The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.
Yesterday, we talked about Peter’s reaction to discovering it was Jesus who had called to them from the beach. Peter doesn’t think, he reacts. We see this time and again with him. Sometimes his impulses are good and at other times they are not so good.
When Peter affirms that Jesus has that “words of eternal life,” (John 6: 68) that was good.
When Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet (John 13:8) that was not so good.
When Peter says “I will lay down my life for you.” (John 13: 37) that was good.
Then Peter denies he even knows Jesus. (John 18: 15, 25, 27) Not so good.
Peter runs hot and cold.
The other disciples have different temperaments. Each is how God made him. Thomas made one little mistake and became known as “Doubting Thomas.” James was one of the three disciples who were closest to Jesus. John, the “disciple whom Jesus loved,” (John 13: 23) was himself on the boat fishing that night.
When Peter jumped into the water and started for shore, he left the others to finish up the task Jesus had given them.
Application: Following Jesus is not an excuse for abandoning our responsibilities. Jesus was not happy with the Pharisees who used religion to avoid taking care of their parents. (Mark 7: 9-13) Jesus himself had a responsibility to provide for his mother. When he was being crucified he passed this responsibility to John, not Peter. Submitting to our Lord often means submitting to the place, people and work that he has given us.
Food for Thought: What would the world be like if everyone were like Peter?
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It would certainly be interesting, but definitely chaotic and out of balance. God in His sovereignty made everyone unique with unique gifts and talents to bless others and glorify Himself.
Thank you, Rich!
I appreciate your faithfulness in reading and commenting here. I am thankful for you!
I haven’t visited in awhile so I just want to say that I like the new color formatting. When organizing things for myself I find color to be the most helpful. Anyhow, I get a lot out of understanding how different each person is, and yet how all are still valued by God and redeemed for His glory and purposes. It clearly has nothing to do with us, God loves us all. It’s also encouraging to see others who are human in the same way that you are. I can relate most to Peter at least in many respects as I think I am able to know them. I think what Rich says it totally true and especially from someone like Peter, but it would hold true for all types.
Good point NMOP3PISdn. I think it would hold true for all types. And I like how you point out that God values each person no matter their personality type. I am thankful that He can love my personality type as I am not sure all can 🙂
I appreciate the comments today. Thanks!
One thing I am learning from this post is to see Peter differently than I did before. I used to think God picked Peter to be an Apostle because of his impulsiveness. Now it seems to me that he picked Peter in spite of his impulsiveness. It wasn’t Peter’s personality traits that made him an Apostle. It was God’s calling and His Holy Spirit that used Peter to accomplish His will in spite of Peter’s shortcomings. This is similar to how God took Saul, someone who persecuted the church and may have even had believers killed, and turned him into an apostle. I suspect that if any of us are able to accomplish God’s will, it is God working though us that is responsible. Thank God for God! 🙂
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Thank you for the comments Jeff. Very helpful.