Saint Peter the Apostle

Saint Peter is one of Jesus' twelve apostles, and one of the most prominent characters in the gospels. He was also the first Pope of Rome and the first Patriarch of Antioch.  Today we contemplate Saint Peter's journey, from a brash fisherman to one of the most important leaders of the early church.

The Christian Saints Podcast is a joint production of Generative sounds & Paradosis Pavilion with oversight from Fr Symeon Kees

Paradosis Pavilion - https://youtube.com/@paradosispavilion9555

https://www.instagram.com/christiansaintspodcast
https://twitter.com/podcast_saints
https://www.facebook.com/christiansaintspodcast
https://www.threads.net/@christiansaintspodcast

Iconographic images used by kind permission of Nicholas Papas, who controls distribution rights of these images

Prints of all of Nick’s work can be found at Saint Demetrius Press - http://www.saintdemetriuspress.com

All music in these episodes is a production of Generative Sounds
https://generativesoundsjjm.bandcamp.com
Distribution rights of this episode & all music contained in it are controlled by Generative Sounds
Copyright 2021 - 2023

Transcript

 God is glorious in his saints!
 
 Welcome to the Christian Saints Podcast. My name is Darren Ong, recording from Sepang in Malaysia. Music in this episode is composed by my good friend James John Marks, of Generative Sounds. In this podcast, we explore the lives of the Christian saints, from the Anglican, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. Today’s episode is about Saint Peter the Apostle.
 
 Saint Peter was one of Jesus’ twelve apostles, and one of the most prominent characters in the New Testament. Peter has special significance in the Roman Catholic church as the first Pope. Two letters in the New Testament, the First and Second epistles of Peter are attributed to him, and in addition the gospel of Mark is thought to have been written from his perspective.
 
 Peter’s original name was Simon. He and his brother Saint Andrew were fishermen. According to Matt 4:18-20
 
 8 Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee. He saw two brothers. They were Simon (his other name was Peter) and Andrew, his brother. They were putting a net into the sea for they were fishermen. 19 Jesus said to them, “Follow Me. I will make you fish for men!” 20 At once they left their nets and followed Him.
 
 Peter then becomes one of Jesus’ closest confidants. Several stories in the gospels single out Peter. In one, Jesus heals his mother-in-law. In another, Jesus famously calls Peter to walk on water. Matthew 14:22-33

 
 
  Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

 
 Peter’s special status is then cemented in this exchange. We should mention here that the Greek word “Petros” means rock, and Jesus declares Peter the rock on which he builds his church: Matthew 16:13-19
 
 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock[b] I will build my church, and the gates of hell[c] shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[d] in heaven.”

There is a great deal of controversy among Christians as to what kind of authority Jesus gives to Peter here. For Roman Catholics, this passage is the foundation of their doctrine of the papacy, and they believe that the Pope, as Peter’s successor has the same authority over the church today. Of course, Christians who are not Roman Catholic don’t believe that Peter’s authority here is inherited by the bishops of Rome.

This chapter of Matthew reveals to very interesting sides of who Peter is. Immediately after praising Peter and declaring him the rock on which his church stands, Jesus scolds him, and even refers to him as Satan!: Matthew 15:21-23

rom that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord![e] This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance[f] to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
 

 Peter is portrayed in a few different episodes in the gospels as someone who is rather impulsive, for good and for ill. He is quick to declare Jesus as the Christ (or Messiah) and is praised for that, and he is quick to rebuke Jesus when Jesus says he must suffer. Far from being the stable personality that the word “rock” implies.
 
 Peter is present during Jesus’ transfiguration, when Jesus is miraculously revealed as the son of God. And again, the gospels record him making an impulsive statement From Mark 9:2-8:
 
  After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

7 Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

8 Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

 The most tragic instance of Peter’s impulsivity comes in his conduct during Christ’s passion, when Jesus was arrested and killed. In John 18:3-11:
 
 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”[a]

10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

 
 Again we see Peter’s brazen impulsivity earn a rebuke from Christ. But the most tragic moment for Peter in the gospels is his denial of Christ, at the moment when the cause all but seemed lost. This denial is forshadowed in the last supper, the meal that Jesus has with his disciples before the crucifixtion. Jesus warns Peter in Luke 22:31-34
 
 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you,[d] that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter[e] said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus[f] said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”
 
Jesus sees through Peter’s bravado, and indeed when Jesus is captured we see Peter’s courage falter. In verses 54-62 of that same chapter of Luke:
 
  Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.
And upon Christ’s resurrection, the gospel of John records Peter as the first to notice that the tomb was empty, and Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians mentions he was the first of the apostles to see the risen Christ. The gospel of John records a beautiful scene in which the resurrected Jesus reinstates Peter. In John 21:15-19:
 
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

 Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
 
 Peter becomes a prominent leader in the new Christian church. The first part of the book of Acts focuses on Peter’s ministry. Of note, there is an episode in which the Jewish elders hear a speech from Peter about the risen Christ, and marvel that it came from an unschooled, ordinary man. Showing that the Holy Spirit was molding Peter to be the leader that Jesus called him to be. 
 
 Peter is traditionally regarded to be both the first Patriarch of the church in Antioch, and the first Pope, or Bishop of Rome. Traditional accounts say he was martyred in Rome during the time of the Emperor Nero. The apocryphal Acts of Peter records a poignant scene, known now as “quo vadis” - Latin for “where are you going”. Peter is fleeing Rome, afraid of the persecution of Christians there and he sees a vision of Christ carrying the cross heading the opposite direction. He says to Jesus Quo Vadis (where are you going?) and Jesus tells him “I am going to Rome, to be crucified again”. Peter gains the courage to return to Rome, to continue his ministry and is indeed caught, and sentenced to death. Peter is nailed to a cross upside down, and this upside-down cross is known as St Peter’s cross.
 
 St Peter’s basilica in Rome is built on the site where Peter was believed to have been buried. Indeed, the main altar is supposed to be directly above Peter’s corpse. The keys of St Peter and the upside-down St Peter’s cross have become symbols of the Vatican and of the papacy. And of course there are many, many places and churches named after him, perhaps most prominently the city of St Petersburg, in Russia. 
 
 On the 29th of June, Roman Catholic, Anglican and Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate the Feast day of Saints Peter and Paul, as the two most prominent leaders of the early church. For the Orthodox, this feast ends the apostles fast, which is a fast starting shortly after Pentecost to the 29th of June. The Anglicans also celebrate Peter on the 18th of Janurary, when they commemorate his confession (the moment when Peter declares the Jesus was the messiah).
 
 We will end this episode with a wonderful exhortation from the first epistle of Peter, one of two letter in the Bible attributed to him. In 1 Peter 4:8-11:
 
 love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.