Peter
Peter’s First Vision
Peter was a man of vision right from the start. According to Luke’s account, the Lord first opened Peter’s eyes by performing a miracle in his fishing boat (Luke 5:1-9). Peter’s response was to fall “down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord” (v. 8). Thus Peter’s first vision was of Jesus as Lord and himself as a sinner.
Peter’s Second Vision
His next great vision is recorded in Matthew 16:13-19, where the Lord asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” Only Peter could answer. He said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This response was not a small thing. Peter did not come up with it himself. The Lord told him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in the heavens.” Peter could only have known who the Son of Man was because the Father had revealed it to him. The Lord then added to this God-given vision by telling Peter, “And 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 prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens.”
Peter’s Third and Greatest Vision
The first of these “keys” was used at Pentecost when the church was born through Peter’s preaching to the Jews (Acts 2). But in order to use the second key, a higher vision was needed. In Acts 10:9-28 Peter saw a vision in which the Lord told him to slay and eat all kinds of unclean animals. Through this vision Peter learned that although “it is unlawful for a man who is a Jew to join himself to or come near one of another race; yet God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (v. 28). Obeying the Lord’s leading, he went to the house of the Gentile Cornelius and preached the gospel. All who were there received the Spirit and were baptized (vv. 44-47). Thus the Gentiles, considered unclean by all the Jews, were declared clean and brought fully into the church through Peter’s vision.
Perhaps it was because of these visions that Peter was so bold to speak the Gospel even under the threat of his life. At Pentecost (Acts 2) he spoke to the same crowd that 50 days earlier were shouting for the crucifixion of the Lord. In Acts 4 he healed a lame man and preached boldly, resulting in being throne into prison. After his release, he joined himself to the church where they all praised the Lord. In Acts 5 he and the other apostles were arrested again, and were miraculously rescued by an angel. Immediately they went back into the temple and boldly resumed their preaching.
Peter Influenced by Religion
But in Acts 12 we begin to see a different picture. Peter is again arrested, and is again rescued by an angel. But instead of going back to boldly resume his preaching, he slipped away to a prayer meeting at a sister’s house to report his release. Once there, “he said, Report these things to James and the brothers. And going out, he went to another place” (v. 17). It seems that the once bold Peter now went into hiding! In this verse we see two related things: Peter’s loss of boldness and the rise of James among the brothers.
Peter had not forgotten his vision. In Acts 15, at the conference held in Jerusalem over the need of the Gentiles to be circumcised, Peter stood to remind everyone, “Men, brothers, you know that from the early days God chose from among you that through my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe” (v. 7). But when all was said and done, it was James who commanded that everyone listen to him as he gave the final verdict about the matter. He said, “Men, brothers, listen to me… Therefore I judge…” (vv. 13, 19).
It is not too much to say that the rise of the influence of James with his religious, law keeping practices (Acts 21:20) had a subduing effect on Peter. This effect is abundantly clear in the account given by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:12-13. “For before some came from James, he [Peter] continually ate with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to shrink back and separate himself, fearing those of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away in their hypocrisy.”
That Peter still held to his God-given vision concerning the Gentiles is clear because he freely ate with them. He himself was not “from James.” But when “some from James” came, they immediately produced in Peter a religious fear of “those of the circumcision.” This fear forced him to go against his vision, violate his conscience, and enter into hypocrisy. His reaction of hypocrisy was so strong and obvious that it even caused others to grow weak in their faith and do the same. In Paul’s words, “they were not walking in a straightforward way in relation to the truth of the gospel” (v. 14).
Peter’s Return
Fortunately Peter’s story does not end there. By 64 A.D., Peter was no longer in Jerusalem. He had left that heavy religious atmosphere and was now in the city of Babylon. It was here, no longer under the direct influence of James and his followers, that he wrote his first Epistle.
Even though this book is written to the Jewish “sojourners of the dispersion” (1 Pet 1:1), there is no hint of the demands of James anywhere. Instead, we read “And if you call as Father the One who without respect of persons judges according to each one's work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear, Knowing that it was not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, that you were redeemed from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, But with precious blood, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot, the blood of Christ” (1:17-19). Regarding the Gentiles, Peter writes, “Who once were not a people but now are the people of God; who had not previously been shown mercy but have now been shown mercy” (2:10).
Second Peter was written from Rome about five years later, close to the time of Peter’s martyrdom. Here he writes one of the greatest revelations of all: “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us all things which relate to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and virtue, Through which He has granted to us precious and exceedingly great promises that through these you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption which is in the world by lust” (2 Pet 1:3-4). Rather than James, it is Paul’s writings that he recommends (3:15-16).
Once the Lord told Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has asked to have you all to sift you as wheat. But I have made petition concerning you that your faith would not fail; and you, once you have turned again, establish your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32). The Lord made petition for Peter throughout his entire life. This was His mercy. Thus Peter passed the test of the strong, charismatic leader with his legal religious teaching. He was able to remain true to his God-given vision. At the end of his life, through his epistles, he is able to establish us all in the same way today.
Peter was a man of vision right from the start. According to Luke’s account, the Lord first opened Peter’s eyes by performing a miracle in his fishing boat (Luke 5:1-9). Peter’s response was to fall “down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord” (v. 8). Thus Peter’s first vision was of Jesus as Lord and himself as a sinner.
Peter’s Second Vision
His next great vision is recorded in Matthew 16:13-19, where the Lord asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” Only Peter could answer. He said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This response was not a small thing. Peter did not come up with it himself. The Lord told him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in the heavens.” Peter could only have known who the Son of Man was because the Father had revealed it to him. The Lord then added to this God-given vision by telling Peter, “And 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 prevail against it. I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens.”
Peter’s Third and Greatest Vision
The first of these “keys” was used at Pentecost when the church was born through Peter’s preaching to the Jews (Acts 2). But in order to use the second key, a higher vision was needed. In Acts 10:9-28 Peter saw a vision in which the Lord told him to slay and eat all kinds of unclean animals. Through this vision Peter learned that although “it is unlawful for a man who is a Jew to join himself to or come near one of another race; yet God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (v. 28). Obeying the Lord’s leading, he went to the house of the Gentile Cornelius and preached the gospel. All who were there received the Spirit and were baptized (vv. 44-47). Thus the Gentiles, considered unclean by all the Jews, were declared clean and brought fully into the church through Peter’s vision.
Perhaps it was because of these visions that Peter was so bold to speak the Gospel even under the threat of his life. At Pentecost (Acts 2) he spoke to the same crowd that 50 days earlier were shouting for the crucifixion of the Lord. In Acts 4 he healed a lame man and preached boldly, resulting in being throne into prison. After his release, he joined himself to the church where they all praised the Lord. In Acts 5 he and the other apostles were arrested again, and were miraculously rescued by an angel. Immediately they went back into the temple and boldly resumed their preaching.
Peter Influenced by Religion
But in Acts 12 we begin to see a different picture. Peter is again arrested, and is again rescued by an angel. But instead of going back to boldly resume his preaching, he slipped away to a prayer meeting at a sister’s house to report his release. Once there, “he said, Report these things to James and the brothers. And going out, he went to another place” (v. 17). It seems that the once bold Peter now went into hiding! In this verse we see two related things: Peter’s loss of boldness and the rise of James among the brothers.
Peter had not forgotten his vision. In Acts 15, at the conference held in Jerusalem over the need of the Gentiles to be circumcised, Peter stood to remind everyone, “Men, brothers, you know that from the early days God chose from among you that through my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe” (v. 7). But when all was said and done, it was James who commanded that everyone listen to him as he gave the final verdict about the matter. He said, “Men, brothers, listen to me… Therefore I judge…” (vv. 13, 19).
It is not too much to say that the rise of the influence of James with his religious, law keeping practices (Acts 21:20) had a subduing effect on Peter. This effect is abundantly clear in the account given by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:12-13. “For before some came from James, he [Peter] continually ate with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to shrink back and separate himself, fearing those of the circumcision. And the rest of the Jews also joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was carried away in their hypocrisy.”
That Peter still held to his God-given vision concerning the Gentiles is clear because he freely ate with them. He himself was not “from James.” But when “some from James” came, they immediately produced in Peter a religious fear of “those of the circumcision.” This fear forced him to go against his vision, violate his conscience, and enter into hypocrisy. His reaction of hypocrisy was so strong and obvious that it even caused others to grow weak in their faith and do the same. In Paul’s words, “they were not walking in a straightforward way in relation to the truth of the gospel” (v. 14).
Peter’s Return
Fortunately Peter’s story does not end there. By 64 A.D., Peter was no longer in Jerusalem. He had left that heavy religious atmosphere and was now in the city of Babylon. It was here, no longer under the direct influence of James and his followers, that he wrote his first Epistle.
Even though this book is written to the Jewish “sojourners of the dispersion” (1 Pet 1:1), there is no hint of the demands of James anywhere. Instead, we read “And if you call as Father the One who without respect of persons judges according to each one's work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear, Knowing that it was not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, that you were redeemed from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers, But with precious blood, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot, the blood of Christ” (1:17-19). Regarding the Gentiles, Peter writes, “Who once were not a people but now are the people of God; who had not previously been shown mercy but have now been shown mercy” (2:10).
Second Peter was written from Rome about five years later, close to the time of Peter’s martyrdom. Here he writes one of the greatest revelations of all: “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us all things which relate to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and virtue, Through which He has granted to us precious and exceedingly great promises that through these you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption which is in the world by lust” (2 Pet 1:3-4). Rather than James, it is Paul’s writings that he recommends (3:15-16).
Once the Lord told Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has asked to have you all to sift you as wheat. But I have made petition concerning you that your faith would not fail; and you, once you have turned again, establish your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32). The Lord made petition for Peter throughout his entire life. This was His mercy. Thus Peter passed the test of the strong, charismatic leader with his legal religious teaching. He was able to remain true to his God-given vision. At the end of his life, through his epistles, he is able to establish us all in the same way today.