To Believe Is Necessary, But Not Sufficient – Part 2. Peter Begins His Journey To True Faith
Scripture provides more insight into Peter’s emotions and personality than any other disciple. Although still sketchy, we get a look into what moves and motivates Peter. For this reason, Peter is a great example of one man’s journey from faith in himself, or false faith, to becoming one of the great men of true faith in the history of the Church.
Peter had a strong personality manifested in, among other traits, self-confidence. At one point he actually rebuked Jesus. Was his journey to true faith linear – a little bit closer each day? Or was it more punctuated, made up of significant events punctuated by longer periods of no movement or growth? I believe that Peter’s journey contains some elemental truths about faith that can instruct us all.
Peter was the impulsive, willful disciple. He was ‘out there’, way ahead of the other disciples in his emotional and willful interactions with Jesus. He was the one who actually got out of the boat and walked on water for a few minutes, in response to Jesus’ command and drawing on Jesus’ power! Who else would do that? He was a crazy guy. He is also the disciple whom we know the most about. And after Pentecost he became the leader of this new band of believers. He was the “rock” upon which the Church was built.
In Matthew and Mark, Jesus, walking by the shore of the Sea of Galilee, calls Andrew and Simon to follow Him. Immediately, they lay down their nets and follow Jesus.
Luke gives us more information about how Peter met Jesus and suggests that these fishermen, who were probably a close-knit community, knew a lot about Jesus before He invited them into the adventure of a lifetime.
In Luke 4 we see that Jesus knew their hometown Capernaum (he made it his base of operations and had a house there), and almost certainly walked on the lakeshore chatting with these tough unschooled fishermen. We first meet Peter (known as Simon at that time) in this chapter of Luke, even before Jesus calls Andrew, James, and John. Jesus delivers a man from a demon in the Synagogue and then He goes to Simon’s mother-in-law’s house a few yards away, where He heals her from a high fever. Then she gets up and serves Jesus and the others. So, before He calls Simon to follow Him, He was a friend of Simon’s family. It was on the front porch of Simon’s mother-in-law’s house that Jesus healed many in what has come to be known as ‘the sunset miracles’. Before Jesus called Simon and the others to be his disciples, they had seen some pretty amazing things – demons cast out and really sick people healed, probably also the lame walking and the blind being given sight. These guys knew Jesus – at least they knew about Jesus. After all, John the Baptist told Andrew that Jesus was “the lamb of God” and Andrew told Simon, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1: 41). But, still they wondered — paradigm shift?
This is the context for Jesus’ call to Simon and the other fisherman. They had seen the Word in action. If they were like me they would have been excited, but also confused – “who is this Guy?”
The first significant interaction between Simon and Jesus, and the real beginning of Simon’s journey to true faith, occurred along the shore of the lake with this vignette in which Simon confronts his sin. This is what Luke wrote:
“He (Jesus) got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break . . . When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, ‘Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken . . . Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid, from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything and followed Him” (Luke 5: 3 – 11 NIV). In this same scene in Matthew, Jesus said, “Come, follow Me” (Matthew 4: 19 NIV).
Jesus does not say, “Put down your nets and let’s see what happens.” Jesus says, “Let down the nets for a catch – you will catch fish.” Peter responds from his own experience and self-confidence – his false faith. In effect he says, “I am the fisherman, not you. I know this business – you should stick to what you do well, I will stick to what I do well. And what I do well is fish. Don’t tell me how to run my business, and I won’t tell you how to run yours.” Yet, he followed Jesus’ instructions – probably to show Jesus how wrong He was. Peter, like most of us, had yet to realize that the ‘business’ of Jesus is everything. We do not compartmentalize our life with Him – it is all His. He does not just want us on Sunday morning. He wants all of us, all week – our work, hobbies, family, friends, and leisure time – all of us. Even when we are fishing. He is very possessive.
Peter quickly gets the point. It is not about Jesus being a better fisherman than Peter. It is about Jesus operating on an entirely different level of reality than Peter. It is not about fishing – it is about placing the fish where Jesus wants them to be. Peter has come face-to-face with something beyond the scope of his experience. The Amplified translation reads, “He was gripped with bewildering amazement allied to terror.” Jesus uses what Peter knows very well to make this point – Peter has to confront an alien power and righteousness. And in the face of this perfection Peter is forced to face his own sinfulness, which is in large part his pride rooted in idolatry (his Sin). He is not worthy to be in Jesus’ presence, but yet in less than a few minutes Jesus calls Peter to follow him. Peter meets his own depravity and the grace of his Master. Peter says, “Go away from me. I am a sinful man”; Jesus says, “Come to me and be my disciple – you are valued and accepted.” The beginning of faith!
I believe that all true faith begins with the understanding of our sinfulness, our need for a savior, and at least a glimpse of His grace. As bad as we are, and most of us are really bad, Jesus is offering us a home with him unlike any this world can possibly provide.
And then these words, “Simon, don’t be afraid.” Afraid of what? Afraid of being rejected by Jesus because he is not worthy? Afraid of giving up his life and his relatively secure future as a fisherman to follow this crazy guy? Is he afraid of what others will think about him if he becomes a disciple of Jesus? Afraid of failure? Maybe he is wondering, “Will I have to change?” What if I let Him down? We can’t tell, but probably all of these thoughts and more are running through his mind. He is about to make the most important decision of his life in a split second. True faith is a risk, but the alternative is death, not life.
Beginning on that day the disciples have a ringside seat to the most important and profound teaching in the history of the world. They saw Jesus heal the sick, give sight to the blind, put the lame and paralyzed back on their feet walking, cure leprosy, and feed thousands with a few loaves and fish. They encountered demons and watched Jesus take authority over the demonic realm. They even saw Jesus calm a raging storm while they were huddled, terrified in a boat in the Sea of Galilee. In the midst of this storm, Jesus stood up in the boat and rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet, be still!” Then the wind died down and He said to the disciples, including Simon, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? (Mark 5: 40 NIV). “Do you still have no faith” can be translated, “Do you not yet have faith?” Jesus is asking them, “After all you have seen, after all I have done in your presence, do you still not trust me with your lives?” In response, the disciples looked at each other and asked the question, once again, “Who is this guy we are following?”
Jesus is teaching them that faith involves more than “I believe”. Faith is complete trust as well as belief. And faith is both a decision and a journey; our faith grows deeper if we commit to Jesus and then continue on the journey with Him.
But if they didn’t get it after all they saw, what about us? What hope do we have for true faith? They walked and talked with Jesus. They saw all that He did with their own eyes. However, we have two things that they lacked at that time. We have the resurrection and we have access to the Holy Spirit. True faith is not our work – it is the work of the Holy Spirit in us, placing in our hearts a yearning for Jesus and the resurrection life He offers us. It is true that we need to accept and receive true faith, but Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith.
In this post I examined the beginning of Peter’s journey to true faith. When Peter met Jesus he had faith, the faith that most of us grow up with – false or idolatrous faith in our selves. His journey to true faith begins with getting to know Jesus as a friend and a companion in the difficult life of a first-century fisherman in occupied Israel. Peter’s journey takes a major leap when he sees himself, for the first time, as a sinner unworthy of Jesus’ company. But Jesus is ready for that reaction. He tells Peter “don’t worry”, and then calls Peter – “Peter, come. Be my disciple.” In the face of his strong sense of sinfulness, a necessary step on our own journey of faith, Peter is confronted with a reality even greater than his sin – the grace and love of Jesus.
“So they pulled their boats up on the shore, left everything and followed Him.” Doesn’t that scene have a sense of finality? They are done with the old life. A new, unknown life waits. What boats do we need to pull up on the shore, leave behind, and begin the new life with Jesus? He is calling us saying, “Don’t be afraid.”
Peter’s journey toward true faith has truly begun, but he still has a way to go. In the next post we find Peter at Caesarea Philippi speaking some amazing words – and then some words I am certain he would rather forget.
On the journey,
John