I think I’m Peter. I hope that doesn’t sound arrogant because it is for sure not from an arrogant place of thought. I know Peter was pretty much Jesus’ best friend, but Peter was also kind of oblivious, hasty, and typically made things a little harder on himself. I mean the dude cut someone’s ear off! Like relax, man! So why on earth would I want to be like this man? Because Peter loved Christ deeply…he was just a little foolish. Let’s look to scripture for a minute.
Matthew 4:18-22 Christ comes to Simon Peter and Andrew on the shore. They are fishermen. Christ calls for them to come with him, saying he will make them fishers of men. They drop their nets and go immediately.
A MAN JUST SAID YOU WILL FISH FOR PEOPLE AND YOU ARE GOING
WITH HIM LIKE THAT IS 100% NORMAL?! Okay. It’s not, but okay.
Bottom line- Peter trusted Christ. Without question or hesitation. He didn’t know where they were going, but he knew he wanted to be with Christ. Same, Peter. Same.
Matthew 14:22-34 Jesus walks on the water and Peter is like, “oh shoot! LET ME! LET ME!” But then he freaks out EVEN THOUGH CHRIST WAS STANDING IN FRONT OF HIM ON A RAGING SEA and so he begins to sink. Of course Jesus reaches down to pull him right back up.
Did you catch that?
vs. 31: “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.”
His hand. Because Peter was literally within arms reach when he decided to quit. PETER STOP IT. But also me. How many times have I been pushing through something, maybe trudging through it, and I decide “Nope. I’m scared.” Do you think God ever rolls his eyes at us? It makes me feel like the video of the little kid in the water, screaming because he’s SURE he’s drowning. But in reality he just needed to stand up because the water wasn’t even deep… How close have I been to the truth, or a break through when I give up?
Matthew 16:21-28 Jesus predicts his death and Peter freaks out…again.
Peter shut up.
I can only say this because hindsight is 20/20. It’s hard. God calls us to scary things and he calls us to trials. If he told us before hand, we would probably do the same thing. “NO WAY GOD!” But we do say it, in the middle of trials. “How could you, God?” Oh, Peter. And oh, Elise. Brokenness brings purity. Just like the olives were crushed for oil, Christ was crushed for salvation. I, too, will be crushed. But then purity will come. What kind of pure joy in life could I be missing if I had just avoided every trial God placed in front of me?
Matthew 26:35 Peter says He will never deny Jesus.
Matthew26:69-75 Peter denies Jesus…three times.
Dang Peter. Your best friend? You promised your life to Him.
But so did I.
Recently I have been asked multiple times to share my spiritual journey. The biggest thing I have noticed each time is that for a long time, I lived like I was hopping back and forth between two railroad tracks. Every time something big would happen in my walk, I would have what I thought was just a massive screw up. And I mean every time. Usually within just a couple months of each other.
You see, Jesus promised the same freedom to Peter and I. He had just promised Peter to be the foundation of the Church. He has promised much to me. And it seems we both continue to walk away from it. Why? Because we are silly and sinful. Gratefully, there is redemption. Redemption I recently rediscovered in John.
John 21:15-19 Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. Each time Peter replies “Of course, Lord. You know that I do.” Peter even gets a little offended that Jesus would ask, but Christ then calls Him to ask on the love.
First of all, Peter, who are you to be offended? You just denied your savior and best friend in his greatest time of need. Second of all, I think that there is purpose in the fact that Jesus asked him three times. It is not that we can say a good thing each time we walk away from Christ and it will balance our scale. It is the fact that every time we deny our love for The Lord, ever time we walk away from him, he is faithful to welcome us back home. Every single time.
This changed the perspective on my story. It wasn’t that I screwed up every time God asked me to do something. It is the fact that every time I screwed up, God reminded me he still had a purpose for me. He would not give up or walk away from me.
So where am I now? Lets go back to the beginning of the chapter.
John 21:1-14 Shortly after Jesus rose from the dead he appeared to his disciples for the third time. They were fishing. They hadn’t caught anything all night, but when Jesus commanded them to switch their nets to the other side the nets overflowed. Immediately they recognized him. So what does Peter do? He jumps out of the boat and tries to swim to shore.
Peter you are exhausting. Actually all of you disciples. You just spent three years walking with Jesus every day, seeing his miracles, watching him crucified and then come back to life, and you saw him after. So how do you celebrate? You go right back to the job you had before… ARE YOU SERIOUS. I’ll come back to how ridiculous that is.
So Peter gets a little excited. He jumps out of the boat and tries to swim. Why is this silly? They are literally only 100 yards from the shore…The boat probably got there before he did! And then he had to go back to it to help pull it in. Not to mention he is now soaking wet. On one hand, I say yes. We should be that excited to meet Christ every time. But on the other hand, Peter just made things a little more difficult! Had Peter been just a touch more patient, he would’ve got to the same place with less struggle and less discomfort. Why do we always try to skip steps to get to the good stuff? There is training in the waiting.
Now back to the fact that they are fishing in the first place.
I just graduated college. I have spent four years (really 22, but especially the last 4) being trained and educated on ministry. I have been exposed to the workings of God in so many different denominations, cultures, and people in general. I didn’t even know I could experience Him like I have.
And now I have two options:
1) Stay in the states. Come home and get a job so I can pay off my loans and hopefully find a ministry to pour into while living at home. Security. Familiarity.
or
2) The World Race. 11 countries in 11 months. I have no idea where I will sleep or shower and the money will have to come from God because I don’t have it. But I know that I have 24 hours a day to commit to giving 100% of myself to His work.
The Lord came to the disciples regardless of the fact that they returned to the shore line. He ministered to them and encouraged them. But I wonder how much more could have happened if they had already acted on the relationship they had with Christ. I know that God would pour into me and bless me because he is a good God. But how much more could I experience him if I stepped into a place where he challenged me, and a place where I truly only had him to rely on? I am scared. But for once I think I can avoid the mistake that Peter made. I don’t want to waste what I have seen. I refuse to go back to fishing.
