Subject: Because he betrayed Jesus? |
Bible Note: "his "infamous" ways" Hi, new Christian! I have felt this approach to Peter in various forums and in live exchange... I can only imagine that it is because of the emphasis placed on him by the Catholic Church... ...unlike the rest of the disciples, Peter was quick to follow Jesus at every opportunity... he did not consider himself better than the rest, he simply took on to the Lord! Was he perfect? No! But he was singled out by God from amongst the Eleven! (Matthew 16:17, 18, 19; Matthew 26:34; John 21:15, 16, 17). Did he speak out of turn? No! Did he speak without weighing the full consequence of his words? Yes! Did he betray Jesus? No! There was only one betrayer: Judas. It is notable to read what transpired with the Eleven between the time of Jesus' arrest and His death on the cross: a) One of them draw a sword and attempted to repel those who came to imprison Jesus--it was Peter. b) Once Jesus admonished Peter all of the disciples had no recourse but to flee (fearing the same treatment from those who came to take Jesus away). c) They all fled Jesus' side only hours, perhaps minutes after they had stated that they would stay with Him till the end... they all failed! d) Only two of Jesus' disciples followed Him through the ordeal--well till one of them was discovered: Peter and another disciple stayed within sight of Jesus. Sadly, Peter was recognized as one of His disciples and, out of pure fear, he denied knowing the Master. It would seem that only the other disciple was firm in his conviction to stay at Jesus' side... but when the event is scrutinized, we find that this particular disciple was a familiar face in this establishment--clearly they would not suspect as a disciple or a sympathizer someone who was known to them! Had Peter had the favor that this disciple had, he would surely had stayed with Jesus till the end! When assessing Peter's character and conviction we forget that the other disciples followed his lead--it was the younger disciple that made it to the empty tomb... but he stayed at the entrance, and only after Peter went in did he too do the same... There's a passage of Scripture where Paul admonishes Peter for living a duality (separating himself from the Gentiles when receiving representatives from Jerusalem), but Paul did not say that Peter continued this behavior after his admonishion... Still, this is not an indication that Peter was infamous... after all, was it not Peter who protected the right of the Gentiles (Acts 10:44 through 11:18 and 15:1-12)? They say that hindsight is always 20/20... but if we are prejudicial in our hearts our retrospection will be contaminated by our prejudice! Let us place ourselves in the experience of the Eleven before we conclude that some were cowards or less righteous than others or even than ourselves! God Bless! Angel |