

Narrator: We do not know where Peter was on the day his Master hung from the cross. He may have been brooding in some darkened room, too humiliated by his cowardice, too deeply stung by his horrendous failure to seek the light of day. However, it is more likely that Peter was a part of that disparate gathering that watched until Jesus breathed no more. Peter, by nature, was not a loner. He needed to be with people, especially those closest to him.

He was not a man given to introspection and contemplation, but one who acted. He would much rather move into a situation with both fists flying than sit back and scheme a reasoned approach. It would be nearly impossible for Peter to remain away from the scene of the Master's death. The love of the Master whom he deeply cherished and the faint, lingering hope that he might still do something to free him would compel him to draw near.

Of all the persons who played a part in the death of Jesus, there is no one with whom we can so easily identify as Peter. Not only do we know more about him than the others, but he is such a wonderfully complex and variable person that there is at least one facet of his personality that causes each of us to exclaim, "That's just like me." While it would be an error to skip lightly over the historic achievements of his life, it may well be that the real lasting effectiveness of this man is bound up in the fact that we can see ourselves in him. This is a deeply painful experience at times, but the eventual outcome is characterized by hope.

Peter: I'm Peter.

I'm not sure that I should be here this evening; we're not exactly alike. I'm rough and tumble; you appear to be rather sedate. I work as a fisherman -- I know the Sea of Galilee like the back of my hand. I don't know if any of you have ever seen the Sea of Galilee. When I preach in the Court of the Gentiles, on the south side of the Temple, I need to keep an eye out for the Pharisees. They have already thrown me into jail several times. I don't believe you are being watched by your government or your denomination tonight.

I live right up against life. I'm shielded from nothing. No one is concerned with my rights when I'm imprisoned and chained. There is precious little medical help to aid me in fighting off the ravages of disease. I travel by foot, occasionally by boat. I work with my hands. I sit upon stone. I sleep on a mat. Meals are prepared when we become hungry, or when we get food. A lot of my time is spent meeting the needs of the moment. It's only been since I met Jesus that I even think of a future beyond the next catch of fish. In Capernaum we don't retire. We work until we can work no longer.

As I prepared for this evening it occurred to me that it may be in matters of the heart and passion where we are most alike.

It's certainly true that I am remembered most for my horrendous failures and faux pas. When I blundered, the whole world knew it, or so it seemed to me. Yes, I'm the one who denied knowing Christ to save my own skin. I failed to stand up to a serving girl, or answer some men, unknown to me, as I tried to stay warm by a nighttime fire. Do you remember reading about the time I jumped overboard to walk on water? Save for Christ, I would have drowned. I was scared to death!

Narrator: Through the imaginative skill of one writer, some background has been laid for interpreting this shocking experience. Andrew, Peter's brother, reveals that when Peter was a young boy he fell off a fishing vessel at sea. The severe scolding he received for being so careless, accompanied by the trauma of having nearly lost his life, brought to birth in him a giant fear, a fear he could never quite face -- a fear he tried desperately to hide behind a mask of reckless courage.

So when the disciples were caught at sea in a violent storm, Peter saw Jesus miraculously walking on water. He cried out from his hidden fear to be allowed to walk on the water to the side of Jesus. He wanted to be safe! Even though Jesus encouraged him, he was so terrorized by the past that he began sinking almost immediately. In his desperation he revealed something of that fear and cried out to Jesus to save him.

Peter: I'm also the one who gave Jesus an argument against his foot-washing ceremony. I made it an issue of my humility and pride -- when it wasn't my issue at all. It was a powerful gift from the hand of the Master, who only wished to serve me.

I acted on impulse, never giving a second thought. Without a moment's hesitation, I proposed building three altars on the occasion when Jesus, Moses, and Elijah conferred on the Mount of Transfiguration. Well, what would you have done?

While our Master was teaching one day about the high cost of discipleship, I blurted out, "What's the pay-off for those of us who have given up everything?" There is nothing subtle about me.

On another day I took it upon myself to call Jesus down for talking about the approaching day of his death. Who wants to hear about that?

And when the temple guard came to apprehend Jesus, in an instant I grabbed a nearby sword and began flailing away. I managed only to cut off the ear of one of the soldiers. It was hardly a military victory.

When the news came that Jesus had risen from the tomb, another disciple and I had a foot race to see who would get there first. He won, but stayed outside in deference to the sacredness of the event and place. I ran on in. I wanted to see for myself! As I said, there is nothing subtle about me.

Because I acted on impulse, I often got myself in trouble. Invariably it was Jesus who bailed me out. How angry he often became with me -- but once his anger was spent, he cared for me as before. He continued to rely on me -- that's right -- rely on me. In fact, the very first time we met he revealed that I would build his church. He knew something about me that even I didn't know.

Narrator: It was a beautiful and moving moment. It was the occasion when Peter correctly identified Jesus as "The Messiah, the Son of the living God," and Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:16-18).

Can you conceive of the Lord Jesus determining to lay the future of the Church upon such a person as Peter? One who was ridden with fear, who chose to escape from life, and at the crucial hour deny the one he loved the most. What a reckless and extravagant faith Jesus had! And the Master was not disappointed.

We know that on that day that Jesus was crucified he thought of the future, for he gave counsel to his people and made provision for the care of his loved ones. We would like to think that sometime during the course of that event his eyes met those of Peter and that he spoke of the tomorrows that lay ahead. That something happened between the two of them is a certainty, for when they next fell into conversation, following the resurrection, Jesus continued to build upon his original estimate of Peter.

Peter: After breakfast Jesus said to me: "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" And I said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to me, "Feed my lambs." A second time Jesus said to me, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Again I said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to me, "Tend my sheep." He said to me a third time, "Do you love me?" Rather brusquely I said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Finally he said to me, "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17).

And I, who couldn't speak up to a servant girl, found my tongue to speak boldly to the Council.

Later, on the Day of Pentecost, I witnessed to our faith, and 3000 people joined our community. John and I healed a beggar. I raised Tabitha from the dead. People lay on the street to catch my shadow as I passed by, hoping my image would cure them.

And there was the vision. It was a vision of unclean animals being lowered from above on a sheet. I was invited to eat of these beasts -- but they were unclean according to our law. So I refused. Then a voice spoke to me that I should not swear against that which the Lord has made. As events unraveled, it became clear I was actually being told that the Gentiles were proper persons to become Christians.

I spoke of this before the church in Jerusalem and won the day. Later I backed away from what I learned, and Paul had to rebuke me. Even in the best of times the old Peter would reappear.

Also, Jesus, on the occasion of the breakfast, said to me, "Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your belt and go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." (He said this to me to indicate the kind of death by which I would glorify God.) After that he said, "Follow me" (John 21:18-19).

Narrator: It has been said, "A saint is not a man who never fails; a saint is a man who gets up and goes on again every time he fails."

During his last imprisonment an angel came and led Peter to freedom. It was time for him to leave Jerusalem. After greeting his friends, he left the city heading north and west. He spent the rest of his life preaching in Antioch, Corinth, and other cities in Asia Minor. Eventually he made his way to Rome and became a victim of the persecution conducted under Nero's rule. The year was 64 A.D. He requested and was granted permission to be crucified upside down. This he did out of respect for his Master.