Palm Sunday has just passed and Easter is just around the corner. We know the scriptural records. We’ve heard them many times. But this year we may be looking for something more: the rest of the story.
When Jesus first called Peter, Peter did not want the job.
He was a working fisherman. He piloted his own boat, managed a crew and negotiated prices in the harbor. He felt comfortable in his own sun-hardened skin. When Jesus approached him, Peter’s first reaction was not confidence. It was humility: ‘Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man.’
He probably understood what Jesus was asking – not just to follow, but to help accomplish a mission whose full costs were not yet visible. Peter said yes. And then he stumbled.
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In “Oracles of God: The Story of the New Testament,” Jesus speaks with the apostle Peter. (CBN Films/Fathom Entertainment)
He misunderstood Jesus. He argued with Him. At one point Jesus sharply rebuked him, “Get behind me, Satan.” On the night of Jesus’ trial, Peter denied even knowing Him – three times. At the crucifixion he was nowhere to be seen. Then he returned to what he knew: fishing in Galilee.
The risen Jesus found him there.
That’s the part we can’t miss.
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Jesus did not choose Peter because he was blameless. He chose him because he knew exactly who he was: impulsive, courageous, fearful, devoted, weak. In other words: human. Peter was the sinner who made right and wrong decisions. Lest this point be missed, that means you and me. Saints were the first sinners.
Peter’s occupation as a fisherman was an almost perfect model for the ministry Jesus was designing. Fishermen had to be extremely patient, knowing that temporary successes were interspersed with harrowing failures. It was an activity of inescapable frustration. Jesus knew that his ministry would follow the same pattern.
Then came the turning point.
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When Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered with a loud voice, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”
You can’t miss its meaning. Jesus declared that it was not he, the Son, but God the Father who revealed this to Peter. To drive home the magnitude of this, Jesus added, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
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Jesus did not choose Peter because he was blameless. He chose him because he knew exactly who he was: impulsive, courageous, fearful, devoted, weak.
It was a stunning promise – made to a man who would publicly fail within months.
Yet, two thousand years later, Christianity is still the greatest faith in the world. Peter – later joined by Paul – helped take it beyond Jerusalem and into history. Both would be executed for that mission.
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This is the rest of the story: not just the resurrection, but the restoration. Not only divine power, but human weakness redeemed and appointed.
And that’s important, because Peter’s story is ours. The church is not built for perfection. It was built on forgiven men and women who said yes – and kept going.
