Peter was one of the twelve disciples of the Lord Jesus. He was a normal guy with a wife, whom he cared for and for her family, as well as a brother named Andrew (Matt 4:18, Matt 8:14). Peter was called by Jesus to partake in the mission of proclaiming the kingdom of heaven. Through this, Peter followed Jesus for about three years and witnessed many miracles. Peter witnessed his mother-in-law receive healing (Matthew 8:15), Peter himself was able to walk on water (Matthew 14:28-29), he saw Jesus transfigured and heard the audible voice of God (Matthew 17:1-4), he experienced a handful of fish and loaves be multiplied to thousands (John 6:1-14), and Peter was promised to become a fisher of men (Luke 5:9-10). Peter had so much data on who Christ was that it often prompted him to a very zealous faith.
Peter had zealous faith from the beginning to the end of Jesus’ ministry. From the moment Peter left his net to follow Christ (Matthew 4:19-20) to the end of the gospels where he dives into the sea to return to his risen Lord (John 21:7), Peter had zeal. There are multiple accounts where Jesus would ask a question and Peter would be the first one to answer. In Matthew 16, Jesus asks his disciples who they say that he is, and Peter hits the nail on the head:
Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Wow! What an answer! Peter understood the identity of the Living Word and he was ready to proclaim it.
Critical Observation 1: The disciple of Jesus Christ must be zealous about the Word of God.
John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
In this passage, we see Peter take a zealous stance on where he was at in relationship to the words of God. Many times, as lukewarm believers, this is not our perspective toward the Word of God. We start from a place of criticality and numbness to the Word of God. We rationalize internally why His promises cannot be true in our lives. Or convince ourselves that His commands are meant for everyone else but us. But zeal is different. Zeal in the life of a disciple recognizes that what God has said must be true, and it creates a passion in the disciples’ life to see it become reality. We discover that there is blessing when we make zeal for God’s Word our point of departure in faith. One thing is for certain though, many men have zeal in their lives, but it can easily be misplaced.
Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
This passage of scripture is doctrinally referring to Israel; however, it can be spiritually applied to Peter and our lives. This verse highlights how zeal is only as good as the source of the zeal. In continuation of the story in Matthew 16, we see Peter argue with Christ over his death, burial, and resurrection.
Mat 16:22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
Mat 16:23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
In this scenario, Peter’s zeal failed him because it was not in line with the plan of God. So much so that Peter’s misplaced zeal became an offence to God. As disciples we must do whatever it takes to be aligned with God’s heart and God’s word, and this requires soberness to receive it and apply it.
Critical Observation 2: The disciple of Jesus Christ must be sober enough to hear and receive God’s word.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must be a sober people. “Sober” in the Bible appears with words such as “vigilant” and “watch” – all of which are requirements for leaders. To be sober means to be spiritually vigilant of ourselves. In the lowest moments of Peter’s life, we notice the lack of sobriety he had. One clear example was in his denial of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Mark 14, Jesus declares that Peter will deny him. Peter responds by vehemently declaring that he would never betray him.
In studying Peter’s life, one would think that his betrayal was his biggest failure, but the scriptures indicate something preceded this. Peter’s ultimate mistake was his inability to believe that he was capable of denying Jesus... Even though, Jesus had revealed it to him directly. Even though, he couldn’t stay awake in the garden. Even though, he lied through his denial. Peter failed to assess what the flesh was capable of. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must take heed to who we are in the flesh. We must set aside the things that could bring us false confidence and a false sense of maturity. Our perceived status at church, our abilities, our knowledge, etc. must be brought before the Lord regularly. As disciples we must be ready to listen to the Lord, even if it means recognizing our flesh and its many flaws.
Critical Observation 3: Halfway faith comes from halfway hearing.
In another story, at the mount of transfiguration, Peter witnesses the Lord being transfigured – Jesus’s face is shining, his clothes are completely white – but by verse 4, Peter is suggesting that tabernacles be built for the Son of God, Moses, and Elias. By verse 5, God interrupts him:
Mat 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
God shuts down Peter’s suggestion to place emphasis on hearing the Son. As disciples, we want to be full of zealous faith. We even want to be sober about where we are at spiritually but ultimately, it is only by hearing the Lord in which these two things can be accomplished.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Sometimes we can read scripture as if it is a suggestion. Or we will glance at the Bible for inspiration or for spiritual knowledge. But we can miss the point of the Word. The Word of God is intended to transform our hearts so that it is inevitable to grow in faith. Through Peter’s struggles and victories, we learn that zeal is important to the life of a believer. But it must be combined with a sober humility to hear and respond to God when He speaks.
Alvaro Briones is a bible study leader and member of the discipleship team at Midtown Baptist Temple in Kansas City, MO.
