If I Had Been With Jesus.....
13th in a series on how men and women in the Bible
deal with waiting, disappointment and unemployment
If I Had Been With Jesus…..
Ever heard someone say that? It’s so easy to trash the disciples and criticize them for their weak faith and silly behavior. We fall into that evolutionary trap that assumes that since we are living in the modern age then we would certainly be smarter than those people who lived 2000 years ago in tents or adobe houses and wore sandals and togas.
Not so fast. I want to use the Apostle Peter as an example of someone we love to pick on. Of course, we have the advantage of 20/20 hindsight, but I believe we’ll all see ourselves through Peter’s good, bad and misinformed perspective.
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
Charlie Brown, in one comic said, “If we learn by our mistakes, I must be a genius.” Peter, believed in Jesus one minute and then the next he was all wet. I imagine Jesus smiling as he said, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” I know he loved Peter and this experience only made him grow…even if just a little bit
Principle: Faith starts with simple belief
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Peter knew this from experience right? He walked on water! But he also showed that he was teachable. For Jesus says to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”
Principle: Belief in Jesus as Messiah invites the Holy Spirit who will inform your beliefs.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Peter allowed his young faith and impulsiveness to cause him to think he knew better than Jesus. How many times have I told God what I want or what I think ought to happen? And Jesus’ response is not very pastoral, “Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’” Jesus could say the same thing to us at times.
Principle: It’s a good thing God doesn’t always listen to our ranting. Jesus tells us the truth even if it hurts our feelings
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
I think this is one of the funniest passages in the Bible. What would a fully redeemed man who has experienced perfection in heaven need with a ramshackle hut built out of palm fronds and sticks?
No Principle but hilarious.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
I’m sure Peter had someone in mind when he asked this question. The Pharisees probably had a formula for this. He had the original Bible Answer Man at his disposal, so surely he would finally get the right number from the Messiah. Remember Jesus’ response? “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” This is Bible-talk for…stop counting.
Principle: We are never allowed to stop forgiving.
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
An honest question. Every day that they were with Jesus, they were dependent upon others for food and shelter. Peter had been a successful fisherman. Being with Jesus was great, but is this it? Jesus said, “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”
Principle: The promise of God’s presence outweighs all other relationships.
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
It shouldn’t be surprising that Peter became the spokesman for the other disciples. I think that due to his impulsivity, he had to learn more quickly because he made so many mistakes.
Principle: Over time, the words of Jesus can transform your life.
“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Peter changed inside and out. Others saw him like they saw the blind or crippled man who were healed. They were completely different. What happened?
Principle: Imagine who we can become if we hang with Jesus.
It’s hard to stop there, but if you’ve read this far, you recognize the power that transformed Peter’s life can also transform ours. I want to close with a quote from a letter that a much older Peter wrote that reminds us that through Jesus we can become much more like the image of God our Savior desires us to be.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
2 Peter 1:5-9
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