PETER’S COMMITMENT AS A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST

PETER’S COMMITMENT AS A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST

One day, Jesus invited Peter and Andrew to come and follow Him. “At once,” Matthews says, “they left their nets and followed Him” (Matthew 4:19-20). Did these future apostles simply see Jesus for the first time, hear only three words, and then leave their homes, families, and livelihoods to follow Him? It’s possible, but somewhat doubtful. More likely, this was Matthew’s ways of dramatizing a radical decision that probably had more history to it than he recounted. Most commentators believe that Peter and Andrew had heard Jesus preach a few times and may well have spent time alone speaking with Him before they left everything behind to become His disciples.

A year or two later, Jesus asked His disciples. “Who do you say that I am?” In response, Peter proclaimed: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16). Clearly, Peter had some idea about who Jesus was. These words must have been one of the high points in Peter’s spiritual life. This may haven the moment when Peter realized that this man for whom he had left everything was more than just a special rabbi.

Around the same time as Peter’s bold profession, Jesus told a crowd of people that He was no less than the bread of life and that those who are of Him would live forever (John 6:51). On hearing this, many of Jesus’ followers left Him. And yet, despite popular sentiment, Peter again spoke out plainly: “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69).

Peter never seems to have lost this sense that there was more to Jesus than met the eye. Even during Jesus’ passion, when Peter denied knowing Him, something of his knowledge of Jesus remained strong in him. He may have wept bitter tears and felt a tremendous amount of guilt, but Peter never completely ran away from his convictions about Jesus. In fact, after the resurrection, when Jesus asked him three times if he loved Him, Peter answered each time emphatically, “Lord, you know that I love you” (John 21:15-17).

These stories from the Gospels show us how Peter’s commitment to Jesus Christ matured over time. His initial decision to become a disciple was clearly a dramatic one, but it was only the beginning. Over the next few years, Peter faced many challenges, and his conviction about Jesus grew to become the one solid foundation in his life. In the end, Peter’s commitment to Christ was so strong that he was able to face the ultimate test – martyrdom – in a way that glorified God.

It’s the same for us (you and I). Our commitment to Jesus is meant to grow and deepen over time as we are filled with more and more of Jesus’ love. We all have a portion of Peter in us. Like Peter, we commit our lives to Jesus. And like Peter, we sometimes take our commitment back and prefer to stand on our own strength.

Committing our lives to Jesus is not about rules and regulations but rather about expressing our union with Jesus, even when it still needs to mature and deepen. Like Peter – who first gave his life to Jesus; who proclaimed Him to be the Messiah; who told Jesus, “Where else can I go?”; and who said, “I love You” three times – our commitment to Jesus will be tried and tested. And like Peter, we will have opportunities to choose Jesus over the world and to proclaim that choice to those around us.

Jakarta, 26 February 2014

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