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The most dominant
individual of the earliest followers of Jesus was Simon Peter, son of
Jonah. Down through the centuries of church history, he has been
recognized as one of the closest companions of Jesus. In the writings of
the gospels, he stands out as the leader of the twelve apostles. His name
heads every list of the twelve apostles recorded in the gospels.
Being a part of the inner circle, he witnessed Jesus raising a young girl
from the dead. He saw the transfiguration of Jesus where Moses and Elias
appeared. He also was present during the agonizing prayers of Jesus in
Gethsemane. During the final passion week, he was sent with John to make
preparation for the last meal of Jesus with his disciples.
His prominent position is seen not only by being the spokesman for the
twelve but also by how much he monopolized the interaction between Jesus
and the twelve. Often he, along with James and John, is singled out for
intimate instructions and teachings directly from Jesus. His exploits are
the central theme of the early history of the Christian church.
Living and working on the north shore of Galilee, he became the first
apostle to be called into Christian service. He was the first apostle to
recognize Jesus as the Messiah. He was the first apostle to witness the
resurrection. He was the first to proclaim salvation to the Gentiles. He
simply was the foremost personality of the early followers of Jesus.
There can be no better introduction to the letters of Peter than the
account of the changing of his name. The account begins with Jesus raising
a question to his disciples: "Whom do men say that I the Son of man
am?" After the disciples gave various rumors of what they had heard,
Jesus asked them a more specific question: "But whom say ye that I
am?" Simon Peter spoke out, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God." This confession that Jesus was the Messiah, according to
Matthew, caused Jesus to rename Simon, Cephas (in Aramaic) or Peter (in
Greek).
From Simon to Peter, the changing of the name is the essence of the truth
that is revealed in the letters of Peter. The name Simon is of Hebrew
origin meaning, "hearing" with its root meaning, "to hear
intelligently." The name Peter means, "a rock." Peter would
become a rock, "complete, confirmed, strong, and solid" (1 Peter
5:10), because he would hearken attentively to the things of heaven (1
Peter 1:2).
When Peter told Jesus that He was the Christ, Jesus responded to Peter
with "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not
revealed it unto thee, but my Farther which is in heaven." Simon had
heard from heaven, it would be the means by which his life would be
changed. Although his life at this time does not altogether appear to be
rock-like (he would yet deny Jesus), he knew there was no other place he
could find "the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). He would
continue to listen and he would become a rock of dependability. He would
be blessed.
Moreover, it is this principle (hearing from heaven) by which the entire
church would be built by God. After Jesus told Peter, "Blessed art
thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee,
but my Farther which is in heaven," He added, "And I say also
unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church;
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." It is upon this
process, represented by that which was going on in the life of Peter that
changed his name, the church is built. The church is not built upon Peter
but upon that which made Peter the rock.
At this point in his life Peter was not rock-like, but kept hearing Jesus.
He heard Him through his failure in the garden of Gethsemane. He continued
to listen after he drew his sword and attempted to prohibit Jesus from
being attested. His listening became more intense through the ordeal of
denying that he knew Jesus. His hearing would became much more discerning
after he "followed afar off" when Jesus was being led to His
trial and crucifixion. It was in and through the trials of his life that
he learned to hearken attentively to Jesus.
This is the message of the letters of Peter to believers in Christ who
found themselves suffering, scattered, and strangers in a land they could
not call home. He admonished them to "gird up the loins of [their]
mind[s], be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought
unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." He wrote, "I have
written briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of
God wherein ye stand."
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