05.26. The Life Of Peter - (Continued)

XVII THE LIFE OF PETER – (CONTINUED) In the preceding chapter the question was asked: "What incidents in Peter’s life most impressed themselves upon his own -life, judging mainly from his literary remains, to wit: His gospel through Mark, his speeches in the Acts, and his letters?" In answering that question, the following, out of many incidents, were cited, in the chronological order in the Broadus Harmony:

1. His first interview with our Lord, and probable conversion (John 1:40-42; Harmony, p. 19).

2. His call to the ministry (Mark 1:16-17; Harmony, p. 28).

3. The revelation of his sinfulness through a realization of Christ’s presence and divine power (Luke 5:1-11; Harmony, p. 29).

4. Christ in his home (Mark 1:29-34; Harmony, p. 29).

5. His ordination as an apostle (Mark 3:14-17; Harmony, p. 45).

6. His being sent out to preach away from Christ, the accompanying instructions, the work, and the report of it (Mark 10:1-42; Mark 6:7-30; Harmony, pp. 71-76).

7. His walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-36; Harmony, p. 80).

8. His first great confession (John 6:61-71; Harmony, pp. 82-83).

Out of the many references to Peter in the Gospels, those eight were particularly discussed as bearing upon his character and growth, his own impressions, and the audacity and weakness of his faith.

Now, this chapter resumes the discussion:

9. His greater confession at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13-20, Harmony, pp. 89-90). The reader will note that on the first interview with Peter our Lord said, "Thou shalt be called Cephas." Now, at the conclusion of Peter’s great confession here, that promise was fulfilled. He became Cephas, a stone: "Thou art Peter," and from Peter’s own words as to the real foundation of the church and of his relation to that foundation as a living stone, we get a comment in 1 Peter 2:4-8, where he makes it very clear that the foundation of the church is Christ, the rock; he does not understand that the church is built upon him. He was not bothered as a great many modern theologians in interpreting that passage in Matthew 16:1-28, and they would have saved themselves a great deal of trouble if they had allowed Peter, to whom the words were addressed, to give his own inspired understanding of what Christ meant. And it seems always to me that there must be disrespect for the inspiration of Peter when any man says that in Matthew 16:18 the rock upon which the church was built was Peter, and it is disrespect also for Paul, because he is just as clear as Peter: "Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, Christ Jesus." Peter says that he is a living stone in the Temple, but that Christ is the elect precious stone which constitutes the foundation, and that is the true conception of it. Peter does not understand from this passage by the promise of the keys, that he was to open the door of the church (that is, to declare its entrance terms) to both Jews and Gentiles.
This appears in the subsequent history; in Acts 2:1-47, Peter, standing up in Christ’s completed church and his Spirit-filled church (for the Spirit that day filled it), and under inspiration opened the door, and from the inside, mark you, to the Jews – representative Jews from all over the world, and told them how they could get in. This is evident from Acts 10:1-48. There Peter opened the door to the Gentile world, using these words: "To Christ all the prophets bear witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive forgiveness of sins." And in Acts 15:1-41 he avows that that privilege was conferred on him. In the discussion that took place in Acts 15:1-41 he commences by saying, "Brethren, you remember that how through me, or in me, the Lord made selection from among you about opening the door to the Gentiles." It is also evident from this passage that Peter held the first place among the twelve apostles to the circumcision. As a distinguished Roman Catholic historian puts it, primus inter pares. That means first among equals, and this appears further from the fact that in the four lists of the twelve apostles his name is always first, and from the further fact that in the subsequent history he invariably took the lead. But Peter did not understand that this priority conferred upon him the papal autocratic jurisdiction claimed by the Roman Catholics, and this appears from his subsequent conduct in the following instances: In Acts 2:1-47 the church at Jerusalem holds him to account for going in and eating with the Gentiles, and instead of answering them by authority, he answered them by an explanation, which was accepted. Then, in Galatians 2:1-21 when the question came up of Paul’s entirely independent gospel and jurisdiction that occurred at Jerusalem, on that occasion Peter conceded Paul’s entire independence and his appointment to be the apostle to the Gentiles, and gave him the right hand of fellowship.

It further appears from this passage in his first letter: "The elders therefore among you I exhort, who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. Feed the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight thereof, not of constraint, but willingly according to the will of God, not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind. Neither as being lords over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd shall be manifested from heaven you shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." From this passage we see that while Peter considered himself an elder, an apostle, and a shepherd, he puts himself on a level with other apostles and with other elders and with the Chief Shepherd over all, who is Jesus Christ himself, and that this oversight which he exercises is not an oversight by constraint, nor for money, but as an example. It is impossible for a man to put it any more plainly than Peter does, how he understood the priority conferred upon him on account of his great confession in Matthew 16.

10. His great presumption in tempting Christ to shun the cross and our Lord’s severe rebuke (Mark 8:31-9:1; Harmony, p. 91). Though Peter had made a confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, he had not up to that time got into his mind the necessity for the death of Christ, as an expiatory sacrifice, and so when our Lord, after that confession, began to lead them into the new idea of the Messiah, that he was to be a vicarious offering, Peter’s presumption manifested itself by tempting Christ to shun the cross. Now to show what impression that made on Peter’s mind after Christ corrected him, read what he says in 1 Peter 1:18-19. Peter does not shun the cross now. He has learned better, and he tells the people that they are purchased, not with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.

11. The next incident that impressed his mind was his witnessing our Lord’s transfiguration (Mark 9:2-13; Harmony, pp. 92-93). Peter’s witness of that transfiguration showed himself yet to be a learner. He misconstrued the presence of Moses and of Elijah, and said, "Let us build here three tabernacles, one for Moses [we will still hold on to Moses] and one for Elijah, and one for Christ." And he was rebuked by a voice saying, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye him!" You can’t associate Moses and Elijah with Christ as equal teachers.

Now the true import of that transfiguration Peter did not get in his mind right then, but he got it later as we see from 2 Peter 1:16-18 : "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory when there was borne such a voice to him by the majestic Glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: and this voice we ourselves heard borne out of the heavens, when we were with him in the holy mount." Now, that transfiguration scene never passed out of Peter’s mind. He understood it, at last, to be a miniature representation of the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, Christ’s transfiguration is the way in which he will come in his glory.
In the next place, when he comes in his glory, his power is manifest in two directions: He raises the dead, represented by the appearance of Moses there, and he changes the living, represented by Elijah, who was one of God’s Old Testament instances of transfiguration. That will be the power of his second coming, the instantaneous change of the living and the raising of the dead.

Then again Peter understood it to mean that the law led up to Christ. It was a schoolmaster unto Christ. That prophecy foreshadowed Christ as represented by Elijah. Now Peter got the right idea, at last, of the transfiguration. I am citing these cases to show what particular instances in his own life made the deepest impression on his own mind.

12. Now we go to’ the next one, the Temple tax (Matthew 14:24-27; Harmony, p. 97). The facts of the case are these: The tax-gatherer came to Peter and said, "Does your Master pay Temple tax?" Now Peter, instead of referring that question to Jesus to be answered by him – he always thinks he is competent to speak for anybody – says, "Yes." They replied, "Well, then, pay it." And he did not have any money. Peter takes the case to the Lord, and the Lord shows him that his answer was an answer of ignorance; that there was no obligation resting upon him to pay that tax, but to get Peter out of his dilemma, he gives him directions to go cast a hook into the sea, take out a fish, and find the money in the fish’s mouth to pay for Peter and Jesus. Now that lesson made an impression on Peter’s mind, and so when we come to his letters he gives directions in 1 Peter 2:13-16 about honoring the powers that be, and the paying of tribute, and closes by saying substantially, "Even when you waive a right to do it, pay it through expediency, that ye be not evil spoken of." Like Paul, he never would waive duty or principle, but when it was a privilege or right, personal to himself, and by waiving it he could do some good, he would waive it. We may always waive a right, as Paul says, "Meat offered to idols is nothing, nothing to God. I know that everything that God has made is clean, if you receive it with thankfulness." But he says, "If my eating that meat offered to an idol will cause some weak brother to stumble and fall, I will never eat any meat offered to idols as long as I live." "All things are lawful, but not expedient." Now that is the great lesson Peter got from the Temple tax business.

13. Let us now take up the lesson on how often to forgive a penitent brother (Matthew 18:20-35; Harmony, p. 101). A practical question came up in Peter’s life when the Lord said, "If thy brother repent, forgive him." Peter says, "Lord, how often, seven times?" as if he had an idea there ought to be a limit to it. "You can’t spend your life forgiving a fellow; now how often – seven times?" Jesus says, "Seventy times seven." That question of Peter’s comes up in our lives. I heard a very distinguished deacon once make a snarling speech in a church conference when a certain man came before the church and asked forgiveness, and Dr. Burleson, with his customary suavity and with a strict adherence to Scripture, advised the church to forgive him. This deacon got up and said, "I would like to know what will be the end of that? We have spent a good part of our life as a church in forgiving that man, and I don’t want to dig about him any longer." To show you how that thought impresses Peter, when he wrote his letter he says, "Have fervent love towards each other, remembering that love covers a multitude of sins." ’’If you love anybody, you can keep forgiving him." A father here on earth will forgive his child for doing wrong, on penitence, a good many times more than he will forgive another one’s child. He loves his child more; the relation is dearer. Now, the Lord wanted to teach Peter that when he got deep into the thought of the heart of God’s love, there was no limit; that love would be like the two sons of Noah who took a mantle between them and walked backward and covered up the sins of their father. Love covers a multitude of sins.

14. The reward at the earth’s regeneration (Matthew 19:27-30; Harmony, pp. 133-134). There Peter puts a question on rewards: "Lord, we have left all to follow thee, what shall we have?" "Now, we have given up everything; we are standing by you while all the world is turning away from you. What shall we have?" Our Lord replied to him that there should be a reward in this life equal to a hundredfold. Not in kind, but in other things. Then he goes on to speak of the true reward that would come at the regeneration – not the regeneration of man, but the regeneration of the earth. "You that have followed me in the regeneration shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. That is the reward ye shall have." But the thing that fastened itself most on Peter’s mind was that idea of the regeneration, the restoration of all things, and that the eye of the Christian should be fixed rather upon rewards that followed that than upon anything that takes place here in time. Now to show how that impressed him, in his speech in Acts 3, he refers to it: "Whom the heavens must receive [referring to Jesus, who is gone into heaven] until the time of the restoration of all things." And in 2 Peter 3:7-13, he unfolds the whole doctrine of the regeneration of the earth. He says that the earth once passed through a purgation by the waters of the flood, and shall pass through a purgation by fire, and that there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, and he bases a strong exhortation upon the fact that "The heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll, and the elements shall be melted with fervent heat. Seeing, then, that all of these things shall be dissolved, what manner of men ought ye to be in all holy conversation, and godliness, and walk here in this time."

15. Our Lord’s great prophecy (Mark 13:1-37 and Matthew 24:1-51, Matthew 25:1-46). That prophecy is found in Matthew 24:1-51, Matthew 25:1-46, but Peter’s connection with it is stated in Mark 13:3 and the whole account of it may be seen in the Harmony, pages 160-168. Peter puts a question that calls forth that great prophecy, covering two whole chapters of Matthew, parts of Mark and of Luke, and made a lasting impression on the mind of Peter. To show something of the impression that it made upon his mind, I will cite an occasion. In 1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:5; and 2 Peter 3:1-6, that is, three times he brings out in his letters the reference to our Lord’s great prophecy.

16. The lesson of Christ washing his feet. We find the account of that in John 13:7-10; Harmony, page 174. Notice what the points are: According to the Mosaic law, they had at their place of residence, or wherever they were abiding, performed the bodily ablution preceding the Passover, but they had to pass from that to the upper room, where they were to eat the Passover, and in passing from it they got their feet dusty, as they had only sandals on their feet, so that when they got into the house the custom was that at the door the sandals were taken off and their feet were washed and water was always provided for that. So that a man who had complied with the regular ablution prescribed by law, needed only to wash his feet, but as that was not a home where a host would provide for washing the feet of guests, but an upper room in which they were to make their preparations, the question came up: "Who shall do the feet washing?" there being no servant there to do it for them. "What about it?" Peter would say, "I cannot do it, because I am first of the apostles – primus inter pares." And there was a dispute among them while they were going there as to who was the greatest. They wanted to make some one small enough to wash feet.

Christ knew about their contention; it was a little thing on so great an occasion to cause a disturbance. So they concluded they would go in and recline at the table and eat the Passover without washing, whereupon Jesus arose and girded himself, taking a towel and a basin. They were reclining on their left elbow with their feet stretched out behind them. Christ walked around -the horseshoe table and began to wash their feet. Nobody said a word until he got to Peter. Peter said, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" "Yes." "Lord, you shall never wash my feet." Jesus said, "Well, if I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." "Then, Lord, wash me all over." The lesson there needed was the lesson of humility, service, and hospitality. That was what was needed and they were too proud to do it, whereupon Jesus, their Lord and Master, took the lowly part upon himself. Peter never forgot that. In his letter there is an evident reference to it) 1 Peter 5:5, where he exhorts against strife, and that we should gird ourselves with humility to serve one another.

17. This incident perhaps made more impression on Peter’s mind than anything, and that was Christ’s warning against Satan’s sifting of Peter and the other apostles, and of Peter’s failing, and his promising to pray for Peter that his faith fail not, and his direction to Peter that when he was converted from the error that he held that he would strengthen his brethren. That lesson appears in Luke 22:31-33; in Mark 14:29-31, and we must consider in connection with it the three denials of Peter that took place afterward. Those denials appear in Matthew 26:1-75; Mark 14:1-72; Luke 22:1-71; John 18:1-40, and the whole matter is set forth in the Harmony, pages 176-177; 193-195.
That transaction, that trial of Peter’s faith, that sifting of Peter by Satan, that intercession of Christ which kept his faith from failing, the awful bitterness with which he regrets his fall – we see how it impressed him in the following passages. There is a reminder of it in the scene described in John 21:1-17. As Peter had denied Christ three times, Christ asked him the same question three times over. But we get Peter’s own words in 1 Peter 1:6-7. He says, "The trial of man’s faith is more precious than the trial of gold by fire." In 1 Peter 1:3-5 he strengthens the brethren as Christ commanded him to do. His error was that he could hold onto Christ himself, hence he says, "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." Before that he thought he was keeping himself. We see the thought again brought out in 1 Peter 5:5-10. He believes in a devil now, and he warns them that "their adversary, the devil, goeth about as a roaring lion." He warns them against overconfidence: "God resisteth the proud but giveth grace to the humble." Just as if he had repeated the old proverb: "Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall," and urges them to watch themselves.

18. Christ’s resurrection and appearance to Peter. We find the account of it in Luke 24:33-35, and 1 Corinthians 15:5, and in the Harmony, page 224. If we read Peter’s speech, recorded in Acts 2:22-36, and his great speech in Acts 3:11-16, and his great speech, in Acts 10:38-43, we see what a tremendous impression was made upon Peter’s mind by the resurrection of Christ and his appearance to him.

19. Christ’s words to Thomas, which Peter heard (John 20:24-29; Harmony, pages 225-226): "Thomas, you believe because you have seen. Blessed are those who, not seeing, believed." Peter quoted that very thing in his first letter (John 1:8). This shows what an impression it made on him.

20. The solemn lessons at the Sea of Galilee; Christ’s questions and Peter’s answers (John 21:1-17; Harmony, pp. 226-227). First, Peter had gone back to his secular business. Second, Christ meant him to be a fisher of men, and not of fish, and a shepherd of spiritual flocks. Third, Christ wanted proof of his faith in him, trusting him to take care of him and his love for him. That great lesson received a reflection in 1 Peter 5:2-4.

21. The prediction of the manner of his death (John 21:18-19; Harmony, p. 227, reflected in 2 Peter 1:14). In that letter he tells that the Lord made known unto him how he was to die.

22. The twenty-second incident is his baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-18), and the reflection of that in full in 1 Peter 1:12.

23. A class of incidents: Peter’s suffering for Christ. He was arrested five times (Acts 4:3; Acts 3:18; Acts 5:26; Acts 12:3; John 21:18). He was in prison four times (Acts 4:3; Acts 5:18; Acts 12:3; John 21:18). He was beaten with stripes one time (Acts 5:40). He was crucified (John 21:19). Those were Peter’s individual sufferings. To see how those sufferings impressed his mind, all we have to do is to read 1 Peter 1:6-7 and particularly 1 Peter 4:12-19.

24. A class of incidents: His contact with Paul. These contacts were Acts 9:26-30 construed with Galatians 1:18; Acts 15:1-29, construed with Galatians 2:1-10; Galatians 2:11-21. To see how these contacts with Paul impressed Peter, let us read 2 Peter 3:15-16.

25. His vision at Joppa. Several times in his letters he refers to what God has cleansed.

QUESTIONS 1. What Peter’s second or greater confession?

2. What promise fulfilled here?

3. What Peter’s understanding of the foundation of the church, and his relation to it? Proof?

4. What did be understand by "the keys of the kingdom"?

5. On what two occasions did he use these keys?

6. What place did he hold among the apostles to the circumcision? Proof?

7. Did he understand that his priority conferred upon him the papal jurisdiction as claimed by the Catholics? Give proof.

8. For what did Jesus severely rebuke Peter, and how does he show the impression it made on his mind?

9. How did Peter understand the transfiguration at first? Later?

10. What great lesson did Peter get out of the incident of the Temple tax?

11. How does Peter express his impression of Christ’s teachings on forgiveness?

12. Give Peter’s elaboration of Christ’s teaching on the regeneration of the earth, and rewards.

13. What reference in his letter to the incident of foot washing?

14. What event probably impressed him most, and what references to it in his letter?

15. Describe his sufferings for Christ by answering the following questions: (1) How many times arrested? (2) How many times imprisoned? (3) How many times beaten with stripes? (4) How did he die? (5) What impressions made on his mind by these sufferings, and where do we find them?

16. What the contacts with Paul, and what their impressions on him?