Study Guide
Biography of Peter the Apostle

Peter the Apostle is one of the most fascinating characters in the New Testament. The
Gospels paint a many-dimension picture of him, the Book of Acts records his ministry and his letters, 1 Peter and II Peter give us insight into his heart. This biographical study guide is designed to challenge us by the example of this loud, impulsive, flawed saint who gave his entire life to Jesus Christ.

Part I. Are you willing to follow?

The first words Jesus said to Peter were, “Follow me.” The last words Jesus said to Peter were, “Follow me.”
Mark 1: 16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

John 21:17 Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"

Jesus saw something in these rough fishermen that they probably did not see themselves. He saw men who, despite their flaws would be effective, courageous disciples, evangelists, teachers, writers, apostles and world-changing heroes of the faith. It takes a long process of character development and sanctification for them to internalize Jesus’ vision of them. Note Peter’s response in Luke chapter 5 after Jesus instructed them to cast their nets on the opposite side of their boat, and they harvested hundreds of fish: 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken...

The words “at once” in Mark 1:18 reveal Peter’s impulsive nature. Without thinking, without considering the implications of leaving his career of fishing, without knowing where this unusual spiritual man named Jesus would lead them he left his familiar life behind and “at once” followed the Messiah. Typically, people with this impulsive temperament are as quick to quit a cause as they are to join one. But Peter followed, day after day, month after month for the rest of his life on earth.

John 1: 42 Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter meaning “the rock”). By giving Simon the name “Peter” or “Rock” he was marking the man with his vision of what he saw in his spirit: a man would be strong, unbending, uncompromising, and willing to lead others in the Christian faith even when confronted with the most violent opposition. Peter did not see himself as such a man, and for years he would display behavior and attitudes that belied those virtues, but Jesus continually showed him grace and gave him time and divine instruction.

 

Here are some of the examples of Peter’s impulsive and brash personality:

1. Matt 14:28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." ... Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
2. Matt 16: 22-23 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" ... Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
3. On the mountain Jesus stood transfigured with Moses and Elijah, and the befuddled Peter could only utter: Matt 17:4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
4. The most heartrending example of Peter’s dull-witted nature takes place the night before the Temple Guard would take Jesus. Jesus tells his closest followers that he will be leaving them and going to a place where they cannot follow. Peter’s vision is not yet heavenly. His eyes are fixed on the earth, not on the eternal. His earthly ears hears Jesus’ words and he perceives that Jesus is talking about some place on the earth, maybe a foreign country or a special office of political importance. Here is a fragment of the conversation:
John 13:36 Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." 37Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you." 38Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: " 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
33Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."
34"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."
35But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same.

We all know how Peter failed that night of Jesus’ trials. Just as Jesus had prophesied, Peter denied that he ever knew his Lord even cursing him. This disciple called “The Rock” was weak in the face of peer pressure and the threat of imprisonment or even death because of his association with the Messiah. Yet Jesus, even after Peter betrayed him, would not give up on him.

In our walk with Christ, we make the same mistakes Peter made: We fail to see ourselves as God sees us. We fail to open the eyes of our spirit, and see things only through the eyes of our earthly intelligence. We fail to trust in the power of God, and we rely only on our own strength.

Let’s learn from this flawed, funny, devoted, conflicted, impetuous and very likable disciple. Trust in Jesus.

 

 

Part II. Are you willing to grow?

Many Jesus-followers have reached a plateau in their spiritual development. They have come to a level of commitment to God and to His church that is comfortable and that fits their lifestyle, and they go no deeper. The life of Peter the apostle gives us fascinating insight regarding this process of evolving from a child to a maturing disciple. Note the warning in Hebrews 5:11
11We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

During the three years of Jesus’ public ministry Peter seemed to be making the same mistake over and over again. He failed to realize the true authority of Jesus, put his foot in his mouth, embarrassed himself and dishonored the faith. We can look at some examples of this failing at the beginning of his association with Jesus, the midpoint and the end:

1. At the beginning of his call into ministry

2. Later, we can see that Peter was still getting in his own way, but his faith was growing deeper, and he had the right response for his savior. His humanness is clear in the first account below, and his faith is clear in the second:

a. In Luke 8:42 Peter shows his lack of understanding over the definition of the word “touch”. Jesus is talking about a divine touching, and Peter is stuck in the earthly definition:
Luke 8:42 As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45"Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."
46But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."

b. Matt 16:13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.

So despite Peter’s hardheadedness the truth about Jesus has reached his heart. He has made some slow progress in his spiritual walk, but he has a long way to go.

3. Near the end of Peter’s time with Jesus at the last supper, Peter still thinks that his worldly view is more important than his master’s. Jesus is demonstrating how a leader is supposed to serve his followers with a foot washing.

John 13:5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?"
7Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."
8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." 
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me."
9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!"
10Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean.

Something changed Peter from the stubborn, self-willed follower to the dynamic, brilliant speaker, author and leader that God called him to be. It was nothing Peter did. Not enough studying, training or self-discipline would transform him from his earthly standpoint to his divine position in the Kingdom. He had to come to a point of humility and allow God to move in him.

As we studied earlier, Peter proclaimed his undying loyalty to Jesus only to betray him in the most pitiful manner. After the death of his master and hero, he and his friends went back to fishing. The resurrected Jesus confronted him on the shore. The scene is reminiscent of the first encounter Jesus had with the fishermen.

John 21: 4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" 
"No," they answered. 6He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

The scene MUST seem familiar to the disciples, but they do not fully understand that it is Jesus on the shore. We can’t blame them because after all, Jesus is dead, right? But John realizes who it is, and Peter goes directly into action mode. He has stripped down to his work clothes for the fishing, and upon seeing the Lord he puts on his cloak and jumps into the sea to swim to Jesus. Impulsive, unthinking, passionate and loveable Peter takes what seems to be the most direct route to Jesus. The other disciples take the boat to shore: smarter for sure, but less fanatical.

Peter’s humility is obvious from the conversation Jesus had with the dripping wet Peter:
"Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." 
Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.

Jesus continues meeting with his followers for forty days and as depicted in Acts chapter 1, he rises into heaven right before their eyes. The disciples obey him and go to a building in Jerusalem and hold an extended prayer meeting in a second floor room. Here is the critical moment of awakening for Peter and the rest of the believers in that room. He has laid aside his bombastic urge to do everything himself. He is yielded and passive and quiet before the Lord. The Holy Spirit fills the room (Acts 2) and baptizes everyone. Peter is now empowered. He is full of the Holy Spirit and the courage he displays is not a quality of his manhood, but rather a manifestation of the power of God inside of him.

Peter now stands up in front of a crowd of scoffers and preaches. He starts with a quote from the prophet Joel, then he explains that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of that prophecy. He concludes his message with this convicting statement:

“Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

There was power in the words of this former coward. The people responded with repentance and were baptized and the Christian church was launched.

Peter was willing to grow, and it was a slow process, but a life changing, humiliating event prepared him for the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and that opened his heart to the power that allowed him to mature as a man and as a minister who became the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Are you willing? Look at Peter’s life. He could have remained in the fishing business. His manly personality would drive him to be competitive and work hard and drive his crews hard. He would take pride in his success. He would become wealthier and highly respected in his community. His ambition would be satisfied and he would miss the call of God on his life.

Are you willing to grow? In order to be a true follower you must be open to change. You must forsake your desire to control every aspect of your life. You must submit to the will of the Master. And you must be passive, quiet and humble expecting Jesus to baptize you in the Holy Spirit. The life of Peter gives us the path. Are you willing to follow?

Part III “Are you willing to serve?

From the life of Peter the Apostle we can observe how he grew into servant-hood. During his growth period he frequently challenged Jesus with opposing ideas and courses of action.

1. When Jesus predicted his brutal death, Peter argued, “ 22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
23Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." (Matthew 16).

2. When Jesus told the disciples that they would turn away from him Peter declared 29 "Even if all fall away, I will not." 30"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times." 31But Peter insisted emphatically, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the others said the same. (Mark 14).

3. When Jesus told Peter and the fishermen to let down their nets, Peter said, 5 "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." (Luke 5).

4.When Jesus offered to wash the disciples’ feet, Peter protested. 8"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." 
Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." 9"Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" (John 13)

These argumentative statements reflect a dubious attitude toward his leader. When one has total faith in his leader, he simply complies, knowing that the leader has thought the issue through, and has come up with the best solution. Though it is important to create an atmosphere in an organization where members are invited to share their views, excessive opposition reflects a prideful attitude. That attitude implies that “I know best and I want to have my own way.”

Peter had many qualities: leadership, courage, strength, loyalty, decisiveness, and responsibility. These qualities came with character flaws: stubbornness, pride, impatience, insubordination, and impulsiveness. Jesus saw all the positive virtues and the negative vices in Peter, and He still knew that Peter was his choice to be the initial chief of the apostles.
God is in the business of character development. He disciplines those whom he loves. (Heb. 12:6, Proverbs 3:11) In the course of Peter’s development as a minister and a man, God keeps showing him how to minimize the flaws and maximize the virtues. Peter never became perfect but he certainly improved with age.

The key to Peter’s development as a servant:

While Christ was alive, Peter’s strategy for development was self-improvement. He perceived himself as a success, both as a fisherman and as a minister. He was a “can-do” guy who felt capable of anything. Today he would say, “Just give me the book, and I will be good at it.” In the world’s culture this type of person is promoted and awarded for his initiative and competence. In the Kingdom of God, although these talents are necessary to carry out the work of the Gospel, there is another vital virtue that Peter lacked: humility. Without humility a man gets in his own way and blocks the flow of the Holy Spirit within him.

A sequence of three events in his life brought the proud leader to his knees. (Matt 26) First when Jesus predicted that Peter would deny him, Peter retorted, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” He probably truly felt that those words were true. He did not know what would happen the next day. After defending Jesus in the garden with his sword, Peter found himself in an ethical dilemma. When Jesus was arrested and brought to Caiaphas the high priest, Peter sat down in the courtyard outside. Jesus admitted to being Christ the Son of God, and the priests spit on him and beat him. It was then that the bold, brave Peter was challenged as he had never before been challenged. People near him recognized him as a disciple of Jesus and identified him. He had a decision to make: either deny his association with Jesus and suffer no ill consequences, or agree that he was a disciple and risk being arrested and possibly crucified. This was the second step in his lesson on humility.

He made the wrong choice and denied his association with Jesus and exactly as Jesus had predicted, after his third denial, the rooster crowed and Peter wept bitterly. He was ashamed. Peter was always the man strong enough to face any trial and come out victorious. He rarely found himself in such a cowardly state, and what made it worse was his declaration of undying loyalty to Jesus. He was empty and dismayed.

The third step came after Jesus rose from the tomb. In John 21, Jesus displays how to love those who have betrayed you. He positions himself on the lakeshore near where the disciples are fishing out in their boat. He is preparing breakfast for them. Peter impulsively dons his robe, jumps in the water and swims ashore. Jesus has a conversation with him that challenges his courage and loyalty again. This time Peter is not bombastic; he is humble. Jesus exalts the humble. He tells this new man to “Feed my sheep.” There is Peter’s call into service.

A Christian cannot virtuously serve Jesus if he is filled with pride and is trying to accomplish that service on his own strength.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit

It is in this state that Peter is ready to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. In Acts, chapter 1 Peter led the disciples in selecting a replacement for Judas. They went upstairs, and in the second chapter, the Holy Spirit filled the room and their hearts. Peter was now, not only called to serve but empowered to serve. All the saints in the upper room were speaking in other tongues and people out on the street mocked them. Peter then stood up and delivered an awesome sermon. This is the same Peter who denied Jesus to a small group in a dark courtyard, just a few weeds before. First he gave them the scriptural basis for this event from the book of Joel and Psalm 16.

Then he said, “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” Many in the crowd of former mockers were convicted and they repented and were baptized. Peter now was willing to serve. He would exhibit weakness, hypocrisy and impulsiveness, after all he was still just a man, but in spite of his shortcomings, he became a useful servant in God’s Kingdom.

Part IV, The Apostle Peter

IV. Are you willing to teach?

Hebrews 5:12
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

The New Testament is rich with warnings about teacher, both false teachers and unqualified teachers. Those warnings are important, and we must heed them. However the above scripture from the Letter to the Hebrews strongly urges us who are growing in the Lord that there is a time when we ought to be teachers, not just babies learning the same basics over and over again.

Peter eventually becomes a teacher as evidence by his actions in the Book of Acts and his letters in the New Testament.

After his baptism in the Holy Spirit, Peter steps into God’s role for him, and he is abundantly blessed with success for the glory of Jesus. He is not acting on his own for his own glory, his is acting out of obedience to Jesus to glorify him. This is the major distinction between a religious leader and a true disciple of Christ: unselfishness. The true saint lives only for Jesus. In the third chapter Peter heals a crippled man begging for money by the temple gate. Peter reaches out his hand and the man is healed. Peter knows what to do, now that he has the attention of the crowd there in the street: he tells them about Jesus. He reminds them that they have killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. Then he tells them to repent and turn to god so your sins may be wiped out. Just as Jesus forgave Peter after Peter betrayed him, Peter takes on that same attitude of forgiveness and love and offers them eternal salvation.

The temple officials arrested Peter and John, asking “By what power or what name did you do this?” Peter responds, “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.” They saw the courage in Peter’s heart, and that’s what stopped them in their tracks. They ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Peter and John reported the testimony to their friends and they had a prayer meeting. After they prayed the place was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke even more boldly. Peter followed this pattern of courageous preaching and miracle working his whole life.

Peter was not just willing to teach, he was compelled to teach in the face of huge risks. The more faithful he became, the more God would use him. In Acts 10 he has a vision of unclean animals descending in a sheet, and God tells him to eat them. Three times the still defiant Peter says no. Then three gentiles show up and the voice of the Holy Spirit commands Peter to go with them. They take Peter to the home of their commander, Cornelius in Caesarea. He preaches the word there in his house, and they all are filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues.
In his letters, the spirit-filled Peter shows the wisdom of God through his pen. In his first letter Peter brilliantly explains the truth of our new birth in Christ. (1Pet: 3-23) Based on that fact he launches into practical advice for employees, spouses, elders, young men and saints in the service of Jesus. He teaches us that our old friends who are drunkards and immoral will be abusive to those who embrace the truth. He also gives strong advice about being humble. Peter is teaching under the power of the Holy Spirit out of his own failings and experience.

In his second letter Peter continues to teach on that which an uneducated fisherman could never understand in a rhetorical style as sophisticated as any scholar. In Chapter 1:5-8 he builds a structure based on faith with love as the capstone. He states his authority as an apostle because he lived with Jesus, and he warns us about false teachers who teach for their own gain. He explains the primary purpose for teachings about the coming of the Lord, and that is to live holy and godly lives.

Summary

In the life of Peter we see ourselves. His example gives us hope that we are worthy of any calling that Jesus puts on us. We can expect to grow and develop, especially in our character. In these days of moral decline in the USA, God has called us to stem the tide and carefully follow Jesus. We must be deeply concerned about our personal character, and ask ourselves, are we honorable? Do we live lives of integrity? Are we loyal, courageous, unselfish and holy? Most of all are we humble? As Peter’s life shows us, that is the key to following the will of God.