What About Peter?

Introduction

• We first learn about Simon Peter when Jesus invited him to give up his fishing business to become a disciple. At the time, Peter was blustering, impetuous, and rough. After three years of being with Jesus, to be honest, Peter wasn’t much different. What happened to Peter at the arrest, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus changed his life, but there was another event that propelled him in the direction God had intended for him.

• I’m Brent and this is episode 36 of The Bible Unplugged. We continue our series, Easter Unplugged, with a close look at what happened to Peter that demonstrated God’s amazing love for His people.

• Please take a minute to look at the show notes for this episode at PowerLoveandMiracles.com under the Podcast tab.

Who was Peter?

• Simon Peter was one of the three disciples in Jesus’ “inner circle.” The other two were James and John whom Jesus called the “Sons of Thunder” likely due to their fiery personalities.

• Being a part of this elite group meant that Peter saw firsthand a number of events in the life of Jesus that others did not witness. Some of these events include:

• The raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead- Mark 5:37-43; Luke8:49-56

• The transfiguration of Jesus- Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 9:28-36

• Jesus instructing Peter to pay the Temple tax with a coin from a fish’s mouth- Matthew 17:24-27

• Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane- Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42

• Peter stands our as the first disciple to confess Jesus as the Messiah in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 16.

• Peter also stands out when he declares that he would lay down his life for Jesus. Jesus responds with a challenge Peter would never forget. In the Gospel of John chapter 13, Jesus says: “Will you lay down your life for me? Most certainly I tell you, the rooster won’t crow until you have denied me three times.” That statement set in motion the events that would transform Peter’s life and future ministry.

Jesus and Peter

• After Jesus was arrested, Peter followed in secret to the courtyard of the high priest where Jesus was being interrogated. In the Gospel of John chapter 18 we find that another unnamed disciple, quite likely John who wrote the gospel, was allowed to enter the house to witness the events that followed. Peter stood outside by a coal fire to keep warm.

• A young woman who worked as a doorkeeper said to Peter, “Are you also on of this man’s disciples?” Peter answered, “I am not.”

• A few verses later, those standing around the fire with Peter said, “You aren’t also one of his disciples, are you?”

• The most poignant moment in this event I quote from John’s gospel, “One of the servants of the high priest, being a relative of him whose ear Peter had cut off, said, ‘Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?’ Peter therefore denied it again, and immediately the rooster crowed.”

• Can you imagine the raging emotions that gripped Peter at that moment? To add insult to injury, the Gospel of Luke chapter 22 says that after the rooster crowed, Jesus turned and look at Peter. Peter remembered what Jesus said about the denials. Then he went away from the courtyard and wept bitterly.

• The days between the crucifixion and the resurrection had to be the darkest times in Peter’s life. He and another disciple, likely John, ran to the tomb after Mary told them Jesus was not there. Jesus appeared to the disciples later that day, but there is no mention of what Peter did or how he felt.

• We find the story of an encounter between Peter and Jesus at the end of John’s Gospel.

Jesus Restores Peter

• At least a week after the Resurrection the disciples were out fishing. After a long night they caught nothing.

• At daybreak, the disciples heard someone from shore ask if they had anything to eat. The stranger encouraged the experienced fishermen to cast their net on the other side of the boat. I’m sure their thought was, “Why not?” They did so and could not pull the net in because of the number of fish they caught.

• Peter, recognized that the stranger was Jesus, jumped into the water and swam to shore. By the time the disciples arrived, they found Jesus by a coal fire with fish and bread already cooking. The conversation that follows changed Peter’s life.

• John’s Gospel in chapter 21 says that: Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you have affection for me?” Peter was grieved because he asked him the third time, “Do you have affection for me?” He said to him, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I have affection for you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

• The symbolism in this story is profound. Peter, standing by a coal fire denied knowing Jesus three times. Jesus sitting by a coal fire prompts Peter to declare how much he loves his savior three times.

• In this act of we find Jesus restoring Peter and forgiving the denials. Since the other disciples were present, Peter regains their respect and trust. In the weeks and months ahead, we find that Peter is a brave and outspoken evangelist, risking his life to proclaim Jesus as the Messiah.

What do we learn from this?

• Failure is not a disqualifier. Jesus is the redeemer of broken lives, broken stories, and broken hearts. If Jesus had been looking for perfect people, he certainly would not have chosen Peter to be a disciple.

• God meets us where we are. Peter came face to face with his human frailty when he denied knowing Jesus. It took some time for Peter to wrestle with his failure before Jesus openly and publicly restored Peter. Rescuing Peter too early would not have allowed time for Peter to work through the meaning of his failure.

• Jesus recreated the scene of Peter’s denial by building a coal fire for the disciples. Jesus shows us that he can meet us anywhere, including the place of our greatest shame, in order to restore our faith in him and reaffirm his love for us.

• When Peter accepted the restoration Jesus offered, the forgiveness came with a mission. Peter’s task was to minister to others who faced the same kinds of heartache and disappointment he faced in his life.

What do we do with this?

• When we feel confronted by our failures and limitations, and we often are, remember that the God who sent his Son to die in our place is the God who offers us an eternal and powerful life because His Son rose from the dead.

• Take some time out of your busy day to ask God to reveal himself in your ordinary activity. Looking for God’s actions in our mundane lives reveals a God who is actively working to give us a life greater than we now know.

• When you feel that you don’t count because of past mistakes or a lack of confidence in your abilities, remember, Jesus tasked Peter to minister to others in spite of his limitations. You are a unique child of God with unique, God-give abilities. God has a mission and a purpose for your life if you will only be willing to follow Him.

The Conclusion

• And the music says my time is up for this episode, but I’ll be back with a lot more later.

• I hope this has been helpful. If so, give this podcast a high rating and share it with others.

• In the next episode will wrap up the series Easter Unplugged with a deep dive into the prophecies, allusions, and stories that connect God’s covenant in the Old Testament with the purpose of Jesus’ life, ministry, death and resurrection.

• My prayer for you is that you see that even your worst mistakes and tragedies evaporate in the light of God’s amazing love for you.

• Have a blessed week.

The Disclaimers

• Just to let you know

• All opinions are my own. If you agree, keep listening. If you don’t… keep listening, I might surprise you with something you didn’t know.

• All Bible quotations come from the World English Bible which is a public domain work.

• Our show theme song is “Awesome Call” by Kevin MacLeod and is available under a Creative Commons license.

• The content of this podcast is copyrighted 2025 by J. Brent Eaton

• This has been a Power Love and Miracles production.