”Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, ”not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, ”Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean…”
I love the stories about Simon Peter. He is like the proverbial bull in a China shop! One minute he is UP, the next he is DOWN. Peter is emotional and passionate. The fires of his impulsiveness drive him from one extreme to another. Yet Jesus picked him to be a disciple. Even more, Peter is often considered the lead disciple.
Today’s passage follows verse 8 where Peter tells Jesus (Jesus!!), “… you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus reprimands him and says, “Unless I wash you, you have no part in me.” Then Peter goes to the other extreme.
Jesus is patient and loving towards his outspoken disciple. The thing about Peter that sets him apart is his willingness to repent. When Jesus calls him out for something like saying no to having his feet washed, Peter is quick to turn around. The sound of “Oops!” seems to leap off of the page. Peter is headstrong which tends to get him in trouble, but his heart is tightly bound to our Lord. All Jesus has to do is to tug gently on the string, and Peter does an immediate about-face.
Let’s Discuss: What do you think of Peter? Why do you think Jesus picked him to be the lead disciple?
This gives me much to reflect upon. I think Peter was given a heart to follow after Christ, and that he was willing to take the lead at many times and speak up for the rest of the disciples, even in faith to momentarily walk on water. I think that in all honesty though, I don’t really know. Peter was just a man, a man chosen and touched by God. Christ obviously saw much redemption in him and he was integral to shaping the early church, even used as a stone if you will. I obviously don’t hold to him being the chief cornerstone, however, as the Catholics do and I was raised to believe initially, but he was certainly called by God for his purpose. My favorite passage with Peter is when he jumps off the boat to swim to Christ after he had risen. Something in that I can relate to and that passage has brought tears to my eyes on many occasions. I can’t imagine what Peter must have been going through.
NMOP3PISdn
Thank you for sharing. You point to an aspect of Peter that sings out through the gospels: his love for Jesus!
For all his emotional pendulum swings, he was the only one of the disciples to walk on water.
Not too shabby!
Brent
Brent,
Great point! Even though Peter seemed to fall the farthest at times, he also dared to step out of the boat. There is a great lesson in that for all of us.
I agree. He also had someone cut a hole in his roof and he didn’t flip out…lol
We often think of him as explosive, but scripture doesn’t record him getting upset over having to replace his roof.
Nathan,
You mean he didn’t “raise the roof?” 🙂 Maybe he didn’t want to be “shingled” out by Jesus again?
Seems like the old skit on Saturday night live. “Never of course not” turns into “yeah…that’s the ticket!”; In moments. Certainly better to change then be stuck in old or bad ways. However…maybe best to think and ask questions BEFORE declaring absolutes. To quote Cher in Moonstruck, “what you don’t know is a lot!” Steven Covey told us to shut up and “seek first to understand…and then be understood”.
Peter needs to slow down listen and ask before talking. Wait….so do I!!!
Gary,
Nice to see you here! Thanks for stopping by!! Its funny, but I can relate. I need to slow down and listen first, too. Thanks!
I really appreciate and respect Peter, he was an imperfect man like all of us but he also had great faith. Consider the following – someone cut a hole in his house to lower a man through the roof… he walked on water… he was the only disciple old enough to pay the temple tax and was generally their leader (perhaps with John and James)… he literally went to Jesus defense with a sword against professional guards… he had the courage to lead the inclusion of Gentiles (God’s prompting)… and ultimately died for his faith in Jesus.
The disciples as a whole are imperfect real people with strengths and weaknesses – which encourages me as I to have issues/struggles. Jesus called people with a variety of personalities and backgrounds to be his core disciples. No matter whether we are a Peter, John, Thomas, or Andrew we all can serve God and have patience with our growth in faith.
Nathan,
So true! I take a lot of encouragement from the disciples, too. They are real people, just like you and I.
I also appreciate and respect Peter for his ability to stick out his neck, right or wrong. I, however, cannot relate to him since my temperament (not my level of holiness) is more like John. I could see myself beating Peter to the tomb but not into it…or out of the boat. “Lord, increase our faith. “
Amen, JEC!
I think that is true for all of us.